Venture Beyond: that’s the tagline anchoring Jasper’s latest rebrand.
The new marketing campaign comes courtesy of Tourism Jasper, which unveiled the brand at a pair of public workshops Jan. 27 and 28.
To build Jasper’s new image, the organization worked with Stormy Lake Consultants and C&B Advertising, the same team that created Alberta’s highly successful “Remember to Breathe” campaign.
At the Jan. 28 workshop, Eddie Sheppard of Stormy Lake told the crowd that for nearly a year he and the rest of his team researched and developed the new brand.
Sheppard explained that there are hoards of mountain towns vying for tourist traffic, and through 236 interviews the consultants aimed to cut to the core of what sets Jasper apart.
“There are a handful of things that really drive Jasper and really differentiate Jasper, so our goal was to build a brand around those differences,” he said.
Sheppard talked about Jasper’s “see-do gap,” the disconnect between what there is to see and what there is to do in the townsite. Of the people the team interviewed, those who didn’t “venture beyond” the townsite sometimes had an underwhelming experience. Those who got out and explored, however, were significantly more satisfied.
But the townsite does offer a lot in terms of amenities, which makes it perfect to use as a “base camp” for further adventure in the park.
That led the consultants to the conclusion that the optimum Jasper experience is one that pairs a stay in the townsite with plenty of exploration in the park.
It was with that in mind that the team came up with the Venture Beyond campaign.
According to Charlie Easton, a strategist for Stormy Lake, the brand is meant to sell the town of Jasper as the starting point to further adventure in the national park.
He explained that for some people who come to Jasper, every activity represents a departure from the norm, and Venture Beyond is meant to sell that idea, in all of its varying degrees—from mountain climbing to simply reading a book with a breathtaking mountain view in the background.
“For some the adventure will be extreme, it will be super active, for others it will be sedate,” he said, “and that’s what Venture Beyond can represent.”
Easton explained that the campaign was designed to fit the varying needs of all of Jasper’s businesses.
Along with the new brand and logo, the team also narrowed down the six attributes that they suggest locals align themselves with. Those are: awe-inspiring, motivating, liberating, authentic, prepared and rejuvenating.
He explained that not every business will fit snugly into all six categories, but if each focuses on really selling a few of them, that will create a unified message across Jasper.
“This brand should be the common thread. This should be able to tie people together,” he told the many business owners gathered at the workshop. “It’s going to be critical that there’s diversity in the way that you guys can represent yourself, but the overall outtake needs to be a unique and consolidated reputation that will be more than the sum of its parts.
“We’re not trying to change your brands fundamentally. We’re not trying to say that we know your business better than you do, or you need to do it this way. What we’re trying to do is understand where the overlap is between your brand and the Jasper brand.”
Easton likened the idea to a Venn diagram with an overlap between each businesses’ brand, and the Venture Beyond campaign.
The venture beyond tagline bears a striking similarity to one of Jasper’s close neighbours: Tourism Canmore Kananaskis.
But Andrew Nickerson, the CEO of the organization, doesn’t see it as a problem.
“I actually think it’s awesome; it shows some great synergy and great alignment,” he said.
He said that his organization’s Go Beyond sub-campaign is a lot more about the people they have, and the way they do things, while Venture Beyond represents more of an adventure feel, with wilderness elements.
He said the two similar campaigns, while still being different enough to create separation, offer an opportunity to sell the two destinations together to international travellers.
“At the end of the day we are far, far stronger working together then competing with one another,” he said.
Mary Darling, CEO of Tourism Jasper, voiced a similar sentiment.
With the brand still freshly unwrapped, businesses and operators in town are still digesting how it will work.
Business owners at the Jan. 28 workshop had varying, but largely positive reactions, and Mayor Richard Ireland said that it’s still too early to know what the brand means for the municipality.
“In big picture thinking we have been very supportive of the partnership approach, and we recognize that Tourism Jasper is the marketing entity here and they have that level of expertise that we don’t,” he said. “We want to support the major industry in our community.”
According to Darling, Tourism Jasper intends to take the next three months to work with Jasper’s operators to help them align their brands with the new campaign.
She said residents can expect to see the campaign in action starting May 1, when Tourism Jasper begins its spring and summer marketing campaign.
Trevor Nichols
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