Qualitative Research Findings : Branding Alberta

Qualitative Research Findings Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase November 2008 Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Proprietary Warning The information contained herein is proprietary to the Government of Alberta and may not be used, reproduced or disclosed to others except as specifically permitted in writing by the originator of the information. The recipient of this information, by its retention and use, agrees to protect the same and the information contained therein from loss, theft or compromise. Any material or information provided by the Government of Alberta and all data collected by Harris/Decima will be treated as confidential by Harris/Decima and will be stored securely while on Harris/Decima's premise (adhering to industry standards and applicable laws).

Toronto Ottawa Montreal Vancouver 2345 Yonge Street 160 Elgin Street 1080 Beaver Hall Hill 666 Burrard St Suite 405 Suite 1820 Suite 400 Suite 500 Toronto, Ontario Ottawa, Ontario Montreal, Quebec Vancouver, British Columbia M4P 2E5 K2P 2P7 H2Z 1S8 V6C 3P6

t: (416) 962-2013 t: (613) 230-2200 t: (514) 288-0037 t: (778) 370-1373 f: (416) 962-0505 f: (613) 230-9048 f: (514) 288-0138 f: (604) 601-2074

www.harrisdecima.com [email protected]

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Table of Contents

Introduction...... 5 Alberta Findings ...... 7 Reactions to the Idea of Branding ...... 7 General Perceptions...... 7

What Makes Alberta Special ...... 9

Challenges for Finding an Alberta Consensus...... 10 Positioning Themes...... 11

Probing on Alberta’s Reputation...... 22

Probing on Alberta’s Oil Sand Development ...... 23 Summary and Conclusions ...... 25 US Findings...... 26

Perceptions of Canada...... 26 Perceptions of Alberta...... 27

Positioning Themes...... 29

Probing on Energy Issues ...... 34 Probing on Oil Sands Issues ...... 35

Probing on Alberta’s Environmental Reputation ...... 35 Summary and Conclusions ...... 36 Canada Findings...... 37

Perceptions of Alberta...... 37

Perceptions of Alberta as a Place to Live and Work...... 38 Positioning Themes...... 39 Alberta Business Findings...... 46

Reactions to the Idea of Branding for Alberta ...... 46 Probing on Alberta’s Reputation...... 46

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Conclusions & Recommendations...... 47

Positive Brand Attitudes ...... 47 Negative Brand Attitudes...... 47

Reputation Messaging on the Environment ...... 48 Appendix ...... 49 Discussion Guide - Alberta ...... 49

Discussion Guide - US...... 54

Discussion Guide - Canada...... 58

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Introduction

Harris/Decima is pleased to present the following report to Calder Bateman and the Public Affairs Bureau of the Government of Alberta. This report is based on a comprehensive wave of focus groups across Alberta, Canada and the United States.

The primary purpose of the research was to help support the Branding Alberta Initiative to develop a brand strategy for Alberta that will reinforce a positive, meaningful image of Alberta and increase awareness of Alberta as a great place to live, work, play and invest.

Our work on the Branding Alberta Initiative involved two comprehensive research elements as part of the Discovery Phase: an initial, exploratory, wave of qualitative research followed by three comprehensive surveys in each of the three key markets.

We kicked off the research with an initial qualitative phase of 26 focus groups with informed citizens, 3 focus groups with young adults and 4 focus groups with business leaders . Informed citizens were those people who regularly follow current affairs and get involved in public and community affairs. In our experience, the quality of respondent who satisfies this requirement is significantly more helpful, participatory and productive than members of the general public. Additionally, the focus groups with Albertans were segregated by income; the groups with Canadians were segregated by those with neutral to negative views of Alberta and those with positive views of Alberta; and, the focus groups in the United States were conducted among Americans with some level of familiarity with Alberta.

The groups were carried out as outlined below:

ALBERTA September 8 – September 15, 2008 Date City Times Moderator September 8 Edmonton 5:30 pm / 7:30 pm B. Anderson September 9 Grande Prairie 5:30 pm / 7:30 pm B. Anderson September 10 Calgary 5:30 pm / 7:30 pm B. Anderson September 11 Lethbridge 5:30 pm / 7:30 pm S. Constable September 15 Stettler 5:30 pm / 7:30 pm S. Constable Total 5 locations 10 groups

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

US September 16 – September 22, 2008 Date City Times Moderator September 16 Chicago 5:00 pm Bruce Anderson September 17 New York 5:30 pm Bruce Anderson September 18 Toledo 5:30 pm S. Constable September 22 San Francisco 5:30 pm S. Constable Total 4 locations 4 groups

CANADA September 24 – October 2, 2008 Date City Times Moderator September 24 Vancouver 5:30 pm / 7:30 pm J. Walker September 25 Saskatoon 5:30 pm / 7:30 pm S. Constable September 29 Toronto 5:30 pm / 7:30 pm Bruce Anderson September 30 St. John’s 5:30 pm / 7:30 pm S. Constable October 1 London 5:30 pm / 7:30 pm S. Constable October 2 Montreal 5:30 pm / 7:30 pm S. Constable October 15 eGroup Youth 5:30 pm S. Constable Total 6 locations 13 groups

ALBERTA October 2 – October 3, 2008 Date City Times Moderator Edmonton October 2 7:30 am / 11:30 am J. Walker Business Edmonton October 2 5:30 pm J. Walker Youth Calgary J. Walker and October 3 7:30 am / 11:30 am Business B. Anderson October 14 eGroup Youth 7:30 pm J. Walker Total 2 locations 6 groups

Harris/Decima designed and directed all elements of the project including design, recruitment, interviewing and analysis. The discussion guides were prepared by Harris/Decima in close consultation with the clients and approved by the clients.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Alberta Findings Reactions to the Idea of Branding

General Perceptions

Alberta residents exhibited a broad enthusiasm for the idea of creating a focused, positive image of Alberta. In general, people were of the view that this would bring benefits to the province both from an internal and external standpoint.

In terms of promoting a strong, focused Alberta brand externally, participants noted several important benefits:

1. A feeling that as Alberta became a more prominent and important player in international trade, having a clear and positive brand image of the province would help support the sale of Alberta based goods and services in markets around the world.

2. Many were of the view that one of the more important priorities for Alberta in terms of fully realizing its economic potential is the ability to attract highly skilled or trained workers from outside the province. There was a strong conviction that a sharply focused and positive image of Alberta would make recruiting this talent easier.

3. Attracting investment into the province, especially investment that helped diversify the economy was another priority that participants felt should be aggressively pursued. Without question there was a feeling that this challenge is more easily met with a strong brand image for the province.

4. Finally, most people were entirely familiar with the role that a good place brand image plays in attracting tourists. Most judged that Alberta had a good brand image when it came to tourism, but that it was always good to be working at improving in this area.

In addition to the benefits associated with a strong brand image for Alberta in markets outside the province, most participants also felt pretty strongly that there were legitimate and important domestic benefits to be had from such a branding initiative as well.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Some felt that the province had been under growing strain in recent years as the pace of economic development created a variety of pressures on the sense of common purpose and community.

While the overwhelming view was that the economic boom was welcome, many people commented that they felt that Alberta was changing, and not always for the better. Among the more common comments:

A feeling that the growth in demand for housing had made housing affordability a problem for an increasing number of residents of the province.

Somewhat related was a sense that there was a growing tension between the wealthy and the middle class, and growing pressures on those at the lower end of the economic spectrum.

Some felt that the emphasis within the province on financial prosperity was taking its toll on the idea of a caring and sharing community that put the emphasis on friendly, helpful, neighborly values.

Finally, some felt that the influx of immigrants from other parts of Canada or elsewhere was leading to a situation where many people in the province didn’t share the same sense of common history. While some were unhappy about this, most people were more matter of fact about it, asserting only that it was more a question of recognizing that any new focused sense of common purpose needed to take into account that a smaller proportion of the residents of the province had a common past.

In summary, it was interesting to note that while efforts like the Alberta Branding initiative can in some situations engender some negative public reaction, with people wondering if the effort has real value or is more cosmetic or political, this was clearly not the case in these focus groups. Quite the contrary, there was abundant evidence that the people we interviewed felt that this initiative was legitimate, timely and important.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

What Makes Alberta Special

The vast majority of focus group participants felt very proud of Alberta, and as a result had no shortage of positive attributes they were willing to cite as being important and more or less unique to the province.

Over the course of several groups it became clear that the bulk of these qualities tended to fall into one of three categories:

The natural or physical attributes of the province This included impassioned discussions about the beautiful and diverse landscapes of the province, most notably the mountains, the Prairie, and the badlands.

Lots of people commented that these features were all remarkably beautiful and the province was indeed very fortunate to have such diverse landscapes.

Alongside the passion people had for the physical environment was a belief that the environment of the province was healthy, clean, with good water, and lots of wilderness and wildlife, and must be maintained that way for the future.

The economic attributes of the province This discussion generally usually began with respondents listing the massive opportunities that oil and gas resources presented to the province; although people often went on to discuss the agricultural sector.

There seemed to be a mixture of opinion about the degree to which the economy of the province had been evolving. In Calgary, most respondents were of the view that this was happening at a rapid pace, elsewhere there was more evidence of anxiety about whether it was happening quickly enough.

Worth noting was the degree to which when describing the economic attributes and advantages of the province, people talked about how it was possible to work hard, create your own future, make lots of money. There was a sense that the socio-political culture of Alberta (including public policies and taxation), favoured people with an entrepreneurial bent, and that this too was one of the more important economic assets of the province.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

The human and attitudinal qualities of the province Many people felt inclined to talk first about the nature of Albertans as one of the best and most unique features of the province. Included in the most commonly mentioned items was a feeling that the people in the province are hard workers and self-reliant, aspiring, decent, warm, down to earth, genuine, and willing to help others.

Over the course of all the groups in Alberta it became apparent that the physical attributes were seen as unique, but somewhat a given, and that the most prominent and potentially appealing elements from a branding standpoint were those that were about the sense of economic opportunity and freedom, coupled with the attitudinal characteristics of the people of the province.

