FMWB Magazine

Memorable content + immediate dividends on a fast turnaround

Innovation is sexy

FMWB Magazine is a business attraction publication created for Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo Economic Development & Tourism.

The opportunity to participate in CERAweek, a global energy conference, crystalized only a few weeks before the event. Our organization’s business & investment attraction (BIA) collateral was focused on retail and commercial sectors so we needed better support for an industrial event. We needed marketing collateral that highlighted the value of investing in our region, outlined opportunities for the future, and inspired people to reach out to our team.

Our strategy was to lead with the impressive stories of innovation in our region. Carbon fibre research. Sustainable forestry that uses the winter cold to protect wetlands. And the Pathways Alliance Carbon Capture and Storage project.

Our goal was to generate leads for our BIA team, to drive visits to our website, and to create evergreen content for our social channels. In just over two weeks we wrote and designed a 40-page magazine that succeeded in this – and more.

An ongoing success story

There is a small window to make the right impression and generate a lead at trade shows. FMWB Magazine was very successful. An eye-catching design made the right impression – sparking the conversations our BIA team was looking for and are developing into leads and opportunities.

The magazine was recognized as a valuable tool for our partners, too. Canadian Consulates in Texas sought copies for their locations, and the Fort McMurray International Airport requested copies as well. We continue to see interest from FMWB Magazine.

Building on a strong foundation

The greatest challenge was a tight timeline of less than three weeks from concept to completion. While previously completed research and tear sheets helped to provide some supporting content, articles and layout were developed from scratch.

In many ways, the timeline validated our work on branding, research, and key messages. It showcased how investments in foundational elements of marketing allow for agility while remaining aligned to strategy.

Our biggest takeaway was a review of business unit support to identify any other potential gaps in our marketing collateral.

Seeking investment to drive growth

The Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo economy is well suited to private equity investors. Oil sands developments are led by large publicly traded companies. However, the support industries in logistics, construction, manufacturing, maintenance, and transportation are fragmented. As well, new opportunities in value-added manufacturing and carbon capture and storage will require capital investments to get started.

Our target audience for FMWB Magazine was private equity/hedge fund employees. We identified a target list of private equity firms that have investments in Western Canada prior to the event. This group was our priority audience.

Printing what we need

Discounts on volume printing make larger orders attractive. We intentionally kept our print run low to avoid storing or disposing of stale materials later. Though unit cost is higher on smaller orders this is a more environmentally sustainable approach. Promoting the digital version of the magazine has also limited print copies required.

Spotlighting our team’s strength

FMWB Magazine is a success for our organization. We leveraged the strategy and work previously completed to create a useful publication over an extremely short timeline. We identified a clear target audience, crafted memorable content, and continue to see the usefulness of this project months later.

Best of all this showcased our team’s strength. All writing and design was completed in-house. As a new Marketing and Communications team this project has reinforced the value we bring to FMWBEDT.