Recently The New Yorker magazine carried a cartoon depicting a group of people having a discussion in an office. The following caption appeared at the bottom of the drawing: “Our brand is about talking about our brand.”
The District of Squamish has spent the better part of two years doing just that. So where have those deliberations taken us?
When members of the branding committee presented their plan to council last fall, Rob Kirkham, the mayor at the time, called it “a fantastic project” that will “show who we are to the world.” Councillor Ted Prior confessed “I was almost in tears listening to some of it.... You came up with this beautiful, simple logo.... It gives me goosebumps.”
In addition to that epiphany-inducing logo, we got the “hardwired for adventure” tagline. After a number of critics said its focus was too narrow, the meaning was expanded to encompass a broader spectrum of activities and sectors. In the spirit of inclusion, according to the Squamish Brand Standards Guide, “natural or man-made Squamish, First Nations, industry pioneers, and more recent transplants” are all hardwired for adventure, as are “Squamish businesses, entrepreneurs and educators.”
In hindsight, that expanded horizon may be a tad farfetched. By all means, the spirit of adventure is a major part of this community’s identity, but for many local residents, the biggest challenge is just making the next mortgage and car loan payment, or finding affordable rental housing and a well paying job. All the same, there is little doubt the new branding instruments are gaining more recognition by virtue of their appearance on municipal bulletins and vehicles.
Christina Moore, manager of communications for the district, says the new Squamish brand has generated some positive buzz online, where it is reaching communities across the country and south of the border. And Vanessa Carrington, the district’s acting economic development officer, has said that various jurisdictions are considering our branding initiative as a template for their own marketing efforts.
Still, logos and taglines are only part of the equation. Success will also depend on the establishment of “critical mass” downtown with the opening of more restaurants and other gathering places. A year-round public marketplace facility is slated for the former Pac West building on Cleveland Avenue. Mayor Patricia Heintzman anticipates it will become “a lively, dynamic community resource.”
Meanwhile, let’s cut to the chase here, folks. The branding crusade presently underway was triggered three years ago when the Squamish welcome sign was obliterated by an errant driver. In the interim, we are still sign deprived.
According to Heintzman, “impactful and artistic” signage is in the works and will debut this summer. After all the publicity about creating a tangible identity in the marketplace, that simple albeit significant gesture can’t come soon enough.
