After several months of planning, the newly-formed Nelson Kootenay Lake (NKL) Destination Tourism Marketing Organization has launched its premier logo and slogan for the region.
“The logo is designed to attract first-time and repeat visitors from the regional rubber-tire market as well as from national and international markets,” says Tom Thomson, chair of the Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism Association Board, “and to build a brand that differentiates our tourism product from all others. The image really calls attention to our region’s unique topography compared to other regions of British Columbia.”
Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism is a not-for-profit self-sustaining Destination Marketing Organization, industry-funded, research-based and membership-driven, covering an area from Nelson (including Whitewater Winter Resort) Balfour, Proctor, Harrop, Ainsworth, Kaslo and Meadow Creek.
The organization’s mandate is to actively market this region as a distinct four season tourism destination on behalf of its stakeholders and communities, in partnership with Kootenay Rockies Tourism and the provincial tourism authority, Tourism British Columbia.
The brand, created locally, is a likeness of Kootenay Lake’s iconic viewscape, depicting endless mountain slopes ascending out of a vast, clear lake and recognizes the significance of the lake in connecting our communities.
The tag line — “Far Out. For Real” — builds further on the differentiation of the Nelson Kootenay Lake tourism product from other comparables by keying on the area’s authenticity and distinctness.
“The two phrases build on the historical, artistic and cultural character the area is famous for, while promoting the extraordinary holiday experience the area offers,” says Graham Edwards, NKL executive director. “It embraces that genuine and unexpectedly contemporary personality of the area and the people who live here.”
The two phrases also resonate with a broad demographic. “Far Out” is ‘60s/’70s-ish. “For Real” is 21st century. “And that works in the region’s favour,” Thomson adds, “considering the wide variety of visitors the Nelson Kootenay Lake area attracts. Vacationers of many age groups choose the region for different reasons depending on their level of adventurism, their cultural interests and seasonally-specific pursuits.”
Beyond “Far Out’s” primary connotation — that something is eclectic, funky and a step back in time — the phrase can also be taken literally. The region is off-the-beaten path, away from crowds and an adventurous dispatch. The phrase “For Real”, a more contemporary term, also speaks to authenticity, nature and an absence of pretension.
The new logo and slogan will be used on all Nelson Kootenay Lake tourism advertisements, website, marketing programs and promotional campaigns regionally, nationally and internationally starting this spring.