Be Notorious. Get A Life.
Four years ago this summer, Fraser heard the message loud and clear.
Step inside your story and own it Or stand outside your story and wonder why you don’t stand out.
Sitting in on a TEC Canada executive session in Regina, SK, on June 8, 2018, this former military pilot began envisioning a new blue-sky future for his small-town brand. With the window of opportunity opening before his eyes, Fraser Tolmie could picture his organization setting itself miles apart from all others in the quest to boost tourism, attract outside investment and keep a small town growing. One week later he confirmed plans to host a one-day branding Bootcamp for about 25 business and civic leaders in his community.
Nothing has ever been the same since “Canada’s Most Notorious City”.
A man who once flew F-18s with the Royal Canadian Air Force was instrumental in lifting the City of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan to new heights; attracting an unusual amount of global attention, millions in free publicity, and spiking demand for tourism and economic development. With a clear brand strategy in place, Moose Jaw is continually building on its notorious reputation with last week’s unveiling of the “Get A Life” campaign.
The real benefit of any long-term brand strategy only comes into focus when you can look back and see how and why the seeds of the idea were planted in the first place. Be Notorious and Get a Life with the full backstory on this encore edition of Leaders & Legends.
“A smile can get you far, but a smile with a gun can get you further” AL CAPONE
p.s…. It was at the initial TEC Canada meeting in Regina that former mayor and current Member of Parliament Fraser Tolmie set the wheels in motion to create Substantial Differentiation and Strategic Relevance. Having a compelling brand identity amplified by creating your own Media Company with original, story-based content. It is from that foundation that current Mayor Clive Tolley and other civic leaders are keeping the momentum alive with the double-entendre of the “Get A Life” campaign.
When social media rock stars “Justin & Greg” fired the first shot in Cold War II on Friday, January 11, 2019, it created a global media firestorm. The plucky Regina pair discovered that four years earlier, a town in Norway had dared to erect a moose statue 30 centimeters higher than Moose Jaw’s own “Mac the Moose”. Barely suppressing righteously mock indignation, Justin & Greg threw down the patriotic gauntlet, demanding that the city take retaliatory action. True to form, Fraser dropped the gloves and came out swinging.
PLANNING A SPEAKING EVENT?
The wheels of business turn faster each quarter, and your company or industry association may be anxious to stay ahead of the lighting-fast relevance curve. In that respect, we are now scheduling many in-person programs for 2022 and 2023, sharing the universally-applicable message of BIG LITTLE LEGENDS: How Everyday Leaders Build Irresistible Brands.
To schedule a Keynote or Workshop for your event, please send us a note.
WHAT REAL READERS ARE SAYING
Released in November of 2021 through Vancouver-based Page Two Publishing, the little black book with the magical cover is available through AUDIBLE and Wal-Mart. A grateful author is deeply appreciative of the groundswell of support that continues to flow in from Real Readers just like Jeff Alpaugh of Fredericton, NB, creator of “The World’s Most Dangerous Dress Shirt”.
“Heroes get remembered. Legends never die” BABE RUTH.
DEFIANT ASTRONAUT MEDIA
Every week, someone asks a question about our videos and our media partner responsible for the storyboarding, production, and editing. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Defiant Astronaut Media is uniquely positioned to help business leaders rethink what's possible to ‘Sell a Purpose. Not a Product’.