Owners of Firemen Movers (L to R): Lorne Babiuk, Scott Irvine, Doug Harper

Mia’s most recent column featured Firemen Movers – a  Toronto-based moving company owned and operated by off-duty firefighters.

The company’s owners, Doug Harper, Lorne Babiuk and Scott Irvine, have created a created a powerful brand – after all, who can you trust more than a firefighter?

“This is an industry we can truly impact,” says Babiuk. “When you think of a firefighter, you think of integrity, and that’s what we’re trying to replicate in this business.”

But, as Mia writes, Babiuk and his colleagues aren’t just living off of the natural assumption that a firefighter will be hard-working. Firemen Movers is driving forward a great digital strategy: they invite their customers to take the lead in building the company’s reputation by actively participating in a website called HomeStars – a space for homeowners to write reviews on North American home improvement and service companies.

Mia writes: “As I write this, Firemen Movers has a score of 9.5 out of 10 on HomeStars, averaged from 42 reviews. I can’t think of better advertising than solid, authentic customer ratings that are consistently that high – Firemen Movers’ status on this site is a wonderful testament to the good work its customers feel it does.”

When Firemen Movers does get a negative review, the company addresses the client directly and jumps on the opportunity to address the issue publicly online.

“It is clear [Firemen Movers] already knows one of today’s most important digital communications facts: conversations are happening about your company online, whether you choose to participate or not,” writes Mia.

“We have a powerful brand – people recognize it, they like the idea, and the response from the public has been fantastic,” Mr. Babiuk says. “It’s all about backing it up now.”

Bell Canada’s recent new logo launch got me thinking. When businesses launch new brands, they often welcome the attention that the media pays the news – and why not?

After all, re-branding is all about attracting attention – getting people to look and see. And with well-crafted re-branding strategies, businesses attract interest in not only their new logos and themes, but also – they hope – their products and services.

Still, it’s surprising to see how well re-branding plays out in the media. Countless news stories and blog posts are being published about brands. People are quick to add their own comments to the debate. It’s clear that branding strikes a chord with many Canadians.

Setting aside arguments for or against the logos and taglines companies unveil, it’s interesting to note that the public is deeply engaged in this topic. People love monitoring and considering the messages that companies use.

This is informative for anyone considering a public relations strategy. Certainly companies seek to prime the media pump with press releases and pre-launch interviews, giving reporters and editors the opportunity to spread the word about new brand initiatives. This also gives the public the opportunity to consider the new brands within a rich context of expert opinions and industry insight.

All in all, it helps keep the public interested – and it helps companies become a part of the stories they’re trying to tell.