Peace River is The Land of 12-Foot Davis, McLennan is the Bird Capital of Canada, Falher is the Honey Capital of Alberta and Manning likes to call itself The Land of the Mighty Moose.
Fairview is Heart of the Peace, Rycroft is Hub of the Peace and Valleyview is Portal to the Peace.
Years ago, High Prairie used Gateway to the Mighty Peace River Country. Slave Lake? Well, nothing comes to mind they have promoted.
High Prairie is talking about rebranding. Again! It wasn’t that long ago they did rebrand with a new and improved logo.
We listed Peace River, McLennan, Falher and Manning first on the list because they selected a slogan and stuck with it. Over decades, it has become the catch phrase of their communities.
High Prairie and Slave Lake? Let’s just say any efforts have failed miserably.
When she became Lesser Slave Lake MLA in 1989, Pearl Calahsen was smart. She did not promote Slave Lake or High Prairie specifically, but used Lesser Slave Lake as the big attraction and called it the Jewel of the North. Smart move. As the biggest attraction the region has to offer with its first-class beaches and fishing, it made sense.
Years later, High Prairie followed with Dolly Wally being born Aug. 1, 1990. Dolly, who later became the official mascot, was used with limited success but was popular wherever she showed up. Today, Dolly is nowhere to be found.
The point is, if you are going to select a slogan or a mascot, you have to be in for the long haul. Years ago, Klondike Mike was big in Edmonton and Jasper the Bear at Jasper. Both these iconic figures have seemed to go by the wayside. Seriously, when was the last time you ever heard of Mike or Jasper?
Rebranding is not a bad thing but it is expensive and somewhat doomed to failure. It takes a considerable amount of money and effort to promote rebranding if it is going to be effective. Initial money is not the only money to be spent. Ongoing promotion is the key to make it work effectively. What’s the use of choosing a new slogan or mascot if you do not promote it?
Sometimes rebranding is more about a current politician wanting to leave a legacy. It lasts until the next one comes along with a new idea. You cannot overpromote yourself but you can rebrand too often.
In Peace River, Falher, McLennan and Manning, they have discovered something that works. Each community has bought in for the long haul and stuck with it, rebranding be damned.
Slave Lake and High Prairie? What’s left? Jewel of the North wasn’t so bad but no one really took the ball and ran with it. High Prairie was a big disadvantage because many tourists coming from the south had to drive past Slave Lake first. High Prairians might see this as promoting Slave Lake.
The Lesser Slave Lake region has now formed a regional tourism society. Will they come up with Land of the Mighty Moose, Land of 12-Foot Davis, The Swan City or something similar? It might be worth a shot. There has to be a focal point to build around. It will be very interesting to see what this group does.
Chris Clegg