Challenges for Finding an Alberta Consensus

While most people were enthusiastic about the idea of finding a common rallying point, it also became clear that there were some challenges that would be encountered in terms of arriving at this point.

First, relatively few have a strong sense of either the history of the province or how that history is connected to today. While for those with long and deep roots, there was a natural desire to describe the future of the province in a way that built on its history, for many others, this seemed to result in ideas that felt more backward that forward looking, more nostalgic and less aspirational.

Secondly, some participants felt quite strongly that there was a growing divide between the rich and the middle class in the province, with growing problems for the poor as well. For these people there was a risk that any brand formulation that seemed too economically aspirational might seem exclusionary by nature.

Finally, there was something of a Calgary-Rest of Alberta, or rural-urban divide. For those in urban areas, different opportunities and challenges were evident than for those in more rural communities. As a broad generalization, people in the major urban centers were more of the view that change was happening and needed to be both embraced and managed, while those in the more rural communities were less sure that change was all that good a thing.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Positioning Themes 20 themes were tested across five markets in Alberta; Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Calgary, Lethbridge and Stettler.

Positioning Themes Across Alberta

Edmonton Grande Prairie Calgary Lethbridge Stettler

The Spirit of Energy The Spirit of Energy The Spirit of Energy The land of opportunity , An inspiring land. A powered by people. striving community Citizens of Courage and Communities of Communities of Generosity Courage and Generosity Courage and Generosity An inspiring land, Natures Diversity, communities of Alberta’s Spirit Alberta Wide Open A land of generosity, Alberta. Honest Hearts. strength. people of courage Bold Spirits Striving together to build Smart Opportunities Nature’s strength, our story A Journey of Legacies Alberta. Wide Open Alberta Wide Open people’s spirit. A world of opportunity . Alberta. The coming of Smart Opportunities Alberta. The Freedom of Wide open, sky high. A grounded community . age A Journey of Legacies Opportunity A Journey of Legacies Striving together to build The freedom to create , Alberta, A Smart Future Alberta. Leading Legacies our story. the spirit to strive Alberta. Create your own The Province of The Province of story We say. We do. We care Wide open, sky high. Opportunity , the Power Opportunity , the Power of People. of People. A Smart Future A free spirit. A grounded Freedom . Determination. community. Integrity The Province of Opportunity , the Power The freedom to create , of People. the spirit to strive .

The Land of Diversity

The Spirit of Energy This concept was tested in Edmonton, Grande Prairie and Calgary and produced mixed results.

Respondents who focused on the idea of “spirit” had mostly positive feelings about this phrase, noting that it invoked something about the culture of the province, although it was unclear to them exactly what was being suggested. Inevitably, it suggested that there was something unique and good about the psychology of Albertans.

Others felt that the reference to energy was too literally connected to the oil and gas sector. The problem with this connection was twofold. First, some worry that this is becoming a stereotype and a too narrow a viewpoint of the province. They worried

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

that accentuating this feature might inadvertently help limit the diversification of the economy which they felt was so important to long term prosperity.

A second important point of resistance had to do with the idea that the word energy in this context connoted a province moving or changing at top speed. Most respondents felt that while change was good, that the pace was acceptable, but that faster may not be better.

“I saw it as the ideal benchmark for energy companies.”

“I saw the word spirit as a ghost. It had a negative connotation for me.”

“Spirit is religious to me.”

“Spirit is about …as something bad happens, individuals are there; people contribute and get things done.”

“I liked it. I didn’t think of the energy sector. For me, it was about life, being vibrant, moving forward and going places.”

“It’s too general. Yes we have oil and gas but I’m not sure that’s all we want to project.”

Citizens/Communities of Courage and Generosity This concept also produced a relatively mixed reaction and was tested in Edmonton, Grande Prairie and Calgary.

Many respondents found clear merit in reinforcing the idea that the people of the province had a strong sense of determination, striving to achieve and standing up for what is right, and the word courage variously connoted these ideas to some people.

There was also strong support for the notion of Albertans being a highly generous people. Most felt that this was a significant part of the culture of the province, and perhaps not well enough understood outside the province.

However, some doubts emerged about whether these attributes could be seen as unique to Alberta, or some people also wondered whether they were in fact the strongest hallmarks of Alberta culture.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Moreover, some felt that the notion of courage was too grand a concept to describe the way most Albertans lived their lives today. Some felt that the early settlers and recent immigrants could be described as courageous, while others lived in a situation that was largely more comfortable and not demanding of courage on a regular basis.

“It means standing together in times of good or bad. You see it now and I hope it continues.”

“I think both courage and generosity are distinctive words. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for what they believe and generosity is something you see in Calgary all the time.”

“For me, the words are mismatched and they don’t fit for Alberta. We are definitely generous but I can’t think of a courageous thing we’ve done.”

“The first thing I thought of was small town living. There’s more support and courage in smaller communities.”

“Courage isn’t a part of the Alberta spirit. Most people don’t actually face danger, they face challenge; so words like determination or drive would be better.”

Alberta Wide Open This concept, tested in Edmonton, Calgary and Grande Prairie, produced mixed results that leaned towards being more negative than positive.

Those who reacted well to this phrase, did so because they drew two associations: the first being the idea of wide open landscapes, and the other in terms of wide open opportunities, and a sense of freedom to build the kind of future that you might want. Possibilities to enjoy the province were boundless.

However, on the whole, more people seemed to feel that this concept carried negative connotations that were significant. For many, the concept read as being wide open for business, but wide open for exploitation without limits as well. This invariably led to a discussion about how the public policy mix of the province that respected and rewarded entrepreneurship also carried with it a risk of harm to the environment, and other exploitation challenges as well.

“I didn’t like it….wide open means come in anytime but it doesn’t say what it’s for. It didn’t feel finished.”

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

“I think wide open speaks to rural parts of Alberta. The city is spread out quite a bit and you need a car. I also think it means endless opportunities, wide open for entrepreneurship.”

Smart Opportunities. A Journey of Legacies. Tested in Edmonton and Grande Prairie, this concept tested on the whole mostly negatively.

First, the word journey seemed confusing to people, they were unsure what the journey was, where the starting and end points were and also felt that not everyone in the province had experienced or would experience the same or a common journey.

Secondly, while the underlying concept of legacy (in the sense of creating your own path and future) had merit, the word legacy seemed to some people to be almost pretentious and one they would not use to describe their own ambition. Many felt that it was a word they really only associated with people who have lived epic lives, millionaires and sports heroes

Nevertheless, the probing revealed that there was clear merit in drawing on the idea of Alberta as a place where people who wanted to take charge of their own lives and make a name and a story for themselves.

“Legacy is the wrong word for what our future has to be.”

“To me it means passing on values and traditions that make a difference. I gave it an eight and not a ten because not everyone has the perfect legacy. There will always be mistakes along the way.”

Alberta. Honest Hearts. Bold Spirits. This concept was tested in Calgary, where it produced mixed reactions.

The idea of Albertans as a people who embrace honesty and straight talk as a value was a powerful concept, although for some “honest hearts” seemed a bit over the top. As well, some people wondered aloud if the growing preoccupation with money that they felt and mostly embraced, meant that modern business practices in the overheated economy were really consistent with this type of promise.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

While bold spirits had some appeal, some struggled with the idea of depicting Albertans as truly bold, in the same way they weren’t sure they’d be comfortable saying that Albertans were courageous.

There was a feeling that Albertans were unafraid to try and stand on their own feet, but that the Alberta version of entrepreneurship was not always full-throated, roll- the-dice, let-the-chips–fall-where-they-may risk taking, but something more associated with hard work, diligence and self reliance.

“I didn’t like it. I don’t think Alberta has any more or less honest hearts than any other province. It doesn’t stand out as being unique to Alberta.”

“The first thing I thought of was that this was hokey. Now it’s boom time, it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. It’s more ruthless and strong.”

“I found it meant people are genuine and mean well. They’re high spirited and appreciate the life they get in Alberta.”

The Freedom of Opportunity This concept produced a generally positive reaction.

People loved the concept of freedom and sensed that this is something that is more true in Alberta than many other places, including many other parts of Canada.

Those who were highly motivated by the economic potential and reality of Alberta also liked the idea of linking freedom and opportunity. For these people, this summed up the idea that attracted many people to the province, and was an essential building block for future success.

The drawbacks with this concept had to do not with what it connoted, but with what it failed to mention or imply. For those whose strongest sense of the province is about the natural, physical or human/attitudinal attributes, this theme suggested a province that was only about money, something that left them feeling less than enthused. They yearned for a depiction that deliberately did not put such a heavy focus on material gain.

“Whatever you want to be, it’s here. If you have the initiative, Alberta will give it to you.”

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

The Land of Diversity This concept produced mixed reactions and was tested in Calgary, finding only limited potential.

Most of those interviewed said that cultural diversity was one of the best attributes of the province, and they welcomed the fact that the province was becoming more diverse all the time. They noted that the democracy was strengthened as more new and different opinions were sampled, and that the culture of Alberta was only being enriched by the cultures that came from other parts of Canada, and especially other parts of the world.

While this was the decided majority view, there were also some in some groups who felt that diversity was bringing some negative elements with it, and was a point of mild resistance. On balance, the discussion usually netted out with people agreeing that diversity and more of it was a good thing for the province, but that Alberta could not claim this as a particular distinction of the province today, and that as it was not a universally shared point of view, perhaps not the single best way to define the province as an overarching theme.

There was a tendency to react to the phrase simply in terms of its implications for cultural diversity, rather than economic or physical diversity.

“I’m on the fence. Diversity is important to have but too much can create problems.”

“It didn’t make me think Alberta right away.”

“It means embracing our differences and being welcoming to all, but something about it doesn’t ring true.”

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Smart Future/Heart and Head Tested in both Edmonton and Calgary, this concept produced some, but not enthusiastically positive reactions.

In its essence the idea of Alberta as a place to live and work both for economic and sentimental reasons is a strong idea, however the words tested failed to convey this notion.

“Smart future” was also seen as somewhat mundane, almost “table stakes” in terms of what people would expect with an economic pitch. People were looking for sizzle, or failing sizzle, hard proof points that couldn’t or wouldn’t be made by other jurisdictions.

