Canadian, U.S. Values Diverging, polls find

Canadians said to value quality of life, individuality Americans found to prefer society built on exclusion

Michael Adams says advertisers find it easier to target "credulous" Americans than "cynical" Canadians, and the differences between the two nations extend to their values and expectations.

Toronto Star, May. 3, 2003 by STEVEN THEOBALD, BUSINESS REPORTER

"Advertisers in Canada face far greater challenges getting their messages out than their colleagues across the border.
When asked if more advertising meant a product was a good one, 44 per cent of Americans agreed, according to pollster Michael Adams.In comparison, only 17 per cent of Canadians equated advertising quantity with product quality.
"Cynical Canadians are the hardest to sell to," Adams told an audience yesterday at the Canadian Newspaper Association's annual conference in Toronto.
Advertisers targeting Canadians have to rely on ingenuity, such as hidden humour in ad copy that acknowledges their audience's intelligence, Adams said.
"You have a far more credulous people (in the U.S.)."
That's not the only difference between the two countries, according to Adams. The thesis of his new book, Fire And Ice, is that Canadians' values not only clash with their southern cousins but they are diverging even further. Adams bases his conclusions on extensive polls conducted in 1992, 1996 and 2000. About 1,500 Americans and 2,600 Canadians were interviewed."

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