Overview

Building on a strong Agency of Record relationship and past successes, the Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association (GPRTA) commissioned WJ to reimagine their brand in 2020. The goal was to elevate GPRTA’s status as a destination of choice for travellers visiting Alberta, and to build their relationship with Travel Alberta to unlock further levels of funding and promotional synergy.

Challenge

Alberta’s tourist sector is weighted heavily towards major metropolitan centres (Calgary and Edmonton) and National Parks (Banff, Jasper, etc.). Pre-existing perceptions of the Grande Prairie region also painted it unfavourably as simply a rural city focused on agriculture and the energy sector.

Insight

To invert people thinking 'small', go 'big' instead – our insights revealed that the Northern Lights were a key motivator for tourists visiting Grande Prairie, and so we leveraged their iconic colours simply because there's nothing much bigger. Messaging and tone of voice guidelines emphasize freshness, energy, and the excitement of the Grande Prairie region, being careful to not only emphasize the beautiful, untouched wildernesses that await, but the thriving cultural and business scenes, the unique tourism opportunities, and its position as a gateway to both Alaska and Canada’s northern territories.

Results

"With attention spans shortening by the decade, you can't underestimate the importance of immediate visual impact," explains Melissa Thorne, Associate Creative Director at WJ, "The GPRTA brand is smooth, modern, and beguiling, welcoming the viewer and inviting them to stay in a place of wonder and mystique. Since we deployed it in 2021, the GPRTA website has enjoyed +50% web traffic year over year, and they've also achieved one of their key goals of greater recognition from Tourism Alberta."