One of the limitations of this phrase was also that it seemed to speak more directly to people who didn’t live in the province: it seemed implicit that the vast majority of people who were living in the province already accepted that it was a good choice from both a heart and head standpoint.

Overall, the idea of a place to live that made extremely good rational sense and promised great psychic rewards as well had considerable promise.

Province of Opportunity/Power of People Tested in Edmonton, Calgary and Grande Prairie, this concept was seen as broad, with plenty of potential.

Describing Alberta as a province of opportunity was simple, clear, positive and accurate for most people. While there was some sense that many places would be trying to position themselves as full of opportunity, Alberta could legitimately claim to be quite competitive in this regard, to say the least.

The power of the people phrase was something people related to as well. They liked the implicit reference to the notion that the people of the province were more important and instrumental in its success than the institutions, either in the private or public sector.

The limitations in this concept were twofold. First, some felt that it lacked any reference to the beautiful, natural aspects of the province: it touched on two of the three central dimensions of self-image for the province.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Others felt that the power of the people either described too narrow a view of the values and attributes of Albertans, or conjured up a degree of democratic influence by grass roots citizens that they weren’t sure was really there in reality.

“I like the province of opportunity part, but power of people did not feel like community. Power was too forceful, not human enough or passionate enough.”

“People make it or break it. It made me think of 9/11.”

The Land of Opportunity. Powered By People. There was a sense that the idea underlying this theme, tested in Lethbridge, was good and applicable for Alberta, but the words weren’t quite right.

There was a feeling that “land of opportunity” was a slogan America would use, although participants agree and feel positive about an Alberta with endless opportunities. In other words the concept was strong, but the words were something of a distraction.

The idea of being ‘powered by people’ was well regarded in the sense that this can- do attitude in Alberta is an advantage for the province, but that turn of phrase “powered by the people” makes some feel that the insinuation was more mechanical and less human. The word powered also conjures up images of combustion, oil and gas, much of which people would rather avoid making such a central part of province branding for Alberta.

Striving Together to Build Our Story Tested in Lethbridge and Stettler, this concept was met with neutral to positive reactions.

There was sense that is positively reflected unity whenever the need arises, as well as the idea of mutual support and common goals. At the same time, some felt that the phrasing was a bit trite or even “corny”.

Much like the word legacy, the word ‘story’ touches on an important concept, but the word can be problematic. ‘Story’ for some implies something that it is not real, but a fairytale. For some, there was a sense that this concept was open to too much interpretation, meaning that it was less a common rallying point.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

An Inspiring Land, Communities of Strength/A Striving Community. There were two very different reactions to this concept.

For those who made a positive connection, ‘inspiring land’ brought to mind the diverse geography of Alberta. Many also felt it had a spiritual feel to it. They readily acknowledge that the majestic Rocky Mountains were awe-inspiring and in a different way, so were the beautiful prairie landscapes.

For those who made a negative connection, ‘inspiring’ was not associated with land, and it suggested segregation in the pursuit of individual communities rather than the community as a whole. The idea was almost of clusters of fairly closed communities.

For some ‘inspiring’ also implied contemplating or meditating, which didn’t fit their view of Albertans as people willing to ‘roll up the sleeves and get dirty’. The word ‘striving’ on its own worked well to capture the idea of hard work and determination, although some felt a sense of perpetual struggle without relief.

The freedom to create, the spirit to strive This concept met with generally positive reviews and was tested in Lethbridge and Stettler.

Those who viewed the concept in a positive light felt it successfully married both the personal/human with business and economic connotations. It was felt to be punchy and seemed to hit all the right buttons; freedom (opportunity and choice); create (design and possibility); spirit (attitude); and, strive (determination).

The words ‘create’ and ‘strive’ were particularly powerful; with create speaking to creating your life, your career and your family. This was also seen as a choice. One can choose what they want to create for themselves. The word ‘strive’ spoke to goals – whether it be goal setting or goal attainment. In this sense, it implied a choice to strive to achieve something, rather than an imposed and perpetual condition without reward.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Wide open, sky high This concept was seen as an improvement over ‘Alberta, wide open’. This was also seen as one of the most effective concepts when it came to conjuring up a visual that fits for Alberta. This is probably in no small measure because of how closely it mirrors the current visual depiction of the province in the flag/emblem.

It was seen as capturing a variety of landscapes and openness and was more effective at incorporating the personal and economic dimensions of life in Alberta.

While conveying an image of being open for business, it also spoke to geography, possibility and unlimited potential in all areas of human endeavor. In a sense because it referred to sky high possibilities this took the edge of the idea of wide open as “unregulated”. Finally, this concept was also very effective at connoting the rural aspect of Alberta.

A free spirit and grounded community The reaction to this theme was quite mixed.

The two parts did not seem to fit well together and were seen to be a bit internally contradictory: ‘free’ on the one hand, but ‘grounded’ on the other. The positive associations with ‘free spirit’ were linked to risk-taking, independence, and less government intervention, while the negative interpretations were linked to terms such as: loosy-goosy, wild, hippie, careless, reckless, too liberal and controversial.

The term ‘grounded community’ also produced a mixed reaction, with some seeing in it a sense of support or solid footing, while others had a more negative viewpoint feeling it spoke to punishment and an resistance to change.

We say. We do. We care. The reaction to this concept was mostly negative with quite a lot of resistance to the term.

Most felt it was corny, political and sounded more like a bad election promise, and they struggled to see how it related to Alberta.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

The more positive aspect of the concept seemed to be ‘we do’ which for some spoke to the can-do attitude in Alberta, while ‘we care’ was seen as being about people and community.

“We say” was met with as much confusion as disdain, with no one really understanding what the term was trying to convey.

Nature’s Strength, People’s Spirit This concept was met with a mixed reaction.

This phrase seemed to, on the one hand, conjure up images of resources, weather, natural beauty, mountains, farmland, forests, nature’s diversity and bounty, all of which were positive associations for Alberta and helpfully drew on that aspect of provincial self image.

At the same time, for other people, the same phrase was conjuring up images of natural disasters and people coming together to recover and rebuild.

Finally, this phrase was also judges as being too general; with some saying it spoke to anywhere, and was not really specific to Alberta.

Nature’s Diversity, Alberta’s Spirit On the whole, this concept tested fairly well as it was among the most effective at conjuring up a positive visual image for Alberta.

‘Nature’s diversity’ was seen as more appropriately descriptive than ‘nature’s strength’ as it more clearly conjured up a sense of vast, diverse and beautiful land.

‘Alberta’s spirit’ was seen as a slightly more problematic. People wanted the term ‘spirit’ to be better defined, feeling it was too vague on its own. Some extrapolated the diversity from the term, which generally led to more positive impressions. Ultimately, it became clear that the use of the term phrase needs to be accompanied with some type of modifier that people can react to and identify with.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Freedom. Determination. Integrity. Overall, reaction to this phrase was positive.

It was seen as short, to the point, easy to understand, had a punch to it and it fit the image people had of Alberta. There was a feeling that it described the nature of the people and the empowerment that they felt living in Alberta.

This concept was also positive in that was seen to capture the personal and the professional as well as the urban and the rural all in relatively equal measure. The only drawback, and this was not the predominant view, was that it seemed a bit cliché.

A World of Opportunity, A Grounded Community The reaction to this concept was generally positive.

It seemed to fit the image people had for Alberta, as it captured the idea that there are endless possibilities in the province if you just work to develop them.

The most effective part of the concept was a ‘world of opportunity’, even though most felt the term was slightly overused and could be about anywhere, not just Alberta. Challenges continued to be visible on the term ‘grounded community’. Once again ‘grounded’ tended to convey feelings of being old or rooted, and not evolving.

Probing Alberta’s Reputation

Most respondents felt that is would be useful to promote the idea of Alberta as a great place to live and work, and a place that valued and protected its natural environment.

This effort was judged to be of value both domestically and outside the province. It was clear that while some people were sensitive about the idea that the province’s reputation was less than ideal in some markets, most said this didn’t really matter to them, their instinct to promote a strong reputation for the province was not defensive or responsive, but proactive and positive.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Most participants felt that they could quite easily make the case that Alberta was a good place to live, work, start a business or a career, or visit. They volunteered the following characteristics as evidence:

Lots of good well paying jobs A strong, diversifying economy Good health care and education Advanced science and technology A culture that embraced entrepreneurship, low taxes, less red tape Beautiful landscapes Decent, friendly, down to earth people A family friendly atmosphere A sense of community, and looking out for one another

While most people said all these were actual virtues of the province and compelling, the discussions typically also yielded some resistance to the idea of Alberta as perfect in every way.

For some, a rising cost of living and the prospect of creating a province where the gulf between the rich and the poor was growing led to a worry that increased social tensions and crime would lead to more pressures on quality of life. Doubts also arose about whether the province could claim to have a strong safety net, and whether enough was being done to safeguard the environment.

Secondly, there was a worry that too much population expansion and rapid development would lead to pressures on the natural environment and on the built infrastructure. While participants were optimistic about the future, they were also anxious about some of the pressure points noted above.

Probing on Alberta’s Oil Sand Development

The development of the oil sands is a sensitive topic in the province, producing a mixture of conflicting feelings.

Most are of the opinion that this resource needs to continue to be developed and will be developed, although, as expected, many are uncomfortable with the environmental impacts they have been hearing about.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

While for some the discomfort rested in part on how those outside Alberta might view the province in light of this development, this was not the general starting point. Instead, it was clear that many people were concerned themselves about:

1. How much actual environmental damage was being done

2. How much evident or hidden environmental risk was being accepted

3. Whether the companies involved in the development were sufficiently committed to mitigating damage and alleviating risk.

4. Whether the Government of Alberta was sufficiently committed to providing the necessary oversight over these projects to ensure the public interest was served, where environmental impacts were concerned.

By asking these questions, people were not suggesting that they were opposed to the projects or deeply doubtful about the stewardship and oversight: on the contrary, mostly people seemed to feel that things were more or less in hand, but given the size of the consequences, anxious that everyone felt a common sense of purpose about safe development.

