Case Study

Friends of Granville Island – “It’s Time for Local Creative Control”

Challenge

Granville Island is an internationally recognized jewel in the heart of Vancouver.

Built in the 1970s on a formerly industrial man-made, federally-owned land mass, the island broke most conventional rules about urban planning, zoning and governance, which is why its success has been very difficult to replicate.

But what was once a vibrant, international, creative destination has become a ghost of its former self:  an underperforming retail district offering high priced food, tourist trinkets and many empty, even condemned, spaces.

“Friends of Granville Island,” a group of concerned citizens from the island’s creative sector, approached Burrard Strategy to tell the island’s story, and motivate others to join them in their campaign for greater local accountability and control.

Process

We started by creating a narrative to demonstrate that the Island’s founders’ values were in alignment with theirs, and then helped them secure interviewees who could tell the story.   As we interviewed over a dozen people for a mini-documentary outlining their case, our argument started taking shape.  

We then produced branding, provided them with a slogan “It’s Time for Local Creative Control” to summarize their position as succinctly as possible, using a “double-entendre.”  Branding their cause allows the Friends of Granville Island to mobilize and engage the community in a more effective manner.

Outcome

	Branding: Slogan, Website, and Logos; FOGI and It’s Time for Local Creative Control
	Narrative Development: Aligning their efforts with founding principles and mandate
	Content Creation: Mini-documentary “It’s Time for Local Creative Control”
	Content Amplification: 6 Custom Digital Audiences; 132,663 Digital Impressions; and 4 Digital Products
	Media Training: Trained group to write, respond and communicate with media
	Earned Media: As Seen in Global News BC, CKNW, The Straight, CBC News Vancouver