Cornwall Launches New Marketing Campaign
December 1 , 2008
Banfield-Seguin worked closely with Cornwall Economic Development to develop a new marketing campaign launched at the end of November that seeks to raise the profile of the City in key markets in Canada. Banfield-Seguin has been working with the City of Cornwall since 2007 on a rebranding and positioning initiative.
“Cornwall has turned a corner from its past and has instigated – and accomplished – progressive change on many fronts. It is quite surprising to see what the city has become and what it has to offer, and that is at the heart of the branding strategy. It’s certainly a city with a great many possibilities.” John Charette, VP & Creative Director at Banfield-Seguin
The theme of this campaign is “Smart Decisions Start with Small Numbers”, and it focuses on the fact that the City offers a low-cost alternative to big cities when it comes to investment, business relocation or resident attraction.
“The world is extremely focused on numbers right now – with the front page of many newspapers devoted to stock market volatility and economic trends”, said Bob Peters, Senior Development Officer with Cornwall Economic Development. “The timing is perfect to highlight how Cornwall can help companies become more competitive by keeping their costs low.”
The campaign highlights the differences between Cornwall costs and “big city” costs in four areas:
- Business Park Land Costs: A cost of $20,000 per acre in Cornwall, compared to $75,000 or more in big cities
- Electrical Costs: A 6% decrease in Cornwall Electric rates, compared to average increases in most big city electrical rates
- Development Charges: Cornwall is one of a handful of Ontario cities that do not have development charges, which can add $15,000 or more to development projects
- Housing Prices: The average sale price of a house in Cornwall is half of what it is in most big cities ($141,000 compared to $285,000 or more)
The campaign will run for two weeks and will include print advertising, web advertising, direct mail and tradeshow activities. Print ads will appear in The Globe and Mail and Ottawa Citizen. The Ottawa Business Journal will publish a special feature on Cornwall on December 1st, which will be distributed to over 36,000 business leaders in the Nation’s Capital. Cornwall Economic Development will also be exhibiting at the PM Expo tradeshow in Toronto from December 3-5, which is expected to attract more than 23,000 developers and real estate investors.
Associated with the campaign is a redevelopment and expansion of the ChooseCornwall.ca website. The site has proven to be a hit with both residential and business investors.
“A key secondary objective of the campaign is to raise the awareness of the City to those who may be considering buying a new home”, added Bob Peters. “With available jobs and very affordable housing prices, Cornwall is turning heads. We are currently dealing with more and more enquiries from people looking to move to Cornwall from across Canada.”
Cornwall is a city of 47,000 people, situated along the St. Lawrence River and Highway 401. One of Canada’s oldest settlements (established 1784), Cornwall today is a progressive, family oriented centre, sustained by a growing, multi-faceted economy that features affordable housing and a diversity of commercial businesses and industries.
