Squamish’s new brand wins Marketing Canada Award

Brand project and Community Profile publication recognized by Economic Developers Association of Canada

Squamish’s new brand has been recognized by the Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC) with a Marketing Canada Award at the recent EDAC conference in Saskatoon. The award was judged on creative, memorable and meaningful identity along with elements such as logo, tagline, and brand guidelines. The District of Squamish Community Profile was also recognized with an award for publications greater than four pages.

“Congratulations to all involved in winning these two awards; the branding award in particular is a huge testament to the efforts of the community committee who led the charge during the brand process, and the Brand Leadership Team and our community partners who have rolled out the brand with so much creativity and passion,” says District of Squamish Mayor Patricia Heintzman. “Above all, this is due to the monumental participation from the community whose engagement through hundreds of survey responses, focus groups and online discussion, was foundational to formulating our new brand strategy.”

More than 550 community volunteer hours over nine months went into the creation of Squamish’s Branding, Development and Marketing Action Plan. It was developed based on the analysis of data from 1,143 surveys that asked the community several open-ended questions about how locals and visitors perceive Squamish. Adopted in October 2014, the project introduced a new Squamish logo that proudly connects Squamish to its First Nations’ heritage, and a new tagline, Hardwired for Adventure.

Implementation of the new brand has been comprehensive thanks to ongoing efforts to oversee the process by the volunteer Brand Leadership Team (BLT), and the hard work by partners Tourism Squamish, the Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association, the Squamish Chamber of Commerce, and the District of Squamish. Of the 55 recommendations outlined in the Action Plan, 36 are completed or well underway.

“The most powerful effect of the branding exercise has been getting everyone on the same page, pulling in the same direction,” says Tourism Squamish’s Executive Director Lesley Weeks. “The community helped define the Squamish story through the process, and we are now collectively working together to tell the world who Squamish is and what we have to offer.”

The second award recognized the District’s Community Profile – a key economic development tool updated annually by the Economic Development Office as a valuable service to companies, organizations and community members looking for detailed information on Squamish. The profile was evaluated on its ability to attract business investment, tourism and to promote use of services.

EDAC is Canada’s national association of economic development professionals, with nearly 1,000 members representing each province and territory across Canada. For more information on the Marketing Canada Awards, visit the EDAC gallery of nominees.

For more information on the Squamish Brand Strategy and Marketing Action Plan, visit squamish.ca/brand.

To view the Community Profile, visit squamish.ca/community-profile

November 17, 2016

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