What brain scans say about what resonates when Canadians feel provoked. This story was originally published in the Summer 2025 issue of strategy magazine. Part 1 of our Patriotism vs. antagonism feature appeared online on Monday.  

By Will Novosedlik

“There’s a collective psychological shift underway in Canada – from the perception of being spineless to that of growing a backbone,” says Brainsights’ Jasmin Amin, having spent the last few months literally studying the minds of Canadians since Trump took office.

The communications strategist and her team at the neuromarketing firm conducted brain scans in Fredericton, Montreal, Toronto and Calgary to determine people’s emotional response to the commercials and content made in response to the U.S. President’s takeover threats.

“The prevailing narrative of Canadians is that we are nice,” says Amin. “But our research reveals that Canadians are really looking for brands to be bold, to put a patriotic stake in the ground that says we’re proud to be Canadian. We don’t need to be uber polite in this situation.”

In Brainsights’ research, this attitude has been consistent across the country. Even in Alberta, where tensions around the notion of separation are high at the moment, Brainsights saw deep moments of resonance with the recent “We are Canadian” commercial remake, especially at the point when the spot positioned Donald Trump as the villain.

Brainsights discovered messaging that’s landing with Canadians is a mix of bold expressions of identity, clever humour and clear cultural symbolism. She points to ads by Doritos (“I Won’t Apologize,” pictured above right) – where no-longer-apologetic Canadians sing a rendition of “I Will Survive,” insisting that they “have no more sorry’s left to give” – and Pizza Pizza (“Reverse Tariffs”) – a 25% off pizza code to help Canadians bite back against tariffs.

There were similar responses to a This Hour has 22 Minutes “Buy Canadian” spoof. It struck a chord with the line, “We all need to do our part, but there is only one winner in a trade war… Loblaws.” It resonates not just for its humour, but because it taps into a shared skepticism about the gap between corporate messaging and consumer experience.

We also come with historical receipts. In a recent Liberal election campaign video, “Good Neighbours Always,” Trump is shown talking about the lack of help Canada has given to the U.S. – but is then immediately followed by a powerful montage of Canada’s real, historic acts of solidarity: Newfoundland taking in grounded planes after 9/11 and Canadian firefighters aiding during California’s wildfires. Amin says Canadians responded positively to the spot because “this moment doesn’t just refute misinformation – it affirms Canada’s global character, transforming skepticism into emotional resonance.”