FOR RELEASE     #05-185
July 8, 2005

WHITEHORSE - A $200,000 contract has been awarded to a team of companies to develop a Yukon Tourism Brand Strategy, announced Tourism and Culture minister Elaine Taylor.

The successful project team will be lead by Zero Gravity of Calgary, Alberta that also includes Whitehorse-based Aasman Design, Pawlovich and Associates, and DataPath Systems and Cameron Strategy of Calgary, Alberta.

"The Yukon government is moving forward on the development of the Yukon Brand Strategy at the request of the Yukon's tourism industry, stakeholders and the senior marketing committee of the Yukon Tourism Marketing Partnership," Taylor said.

The strategy will incorporate consultations with Yukon First Nations, the tourism industry and communities, and will give Yukon residents the opportunity to provide input. The tools developed from the strategy will be provided to public, private sector and other partners to expand the reach and impact of Yukon Brand messages and images.

"The Yukon government recognizes that a clear and identifiable Yukon Tourism Brand will ultimately benefit all sectors of the tourism industry thereby ensuring that tourism remains a top economic generator in the territory," Taylor said.

The Yukon Tourism Brand Strategy will ultimately be aimed at the traveling public encouraging them to choose Yukon as their primary holiday destination.

To attract visitors to the Yukon it is imperative that businesses, non-governmental organizations, municipalities, First Nations and other interested stakeholders support the Yukon Tourism Brand Strategy so they all deliver consistent messaging to national and international audiences.

The project team brings a strong track record promoting and serving the Yukon. Their areas of expertise include brand visualization, target market research, in-Yukon research, consultation and project management.

The final Yukon Tourism Brand Strategy will be completed in December with the implementation and integration of the findings beginning April 1, 2006.

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Backgrounder: Yukon Tourism Brand Strategy purpose attached.

BACKGROUNDER - YUKON TOURISM BRAND STRATEGY

The Yukon Tourism Brand Strategy will leverage and enhance existing initiatives and create new opportunities to the benefit of all Yukoners, ensuring that partners will want to invest in its usage because of the immediate apparent sales opportunities that the strategy provides to them.

It will reinforce Yukoners' sense of pride and confidence in the tourism well-being of the territory by identifying consistencies across all points of brand contact. 

The name Yukon, on its own, is a uniquely powerful branding tool because of the power of the imagery and the appeal of the name Yukon.

The Government of Yukon recognizes that a clear and identifiable Yukon Tourism Brand will ultimately benefit all sectors of the tourism industry thereby ensuring that tourism remains a top economic generator in the territory. The strategy will define the attributes of the actual Yukon tourism brand as well as provide a proper positioning statement of the brand imaging. The statement will be the foundation on which to base guidelines, protocols, partnership programs, taglines, logos, licensing and merchandising.

Every effort must be made to motivate and create pride within the stakeholder groups in the Yukon so that they will in turn communicate the Yukon Tourism Brand Strategy passionately to their audiences.

Given the level of competition with other destinations, the Yukon Tourism Brand Strategy must outline how to showcase and/or develop products that support a distinct positioning for Yukon against competition. Adoption of a Yukon Tourism Brand Strategy by local industry, municipalities/communities, First Nations and Yukon residents is imperative if the strategy is to succeed in its intent.

During the consultation process, a series of methodologies will be used including targeted market research, analysis and application, consumer, trade and partner research, focus groups and on-line/virtual research.

The success of the Yukon Tourism Brand Strategy will be monitored in the months and years following the full implementation of the strategy through media monitoring, polling or focus groups, mail, e-mail and website tracking of visitor response, conversion studies and Visitor Exit Surveys.

Visitation statistics and reaction to the strategy will be tracked through Tourism Yukon, Department of Tourism and Culture.

Every effort will be made to protect, support and enhance the Yukon Tourism brand with changing needs of today's marketplace and Yukoners.