It's time to jettison the generic.
On Wednesday (Jan. 8), international marketing expert Roger Brooks had one loud message for Squamish: trash the common and focus on the unique. At the District of Squamish's kickoff to its brand enhancement project, the founder of Destination Development Inc. said Squamish needs to focus on its differences. And "The Outdoor Recreational Capital of Canada" isn't one of them, he warned.
"By the way, we found lots of recreational outdoor capitals," he told the crowd gathered at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park.
People are hit with 5,000 marketing messages per day, Brooks said. Ninety-seven per cent of community advertising across Canada is ineffective, he added. When one Goggles rock climbing, 457,000 results pop up. Squamish's image has to work its way through the masses and rise to the top of the pile, Brooks said.
"You need to narrow your focus," he said, noting a successful campaign can't be all things to all people.
For the next 14 weeks, the municipality has selected a community-led team to begin the branding process under Brooks' guidance. On Thursday (Jan. 9), approximately 50 residents took part in five different interview groups, district economic development officer Dan McRae said. The groups initiated the discussion on what people think Squamish should be known for, he said.
The municipality also launched an online survey to gauge what Squamish represents to different people. By Monday (Jan. 13), more than 500 questionnaires were complete, McRae said, noting officials aim to receive more than 1,000 surveys by the deadline.
District officials encourage people of all ages to complete the survey. McRae said he hopes people will send it to friends and family who visit Squamish.
"We want to emphasize the survey," he said. "It is a really important time right now."
The goal of tweaking the community's image is to get everybody pulling in the same direction, McRae said. The plan may be rolled out over many years, with development falling in line with the community's vision, he noted.
"It's got to be realistic," McRae said.
To take the survey visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/squamish-branding.
