Sadly, the time has come to bid farewell to the blog. Well, at least this particular one has to go. I’m not sure if it is a Wordpress thing, or if the inordinate amount of spam comments is something most blog programs deal with (I haven’t the time to investigate the matter further at the moment!), but it is safe to say that the unwelcome influx of new “comments” in Greek no less, has somewhat dampened my enthusiasm for administering this little online presence. This annoyance, combined with a desire to enjoy my maternity leave to the fullest, has compelled me to begin the countdown to closing the .biz blog!

Look for a new .biz portal in fall 2010!

thanks for reading,

elizabeth

The last big project I contributed to in 2009 was both a pleasure and a privilege. Not only did I get to work with humbly hip agency Cloudraker, but I also got a sneak peak into arguably one of the next decade’s most groundbreaking tourism/resort development: Le Massif de Charlevoix.

The brainchild of Cirque du Soleil co-founder (the one on earth) Daniel Gauthier, Le Massif de Charlevoix is a recreo-resort-tourism project designed to leverage the magic inherent to the area. What makes this project so special is how they are going about it. We have just ended an era where the magic of a place was carefully crafted from a combination of local culture and luxury consumerism, neatly packaged in high-end trappings then sold to the upper class as their personal playgrounds. What Gauthier has envisioned for Charlevoix is the antithesis of the usual private fantasyland and the answer to resort-goers everywhere who yearn for something more soi dit, “authentic.”

“Le Massif de Charlevoix” is the mountain/ski station (which the project bought outright), a bioclimatic hotel-farm and a uber-modern destination train that takes you to the resort and across the land in style. Gauthier’s authenticity is implied by his approach to this development, which is to work with what has made the region a favoured destination for decades: incredible landscapes, untamed wilderness, gorgeous food and lovely people, and simply make them more accessible and more known. The train leaves from Quebec City, heads along the scenic coastline to the foot of the mountain, then on to the hotel known as simply “La Ferme” (the Farm) at Baie St. Paul, which boasts a working farm and a farmer’s market.

Where most North American resorts offer polished, sterile notions of local culture, Le Massif makes local culture the star. From food, to architecture, to the outdoor experience, the people and places of Charlevoix are the main attractions, with luxury transportation, accommodations and skiing helping to lure the luxury experience seeker. Yet as with any new take on an original or creation of a new ‘experience,’ the issue of authenticity appears like an invigilator: does the creation of a brand out of a real place instantly eliminate the possibility of true authenticity? If so, are there degrees of authenticity? And how do we gauge where consumer expectations lie?

Whether you have intimate knowledge of Charlevoix’s rhapsodic natural beauty or not, the website created by Cloudraker is enough to have it added to your list of places to see before you die. Its highly visual, frankly cinematic design gives you an eyeful while still managing to be highly informative and leaving just enough to the imagination.

See out more here.

Well, it’s been a minute since my last post (3 months!). My neglect was largely due to a dusting of work that quickly grew into a blizzard, leaving me grasping at half-eaten weekends by the lake and a grand total of five swims (although one can at least be categorized as epic).

One of the most noteworthy blog events of the summer came from a reader. More than a reader, a genuine critical mind who not only took the time to read and review my book/thesis, but also dug up a prime example of my study for further review. This is noteworthy simply because, as a primarily commercial writer - a corporate ghostwriter if you will - 99% of my work is published anonymously, making reviews of any kind exceedingly rare.

His blogspot name is Gulahiyi and his spot is called “ruminations from the distant hills,” the peaks and valleys of which happen to share the Cullowhee, North Carolina zip code. His “great interest in the intersection of language and place” is what drew him into my study of the rhetoric of Intrawest resorts, yet it was the strategic storytelling done for a certain NC developer that lit a rhetorical fire under my critic and many of his fellow Cullowheeans.

The story of “River Rock” is one of an idyllic community composed of five parcels of pristine Appalachian land in the Highlands, whose self-proclaimed mission is to “raise Appalachia” by creating an exclusive luxury community and introducing high-end hospitality to the Highlands (along with a Phil Mickelson golf course).

Over a year’s worth of research, envisioning and storytelling went into the storyline, which was largely intended to reveal endearing sides of Appalachian culture to an audience whose only portrait of the area is likely to have been painted by films like Deliverance and Cold Mountain. Yet while the storyline sought to create a community founded on respect for the land and its people, it seems the project has come up short and left a sour taste in the mouths of locals. As a result, both myself and the developer (albeit to a far lesser degree, me) were the targets of scathing reviews of both the storyline and budding community, all of which can be read here.

