Winners in the City of White Rock’s branding contest were honoured in council chambers Monday with customized posters, a $50 leisure services gift certificate and a T-shirt.
Citing “dozens and dozens of very good and positive responses,” branding task force chair Chris Thornley honoured winners in four categories: senior (Irving Hadden), adult (Marina Arias), high school (Rosemary LeBarge) and preschool/elementary (Rhys Koldingness).
The contest challenged residents to sum up what ‘My City by the Sea’ means to them.
The phrase was endorsed by council as the city’s official brand just before the summer. It was the culmination of nearly a year’s work by the task force, which was established in July 2010 to re-examine the findings of a $68,000 report by the U.S.-based firm, Whisper – whose recommendations to brand the city as “the Island of White Rock” or “Silver Beach” were soundly rejected in 2007.
Monday’s winners were chosen by random draw. Thornley described LeBarge’s submission – ‘My City by the Sea is a safe harbour’ – as “very touching and very truthful.”
Koldingness’s entry “touched the heart of every one of us that read this and every one of us that heard this.” He submitted ‘My City by the Sea is a day with Dad and my fishing pole’.
Arias, who hails from Mexico, entered ‘My City by the Sea is the only place I could live’; Hadden – who was not in attendance Monday – submitted ‘My City by the Sea is where the sun shines.’
The winning slogans will be featured in city promotional materials, Thornley said. They are already on display on a newly acquired website, www.mycitybythesea.org, which visitors will eventually be redirected to from the existing city website.
Displaying a copy of a White Rock Leisure Guide that bears the brand, Thornley said the city will gradually transition into use of the slogan, updating items such as business cards as existing supplies are depleted.