There was some sense that governments in the past had not demonstrated a sufficient concern for the environment, but this was voiced almost as something that could be said about citizens and governments everywhere.

In terms of the specific environmental issues that people were focused on, water impacts, tailings ponds, wildlife and human health issues all came up with some regularity, perhaps even moreso than carbon emissions and climate change impacts.

Messages that were tested, albeit in a fairly limited fashion due to time constraints revealed:

Statements that imply no need for concern, or that Alberta has sorted through and solved all of the environmental challenges associated with oil sands development encounter stiff resistance.

At the same time, messages that imply a sense of purpose and direction, a drive to always better understand and mitigate the environmental challenges were quite positively received. For the most part, people both want to believe and feel it is plausible that Alberta should become a world leader in environmentally responsible resource extraction.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Summary and Conclusions

The initiative appears to fill a need recognized by participants. People in the province see merit in developing and refining a common sense of renewed purpose/statement of common values and aspiration. They see benefits within the province and externally.

There exists a common trio of characteristics of the province: a natural, beautiful environment, phenomenal opportunity to build a successful future, and a genuine, hard-working and generous people.

Underneath the broad umbrellas of natural, beautiful environment, phenomenal opportunity and genuine hard working, generous people, the kinds of words and phrases that appeared to have appeal included:

Opportunity (open, unlimited, possibilities) Freedom (to choose, to create, to live, to achieve) Beauty (landscape, environment) Striving (to achieve, improve) Spirit (Can do, down to earth, straight, helpful, friendly)

People believe that it is useful to profile Alberta as one of the best places to live and work, even though they acknowledge that there are some challenges that need to be addressed or at least managed.

Where the environment is concerned, participants were looking for reassurance about oil sands development, and would welcome messages and evidence of determined effort to find ways to improve, limit impacts, not just or even primarily in terms of carbon but also effluents and biodiversity impacts.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

US Findings

Perceptions of Canada

The groups across these US centers were very informative on a number of levels.

To begin with, there is generally very limited knowledge of Canada. Based on our experience, the evidence was that perceptions and knowledge of Canada may actually be decreasing over time.

The country is seen in positive terms, but the feelings run mostly to mild and medium positive for most people. Even as some noted how little they knew about Canada, remonstrating themselves, they often went on to remark how unfortunate it was that America seemed so self-centric. They sensed that the rest of the world knew a great deal more about America than the reverse.

In the past our research revealed similar attitudes, but voiced almost a matter of mostly indifference, but there seemed to be a different quality to this feeling today. It was as though the participants were expressing a concern that America had lost its way and lost important relationships with the rest of the world and needed to take this more seriously in the future.

There was a sense that Canada is inhabited by very friendly and genuinely decent people, but that the country as a whole is somewhat unremarkable. This was not meant as a criticism, in some ways mild praise: the implication was that Canada went about its business quietly, accomplishing its goals without drama or giving offense.

Canada is seen as culturally diverse. This is likely somewhat related to the fact that most people who have visited Canada have visited major cities, and were struck by the degree of cultural diversity. They also seemed to sense that the country embraces the idea of cultural diversity and is happy to celebrate it, perhaps in slight contrast with the “melting pot” aspect of US society.

Canada is also seen as socially progressive, which for some is good because it suggests a caring community, and for others is evidence of a slightly disturbing interest in socialism.

It would be incorrect to describe perceptions of Canada without noting frequent comments on the physical aspects of the country. The characteristics most

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

frequently cited in this regard were the beauty of the landscapes, and the pristine natural environmental as well as the very cold temperatures.

There was a tendency to feel that Canada’s economy was fairly good, especially given the shifting value that they saw in the purchasing power of the Canadian dollar, but without much sense of what was behind that economic performance.

There was remarkably weak knowledge of Canada and the US’ economic independence. Few respondents seemed even remotely aware of the dimensions of the trade relationship between the Canada and the United States. There was a clear expectation that Canada needed the US more than the reverse, but not necessarily a view that either needed the other all that much.

Even fewer participants seemed to be aware of the energy dependence the United States had on Canada, which was somewhat surprising given how top of mind energy concerns have been of late. As people became more concerned with energy supply they failed to become more knowledgeable about their leading sources of supply.

Very few were aware that Canada was involved in military cooperation with the US in Afghanistan, and it may well be the case that with the fading visibility of alliances like NATO and NORAD, the sense of military partnership may be dimming over time more generally.

Finally, when asked whether Canada would be considered an ally and friend, the responses tended to suggest that Canada is seen as an ally, but for some friend is perhaps too strong a word. This was not due to a sense of strain within the relationship, but more a sense of doubt about whether America really has many true “friends” in the world anymore.

Perceptions of Alberta

Given the relatively low awareness of Canada as a whole, it is not surprising that Alberta was not particularly well known among most participants.

Many with little familiarity assumed Alberta was just like the rest of Canada, and felt at a loss to describe any unique characteristics of the province.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

When pressed, respondents generally were able to draw a partial picture of the province, and the kind of items that came to the fore included the following:

− Beautiful with the Rocky Mountains winning frequent mention − Wide open spaces, not crowded − Cold (mentions of Alberta Clippers) − Lots of recreational opportunities − Clean environment − Agrarian history, and related values of work ethic and self-reliance − Lots of economic opportunity − Oil and gas deposits

The bulk of these were positive impressions, it was clear that very few if any had heard or developed any negative opinions of Alberta. The tendency, if people really didn’t know much about Alberta at all, was to assume it was similar in nature to the neighboring US states.

People are open-minded to the idea that Alberta could be a great place to live and work. They seemed unwilling to challenge the assertion at a surface level, based on how little they acknowledge knowing about the province. In “guessing” why the province might be a good place to live, some of the characteristics used to describe the province include; beautiful, lightly populated, fairly advanced, reasonably prosperous, environmentally healthy, and inhabited by people who are friendly, down to earth, perhaps not all that sophisticated, with a good work ethic and solid values.

These descriptions clearly fell short of a feeling that Alberta was one of the best places for them, and when pressed on this point, few imagined they would ever consider living there themselves. This was not an implicit criticism of Alberta, instead, it seemed to boiled down to a simple question of wondering why Alberta would be better for them personally. Most said they had ample opportunity and a quality of life they were pleased with so were not inclined to move, and if they were, sensed that there might be many other places in the world that would be more appealing to them.

For many, as a place to move to, Alberta seems distant and unfamiliar, cold and somewhat foreign. For those who lived in socially left of center markets such as New York and San Francisco, some commented that they assumed that the political culture of the province might not suit them all that well.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

While people were more than willing to imagine that Alberta could be a great place for other people, especially those who weren’t enjoying their current situations or needed more economic opportunity, many weren’t sure it was for them.

However, in part what this reinforces is that the idea of promoting inward immigration would always natural start with a logical screening and targeting process, so that the effort was pointed in the most propitious direction. Within this series of focus groups, it was clear that there were audiences more open to the idea of locating in Alberta, especially those such as respondents in Toledo, who found themselves sensing weak economic opportunities in the area in which they live.

Probing on Thematics

The thematic testing in the US proved valuable in underscoring some important broad realities as well as giving specific feedback on the language and phrasing tested.

The themes tested found somewhat different reactions among different subgroups. As a general rule, more affluent respondents had different reactions than economically challenged people: the idea of opportunity is highly valued among those who lack it, but is a matter of more indifference among those who don’t.

The concept of wide open spaces draws some, but for others it has the potential to make them feel Alberta is too rough-hewn. It was appealing for those who wanted to experience something rural, but a turn off for those who felt they would feel out of place in such an environment.

The notion of striving conjures up work ethic for some, but lack of success for others. In large US cities like NY and Chicago, people feel like they strive, but find the striving stressful, and perhaps prefer not to be reminded of it.

The idea of creating legacy signaled good values to some, but the idea of an unfinished place to others. Those who wanted to feel a sense of pioneering liked it, but more seemed drawn to the idea of a place with a sense of established order.

Down to earth sounded appealing to some, but unsophisticated for others.

Thriving was generally seen as a positive, but not necessarily unique to Alberta nor potent for all.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

The idea of community was fairly universally appealing, if not unique

Finally the idea of freedom to create had potential, in large measure because it suggested multiple, always positive, interpretations.

Positioning Themes Across the U.S.

Chicago New York Toledo San Francisco

An inspiring land. A An inspiring land. A An inspiring land. A An inspiring land . A striving community . thriving community. thriving community . thriving community .

Nature’s diversity , Nature’s diversity, a spirit of Nature’s diversity, a spirit of Nature’s diversity, a spirit of Alberta’s spirit. achievement. achievement. achievement.

Freedom. Determination. Freedom. Determination. Freedom. Determination. A world of opportunity. A Integrity. Integrity. Integrity. down-to-earth spirit.

A world of opportunity. A A world of opportunity . A world of opportunity . A The freedom to create , down-to-earth spirit. A down-to-earth spirit. down-to-earth spirit. the spirit to lead.

The freedom to create, the The freedom to create , The freedom to create, spirit to lead. the spirit to lead. the spirit to lead.

Wide open, sky high. Wide open, sky high. Wide open, sky high.

Striving together to build our story.

Wide Open, Sky High This concept produced mixed to negative reactions.

There was a tendency for some to imagine a great tourism experience. However, most others seemed to feel that this description emphasized the idea of Alberta as a place that was very rustic, underdeveloped, sparsely populated, and as such, not necessarily a great place to live or do business.

In order to be at all useful for recruiting purposes, it would need to be clearly linked to the concept of unlimited or unbridled economic opportunity. This concept was not so much a negative as unhelpful in any respect other than a tourism one.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

(The negative associations heard in Canada that had to do with the idea of unbridled and unregulated business did not come up in the US markets)

“I gave it a 4. It just sounds like a travel/tourism thing. I could see how you could get opportunity from it, but I didn’t.”

“I thought it was a little strong but it says you have no limits. I would have no idea what they were talking about if I saw this.”

“I didn’t think it fit for Alberta. It could fit for so many other places.”

An Inspiring Land. A Thriving Community. This concept produced mixed to positive reactions.

