Supplied by the City of Sault Ste. Marie…
Sault Ste. Marie, ON (2018 02 09) – Future Sault Ste. Marie is working to strengthen the community’s image as a top destination for visitors, businesses, investors and students as well as a great place to call home. With the support of funds from the Province of Ontario through the Community Adjustment Committee, an external firm has been selected to provide guidance on a strategic framework for community promotion. A number of workshops and input sessions have been held and now a public survey is being conducted to gain feedback on the key brand ingredients for the City. This project, which is part of the Community Adjustment Committee’s recommendations, is now calling on residents to help tell the City’s story by participating in an online public survey.
“One consistent message we heard from residents during our outreach was that the community needs to do a better job promoting itself externally and building pride locally. We are asking for the assistance of our community to help us tell our narrative of Sault Ste. Marie and shape the future perceptions of our City,” says Tom Vair, Deputy CAO, Community Development and Enterprise Services. “We’ve had a lot of input and consultation with brand experts and professionals in our community about what makes Sault Ste. Marie unique. Now, based on this feedback, we’ve grouped all of the responses into four big themes that we are seeking engagement with our community on.”
The themes include: Maker Ingenuity, Sustaining Quality of Life, International Trailhead and Bawating Spirit.
Residents are encouraged to participate in the process by completing an online survey and ranking the major themes. The survey can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PromotingTheSault
The community promotion survey is meant to evaluate suggested themes. Once this input is received, the next step in the branding process will be to finalize promotional messaging, visual identities and the advertising methods. For more information, contact Sault Ste. Marie Community Development and Enterprise Services department at 705-759-5308 or email j.arbour@cityssm.on.ca.