Calgary Economic Development is adopting a new brand – Blue Sky City

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Calgary is embracing a new brand, and it's on the upswing.

Calgary Economic Development announced Wednesday the adoption of a new brand, Blue Sky City.

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It replaces the slogan “Calgary: Be a Part of the Energy” that has been in use since the beginning of the last decade and represents the spirit of a vibrant city that acts as the center of the city's oil and gas powerhouse.

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Blue Sky City is the start of Calgary's innovation and blue sky thinking.

Calgary is also the sunniest city in the country, reporting 333 days of sunshine each year.

“It's not about change, it's about evolution,” Calgary Economic Development (CED) chief executive Brad Parry said in an interview.

“It reflects who we are. When you look up at the sky you get this sense of possibility, you feel like you can do anything. . . It opens up so many opportunities for us to be able to tell those stories.”

Why change?

Research conducted for CED Calgary Authority and Tourism found that Calgarians are not fully familiar with the old brand, and this can leave visitors from outside of Alberta with a one-dimensional perspective of the city.

“We heard loud and clear (that) some people didn't feel like they belonged to the brand, they didn't feel connected to the brand,” Parry added.

“We have to own our history. . . For us, it's about creating this opportunity for all of our voices to be heard under such a canvas of blue skies.”

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This was followed by extensive research with over 100 organizations in Calgary.

Parry noted the city has previously committed $1.8 million to CED and $3 million to Tourism Calgary, a four-year partnership to advance branding work, including research, development and launch. The new brand will be released over time.

Finally, Blue Sky City emerged after more than two years of work.

“Calgary is a growing city,” Tourism Calgary CEO Cindy Adi said in an interview.

“A lot of the elements that we had before are still relevant to what we do, but it also speaks to where we are going as a city. . . and we all have one thing in common – we all sit under the same sky.”

Two years ago, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce also called on the city to strengthen its image and brand, to help market itself to the rest of Canada as a place to live and work.

The Blue Sky City brand is coming to the Calgary Economic Development Community Event on Wednesday when it hosts its annual report.

It also comes at a time of rapid growth as thousands of people move here from other provinces and countries, the economy is diversifying and Calgary is becoming more diverse.

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According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, last year Calgary was the seventh most livable city in the world.

The economy also expanded with growth in the technology sector, the aviation industry, film and television, and energy.

The Conference Board of Canada estimates the city's population grew by 71,200 newcomers last year, and the economy is expected to grow by two per cent in 2024.

The previous theme, “Be a Part of the Energy,” was originally featured in a 2011 marketing campaign by CED and then-Mayor Nahid Nenshi as they aimed to attract new workers and businesses to the community.

It became so popular that the city later adopted it, abandoning the old slogan – Heart of the New West – that had been displayed on cowboy hat signs welcoming newcomers to the city since the turn of the millennium.

According to a 2015 column by Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Jarvey, previous nicknames and slogans for the city over the years have included White Hat City, Stampede City, Calgary: Gateway to the Rockies, and Foothills City.

It's time to change in 2024, Ady said.

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“I would say a good refresh button is important,” he said.

“The Calgary of today is not the Calgary of yesterday.”

Parry noted that CED's annual surveys have found declining positive impressions among business leaders and workers in other cities in Canada, the United States and Europe, including double-digit declines in perceptions that Calgary's economy is diverse and inclusive.

“We had a fragmented brand. . . We couldn't tell everyone the story to move it forward,” he added.

“We need to make sure people understand what's really going on here.”

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