While some liked the idea of an inspiring land, sensing beauty and resources, others felt it a struggle to understand exactly what was implied. It felt almost too poetic, not literal enough for people who didn’t know much if anything about the place in question.

The idea of a thriving community was clearer for most people. It meant a place where people cared for one another and also were blessed with good economic opportunities. There was some sense that perhaps a thriving community was a positive, but certainly not only found in Alberta, and maybe a bit more “table stakes” than truly compelling.

“They’re talking about a small place. Inspiring means it must be beautiful.”

“It sounds like a growing community looking for new people.”

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

The Freedom to Create. The Spirit to Lead. This concept produced generally positive reactions.

The freedom to create phrase provided people with many positive interpretations. In general, it implied a place that welcomed people who wanted to develop their own opportunities, in whatever field or fashion they were most interested. It successfully blended the economic with the personal, and it sounded somewhat unique. At the same time, for people who felt that they had that opportunity, or were not natural born creative types or self-starters, there was a cost of some relevance.

The spirit to lead is not offensive to anyone, but seemed a bit odd to some people who aren’t aware of Alberta and why or in what way, or whom it would be seeking to lead. It seemed like a discussion point that might be more at home within the province or Canada, and less clear the further outside those jurisdictions it travels. This may simply be a question of needing to embrace the idea of signaling an aspiration and making people understand it going forward.

“I felt like my voice would be heard and my ideas would be welcome.”

“I like freedom to create because it encourages individuality. Spirit to lead is pushy and political.”

“It’s questionable for me. Does everyone want to lead? Who’s going to follow?”

Nature’s Diversity. A Spirit of Achievement. This concept produced mixed reactions.

The notion of nature’s diversity was appealing for some, but more were left a little confused. The more literal association was with biodiversity, rather than landscape or cultural diversity, both of which are more inherently interesting/and appealing.

The spirit of achievement tested fairly well. The challenge was once again for people some distance away and with only limited knowledge about Alberta, its situation and its aspirations, some uncertainty about what in this made Alberta unique, or what made Alberta uniquely capable of a spirit of achievement. This is not necessarily a negative, in the sense that it might arouse interest to learn more.

“I was confused and only gave it a 5. I like nature’s diversity but I didn’t have any notion at all about what Alberta’s spirit is supposed to be.”

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

A World of Opportunity. A Down to Earth Spirit. This concept tested well with some people but poorly with others.

The idea of a world of opportunity definitely says economic potential for people who are looking to find that. In that sense, it is highly attractive to those who are looking for that, but less than motivating for others.

A down-to-earth spirit also found some people who related very well and positively to the idea of people who were no-nonsense, grounded, sensible and decent.

For others however, it connoted a population that was rural, rustic perhaps to a fault, a place of uninteresting culture that was not all that far advanced. As such this would find appeal in some markets, more than others, and might ultimately work harder to support a tourism agenda more than a trade, talent recruiting or business development agenda.

“It made me think of using opportunity to grow but having a humble spirit. I gave it a 9. I looked at the progression of it.”

“It’s meat and potatoes. It’s too simple.”

Striving Together to Build Our Story This concept tested poorly as the idea of striving made people think of struggling and being unsuccessful, at least so far. The connotation of to build our story also confirmed the notion that Alberta was a story as yet unwritten, which might have appeal to a certain subset of pioneering type entrepreneurs at the start of a career, but for most other people is suggested a place that was not all that well advanced. This for them was a less than positive connotation.

“I gave it a 2. I’m not in this with them. There should already be a story.”

Freedom. Determination. Integrity. This concept tested fairly poorly. For many, the first reaction was to sense a political theme, or slogan, more precisely, an American political slogan. This association was either negative because of negativity about politics or less than positive, because it suggested that Alberta was trying to say it was like America. Those who interpreted it this way didn’t see this as a positive.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Digging beyond this into the reactions to the three words reveals that the idea of freedom is well received, but not unique to Alberta, as these participants see it. Determination conjures up a slight sense of struggle, rather than a place that is full of opportunity ready to be grabbed. Integrity was the most useful of the three words, people said it was in too short supply, was always welcome and were prepared to believe that it existed in Canada, and Alberta.

“It sounds more like the US than Canada. It’s like rephrasing of the American Dream. It doesn’t appeal to me as an American because they’re trying to copy us.”

Probing on Energy Issues

Energy issues are seen as more important than in the past, but are also becoming more complex. For most, the driving issue is no longer security of supply, as the cost of gas has surpassed worries about political tensions and supply stability. Even if people assumed that prices might subside, the sense of vulnerability to very high prices remained acute.

This has created two reactions.

First, there is anger at what is being perceived as price gouging by oil suppliers, with a second reaction of an increased determination to reduce dependence on oil by looking for alternative forms of energy. This has altered how people view messaging about friendly and secure energy suppliers. While friendly sources are seen as better than unfriendly ones, there are questions as to how the high prices, regardless of the source, imply much friendliness.

Most participants had no or only vague awareness of Alberta’s role as home to some of the largest oil and gas deposits in the world, and were largely unaware about the degree of reliance the US had on Alberta’s energy.

When they were informed of this dependence, some different reactions emerged. First, Alberta’s oil fuelled economic prosperity was seen as good for Alberta, but in addition, a function of unfair pricing or at least something of a “zero sum game” where America’s critical need for imported energy made the country hostage and price takers, in other words Alberta’s win was America’s loss.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Participants remain clear that it is better to get oil from Alberta than Iran or Saudi Arabia, but without a great deal of passion. Their anxieties about price made them want to get off oil, not just get off Middle Eastern oil. As such, Alberta becomes almost a lesser of evils situation not because of antipathy to Alberta, but dismay at the economic pain associated with a gripping dependency on oil.

Probing on Oil Sands Issues

Few were aware of the debate about the oil sands. None had heard the debate about possible sanctions against oil sands products, and in the circumstances intuitively thought that such sanctions wouldn’t make any sense.

Most said they recognize that the resource is being developed because they need it and that all development (including US offshore and ANWR drilling) has environmental impacts.

Exposing people to the news coverage about oil sands development prompts several reactions. First there is shock at the size of the resource and pleasure at knowing so much oil so close at hand in friendly place. However people are also annoyed at the overt displays of oil fuelled affluence. Many are anxious about the environmental impacts of the oil sands development, especially, effluent, tailings ponds, wildlife and wilderness damage.

After being exposed to this type of commentary, there is a slightly greater predisposition to consider sanctions. However, this was soft, and migrated when people reflected that there were no environmentally perfect solutions and that Canada and Alberta might well be among the jurisdictions more concerned for protecting the environment, than other places in the world.

Probing on Alberta’s Environmental Reputation

Most seemed prepared to believe that Alberta could be counted on to show concern about the environment. However, there were clear limits to messages that people would accept and those that they felt were overreaching.

Some of the ideas and tonality with greatest promise included messages about how Albertans value highly their natural environment and information about the broad environmental track record of the province with respect to air and water quality, wilderness, wildlife and forest protection.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Messages that connect oil and gas development to the fact of consumer demand, and establish the idea that the test is not whether there are impacts, but whether those involved in the development are making a concerted effort to limit and mitigate impacts was also seen as logical context setting.

In general, respondents’ had a higher comfort level with messages that focused on effort and aspiration rather than accomplishment.

Summary and Conclusions

Canada is little known in America, despite proximity and a massive economic relationship. It seems that the level of familiarity with Canada is actually declining over time.

People are inclined to think mostly positive thoughts about the country and the province, but without much depth or enthusiasm behind those sentiments.

People believe that it is plausible that Alberta is one of the best places to live and work, although this for many people seemed irrelevant. Overall, the themes that showed the most promise were; world of opportunity, inspiring land, freedom to create, naturally diverse, down to earth, genuine and a thriving community.

While the issue of oil sands extraction may not be highly visible there are clear risks for Alberta, mainly due to a frustration with all forms of oil and a renewed environmental consciousness.

The path to dealing with these concerns may rest on the promotion of Canadians’ and Albertans’ deep rooted sense of environmentally responsibility. This buttressed with a spirit of determination to offer an oil source that has the lightest foot print possible, and better than many other sources in this regard

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Canadian Findings

Perceptions of Alberta

(These findings will, for simplicity’s sake, be referred to as Canadian findings, however, they are findings from Canadian venues other than in Alberta)

The focus groups in these centres revealed a mixture of positive and negative reaction to Alberta. The first instinct for most people is to say Alberta is a great place, with wonderful people, but upon more discussion, it generally becomes clear there are some underlying tensions as well.

Generally, perceptions are influenced by four main thoughts;

1. The beauty of the province

2. The friendliness and decency of the people

3. The reputation of the province as an oil fueled economic powerhouse

4. Observations about Alberta as a uniquely conservative political culture.

The first two of these four are essentially givens, and they are important reputation assets. The last two conjure up positive and negative reactions.

While Alberta’s economic boom as seen as a boon for Alberta, a fair number of respondents feel there has been little upside for the rest of Canada, a feeling that has become more pronounced with rising fuel prices, which have created envy and frustration, particularly in Ontario.

When it came to the province’s political philosophy, there was a tendency on the part of some to voice two criticisms. First, the idea that the province was not overly concerned with the plight of those less fortunate. Second that the political culture of the province was relatively closed minded, and not all that welcoming of different points of view or ways of life.

Reactions to Alberta did differ somewhat by community.

Vancouver participants were highly familiar with the physical beauty of the province, more than in some other centres. As well, however, they tended to be even more highly critical of what they saw as a highly conservative culture.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Toronto residents were largely focused on and highly frustrated with the sense that economic power was shifting from Ontario to Alberta.

Montreal had perhaps the lowest level of familiarity with Alberta, and a strong sense that the culture was very different from their own, and far more right wing than they would like.

St. John’s showed a certain degree of kinship, based on oil and labour migration and a perceived outsider status. Saskatoon similarly felt a lot of kinship with Alberta on an economic and cultural basis.

Outside of Alberta there were some doubts expressed as to whether the province’s prosperity will endure. There is a sentiment that the current prosperity is based on a resource that will eventually be exhausted combined with a feeling that the province is not doing enough to diversify the economy.

