Employees of federal agency wondered about Experience Regina rebranding

The failed rebranding of Tourism Regina to Experience Regina got a lot of attention — including from federal government employees.

According to The Canadian Press, employees of Prairies Economic Development Canada expressed relief that the organization wasn’t involved in the rebranding.

The organization says on its website that its goal is to build “a strong, competitive Canadian economy by supporting business, innovation and community economic development unique to Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.”

The new Experience Regina brand was unveiled March 16, but it wasn’t long before people started complaining about it. The branding featured sexualized slogans like “Show us your Regina” and “The city that rhymes with fun.”

The Canadian Press story said partially redacted messages obtained under Freedom of Information laws showed the Prairies Economic Development Canada employees were shocked by the campaign.

They questioned how nobody stopped the rebranding, asking in chats if any women were on staff and whether it was an old boys club.

On April 13, Regina Exhibition Association Limited’s board of directors announced the Experience Regina brand was being dropped and Tourism Regina was returning.

“We looked at what we felt in the public — what we were hearing — (and we felt) that going back to Tourism Regina was the best thing that we could do at this time until the independent review is done,” board chair Wayne Morsky said during a media conference. “And then there (will be) more research done on the branding going forward.”

On July 13, the results of an independent review were released about the fiasco. The consultant hired to do the review called the rebranding the “incident,” and pointed out reasons why it occurred.

“The ‘Incident’ happened in large measure because of a lack of managerial oversight, loose procedures, inadequate policy guidance and unavailable senior staff who were knowledgeable about what was expected,” George Cuff wrote.

“While there were undoubtedly extenuating factors which impacted how the release of unapproved slogans occurred, the lack of adequate supervision was certainly one of them.”

The report said a junior employee approved the sexualized slogans before senior management could vet them, adding Regina’s tourism agency had been in a state of disorganization, as it was doing the rebrand alongside other high-profile projects.

— With files from The Canadian Press