Vernon debuts new city brand: ‘Activate Life’

VERNON – McDonald’s has ‘I’m lovin’ it’, NIKE has ‘Just do it’ and now the City of Vernon is embracing the power of the slogan with the new tagline, ‘Activate Life.’

It’s part of a branding initiative to market and promote Vernon among locals and tourists alike. The new tagline replaces the former ‘Vernon Make It Yours’ slogan and is the centrepiece for the city’s new brand.

Economic development committee chair Glen Benischek says the ‘call to action’ phrase can be used in many different ways to showcase what Vernon has to offer, such as ‘Activate your appetite’, ‘Activate your senses’ and ‘Activate your game.’

“It can mean anything from bocce ball to spending time with the kids on the beach to skiing at Silver Star, cross country skiing at Sovereign Lake.”

To come up with the new brand, the committee surveyed residents and visitors about Vernon’s key strengths and unique selling points. The feedback pointed to Vernon’s outdoor environment, and array of activities, from skiing, to golfing, to cruising the farmer’s market.

“I like the fact the word 'activate' means get your life moving,” Coun. Catherine Lord says. “It’s an action word.”

The brand will be used in the city’s tourism advertising, Lord says, but she hopes the business community will embrace it as well.

To date, the city has spent $15,000 on the initiative, and Mayor Akbal Mund believes it’s money well spent.

“It’s not a large expense, all you’re going to do is incorporate that word into everything you’re doing now, so it’s not like it’s an added expense after the process is done,” Mund says.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.