Overall, the strongest reactions recorded in these focus groups really had to do with perceptions of the attitude of Albertans. While there were a number of positive views of the nature or spirit of Albertans (hard working, striving, entrepreneurial, family oriented, friendly) there were also a fair number of respondents who felt inclined to note more negative views, including that Albertans were arrogant, brash, self- satisfied, intolerant, greedy, indifferent to others’ hardship, condescending, indifferent to the environment, North-South focused and too American.

There was a feeling that greater economic success was accentuating some of worst, rather than the better qualities of the province, by causing people to focus more on money and less on other values.

Perceptions of Alberta as a Place to Live and Work

There’s a tendency to see Alberta as a place to make good money with lots of well paying jobs and low taxes. However, Alberta was not as commonly seen as a place that would be a great place for everyone to live for the long term.

Those who hesitated to see Alberta as a great place to live typically mentioned concerns over cost of living, the cold climate, perceived discomfort with the political culture as well as concerns that Alberta was still a rural, culturally narrow, and somewhat introverted society.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Few respondents expressed doubt the quality of Alberta health care or education, and there is even a modest tendency to believe these services might be better in Alberta than elsewhere in Canada. There is also a tendency to believe that Alberta was technologically advanced.

Positioning Themes Tested and Reactions

Positioning Themes Across Canada

Vancouver Saskatoon Toronto/London St. John’s Montreal

An inspiring land . A place of true values A genuine A genuine community Wide open A thriving and entrepreneurial community with the with the spirit of opportunity . spirit of achievement. community . vision. achievement. Responsible future.

A land of thriving Natural diversity, spirit Youthful spirit and Belief in community . Youthful and of achievement. communities spirit unlimited potential Unlimited potential . inspiring unlimited potential for the future. for the future. A place of genuine opportunities to Freedom to create. opportunity . grow. Freedom to create . The spirit to The spirit to lead. Freedom to create. achieve. The freedom to Freedom to create. The to lead. The spirit to lead. Caring about the land, create , the spirit to spirit Innovative future. the people, the lead. Steadfast spirit. A land of country’s growth. achievement . The true spirit of community .

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

An Inspiring Land. A Thriving Community.

This concept tested reasonably well, with no one expressing strong resistance. Some liked the idea of inspiration but didn’t feel that it was the land that was inspiring the province’s success.

Others like the idea of community but didn’t see Alberta’s community as thriving; again, due to a sense that Alberta is more about the individual than the community.

“I like the thriving community. Thriving is real because of the growth and the economy in Alberta.”

“It means you go there to make money and leave.”

“It talks of hard-working people.”

Natural diversity, spirit of achievement.

This concept had elements that worked and some that didn’t work. The idea of natural diversity was effective at reminding people about the beauty of the landscape and achievement worked well to reflect the ambitiousness and entrepreneurialism of the province without connoting greediness.

However some expressed doubts about Alberta’s environmental record, and also about whether Alberta had really achieved, as opposed to being blessed with natural resources.

“It doesn’t ring true for me. It rings hollow because it’s about greed at the expense of the environment. It does not have an aspirational quality. I can’t think of anything that Alberta has achieved.”

A place of genuine opportunity.

This concept tested relatively well with scores in the 5-8 range out of 10. The word opportunity was seen as having a good fit with Alberta’s existing identity, both in terms of the ability to generate wealth and the things that wealth can afford a society.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

However, reaction to the word genuine was mixed. Participants did not make the association with being “down to earth”; they took it to mean that it has better, more real opportunity than elsewhere, and weren’t sure why that would be true.

Moreover, it did not have a strong aspirational quality to it beyond the economic. Few saw how it would apply to other aspects of Alberta such as society, culture and education.

“Alberta is a place where you catch the brass ring in a lot of ways.”

“This is about today and not so much about where they want to go. There is a lot of money there and you can blossom there.”

The freedom to create. The spirit to lead.

This was generally rated among the highest in most groups, with ratings typically above 7. It was seen to suggest that Alberta is entrepreneurial, pioneering and there is lots of potential.

Freedom to create is a particularly compelling term as it speaks to both the idea of freedom, (central to the Alberta identity), and creating new things, which is aspirational. It also suggests Alberta is about more than oil and gas.

However, for some, the phrase “spirit to lead” speaks to their instinct that Alberta is arrogant.

“They would like to be known as the best and screw the rest.”

“I got the sense that there is a willingness to share knowledge.”

“Wealth does create freedom.”

“I had a strong reaction to freedom because in the context of Alberta, it does say be an entrepreneur, make money, but it doesn’t say be free to be different and creative. I don’t feel like there’s a lot of liberal thinking in Alberta.”

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

A place of true values and entrepreneurial vision.

The reaction to this concept was mostly negative. The words true values were particularly difficult.

People felt it was too vague, too subjective and raised questions like whose values? What is a true value? And, who’s to say that values in Alberta are more “true” than in other areas?

Most did not feel the two phrases worked well together. Some questioned whether being driven at any cost (environment, health) was something that should be valued.

“This was very presumptuous. Who says that their values are more true than anyone else’s?”

A land of thriving communities inspiring opportunities to grow.

Participants struggled with this theme, feeling that it felt wordy and somewhat intangible and vague.

There were some positive associations however: Alberta has great people with a good work ethic, it’s the land of opportunity with great people who work hard. The idea of thriving communities did speak to working together and cooperation. This was successful at conveying this sense of rural identity and some respondents said it had a good blend of cities and country

A land of achievement. The true spirit of community.

There was a sense that these two parts did not fit together well. While achievement seemed to convey images of history and something being complete, some then questioned whether Alberta had anything left to complete.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

A genuine community with the spirit of achievement

This concept tended to generate more neutral to negative reaction. Some respondents felt it was corny, with the words ‘genuine community’ driving the most negative reaction as some people felt it didn’t really fit their perceptions of Alberta.

While genuine speaks to history some wonder with all the migration to Alberta if there really is a strong sense of history in Alberta communities. It also speaks to a certain openness and warmth which not everyone associated with Alberta. The spirit of achievement does fit. They see Albertans as successful, proud, people who do work hard and have achieved financial success.

“What have they really achieved?”

“This is effective at promoting rural areas. I’m not sure it fits for all of Alberta.”

Youthful spirit and unlimited potential for the future

There was neutral to positive reactions to this concept. The idea of unlimited potential spoke for some to the oil sands. Most doubted the oil sands could be described as unlimited, believing there are always limits and that this resource will someday run out.

Youthful spirit worked for some and not others. The connotation that worked was fresh ideas, social, vibrant people, pioneering, forward-looking, because people think that there is a lot of youth in Alberta and going to Alberta. The connotation that created resistance is when youthful suggests immaturity, wild and reckless.

“You can be old and think young.”

“The young population has endless resources. The sky is the limit.”

“I thought it was a bit childlike and immature.”

“Nothing is unlimited. Even oil has to be carefully managed or it will run out.”

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Caring about the land, the people, the country’s growth.

There was fairly consistent and strong negative reaction to this phrase. Those who didn’t like it felt it conveys an image that is wrong or untrue in terms of how they see Alberta today.

“This is laughable. They don’t care about the land, look what they’re doing to it.”

Wide open opportunity. Responsible future.

Generally there was neutral reaction with some very negative and some very positive reaction to this concept. It was interpreted differently by different people. Some felt it conveyed an image of being open for business, with an eye on the consequences.

Others felt it put forth an image of everything being possible for those who are motivated. Most of the negative reaction was associated with the words responsible future as it spoke directly of oil sands and many didn’t believe it. Most argued that they needed to see some proof first before they could believe in it in an aspirational way. There was more positive reaction associated with wide open opportunity. It suggested there was opportunity in Alberta for employment, new business ideas, and little government involvement.

“Wide open fits, I get that but responsible future. They have to prove that to me before I would believe that. It’s not what they’re doing now.”

Belief in community. Unlimited potential.

Overall, the reaction to this concept was relatively neutral. Those with more negative reactions did not like the idea of unlimited potential, arguing the resource is limited; and suggesting it is unlimited suggests that access and development of the resource is not being done in a responsible way. Those with more positive reactions liked the idea of working together, people wanting to improve. They felt it inspired confidence and suggests a good quality of life in Alberta

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Innovative future. Steadfast spirit.

There was fairly neutral reaction to this concept. The concept of steadfast spirit was probably the most controversial part. It fostered a sense that Alberta is rigid in its thinking and that there is not a lot of room for different thought and expression.

Participants had the sense that Alberta had made up their mind, weren’t willing to look or consider other factors (environmental, in relation to oil) and were determined to do it their way regardless. Some felt it lacked a sense of leadership while others felt that it introduced a different side to Alberta. It suggested to them that they would look at alternatives and new ways to constantly improve. For this reason, there was a sense of disconnect between the two parts of this theme.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Alberta Business Findings

Reactions to the Idea of Branding for Alberta Business respondents indicated that there was a fairly urgent need for branding Alberta and that the effort was well worth making.

The urgency was seen as being less about their respective business interests than about their personal and the provinces’ interests, specifically in relation to how other Canadians see Alberta. There is a belief that Alberta has been defined in an unreasonably negative way, with the environment as a lightning rod and a common view the provinces attributes are too narrowly defined by other Canadians.

The prevailing view was that the effort ought to focus rebranding primarily on economic and human attributes and that focusing on those attributes that gave Alberta differentiating value was the way to go.

There was also a sense that focusing on those attributes that cast the province in a new light would work as well. The tone focused on the idea that the future Alberta will take what’s best about the existing attributes and augment them with aspects that help to round out the provinces’ character.

Probing on Alberta’s Reputation

Like other Albertans, most business respondents felt it would be useful to promote the idea of Alberta as a great place to live and work, and a place that valued and protected its natural environment.

However, there was a widely held view that this would be difficult on the environmental front that there wasn’t yet enough proof to demonstrate that efforts were being taken.

The proof statements tabled on environment and on oil sands did little to assuage concern that there wasn’t enough to make the case. While some messages like those on water management and on reclamation in the oil sands were helpful, most others were not that well received. There was a broad sense that there was significant value in talking about a range of environmental initiatives, not just those specific to the oil sands

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Conclusions and Recommendations

There is a desire in Alberta to have a common rallying point, and the non-Alberta groups showed there is a need to improve brand image outside the province.

