Inventive, open Edmonton hopes new brand will help shift the base of its economy – Edmonton Journal

It sounded like a big unveil, but Edmontons new slogan is rather simple in the end.

This is it; this is our one-word brand, said Brad Ferguson, posting a slide of the word Edmonton with a small Canadian maple leaf for a period.

Its tongue-in-cheek because Edmontons re-branding is more complex than that. Its also critical to its economic future as local corporations struggle to attract the educated talent needed to compete in a new technologically-based economy, said Ferguson, president of the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation.

Our fundamental economic structure is changing, he said, pointing to a shift from a resource-based economy to one based on innovation. That will require an influx of highly-educated 18- to 35-year-olds, in addition to keeping home-grown talent.

Edmontons new brand is more about a story packaged and pitched to different audiences and less about a slogan or logo, Ferguson told councils executive committee Tuesday.

EEDC and city officials believe the words that describe Edmonton are: inventive, open, courageous and cooperative.

Their sentence is: If you have the courage to take an idea to reality, to build, to make something, Edmonton is your city.

Ferguson said for years Edmontons brand or image has been that of an industrial, tough and rough city. Its been discounted on the national and international stage. This re-branding builds on the work of Make Something Edmonton, an online forum where 2,000 local residents posted their own stories about what they are building and making.

A screen-capture from EEDCs Brad Ferguson July 4, 2017.

It seeks to articulate a new vision for something Edmonton already is. Edmonton spends $1.5 million annually on the brand development and associated marking, targeted campaigns to attract tourists from Nordic countries and to support the KLM direct flight, for example.

Committee endorsed the new brand Tuesday and asked the team to report back in six months on how its being implemented.

Ferguson also evaluated Edmontons cost competitiveness for council, comparing the Edmonton region to other similar city regions. Edmonton is average when it comes to the cost of setting up a business, he said.

At least were in the game and were average, he said, adding thats not going to be enough for Edmonton to compete if oil is no longer driving a resource-based economy.

Other cities have mountains, sea-side views and direct flights around the world; major employers in Edmonton are struggling to attract the talent they need.

Coun. Michael Walters said Edmonton has the river valley, great festivals and a volunteer community that welcomes and can root newcomers in a supportive community. It needs to proudly share that story, but it also needs to focus on education.

Our big challenge is we dont have a skilled enough workforce, said Walters, adding education hasnt been enough of a priority for any level of government. This is starting to ring the alarm bell.

Edmonton also needs to identify exactly where excessively onerous permits and other red tape is causing increased cost for businesses, said Walters. Hes hoping that will come back to committee when EEDC returns in September.

Ferguson and city staff will report back on how to update the citys economic strategy. It has a 10-year plan passed in 2013 thats already starting to feel outdated, said Mayor Don Iveson.

We need a bunch of three year strategies in rapid succession, said Ferguson. Youll end up being a faster city in the process.

estolte@postmedia.com

twitter.com/estolte