Goal
Affectionately seen as the community brand “that started it all” (at least in our offices), Elkford, BC – located at the northern terminus of Highway 43 up the Elk Valley – was seeking a way to crystallize its identity amid a noisy swirl of BC mountain communities selling the same thing: mountains, trees and water.
Situational Analysis
What differentiated Elkford? And how could brand be used to attract people, coal mine employees, and investment to a more remote location? All it takes is a drive around Elkford to find the answer in the form of horns, fur and ‘critters’.
This work was created under the banner of Twist Marketing.
Unfussy Recommendations
That the animals are in control in Elkford and humanity borrows a bit of space is a drumbeat for another, less literal meaning of ‘Wild At Heart’: those who appreciate Elkford come to the community and the area to escape the pressures of urban environments. These outdoor enthusiasts seek the serenity, solitude and active lifestyle that is afforded – and affordable – in the District of Elkford. True to the spirit of the brand, targeted marketing seeks ‘bear-like’ free spirits to invest and visit: top of the food chain, full breadth-of-life experience grazer, aggressive, limitless – a roamer, confident and aggressive. Blank spots on the map to explore, offer freedom that nurtures the human spirit. For those who are passionate about Elkford, the end of the road is the beginning of a spiritual awakening inspired by nature’s cathedral.
Output
- Strategic Community Direction development (with Economic Development and Tourism considerations)
- Community / Place Brand development
- Internal and external communications strategies
- Messaging Platform development
- Visual Identity (logo) system creation
- Tactical Marketing and Communications Plan development
- Targeted traditional and digital advertising and marketing communications campaign conceptual development, design, and production
- Ongoing marketing collateral design and development
- PR Strategy development
- Community / way finding signage and pageantry design and production
- Community Profile design and development
- Brand Standards (Playbook) / visual identity guidelines development
- Videography services
- Website design and development
Designed to enhance community image, pride, and the sense of “salesmanship” needed to better connect with existing residents and potential newcomers and entrepreneurs, visitors, and business and industry investors, the rebrand initiative was fed by extensive internal and external research, including Council, staff, and key stakeholder workshops, and SWOT and discovery sessions.
Outcomes
Elkford’s brand and marketing implementation – awareness, tourism, special event, and economic development / employee recruitment advertising, website, social media, signage, vehicle decals, brochures, tourism videos, and of course this Community Profile – has been sustained, varied, and eclectically creative.