The most powerful rallying concepts in Alberta link opportunity, the land and attitude, with the most potent of these being attitude. In other parts of Canada, attitude also seems to be the key: those with a high regard for Alberta believe the province’s residents care about the right things, those who are more negative, have the opposite opinion. Virtually everyone agrees that the province is physically beautiful, and most conclude as well that there are significant economic opportunities.

Positive Brand Attitudes

Confident Natural resources Ambitious Environmentally beautiful Hard-working Friendly Community Freedom Individualistic Bold Generous Achievers Prosperous Diverse Lots of opportunity High incomes

Negative Brand Attitudes

Smug Oil addicted Cocky Environmentally uncaring Self-satisfied Condescending Self-centered Careless Standoffish, Texas North No controls Uncaring Narrow Greedy Money centered High cost of living

The results speak to an opportunity to accentuate the positive in terms of branding, and to dispel the negative using reputation management techniques. The most important positives to accentuate are the notions of freedom to create your own future in Alberta, and a culture that embraces and rewards a spirit of achievement.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

The issues that need to be dispelled are those about whether Albertans are too preoccupied with money and themselves, are indifferent about the environment, the disadvantaged and closed to non-conservative or non-conforming points of view and cultures.

Reputation Messaging on the Environment

As noted, one the main challenges the province faces is the perception it is somehow acting contrary to the environmental goals of those outside the province.

Alberta has the opportunity to promote itself using the following thematic approach:

• Alberta is custodian of some of Canada’s most precious environmental gifts • Canada is among the most environmentally healthy countries in the world. • Canadians/Albertans are determined to maintain the environmental health of the country for the benefit of the planet and future generations • Alberta has acres of original, certified and protected forest. • Alberta’s lakes are numerous, unpolluted, monitored for water quality. Forestry, mining, oil and gas, and industrial development in Alberta are controlled by laws and regulations that are among the most stringent in the world. Air quality in Alberta is excellent, governed by advanced regulations and improved through the use of modern technologies to limit industrial emissions. Alberta’s major cities have been Canadian leaders in introducing rapid public transit to ease traffic and limit pollution. Alberta has introduced an extensive plan to invest in reducing carbon emissions, including multi-billion dollar investments in carbon sequestration.

The essence of the approach described above lies in conveying a sense of commitment and effort, and underscoring that this is perpetual, and values based.

In the US, the challenge in terms of branding and reputation appears to be quite different. Awareness of the oil sands is modest, concern about Alberta’s environmental record is not widespread. On the other hand, few Americans seem aware of the important economic and energy relationship between Alberta and their country, and fewer still actively consider Alberta as a thriving centre of economic opportunity.

Targeted communications in the US will undoubtedly be needed when it comes to managing the oil sands issue, separate targeted efforts would be worthwhile in terms of attracting future investment and trade opportunities, since few seem to know much about the potential to achieve business success in Alberta today.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Appendix

Discussion Guide – Alberta A. General Discussion

Tonight we are going to talk about Alberta, what makes Alberta great, what makes it special. I want to learn what you feel are the very best things about Alberta, the kind of things that you would want the rest of the world to understand about the province and its people.

So let’s start. On the following paper, please write….

First, list the four or five things that you think are the best qualities of Alberta today, the things that make the province both great, and truly unique.

HANDOUT, DISCUSSION TO FOLLOW

Now, I want you to imagine the province at its very best in 10 or 20 years from now? Describe for me, what Alberta would look like if it reached its full potential? What would you want to say to someone if you imagined the best Alberta could be and what are the 4 or 5 things you would say?

USE THE BOTTOM OF ORIGINAL HANDOUT, DISCUSSION TO FOLLOW

B. Positioning Themes

Now I’m going to go through a series of phrases, groups of words, descriptions that could potentially be used to describe Alberta, to give someone who didn’t know Alberta, an accurate, appealing and moving description of the province.

For each one, I’d like you to do a few things….

First, write down what thought comes to mind first for you, when you see this…what does it mean or suggest to you?

Second, do you have a positive or a less than positive reaction…use a scale of 1-10 where 10 means I love it.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Then we will discuss your reactions to each of these ideas or suggestions in turn.

HANDOUT, DISCUSSION

Now flip your booklets over and write your own collection of words to describe the ideal Alberta. I want you to write things that are powerful, very moving, realistic to describe the way you see Alberta be the best it can be. Keep in mind that I want a summary, you’re only going to get a chance to give them a thought or pieces of a thought but not a book, so take a couple of minutes to do that for me please.

What do you think the impression of Alberta is in other parts of Canada? Do you care if people feel that way about Alberta? Do you think it’s good for Alberta to make people think of other things about the province?

C. Reputation Messages

Now, I’d like to ask you to take on a role. Imagine it was your job to travel the world and convince people to come to live and work in Alberta.

Imagine you wanted to make the case that Alberta was one of the best places in the world to work. Imagine that you needed to convince people who were working in science, technical, medical jobs, to come here.

Would you be able to make that pitch about Alberta? What would you tell them, how would you make the pitch?

What about if I asked you to convince them that Alberta is one of the best places in the world to live.

Would you be able to make that pitch about Alberta? What would you tell them, how would you make the pitch?

Finally, what about if I asked you to convince them that Alberta is taking the environment seriously and that over the next 10 or 20 years, Alberta will become a leader on the environment.

Would you be able to make that pitch about Alberta? What would you tell them, how would you make the pitch?

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Now, I’d like to ask you to take on a role. Imagine it was your job to travel the world and convince people to come to live and work in Alberta. Imagine that you needed to convince people who were working in science, technical, medical jobs, to come here….what would you tell them, how would you make the pitch.

First off, imagine you wanted to make the case that Alberta was one of the best places in the world to work….what are the four or five things that you would tell them?

HANDOUT, DISCUSSION

Alberta is one of the best places in the world to work

• Lots of opportunities: average employment increased by 86,300 (2005 – 2007).

• Low unemployment rate (3.4% in 2006).

• Albertans pay low personal income taxes, with the lowest top marginal income tax rate and the highest basic and spousal tax exemption in Canada.

• Alberta has legislated employment standards that provide Alberta employees with the security of minimum wage requirements, working hours, overtime regulations and vacation regulations.

What about it you wanted to make the case that Alberta was one of the best places in the world to live….what would you focus on?

HANDOUT, DISCUSSION

Alberta is one of the best places in the world to live

• Alberta leads Canada in economic well-being as measured by an index of economic well-being established by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards

• Alberta led all 14 OECD nations in an international comparison of economic well-being, based on consumption flows, wealth stocks, income distribution and economic security.

• Alberta ranks with the world’s best in terms of the quality of education. The Program for International Assessment reveals that Alberta 15 year olds have

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

the second highest scores in mathematics and reading and the fourth highest average score in science.

• Alberta’s has a total of 28 post secondary institutions including 4 universities, 2 technical institutes, 14 public colleges, 7 private university colleges and the Banff Centre- a learning centre dedicated to the arts and leadership development

• Alberta’s post-secondary institutions have a number of international linkages – and people from all over the world come to study here. A degree, diploma or certificate from Alberta is globally recognized, and there are a variety of programs to choose from.

• Albertans enjoy a publicly administered and funded health care system that guarantees universal access to necessary hospital and medical services. Alberta ranks first in per capita spending on health expenditures, funding more health services than required under the Canada Health Care Act.

• Alberta is leading the way in the fight against cancer with the $500 million Alberta Cancer Prevention Legacy Fund.

• Major medical centres in Edmonton and Calgary offer specialty and high technology care and active research programs. Alberta is home to several medical breakthroughs such as the pancreatic islet transplantation procedure for diabetes

• Albertans pay the lowest income tax rates in Canada, enjoy the highest basic and spousal deductions in Canada, pay no provincial sales tax, and enjoy the lowest taxes in Canada on gasoline and property.

• Alberta is home to 50 performing arts companies supported by private and public funding. Live theatre, visual arts, symphony, opera and ballet are available

• Local arts and cultural organizations held close to 40,000 event and shows throughout the province in 2005 with a total attendance of 12 million spectators, including the Calgary Stampede, and the 2 nd Largest Fringe Festival in the World, Edmonton’s reputation as a Festival City. Alberta is home to professional hockey, football and baseball teams. Olympic, Commonwealth and Universiade Games have left us with state of the art sports training facilities

• Alberta has 600 lakes, 245 rivers, and 78,000 square kilometres of parks. Provincial parks provide access to some of the most spectacular landscapes in North America (Banff, Jasper, Waterton Parks, Kananaskis Country)

• Alberta enjoys 23,000 hours of sunshine per year.

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

What if you wanted to make the case that Alberta was making an effort to improve protection of the environment?

HANDOUT, DISCUSSION

Alberta is taking important steps to reduce environmental impacts from the oil sands.

• Alberta’s oil sands account for about five per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions and less than one-tenth of one per cent of all global emissions.

• The province has created a $2 billion fund to advance carbon capture and storage – expected to reduce emissions by five million tonnes annually. This is one of the most ambitious carbon capture initiatives in the world.

• Alberta Climate Change Action plan will cut projected green house gas emissions in half by 2050 through carbon capture and storage, energy conservation and efficiency and greening energy production.

• Alberta launched the first climate change action plan in Canada (2002).

• Alberta became the first province in Canada to require large industry to report greenhouse gas emissions.

• Alberta has legislated mandatory greenhouse gas emission reductions across sectors.

DISCUSSION OF ALL THREE

WRAP UP

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Discussion Guide – US

A. Initial Top of Mind Association

Tonight, I want to explore your perceptions and reactions to a place that you may not feel you know very much. I’m going to ask you to give me a combination of whatever top of mind opinions you have, any deeper impressions you may have. I want you to dredge into your memory banks to pull out any thread of information you have to develop an opinion.

The place is Alberta. The first thing I want you to do is to write down a list of five things that come to mind when you hear the word Alberta. I also want you to indicate whether you have a very positive, positive, negative or very negative impression of Alberta.

