The SORCA-sponsored all-candidates meeting on Nov. 3 provided me the opportunity to ask a question of each candidate, namely: Which of the community slogans they prefer? Is it the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada or the newly minted Hardwired for Adventure? In the course of the evening I managed to pose the question to 20 of the 23 mayoralty and council candidates. Their responses were telling.
As expected, 14 of the 20 respondents were quite unequivocal in their preference for the old slogan. Many asked, why fix what isn’t broken? Some thought the re-branding process was an inexcusable waste of tax money. Others just didn’t get the “hardwired” slogan and many, like me, thought that our old slogan was accurate, bold and effective.
Of the remaining six respondents, two were ambivalent, but of the opinion that now we’ve made the choice, let’s run with it. The remaining four clearly embraced the new slogan, two of whom made positive references to the symbolism of DNA and being hardwired. The last two both surprised me. Ted Prior, who usually talks about his preference for the slogan “Land of a Thousand Trails,” was persuaded by the results of the branding process to go with the new slogan. Finally, it was Patti Heinzman, one of the earliest “commercial” adopters of the Outdoor Rec slogan, who most articulately and convincingly argued for moving forward with the new slogan.
Well, I’m not yet convinced, but as such a stubborn and long-time vocal advocate for the outdoor recreation sector, that comes as no surprise.
However, as a communication specialist friend of mine said recently,
“Brands come and go, so get over it” – and I’ve witnessed three in my
19 years in Squamish.
So what did this little exercise tell me? Despite their diversity of backgrounds and interests, all of the respondents understand that it is the “adventure” inherent in our outdoor recreation that is clearly our brand.
What I didn’t need a consultant to tell me is that direct investment by the district in outdoor recreation infrastructure remains dismal (not including the “cart-before-the-horse” Adventure Centre). There are so many fundamental, cost-effective and simple things to do, such as trail signage, improved access to many of our natural wonders, campgrounds, small boat launches or recreation parking lots. Let’s stop talking about our brand or hiring more consultants. Let’s start working with our incredible volunteer organizations and start investing.
Jim Harvey
Squamish
