Sonde Resources
The Challenge In October 2009, Canadian Superior Energy announced a new board of directors. The company, which holds a global portfolio of energy assets, also decided to change its name in order to reconfirm its vision for growth and development under the guidance of new management. Building new relationships and communicating with investors were among the challenges facing the new board.
The Solution The Studio helped develop a new name and corporate identity for the company. Working with the research results from a reputation audit, the name ‘Sonde Resources’ was created. A new visual identity program was designed. Plans and additional communication materials were developed for the rollout of the new name.
The Results The Sonde Resources name received overwhelming shareholder approval. A new website, a visual identity program, a corporate presentation, investor materials and employee communications were launched immediately after shareholder approval at the company’s annual general meeting. Sonde Resources is an example of a company that successfully combines communication with performance to earn a positive reputation.
Nunavik Youth Hockey Development Program
The Challenge The Nunavik Youth Hockey Development Program (NYHDP) encourages young Inuit to pursue their education while participating in hockey. The program links academic performance with the right to participate in the program. The program’s challenges include communicating over vast distances to participants in the region’s remote communities and managing the administration from Kujjuaq, the capital of the Nunavik region.
The Solution The Studio helped develop a website for the hockey program that would be the hub of all information provided by coaches, trainers, teachers and program administrators. Coaches accessed the site to prepare hockey practices and submit activity reports, teachers added information about their students in the program and program administrators monitored all activities, including the amount of time students and coaches were dedicating to the program.
The Result The website re-established the online presence of the program and provided administrators an easy-to-use, password-protected area for tracking the progress of players and coaches. The site continues to be developed with plans to translate the content into Inuktituk, the regional language, and French.
Synenco Energy
The Challenge Synenco Energy’s Northern Lights oil sands project was located north of Fort McMurray, Alberta. Synenco intended to conduct a community consultation program as part of its project development application. Growing concerns about accelerated resource development and the cumulative environmental effects in the Fort McMurray region threatened to slow the application approval process.
The Solution The Studio supported consultation event activities and corporate communications as Synenco pursued its application. This support included designing Synenco’s community consultation database and providing monthly contact reports, which supported the regulatory requirements of Synenco’s application. The Studio also provided online and print support for the development of materials for the regulatory application, as well as refining the company’s visual identity, supporting its employee communications and producing materials for its investors.
The Result Synenco successfully completed its required community consultation program and submitted its application on time and on budget. Synenco continued to conduct a second round of consultation meetings and issue project update reports to stakeholder groups as its application was processed.
Nickle Arts Museum, University of Calgary
The Challenge The Nickle Arts Museum secured the rights to an extraordinary collection of ancient Sicán artifacts from Peru. Overall awareness of the museum was low, in part because of its location at the University of Calgary. The Peruvian exhibit was an opportunity for The Nickle to raise its profile.
The Solution The Studio helped implement a strategy to position the museum as high-value entertainment, giving visitors access to unique artifacts. The Studio helped create the exhibit identity and implemented a comprehensive visual identity program. A signature image library was designed for use on advertising, signage and tickets. A dynamic event Microsite was designed and launched for visitors, allowing them to experience ancient Sicán culture through video and dynamic storyboards as well as purchase tickets for the event.
The Result The exhibition was well attended and subsequently traveled to the Royal Ontario Museum. The Nickle also saw the exhibition as an opportunity to refresh its own website. The Studio provided the design template and architecture and the site was subsequently developed by museum staff.
Ramsay Exchange
The Challenge Torode, a major developer in Calgary intended to file applications to obtain a land use amendment and development permit for Ramsay Exchange, a mixed-use re-development of a brownfield site. The project would incorporate preservation and reuse of featured historical buildings and create a new neighbourhood with residential, commercial and retail space as well as public open areas. Torode knew that community opposition would make it difficult to secure the required redevelopment approvals.
The Solution The Studio helped support a community engagement and government relations program by designing a website for the Ramsay project. The website included information on the development, architectural schematics and news updates. The Studio also redesigned the corporate website to help showcase Torode’s commitment and passion for building a vibrant city through its investment in communities and public art commissions.
The Result Torode succeeded in building awareness and support for Ramsay Exchange in the broader community, including planners, developers and the media. The local community was engaged through open houses, community newsletter articles and attendance at community association meetings.
Precision Drilling
The Challenge Precision Drilling wanted to hire 2,500 new employees to fully crew Canadian drilling and service rigs, camps and U.S. and international drilling rigs. Precision engaged NATIONAL to provide communication support to help attract, recruit and retain the top-quality employees it needed to accomplish its growth objectives.
The Solution The Studio helped develop a distinctive concept that epitomized the culture on the rigs. The new term ‘Toughneck’ was created. The Studio designed a recruitment Microsite that included the “Are You Tough Enough?” quiz, designed to help visitors self-screen. The campaign creative was also applied to existing recruitment materials. A recruitment toolkit was developed for Precision employees to help managers communicate to crews about the program. Print, online and outdoor advertising was also used in smaller centres throughout Atlantic Canada and Ontario to attract attention.
The Results Precision received more than 16,000 applications for employment and more than 20,000 unique visits to the Microsite. The campaign was also recognized externally with a CPRS Award of Excellence in Communication Management and an IABC Silver Leaf Award of Excellence.
OSDG
The Challenge As an association representing oil sands companies, the Athabasca Regional Issues Working Group (RIWG), was well positioned to take on a larger role in carrying oil sands industry information to the public. While the RIWG name was widely understood locally, reaching a broader audience required a name which more immediately indicated who the association represented.
The Solution The Studio helped develop a new visual identity for the renamed organization Oil Sands Developers Group (OSDG). The name change was also an opportunity to position the organization as an industry expert. Activities included applying the new visual identity; enhancing OSDG’s website, including an executive blog; coordinating the development of an interactive oil sands map; designing and producing a quarterly online stakeholder newsletter and designing materials to support an international speaking tour.
The Results The OSDG communication and stakeholder engagement program was successful. OSDG representatives made more than 90 appearances before stakeholder audiences across Canada, the United States, England and Switzerland and conducted more than 300 media interviews.
Canadian Centre for Energy Information
The Challenge The Centre for Energy strives to improve the energy literacy of Canadians. To this end, the Centre for Energy wanted to develop an education program to position itself as a trusted source of Canadian energy information prior to the 2009 United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen (COP15).
The Solution The Studio helped develop a 75-day campaign to support the Centre for Energy’s annual energy literacy survey. The theme was a virtual road trip hosted by a character named ‘Norm’ who invited visitors to discover Canada’s energy system with him. His daily tour stops pointed visitors to the Centre for Energy’s interactive energy map as well as partner and government sites for more information. The program included energy stat sheets for each province and territory. It ended as COP15 began.
The Results The Centre for Energy enjoyed both national and regional media coverage of the survey results and energy education campaign. Website traffic increased seven per cent during the campaign run and the accompanying Twitter campaign earned an average follower growth rate of 25 per cent.