Francophonie Summit Marketing Strategy

Intergovernmental Affairs engaged Communications New Brunswick in order to develop a marketing strategy for an exhibit at the Francophonie Summit taking place in Switzerland in 2010. The goal of the exhibit was to educate and inform both the Swiss public and the 70 visiting diplomatic representatives about the only bilingual province in Canada.

Taking lead on the project, Aleks developed a strategic approach for the exhibit, from the overall creative concept, to information hierarchy, to navigation through the space.

In order to make New Brunswick stand out in an international arena, we chose to present the province by bringing the New Brunswick experience overseas. This was done through six key topics (Culture, Art, Technology, Economy, Nature and Lifestyle), which were represented through interactive exhibits that appealed to all the senses. Our audience was able touch newly developed technology, listen to local musicians, see locally made arts and crafts, taste cranberry cider, and play with sand from our beaches. The engaged audience was then able to fill out a ballot to win a trip to New Brunswick to truly experience the province first hand.

Working closely with communications staff, Aleks developed copy, arranged for professional translation, provided direction on the design and obtained client approvals throughout all stages of development. I also engaged New Brunswick companies such as Ganong, Olivier Soaps and Architecture 2000, to source out display elements and promotional materials for the event.

While our objective for the week-long summit was to attract and engage 1500 people, we exceeded our goal by far, with a daily attendance of over 500 individuals, tracked through contest ballot submissions managed by event staff. Multiple newspaper reviews and interview appearances with the media reinforced the success of the exhibit both in Switzerland and in New Brunswick.