Tourism Victoria is re-branding itself as Destination Greater Victoria, a change that comes with new logos, slogans and goals.
The changes come 10 years after the last re-branding, where the purple Victoria logo was embellished with a purple and orange flower, accompanied by the slogan “full of life.”
The new logo features sleek blue text over a white background, and a new slogan of “oceans apart from the ordinary.”
The organization’s CEO Paul Nursey said not only was the previous logo outdated, but marketing for the city has changed since then, pointing to the emergence of a large online and social media presence.
It was also noted that Croatia copied the slogan and similar branding techniques, but Nursey said that it wasn’t worth litigating a nation state for the trademark infringement.
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“We want to focus on a refresh, the previous colour palette was a little tired, a little old and our customers are travelling differently,” Nursey said. “We’re seeing an increase in yield versus volume, and we want to make sure we are hitting the current customer and customer of the future … we think this new look and feel and brand will do that more efficiently.”
This means future marketing campaigns will target more affluent travelers, encouraging them to explore the riches of the city and Island and keep them coming back.
Destination Think!, which specializes in destination promotion and development, was hired to help with the re-branding. Over six months, the company engaged in workshops with Greater Victoria residents and businesses, and conducted consumer surveys in target markets asking what people believe are the most important points of the city.
Nursey noted that many cities build their brands on one flagship selling point, such as Banff’s beautiful environment, or Salzburg, Austria’s incomparable architecture. Destination Think! found Victoria’s selling points were divided equally into three categories: environmental, infrastructure and society. This alluded to the rich natural landscapes; the clean, Victorian architecture, and the eclectic and slower-paced nature of city residents.
“Destination Think! has never seen that before,” Nursey said.
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The brand change has been largely approved by other industry members in the Capital Region, including Victoria’s top tourism destination, Butchart Gardens.
“I’m very excited because I think it really accurately reflects what there is to see and do in Greater Victoria, and really Southern Vancouver Island,” said Gardens CEO Dave Cowen. “We can align very easily with this brand as you saw; gardens, flowers, manicured environment, it’s something we fit very well with.”
While the Tourism Victoria office has been decorated with the new branding, the official launch won’t happen until the early fall.
In total, the new brand cost $150,000, including $20,000 spent on a one-minute promotional video.
For more information, you can head to tourismvictoria.com
