Goal
While oil and gas, and forestry and logging are and will remain the key economic drivers in the MD, a new community strategic direction, refreshed brand strategy, and beautification initiatives in the form of modern and compelling community signage was sought to promote a sense of internal empowerment and pride of place, and the attraction of new and desired retail, commercial services, industrial businesses, and a permanent workforce.
Situational Analysis
Opportunity and its collection of hamlets, villages and towns, happily isn’t “The big city.” It is a rural community valued for its connectivity to people and land. Home of Cree and Métis traditions and way of life. A community that generates its economy from the land. An energy, forestry, and tourism diversification investment attraction opportunity in ways that advance the best interests of its people.
However, despite its potential for personal and professional growth and prosperity through vast oil and gas reserves and a deeper connection to the land, the MD of Opportunity has faced significant brand perception challenges in the face of crime, addiction, and a transient workforce.
Unfussy Recommendations
As the ONLY Indigenous-majority municipality in Alberta, it was recommended that the MD of Opportunity focus more time, attention and efforts into new Indigenous tourism offerings.
In the leveraging of its new brand, the people of the MD are encouraged to BAND TOGETHER and work toward image building, reputation rectification, and legacy building, which celebrates and showcases the MD of Opportunity value proposition…not its reserves of oil, nor its lakes and natural beauty, but its cultural significance to the province. And it must do so in the spirit of equality, harmony, self-reliance, and a renewed relationship with the land.
Brand direction dictates that the MD work toward the building and bolstering of Indigenous tourism and entrepreneurship, the attraction and welcoming of new families, new ideas and skillsets, and new stories into its circle of opportunity, and most importantly, that it concentrate its efforts on the supporting and mentoring of its future leadership generations.
Here, what’s old is given the opportunity to become new and relevant again, with a brand direction set for people going places…even as they walk the circle of life in the footsteps of those who came before them in order to ease the way for those to follow…
Output
- Strategic Community Direction development (with Economic Development and Indigenous 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
- Social Media and PR Strategy development
- Community / way finding signage and pageantry design and production
- Annual Report and 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, SWOT, and discovery sessions, and significant community engagement in the form of in-person and online surveys and PR / social media engagement.
Outcomes
Through internal and external brand communications and strategic investment, the MD is better positioned to help its people begin their healing journeys and continue to focus on and build supports for, the health, happiness, and educational success of its children and grandchildren.
Strategy was fed in part by extensive internal and external research, including workshops and SWOT sessions, and significant community engagement in the form of online surveys and PR / social media engagement.