My next post will be about a fantastic development I had the pleasure of working on this summer that seems to have learned from the mistakes of resorts past.

A couple of months ago the guys at Dynamo called me up about a fun project. Longtime web masters for the Jewish General Hospital Foundation, they were asked to design a site for one man’s 4-month bicycle odyssey to raise money for the JGH Skin Cancer Centre. This was the second site they would design for Ryan Stotland and his two-wheel fundraisers. The first, back in 2006 was called 8000km.org and tracked Ryan’s journey across Canada. This time the stakes were raised along with the distance (and altitude), as Ryan recently embarked on a 12,000km tour of South America and invited the David Suzuki Foundation to share in the proceeds. Great initiative, great causes, great site! I was indeed happy to play a small part in this very giant journey.

Ryan will finish his tour some time in December - wow! Follow his journey and donate to the causes at 12000km.org!

The windows are framed in black tile, there’s a rabbit on the stove, bresaola in the cooler and a rack of patés that inspire drooling even at 10 am. Free-range white Cornish hens, Strasbourg terrine, pork and duck rillettes are the specials on a chalkboard. The windowpanes are adorned with depictions of pigs in various states of ecstasy. Très Euro.

Reading the description of one of downtown Victoria’s best-loved charcuteries, you would be forgiven for thinking you were in Paris, Montreal or Prague. That BC’s sleepy capital has come a long way from the mere “quaint” and “charming” (which it still has in spades) to something along the more “sophisticated” and “worldly” lines has everything to do with its dedicated downtowners and a few careful developers.

Though I have yet to set foot in Victoria, I was given plenty of reasons to head west while working on the 834 Johnson - the latest downtown development by Chard. Positioning itself as the ‘new face of downtown’, the campaign was all about featuring the neighbourhood and neighbours who make it so special. Book store, café and shop owners generously gave their trust and time to the cause, making the 834 Johnson one of the friendliest urban projects I’ve ever seen. That, coupled with exciting environmental aspects such as a green wall, greywater heating and communal bike facilities, make the 834 something all of downtown Victoria can be proud of.

Click on the jpg below to check out the project, and the many faces of downtown Victoria!

Client: Resonance

“Envisioning is about stepping through the portal of time to report back on the experience of a place that exists far in the future. It is about seeing the greatest potential of a plan on paper through the eyes of a future tenant, guest or admirer. It is a time to leave our comfort zone and explore the wildest reaches of our imaginations, before returning to the present with the ideas, intents and fodder to begin crafting a place of sincere timelessness.”

- Griffintown envisioning session prep document

Though they are becoming more and more common, envisioning sessions remain the territory of experienced organizations with concrete ideas as to the results they need and how to get them. Deeper than a charette and far more expansive than a focus group, an envisioning session is typically a two-day exercise that takes a group to the outer reaches of their imaginations in order to examine a place or brand from fresh angles and inspired perspectives. A good session will set aside a budget for influential guest speakers to participate and present innovative ideas on related topics, upon which sessioners can build the future experience of the project at hand. These can range from local historians, to designers, to trendhunters, to academics. Yet the key to a successful outcome - and a meaningful brand story to follow - is asking the right questions.

The ultimate goal of an envisioning session is to extract the core truths, experiential treasures and unique language that belong to the project alone. This is the basis from which a riveting, unforgettable, shareable and altogether galvanizing story can be written and told in every medium known to man.

After spending two years with the experts at ENVISIONING+STORYTELLING, I’ve learned a thing or two about envisioning, and storytelling. If you’d like to know more about how this process could help a new project or refresh a tired brand, write me.

A few images from the Griffintown envisioning session, August 21-22, 2009 in Montreal

The My City network is a sister site created by CEOs for cities, “a national network of urban leaders dedicated to building and sustaining the next generation of great American cities.” Whether you’re in America or not, My City is a place for anyone involved in urban planning, development or creative urban solutions to meet, swap ideas, ask questions and find great human resources. It’s organized and ‘hosted’ by Carol Coletta, President and CEO of CEOs for Cities - a passionate advocate for sustainable city development and a fabulous speaker. Despite her incredibly busy schedule, she was more than willing to give me her time, advice and contacts when I was preparing for the two-day envisioning session for the Griffintown project. If your passionate about cities, culture and their sustainable future, My City is where you should be.

