Post-secondary promotion
OKGo is a collaborative partnership between the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission (COEDC), Tourism Kelowna, and Accelerate Okanagan. It highlights the stories of innovators and entrepreneurs across key business sectors, strategically positioning the region for future economic prosperity. Building on the success of last year’s internationally recognized OKGo Campaign, the partners collaborated with the region’s post-secondary institutions, Okanagan College (OC) and the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UCBO), on our 2024 campaign.
The campaign featured a promotional video that spotlighted OC and UBCO as key players in talent development, research, and innovation, crucial for driving economic growth in the region. These institutions play a vital role in preparing students for the workforce through specialized programs and industry collaborations.
The effectiveness of the promotional video is evident in its broad reach since being launched on the OKGo website and the COEDC’s YouTube channel on December 12, 2023. With 16,547 views on YouTube and 776 views on the website, the video has successfully garnered organic attention and engagement.
To further amplify its impact, digital marketing ads are being deployed across COEDC’s social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google), and will run until the end of 2024. In its first month it achieved 90,131 impressions and 707 clicks. Additionally, these assets are being utilized by OC and UBCO through their networks and marketing campaigns, extending the reach and impact of the videos across diverse audiences.
A significant challenge encountered during the creation of the promotional video and the 2024 campaign was the substantial financial investment required. Despite this challenge, our collaboration with UBCO and OC enabled us to pool resources, overcoming the financial barrier and producing an invaluable asset that would not otherwise have been possible.
With two prominent post-secondary institutions, effective communication was crucial in highlighting each institution’s educational strengths. Emphasizing their unique offerings and showcasing how they complement each other in terms of talent attraction and retention was key. Both institutions play vital roles in talent development, fostering partnerships, conducting research, promoting applied learning, and community integration.
The promotional video targets both prospective students and industry stakeholders. By engaging with potential students, our goal is to provide a comprehensive view of the diverse offerings and opportunities available, attracting prospective learners to explore educational paths available in the region. Additionally, our strategic outreach to industry stakeholders aims to facilitate connections, collaborations and integration among industry, students, and post-secondary institutions. This strategic approach is intended to promote research and co-op programs ultimately fostering both talent attraction and retention.
Through engagement with industry stakeholders, our goal is to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem that nurtures mutual development, fosters innovation, and facilitates the exchange of knowledge between academia and industry. The collaborative approach emphasizes the significance of building strong ties between post secondary and industry to drive economic growth.
OC and UBCO offer specialized programs in clean tech, sustainable building technology, and research fields such as carbon recovery and renewable energy. This focus on specialized training ensures that graduates are well-prepared to make immediate contributions to regional, provincial, and federal climate actions. Through partnerships with industry and research collaborations, these institutions enhance their graduates’ readiness to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in the circular economy space, supporting sustainable economic growth and resiliency.
