BCBusiness

34 BCBUSINESS FEBRUARY 2017 Vancouver Canucks (falling ve spots to 13th) to A&W (up three to No. 17; see page 37). "I believe the ones that are going to score the highest on engagement are those that have to do with your pleasure time, the things that you love to do." As always, government and quasi- governmental agencies are well repre- sented, comprising almost half of the top 20. Brands like BC Hydro—which again takes the No. 1 spot—and YVR (down one place to fth) are top of mind for a reason, says Bob Stamnes, president of Vancouver-based Elevator Strate'y Advertising & Design Inc. "By and large, they deliver a good, consistent experi- ence time in and time out, and provide relative value for that experience." The most in•uential brands are likely good at staying out of trouble, Stamnes observes. Today, "brands are driven in large part by ensuring that they don't get punished," he says, noting that social media has forced them to take responsibility for their behaviour. "Those that respond in real time, those that are seen to be a good company by virtue of the time- liness and the manner in which they responded, are probably going to get rewarded." Telus and Save-On-Foods also return to the top three, though, like BC Hydro, they have lower in•uence scores than last year. Stamnes and Rodenburgh agree that Vancouver-based Telus has set itself apart from outsiders like Rogers and Shaw. "Telus has done a really good job in terms of community engagement," Stamnes says, "and also been incredibly aggressive in going after market share." Best Buy makes the biggest jump, up nine places to No. 10, followed by the Vancouver Sun, which gains six. "They have obviously tried to transform their business, and they are competing heav- ily against Amazon," Rodenburgh says of Best Buy. (See page 35.) As for the Sun, Stamnes credits the newspaper for bol- stering its local coverage and creating a good online experience. The largest drop: London Drugs, which plunges from No. 6 to No. 14. Like Best Buy and Save-On-Foods, the vener- able B.C.-based chain faces sti¢ compe- tition. "On the balance, they're a small regional retail player up against some pretty heavy hitters," Rodenburgh says. When it comes to engagement, Stamnes has a warning for anyone tempted to skip TV ad campaigns and other big-picture messaging in favour of courting individual customers online. "Brands have to be careful about having not just a one-on-one relationship," he says. "There has to be marketing there that conveys a sense of who they are and what they're all about." —Nick Rockel B.C.'s 20 Most Inuential Brands 300 250 200 150 100 50 BC HYDRO TELUS SAVE-ON-FOODS ICBC YVR WORKSAFE BC BC FERRIES FORTIS BC BCAA BEST BUY THE VANCOUVER SUN WHITE SPOT VANCOUVER CANUCKS LONDON DRUGS TRANSLINK MEC A&W PACIFIC BLUE CROSS THRIFTY FOODS BCLC (N/C) (N/C) (N/C) (N/C) (+3) (+4) (+4) (-3) (+5) (+3) (-1) (+9) (+6) (-5) (-8) (-4) (-6) (+3) (-4) (+2) Influence score (change in rank from 2016) (complete list on page 39)

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