Parks Canada in 'post turkey dinner' lethargy: consultant

Beginning in the spring, a new advertising campaign will tout Parks Canada as "the premiere presenter of Canada's preserved natural and historic treasures."

Canadians will be encouraged to have "personal moments of inspiration amidst discovery of nature and history in treasured Canadian places."

Those catch phrases are from a $136,000 study by a Halifax consulting firm hired to burnish the agency's drab image - and goose the number of park visits, which has stalled.

Colour Creative Persuasion Inc. found that almost a third of Canadians have never even heard of Parks Canada, a number that climbs to about two-thirds when only new Canadians are surveyed.

"Parks Canada does not suffer from a poor brand perception," the firm reported. "It suffers from having no brand perception . . . .

"Present state of the organization is a touch 'post turkey dinner'."

Documents related to the branding exercise were obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.

Colour Creative said the agency, known for its beaver logo, has remained stagnant as the tourism industry evolved to provide more exotic, eco-conscious and adventurous travel.

"The negative associations are brown uniforms, big gates, restrictive rules, bureaucracy and traditional thinking," says one report.

"Stakeholders see the brand personality as brown, boring, bureaucratic and awkward and they are looking for a more extroverted, energetic, nimble personality from Parks Canada."

The consultant has proposed that Parks Canada tap into the burgeoning field of eco-tourism by promising to "stimulate your explorer instinct" and "discover your inner Canadian."

About 13 million people visit Canada's national parks each year, a number that has been virtually stagnant for at least five years even as the population has grown.

Attendance at Parks Canada's national historic sites, meanwhile, has dropped an average of about 22 per cent over the same period.

"It's a decrease that is worrisome," Carol Sheedy, director general for external relations and visitor experience, said in an interview.

Attendance numbers for last summer, still being tabulated, are expected to be even worse because of high gas prices and the strong Canadian dollar, she said.

Details of the spring launch for the new brand are still being worked out, Sheedy said, but one key change will be in the photographs and video images of Canada's parks and national historic sites.

Parks Canada has previously used promotional pictures showing immense vistas and grand scenery, with few humans portrayed. Surveys have suggested the images actually discouraged visitors, especially new Canadians, who may have felt special outdoors skills were needed.

"We'll present photographs that show visitors having fun in that environment, just to change the perception," Sheedy said. New videos taken over the summer will also highlight ordinary people enjoying the wilderness.

Similarly, Parks Canada photos of national historic sites have tended to be in drab sepia tones. The new full-colour pictures will show children, parents and grandparents enjoying activities at the sites, she said.

Parks Canada, which employs about 6,000 people, is responsible for 42 national parks and 157 national historic sites. The agency has a $610-million budget this year.

The agency, touted as the world's oldest park service, traces its origins to 1885 when federal legislation was passed to protect the famous hot springs at what is now Banff National Park, in the Alberta Rockies.