District of Squamish officials are looking to polish the community's marketing message.
Ninety-eight per cent of rural North American communities use outdoor recreation as a tourism lure, according to product development experts Roger Brooks International. Squamish's Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada label falls into that bucket, the municipality's chief administrative officer Corien Speaker said in a statement issued last Wednesday (June 26).
In order to rise above the clutter, the district is starting a process to enhancing branding and marketing of Squamish. We have a great tagline in 'Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada' and we're excited to bring in experts to help us take this to the next level, Speaker said.
For the next 14 months, district officials will work on a variety of tools to promote the town. Graphics to communicate Squamish's story will include such items as gateway signage, online features, brochures, guides, marketing materials, posters, billboards and pole banners, district officials stated.
The municipality's outdoor recreation brand is part of the fabric of the community, Mayor Rob Kirkham said. The exercise is not about re-creating the message; it's about refining it and developing ways to market it more effectively, he said.
Discussions surrounding the district's economic development strategy and downtown transformation initiative, as well as talks with Tourism Squamish, Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association and the Squamish Chamber of Commerce, have pointed to the need to take Squamish's brand to the next level, officials stated.
The exercise will be funded from within the district's economic development budget. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued to seek external branding experts to help Squamish achieve this goal. The RFP closes on Friday, July 12, at 3 p.m. It can be found online at www.squamish.ca under RFP & Tenders Opportunities.
