Post by Ducky on Dec 6, 2004 5:55:28 GMT -5
Manitoba makeover
Doer gov't hires firm to re-invent province
By KATHLEEN MARTENS, BUSINESS REPORTER
Are you ready to go from Friendly Manitoba to Edgy Manitoba? The province is about to get an image-makeover, thanks to Premier Gary Doer's Economic Advisory Council.
The group representing top organizations and businesses says it needs an upbeat, consistent way of selling Manitoba to pursue opportunities and attract investment.
A better brand will put a positive spin on a centre alternately referred to as cold, mosquito-infested, and the former home of the Winnipeg Jets.
"This has been identified as a critical issue for this province," said council member Dave Angus, who is also president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.
The province has hired Interbrand, a New York-based advertising agency, and given it until June to deliver a new moniker. The contract is worth $500,000.
Interbrand was chosen for, among other things, its experience improving the image of Estonia -- a former Soviet republic with a similar-sized population to Manitoba.
ON THE DEFENSIVE
"Our work is credited with helping them get into the European Union," said former Winnipegger and Interbrand global director Jeff Swystun, who is overseeing the project here.
Swystun's roots give him insight into the Manitoba psyche and self-deprecating humour that tends to downplay amenities and help him decipher what citizens really want to say.
"I've had a lot of people wish me luck with what we're doing," he said half-jokingly.
Pat Britton, executive co-ordinator of the advisory council, said Interbrand is working with a receptive community composed of major employers, associations and academic institutions who sell themselves to the world on a daily basis.
This issue is so important that it's the "first time all of those parties have come together," she said as the trio met with The Sun's editorial board last week.
The new visual identity and messaging will get Manitobans past defending why they live here and make it readily apparent why everyone should, said Swystun.
But a brand is a promise, he said, and won't work unless everyone understands it and uses it correctly.
"You don't go out and say anything you can't back up," he said.
Public input will be key in forming the new image and welcomed through focus groups and online feedback, Swystun said.
And, for the record, the province's new mantra won't be boring.
"It needs to be edgier," Swystun said. "You can't play to every group and get a generic, watered-down result.
"That's the last thing anyone wants."
- On the web: www.brandmanitoba.ca
Doer gov't hires firm to re-invent province
By KATHLEEN MARTENS, BUSINESS REPORTER
Are you ready to go from Friendly Manitoba to Edgy Manitoba? The province is about to get an image-makeover, thanks to Premier Gary Doer's Economic Advisory Council.
The group representing top organizations and businesses says it needs an upbeat, consistent way of selling Manitoba to pursue opportunities and attract investment.
A better brand will put a positive spin on a centre alternately referred to as cold, mosquito-infested, and the former home of the Winnipeg Jets.
"This has been identified as a critical issue for this province," said council member Dave Angus, who is also president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.
The province has hired Interbrand, a New York-based advertising agency, and given it until June to deliver a new moniker. The contract is worth $500,000.
Interbrand was chosen for, among other things, its experience improving the image of Estonia -- a former Soviet republic with a similar-sized population to Manitoba.
ON THE DEFENSIVE
"Our work is credited with helping them get into the European Union," said former Winnipegger and Interbrand global director Jeff Swystun, who is overseeing the project here.
Swystun's roots give him insight into the Manitoba psyche and self-deprecating humour that tends to downplay amenities and help him decipher what citizens really want to say.
"I've had a lot of people wish me luck with what we're doing," he said half-jokingly.
Pat Britton, executive co-ordinator of the advisory council, said Interbrand is working with a receptive community composed of major employers, associations and academic institutions who sell themselves to the world on a daily basis.
This issue is so important that it's the "first time all of those parties have come together," she said as the trio met with The Sun's editorial board last week.
The new visual identity and messaging will get Manitobans past defending why they live here and make it readily apparent why everyone should, said Swystun.
But a brand is a promise, he said, and won't work unless everyone understands it and uses it correctly.
"You don't go out and say anything you can't back up," he said.
Public input will be key in forming the new image and welcomed through focus groups and online feedback, Swystun said.
And, for the record, the province's new mantra won't be boring.
"It needs to be edgier," Swystun said. "You can't play to every group and get a generic, watered-down result.
"That's the last thing anyone wants."
- On the web: www.brandmanitoba.ca