By Chad Ingram

Tourism campaign Mind on Minden being launched by the Township of Minden Hills has a logo.

The marketing strategy is a project of township economic development destination and marketing officer Emily Stonehouse and as Stonehouse told councillors during a June 13 committee-of-the-whole meeting the new logo is meant to promote tourism activities only and is not meant as a replacement of the  township’s corporate logo.

“This will not be replacing our current Minden Hills logo in any way” she said.

Last year Minden Hills commissioned consulting firm Amer & Associates to draft an economic development plan for the township which suggested it engage in brand marketing to “differentiate Minden Hills and promote its assets specifically for tourism economic development and resident attraction.”

“To do that they suggested two things and that is to complete the community re-branding which does take about two years . . . and to promote to influencers and end-users” Stonehouse told council. “So with this in mind I developed a marketing strategy in Mind on Minden which is a focused  concept aligned with successful tourism strategies that encourages disconnecting being present a sense of nostalgia and a dedication to the natural surroundings.”

Playing on that sense of nostalgia the logo is designed to resemble a vintage scout badge and shows a point-of-view perspective of being seated in a canoe headed towards coniferous trees on the horizon. As Stonehouse pointed out the image had passed through advisory committees before making its way to the council table. Created by local artist Taylor Vlaming the township will pay $1000 for the rights to the image and legal fees associated with the contract of $280 those expenses included in the department’s 2019 budget.

“It’s an image that will be solely affiliated with tourism events experiences and marketing tools” Stonehouse said.