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Dani Reiss: The importance of authenticity
I was reading the 'What I've learnt' feature in the surprisingly enjoyable British Airways Business Life magazine, unearthed during my habitual pre-flight exploration of the seat pocket. An interview with Dani Reiss, CEO of Canadian cold weather clothes manufacturer Canada Goose, in which he answers the question posed by the feature, is warm and insightful.
Dani talks about the heritage and purpose of a business his grandfather, Sam Tick, a polish emigre, set up in 1957; his early impressions and how (almost inevitably) his life plan never included ever working for, let alone running, the family business. In a nicely weighted piece he tells of the origins of the company and the product stories that provide the brand with meaning and its values. In short, how he came to understand the importance of authenticity in business.
In case you're still wondering, the cause of my ill timed outburst can be found about half way through. In Dani's words, " ...most brands these days are not real brands, they're some product mass-produced in some factory somewhere else that has a fancy story woven in front of it by marketing departments. People buy the product and it just feeds the consumer engine.. Which is fine - I'm not a revolutionary! But I'm really drawn to authenticity and real brands.' 'When I went to Europe, I learnt how valuable the term 'Made in Canada' is for us..."
At risk of repeating myself, 'Absolutely! I couldn't agree more'.
G
If you'd like to read the full article, please click the following link