Love, Orangeville Tourism Brand

In January 2022, the Town of Orangeville launched “Love, Orangeville,” a new tourism brand to support the community’s development as a tourism destination. The project was identified as a priority action in the 2021-2026 Tourism Strategy and Action Plan and fulfilled its goal to establish a visual brand identity for Orangeville while providing clear, authentic, and consistent direction to distinguish the community as a tourism destination.

When developing the brand, key stakeholders, community members, and external audiences identified that Orangeville’s tourism experience is crafted and infused with the welcoming spirit of its people. The brand reflects the Town’s genuine intention to provide visitors with a distinctly Orangeville experience – one that is human, friendly, sincere, and filled with heart. It creates a conversation between Orangeville’s visitors and its shopkeepers, restaurateurs, artists, performers, volunteers, and community members. The brand is portrayed through the eyes of the visitors, the people they meet, and the experiences they enjoy. All branded communications aim to foster that connection and introduce Orangeville as an approachable, charming, and friendly place.

The brand relates to a variety of audiences including the existing visitor demographic – affluent and educated middle-aged to older couples and families from the GTA – and potential targets such as youthful couples looking for a busy schedule of activities and young and diverse individuals who travel to discover new experiences. “Love, Orangeville” is also effective when promoting the community’s range of foundational tourism drivers – public and performing arts, our historic downtown, trails and outdoor experiences, festivals and events, and our culinary offerings. The brand allows for the creation of a conversation, suited to the audience and the experience.

Loveorangeville.ca is the brand’s primary communication platform and acts as the call-to-action in all materials. A visitor guide was published in June (see https://www.orangeville.ca/visitor-guide/) and digital promotions include a monthly e-newsletter, re-branded Facebook and Instagram accounts, and videos (see example at https://youtu.be/b3f1gfGKJ-s). Printed advertisements and in-hand materials, such as self-guided public art tours and post cards, have all been created using the brand guidelines. In-market signage – pole banners and large-scale posters – will be installed to build brand awareness in the community. By adhering to all components of the “Brand Book” – logo, colours, fonts, lexicon, and templates – Orangeville can easily and effectively create consistent visuals and messaging across many mediums.

Because “Love, Orangeville” relies on the hand-crafted hospitality of our people, engaging with the community is an important part of promotional efforts. The brand launch featured a social media campaign that encouraged participants to share why they “Love Orangeville” for a chance to win a gift card to their favourite local business. Since then, community members, business owners, artists, and volunteers have been regularly featured through online platforms and given the opportunity to share their love of Orangeville. Fostering these conversations in new and innovative ways is the ongoing objective for the Town of Orangeville as it continues to build its presence as a tourism destination in southern Ontario.