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THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
Fort Smith has created a new promotional identity for itself.

Mayor janie hobart: The new town brand is creating excitement.

A new brand, which includes the community's first logo and slogan, was officially launched on April 28 at the annual Fort Smith Trade Show, even though it was initially unveiled at a workshop late last year.

The brand has been in the works for about four years, said Tim Gauthier, a member of the Fort Smith Tourism and Trade Advisory Board, which initiated the rebranding of the town.

"There was a lot of misinformation and a lot of old cliches that were no longer the case," said Gauthier. "We wanted to show people that Fort Smith is in fact a lively and exciting community at the centre of a very robust and remarkably natural region."

Gauthier said the town did not previously have an official brand, just a town crest and various slogans that came and went over the years.

"There was never a systematic attempt to create a unified brand for the community and the region," he said.

That has changed with the new branding.

The new logo, which emphasizes the unspoiled nature of the area, features the aurora borealis, the rapids of the Slave River, a bison ­- symbolic of Wood Buffalo National Park - and a white pelican.

The slogan proclaims "Fort Smith: Unexpected, Unforgettable."

Gauthier said other changes have been made in conjunction with the new branding, such as an expanded Fort Smith Tourism and Trade Advisory Board and an updated tourism plan.

On April 28, new initiatives were also launched at the Fort Smith Airport, including new signage, natural and historical photographs, a large flat-screen TV running public information messages, a business centre where travellers can work at desks, and free wireless Internet.

Northwestern Air Lease Ltd., an airline based in Fort Smith, has also begun to place the town's new logo on its fleet of planes, and the first was unveiled on April 28.

"It's all part of the whole push to improve our facilities and to make this community more welcoming, and the new brand is our means of taking that message on the road," said Gauthier, who said the new initiative includes displays that will travel to trade shows.

"We're capturing the energy of this place and we're trying to share that energy with other people," he said, adding it will be aimed at tourists, business travellers and potential residents.

Mayor Janie Hobart said the new branding has generated excitement.

"Most people really like it," she said, noting they particularly like the new slogan.

"We've got the new tourism season that will be starting shortly and we're very proud of the new brand, as well as some of the things that have already happened, like the improvements to the airport," she said.

"It's much more welcoming now."

The new logo and slogan will be going out on all of the town's promotional material.

Hobart said she has also spoken to the new Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce 2012 to see if there is interest among businesses in using the brand to produce souvenir clothing for visitors to the community.

The new brand was developed with the help of Yellowknife's K2 Communications, which won a $41,500 tender for the work from the town.

The Town of Fort Smith will spend more money in the future for campaigns based on the new initiative.

Along with travellers and potential new residents, the strategy also targets sports/festivals and students considering attending the Aurora College campus in Fort Smith.

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