By Jim Harvey
Published: May 3, 2014
I would like to express my dismay at the direction the community branding initiative has taken. Apparently we are now ‘The Adventure Capital of Canada’ with the corresponding tag line “the world’s most epic adventures can be found right here.”
From a marketing perspective I find the use of the word ‘adventure’ generic and vague.
In the parlance of outdoor recreation an epic is when things go wrong.
Epic on the other hand is both misused and overused. An epic is getting caught out on the Grand Wall in a rainstorm. In other words, in the parlance of outdoor recreation an epic is when things go wrong.
Put the two words together and you have a meaningless catch phrase that will inspire no one – certainly not the sort of people that Squamish currently attracts.
Squamish is many things to many people. Without doubt, it is home to a vibrant arts community. To some our industrial and working class heritage is justifiably worth celebrating.
And others tout our standing as home to a very exciting university which will continue to shape Squamish for many years to come. And all of the above are valid assertions, but it is the quality, accessibility and variety of our world class outdoor recreation that undeniably sets us apart from all other communities in Canada.
The Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada brand is powerful, clear and unequivocal….and slowly but surely it’s working to attract and build the vibrant community we are becoming.
Regrettably the consultant hired to lead this process wanted those two words to go. His website identifies “outdoor recreation as one of the top five destination marketing words and phrases to avoid”.
I do not doubt that the branding initiative has helped define a path forward and brought together the disparate elements of our community with a common vision.
But to abandon those two words that define the most unique characteristic of this community at the insistence of someone who just doesn’t understand what we have, is patently wrong. This is a mistake and only council can undo it.
Craig D. McConnell says
Hello Jim,
I agree! If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Under the community created banner (Ron Enns I believe may have initiated it), The Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada provides a clear vision and goal for Squamish. The time tested influence seems have been a success, and now DOS council/staff are selecting to dismantle what has taken the better part of 20 years to gain traction in the marketplace.
Of course, an external consultant knows better?
MichaelL65 says
Maybe this committee should actually look up the definition of the word ‘epic’: a long poem, typically one derived from ancient oral tradition, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the history of a nation.
Catherine Jackson says
Hi,
I agree with everything Jim writes in his article. It has taken 20 years for Squamish to be established and known as the ‘The Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada’ . Something that people living in Squamish have known for a very long time is now established and recognized by folks far and wide. Why re-invent now when it is actually working?
The word epic is totally misused in the context of this sentence. It is hard to understand how ‘The worlds most epic adventures can be found right here ‘ can be sold as catch phrase, and as Jim says why would we want to suggest that things may have a tendency to go wrong and get out of hand? It is a classic example of someone suggesting the use of common street-cred language that sounds ok when talking with friends ‘that was epic, thought we’d never make it back’ that just sounds ridiculous when used as a marketing phrase. It just doesn’t translate to this context. Hope council can correct this simple and fundamentally important mistake !
Dave says
Likewise. Jim, I agree:
Epic? Let us not as a town, make fools of ourselves by using a slang derivation of a word in the English language which has a meaning which is NOT appropriate in this particular context.
I like to think of Squamish as no longer being a “hick” town.
(This comment is re-copied from an archived post related to this same topic)
cliff miller says
actually craig the phrase “outdoor recreation capital of canada” was first being used in squamish by patti heintzman and natalie wall when they were publishing 99 north magazine in the mid to late 1990’s. the dos then trade marked the phrase in the late ’90s and in classic squamish fashion did nothing with the phrase for a couple of years.
then over the easter weekend in either 2001 or 2002 ron enns and my self put up the first “outdoor recreation capital of canada” sign at the top of the brittian beach hill. we did it on the thursday of the easter long weekend because we knew no one from the dos was going to be working for 4 days and so the sign would be up for at least 4 days.
i like many others am at a complete loss to understand how the dos feels that spending $65,000 to study the “brand” of squamish. just pause and think what that money could have purchased rather than being spent on yet another study. how about much needed trail signage or other upgrades to recreation/tourism infrastructure.
if the dos decides to change to whatever new brand how much is that going to cost us.
attention dos……the secret is out about squamish….people are coming here to have epic adventures because we are the “outdoor recreation capital of canada”. leave well enough alone and put the money that will be spent into making the associated changes in recreation/tourism infrastructure instead.
Eric Andersen says
Thanks for setting the history straight on “Outdoor Recreation Capital”, Cliff Miller.
We need signage and wayfinding infrastrastructure, and certain product development investment — all been pointed out too for too long. Impatient!
cliff miller says
eric…it has only been 20 years that the dos has known about the need for way finding infrastructure. they have to complete the study to confirm that yes signage is actually needed. and then finding the dollars to put it place will have to be found…..oh wait dos just spent $65,000 on “branding”…..how much signage would that have provided…..
how long has it been for the replacement sign across from the shell station on the highway?
you have to remember this is squamish and nothing gets done here without either a fight or years of studies……..
Donny says
How much signage would $9million of studies at SODC have bought? Maybe at the All Candidates meeting come Election Time , the existing council members can explain themselves…..or will we just get patronizing words !!!
G_h says
Excellent article.