Carol Colletta, President & CEO, CEO for Cities

That’s it, I found my dream job… Scouring the planet’s craftiest cities, snapping pics of funky fashion, arresting artwork and areas of untold intrigue, then being flown to conferences and paid vast sums of money to share what I make of it all with a chosen few creatives itching to ride the next big wave. That seems to be what a Trend Hunter does, and the first one I met in person was as riveting and inspiring as one might expect. Her name is Jody Turner. She is CEO and founder of Culture of Future and she first dazzled me at an envisioning session for Avanterra - a new, mixed-use community development in Palm Desert, California I was storytelling for. Her bio includes terms like ‘Ideation’ and ‘future zeitgeist mapping’ (say word!).

Since meeting Jody I’ve developed a whole knew understanding of trends and become fascinated by what they tell us about ourselves, the world we live in and where it’s heading. By this, I don’t mean the weird and gadgety, found on sites like trendhunter.com, but the globally impactful movements - like entire generational trends toward greening, virtual community building and generosity. Jody has a supernatural gift for distilling significant trends down to the essential and true - which is, i realize, the ultimate crux of trend hunting. It’s why she gets flown around the world and paid vast sums of money to relay her findings in under an hour.

But be warned! Jody doesn’t hand-hold, spoonfeed or slow her brain down for anyone! She has a lot to share and little time to spare. My advice is to be prepared to listen with a totally open mind and a ready pen!

It’s funny. When I first conducted this study of the new upper class and why they found the world of Intrawest resorts so appealing, the network was at its peak. That was 2004, before Intrawest founders sold the company to Fortress (August 11, 2006) and laughed all the way to the bank. The last chapter in the book deals with the whole authenticity debate; whether Intrawest’s signature ‘fantasy’ aesthetic could possibly have any staying power. Critics like David Boyle predicted a return to the real - a shift back toward the handcrafted, the handmade, the natural and imperfect.

Perhaps the reason for Fortress’s shares dropping from 18.5 when it went public in February 2007 to 5.5 by October 2007, then to an all-time low of 1.87 by December 2008 is more related to an imperfect economy. Still, I think Boyle has a point. I can’t help but wonder, when thousands of years from now a new civilization digs up the area where Tremblant resort once stood and finds all these brightly coloured bits of rooftop and whatnot amid such an obviously stunning landscape, what will they make of it? of us?

Click on the book cover to buy it on Amazon!

Special thanks to Sorin Pavelesco for the enticing ‘box of chocolates’ cover design.

Try to communicate what makes you you in the span of an elevator ride. Invariably every company has to, which is why it’s referred to as an “elevator speech.” For Tact Publicité, their spiel came to me as naturally as a crush and was  inspired by what I know of their employees: passionate, willing to work hard and more than a little “cochon” (that’s French Canadian for dirty-minded).

Happy to do the dirty work.

BRAND MATCHMAKERS
Branding//Packaging//Promotion//Web//Guerilla Marketing//Mass Media

At Tact, we love nothing more than stripping down ordinary perceptions, getting into bed with your target audience and pushing creative boundaries to the extreme to get to that place of perfect product bliss. Our long obsession with graphic arts, wanton advertising and shameless promotion has earned us quite a reputation in the industry (not to mention 2 recent Gaïa awards). We’ve found that passion gets you places. Playing matchmaker between consumers and your product excites us. We’ll skillfully handle everything from style and presentation to what to say on the first date, to keeping the lines of communication open throughout your relationship and making sure no anniversary goes unromanced.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned, with any brand, a little love goes a long way.

Speaking of love, here’s what Pierre Morin, founder of Tact had to say about his new elevator speech:

Bonjour Élizabeth,
Je viens de lire le texte que tu as rédiger pour notre site web…
Je dois t’avouer que j’ai eu un petit serrement de coeur
Écrire un texte comme celui là à un passionné comme moooi…c’est écoeurant!
Mais écrire un texte comme ça, au créateur de l’entreprise de laquelle il à toujours été si passionné, c’est encore beaucoup mieux
Si j’avais été un excellent rédacteur, je n’aurais jamais pu faire mieux,
Merci et félicitations

pierre

The text has been adapted into French on the Tact website since they don’t actually have an English version.

Tact Publicité