HANDOUT WORKSHEET

Let’s review what you wrote, what impressions you have and how you formed them. (Probe: did you have personal experience with Alberta, what type, have you heard from others, the news media, etc.? Has there been any single story or event that has caught your attention about Alberta?)

B. Aided Discussion

Alberta is a province in Canada, in the western part of the country, between Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Let’s talk about your impressions, or even just your guesswork about Alberta, on a number of criteria. How about:

• *As a place to live? Do you think it would be a great place to live? Why/Why not? • *How about as a place to work? • How about as a place to visit? • *What impressions do you have about the people? What makes them tick, what values would you imagine that they hold dear? (Probe for those that emerged from Alberta groups) • What about the physical features of the province? Is this a remarkable place, a beautiful place or not? • Is it a place of great or little opportunity? • *What do you perceive about the environment in Alberta. Is it clean, well preserved? • *Is it advanced in terms of education, science and technology, or not?

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

• *Is it culturally interesting, diverse?

C. Reputation Probing

If I were going to try to convince you that Alberta was one of the best places in the world in which to live, what would I have to tell you?

• What about if I was going to try to convince people that Alberta is one of the best places in the world to work, what would I have to tell you?

• Is Canada a friend to America – yes, no, or in between? • Do you think there’s a friendship between the countries? • What about allies? What’s the difference? Better friends or better allies? • Do you think Alberta needs the US to thrive, to be successful? • Does America need Alberta to thrive, to be successful?

• What do you think about the idea that America imports a significant amount of oil from around the world? Do you know how much (percentage)? • Where do you think most of that oil comes from? • Is that a good thing / bad thing? Why do you say that? • How much comes from Alberta – a little, a lot? • When you think about the idea of Alberta as a supplier of oil, do you say, “ok, it’s one source like Venezuela or Iran, OR is there a difference?

• How many of you have heard about the oil sands development in Alberta? Hands up. • What’s your impression of how that’s being handled – positive? negative?

I want to show you a video. It’s about 6 minutes long. This program played some time ago. Feel free to make notes as we go along and we’ll discuss it at the end.

60 minutes video

• What’s your impression of Alberta? • Does it give you a bad impression of Alberta? • When you were feeling those feelings, did you ever feel in those 60 minutes that they did not say everything? • Have you heard any political leaders in the US say we should avoid oil from the oil sands of Alberta because of environmental impact? • Have you heard anyone talk about having a law that would apply a special tax on oil from the oil sands? What do you think about that?

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

20/20 video

• What was your reaction to this video? How does it make you feel about Alberta? • Does it give you a bad impression of Alberta? • When you were feeling those feelings, did you ever feel in those 60 minutes that they did not say everything?

• If I wanted to make people understand that Alberta is taking its responsibilities for safeguarding or protecting the environment seriously, what would I have to tell you or what would you like to know?

HANDOUT ABOUT MESSAGES ON ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY

• So what did you think of these messages? How did they make you feel about Alberta’s environmental practices around the oil sands? • What did you find most impactful? Was there a specific message that resonated for you or is the complete information a compelling story for you? • Is knowing this enough or do you need to know more? • If more, what more do you need to know? • Getting oil from anywhere is a nasty business, but on balance, I’d rather be getting it from a friend, a secure source of supply, OR I’d probably rather get oil from a good source of supply but this supply is environmentally disturbing to me? Which is closer to your view? • How much does it matter to you to get oil from a secure, friendly source? Does that matter more than the environment?

D. Positioning Themes

Now I’m going to go through a series of phrases, groups of words, descriptions that could be used to describe Alberta, to give someone an appealing and moving description of the province. For each one, I’d like you to do a few things….

First, write down what thought comes to mind first for you, when you see this…what does it mean or suggest to you?

Second, do you have a positive or a less than positive reaction to Alberta based on this description…use a scale of 1-10 where 10 means it makes me think very positive thoughts about Alberta, is it compelling, interesting and appealing

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

description of Alberta. (If necessary, think about whether the description makes you feel this would be a good place to live, work, invest, visit.)

Then we will discuss your reactions to each of these ideas or suggestions in turn.

HANDOUT, DISCUSSION

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

Discussion Guide – Canada

A. The Essence of Alberta

What are the unique qualities of Alberta, as you see it today… If you met someone in a different part of the world and they knew nothing about Alberta, what would you tell them to give them a good understanding of it… please write down the 4 or 5 things that come to mind first for you when you think of Alberta?

In overall, terms would you tell them it’s a fantastic place, a good place, or not such a good place?

HANDOUT

How about:

• What impressions do you have about the people? What makes them tick, what values do you believe that they hold dear? • What about the physical features of the province? Is this a remarkable place, a beautiful place or not? • Is it a place of great or little opportunity? • What do you perceive about the environment in Alberta. Is it clean, well preserved? • Is it advanced in terms of education, science and technology, or not? • Is it culturally interesting, diverse? • Where do you draw your main impressions from? Is it from other people? Is it from media? Are there particular things that you recall having seen, heard, or read that have influenced your impressions?

• If Alberta were a person, what personality traits or characteristics you would assign to it?

− Moderator: Prompt discussion of some character traits if necessary to encourage discussion: Extroverted Shy Aggressive Friendly Wise/Intelligent/Smart Hard-working

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

• And how will Alberta be different 20 years from now?

• How would you describe the relationship between Alberta and the rest of Canada? − Is that relationship changing over time, in what ways? Why? Will it continue to change in future?

B. Positioning Themes

Now I’m going to go through a series of phrases, groups of words, descriptions that could potentially be used to describe Alberta, to someone who didn’t know Alberta. For each one, I’d like you to do a few things…

MODERATOR: Test positioning themes one at a time, use hand-outs for each, collect hand-outs after each one is discussed

First, write down what thought comes to mind first for you, when you see this…what does it mean or suggest to you?

Second, do you have a positive or a less than positive reaction…use a scale of 1-10 where 10 means I would be drawn to a place that was like this.

Then we will discuss your reactions to each of these ideas or suggestions in turn.

Ask all to indicate their score, then ask:

What makes you feel drawn/not all that drawn to a place like this?

Does this idea ring true for you about Alberta? Why/Why not?

What impressions does this convey about Alberta? What impressions does it convey about what Alberta could be in future?

C. Reputation of Alberta

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

(ONLY TEST PROOF POINTS FOR PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND VISIT IF TIME PERMITS – GENERAL DISCUSSION WILL SUFFICE IF NOT).

i. If you wanted to make the case that Alberta was one of the best places in the world to work , what would you tell them? What would you focus on?

When I say that, what is your first reaction? Is it a true/credible statement?

What in your mind makes that statement true? Is there a reason or two that immediately come to mind that proves it?

ii. What about if you wanted to make the case that Alberta was one of the best places in the world to live , what would you tell them? What would you focus on?

When I say that, what is your first reaction? Is it a true/credible statement?

What in your mind makes that statement true? Is there a reason or two that immediately come to mind that proves it?

iii. What about it you wanted to make the case that Alberta was one of the best places in the world to visit , what would you focus on? What would you tell people?

When I say that, what is your first reaction? Is it a true/credible statement?

What in your mind makes that statement true? Is there a reason or two that immediately come to mind that proves it?

What if you wanted to make the case that Alberta was making an effort to improve protection of the environment? What would you tell them? What would you say?

ROTATE ORDER OF FOLLOWING THREE MESSAGE STATEMENTS:

iv. READ STATEMENT: One of Alberta’s highest priorities is environmental protection.

When I say that, what is your first reaction? Is it a true/credible statement?

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

What in your mind makes that statement true? Is there a reason or two that immediately come to mind that proves it?

HANDOUT: Ok, now I’m going to give you a handout, with some information that may help to reinforce the point being suggested. (MODERATOR: HAND OUT STATEMENT WITH PROOF POINTS)

Which 2 of these stand out as being the ones that most strongly reinforce the idea that Alberta is making efforts to improve the environment? Why?

Which ones do not do that? Why?

Moderator: probe those proof points that aren’t initially discussed, to gather reactions

v. READ STATEMENT: The oil sands are a global resource. Alberta is taking a leadership role in reducing environmental impacts from the oil sands.

When I say that, what is your first reaction? Is it a true/credible statement?

What in your mind makes that statement true? Is there a reason or two that immediately come to mind that proves it?

HANDOUT: Ok, now I’m going to give you a handout, with some information that may help to reinforce the point being suggested. (MODERATOR: HAND OUT STATEMENT WITH PROOF POINTS)

Which 2 of these stand out as being the ones that most strongly reinforce the idea that Alberta is making efforts to improve the environment? Why?

Which ones do not do that? Why?

Moderator: probe those proof points that aren’t initially discussed, to gather reactions

Branding Alberta – Discovery Phase – Qualitative Report

vi. READ STATEMENT: Canada benefits from Alberta’s oil and gas industry, including the oil sands.

When I say that, what is your first reaction? Is it a true/credible statement?

What in your mind makes that statement true? Is there a reason or two that immediately come to mind that proves it?

HANDOUT: Ok, now I’m going to give you a handout, with some information that may help to reinforce the point being suggested. (MODERATOR: HAND OUT STATEMENT WITH PROOF POINTS)

Which 2 of these stand out as being the ones that most strongly reinforce the idea that Canada benefits from Alberta’s oil and gas industry? Why?

Which ones do not do that? Why?

Moderator: probe those proof points that aren’t initially discussed, to gather reactions

D. Detailed Probing on Oil Sands Development

MODERATOR: TO BE ASKED IF TIME PERMITS:

• How do you feel about Alberta’s economy and what makes it strong? • What are your feelings about the energy sector in Alberta? • How important is it for Canada to be self-sufficient in terms of oil and gas? • When you think about the oil sands do you see this as something that is happening because all of us use oil and gas, or do you see it differently? • Is it your impression that the companies developing the oil sands are doing their best to limit the environmental impacts? • Do you perceive that governments in Alberta are doing their best to limit the environmental impacts? • Describe how you would like to see the future of oil sands development, would it be different from what you perceive today and if so, in what ways?