Miele Canada president Jan Heck refreshes a century-old brand with a revolutionary new business model that establishes direct relationships with its consumers

PANELISTS

Samsung Canada CEO Benjamin Lee leverages innovative design, hockey madness and top-secret new green advertising to polish his brand’s image and integrate it into Canadian society

Welcome to strategy‘s fifth annual Canadian marketing industry checkup. Read on to see what issues are most pressing and how brands, departments and budgets are faring, based on our 2008 survey. And check out who the industry thinks did a stand-out job this year.

Book publishing is not the first industry you’d think of as forward-thinking in terms of technology; in fact, most of its marketing is positively old-school. That’s why the achievements of Lisa Charters are all the more impressive.

When Don Durst joined Subaru Canada four years ago as SVP sales and marketing, the Mississauga-based auto co did not stand out from the pack. Its overall

The challenge for Carmela Murphy and her team at Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism was daunting: Target consumers in Central Canada, blast their preconceived notions about the province, put it in their minds as a tourism destination and then get them on the plane.

Last year’s AOY champ may have fallen to third place, but don’t make the mistake of underestimating DDB Canada. The Vancouver-based agency has missed the top three only twice in a dozen years, and you can bet it’ll always be a contender – and that you’ve got to be brave to get in the ring with larger-than-life chairman/CEO Frank Palmer.

Strategy’s annual Brands of the Year process begins with a search for companies that have spent the past few years building strong and unique identities for their brands, using business savvy, a clear vision and imaginative marketing. We then come up with a long list of candidates and ask industry experts for their input.

Please don’t call the Mini a ‘cute’ car. This is not the mod retro British import driven by Austin Powers. It’s actually a high-performance automobile with macho tendencies and an irreverent, non-conformist, rugged outlaw kind of attitude.

It’s the top dog, the dominant player, a towering presence in its field. But Cineplex Entertainment is hardly resting on its laurels. The Toronto corporation – which announced Q2 revenues up 4.7% – began showing films in 1979, although its roots go back to the ’20s. It is the largest film exhibitor in Canada, operating 1,317 screens in 129 theatres and hosting 61 million visitors a year.

NBA Canada builds on basketball’s burgeoning popularity with high-profile partnerships, geo-targeted ads, mobile offerings and big-time star power.

It’s shaping up to be perhaps the strangest fall TV season launch ever. The U.S. writers’ strike threw a giant wrench into the works by shutting down most television production for three months last winter, meaning very few pilots were completed for broadcasters and advertisers to base their 2008-2009 season plans around.

Canadian nets are using online content, cross-promotions, street-level marketing and big spending on traditional media to hold on to wavering TV viewers this fall.

With booming economies, massive populations and increasing openness to foreign investment and culture, China and India represent huge opportunities for Canadian companies. But there are also major challenges in transferring Western business practices to countries with vastly different cultures. Strategy asked a group of Canadian business people to share their experiences in the Indian and Chinese markets and shed some light on the issues and opportunities.