Ontario’s Regional Tourism Organization 7 (RTO7) has chosen Toronto agency Brandworks to develop marketing collateral and an overall tourism brand for the region covering Bruce, Grey and Simcoe Counties.
Brandworks was one of 12 agencies to pitch for RTO7’s marketing project, and one of seven shops to bid on the branding assignment.
The tourism organization initiated the review process earlier this spring and selected Brandworks in July.
Bill Sullivan, director of marketing for RTO7, said Brandworks’ experience with tourism clients helped the agency make a persuasive case. Sullivan singled out Brandworks’ “Cuba Authentica” campaign, which highlighted historical and cultural elements of Cuba as well as its beaches.
“That’s kind of where we are, too. We have more than one product here,” said Sullivan. “We like (Brandworks) because they had that experience with the diversity of product.”
RTO7 and Brandworks are currently developing a $400,000 marketing campaign for the fall and a $500,000 campaign for the winter. Sullivan said both initiatives are still in the planning stages and that all channels, including online and social media, are under consideration. He did point out, however, that the fall campaign would not include magazine advertisements due to publications’ lead-time requirements.
RTO7 and Brandworks are also working to establish a brand identity for the region. Sullivan said at least three concepts would be developed and tested with consumer focus groups beginning in September, with the final selection to be made in January.
Sullivan said the regional tourism brand would likely highlight the natural beauty and diversity of Bruce, Grey and Simcoe Counties, which include towns such as Collingwood and Paisley.
“We have incredible waterways in this area, we have a truly four-season destination, from golf to skiing and everything in between… It is a really diverse product, and somehow that diversity will have to come out in the brand.
“We’re looking now at whether we brand by place or brand by emotion, and we’re trying to keep as open a mind as possible,” Sullivan said.
RTO7’s forthcoming campaigns are the product of several months of research and content collection, which began last year after Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture decided to shift its tourism management strategy. The provincial government created 13 regional not-for-profit organizations, which collectively receive $40 million in public funding.
Sullivan said the decision to create regional tourism organizations was based on a study headed by former Ontario Minister of Finance Greg Sorbara.
“The finding that came through was that Ontario would probably be better able to market itself if it were divided into a number of regions and that this would probably give the regions a little bit more of an identity,” said Sullivan.
Since last September, RTO7 has commissioned seasonal photos and videos of its counties. Those photos will be made available on the RTO7 website on Aug. 15, and will be downloadable by regional tourism stakeholders such as local tourism operators, for their own marketing purposes.
The website will also feature RTO7 research reports indicating that nine million tourists visit the region annually and that these visitors spent $1.1 billion in 2008. RTO7 also claims that tourism is responsible for 27,000 full-time jobs in the region.
