Canada’s new marketing brand highlights aspects of everyday life that Canadians might take for granted but nevertheless feel extraordinary to guests.
Unveiled by Destination Canada at last week’s Rendez-vous trade show in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, naturally. is a global brand campaign designed to portray what comes as standard in Canada: stunning landscapes, natural wonders and warm-hearted locals ready to assist and make guests’ stays memorable.
Destination Canada’s detailed market segment research shows that Canada’s target travellers are attracted to “authentic, unfiltered experiences” and Canada, naturally. aims to attract these visitors by tapping into the country’s “openness”, from open-hearted residents to open minds that invite fresh perspectives – and all set against those vast open spaces, lake-strewn wilderness areas and vistas that inspire awe and wonder in visitors.
The campaign features a series of gentle – and humorous – observational vignettes of everyday Canadian moments designed to show off “Canada’s unfiltered beauty, innate inner confidence and welcoming attitude to its guests”.
For example, one of the three short videos that illustrate the Canada, naturally brand carries the caption “Amazing is Normal” and features two friends cooking a BBQ against a backdrop of a sky coloured by the greens and reds of the Northern Lights.
One character, looking up at the sky, says: “What do you think?” The other replies: “It smells great’”. The clip ends with the voiceover: “You never know when a Tuesday night dinner will become a Tuesday dinner and a show.”
Related imagery collateral includes a poster of Niagara Falls with the caption: “It just came like this”; a small aircraft heading into the sky titled: “Just taking off for the weekend”; and a lone figure staring down from a clifftop with the epithet: “It is not always this crowded”.
Canada, naturally. builds on Destination Canada’s current tourism strategy, titled “A World of Opportunity”, which has the goal of by 2030 increasing annual tourism revenue from £113 billion to $160 billion and propelling Canada back into the top ten most popular tourism destinations globally.
“To reach our ambitions, Canada needs to be a destination that resonates deeply with target guests and differentiates itself in a competitive global marketplace,” Gloria Loree, Senior Vice-President, Marketing Strategy & CMO (pictured), told Selling Travel.
“Travellers are looking for more authentic experiences that immerse them in the lives of people doing ordinary things.
“In Canada, jaw-dropping views are not staged or temporary; they are just out there all the time and have been for over 10,000 years.
“We’re living in a world that’s increasingly filtered and fake, combined with disruption and associated unpredictably, but Canada, naturally. underscores the importance of connecting to what’s real and reflects what makes Canada distinct. It’s an open invitation to travellers who are craving authenticity and meaningful connections,” she added.
Tourism is big business in Canada: last year the sector generated $130 billion in direct visitor spending – that’s more than $350 million every day.
Destination Canada’s research shows that every $1 the organisation invests generates a return of $23.85 in total economic activity, $2.25 in federal tax revenue, and $4.80 in combined taxes.
