Business Opportunity
Historically, the light rail transit (train) network within Edmonton consisted of being a single line spanning north to south. With a new line in development and three others in the planning phase, a unique branding opportunity arose.
As the Sr. Strategic Marketing Officer for Edmonton Transit System (ETS), Nathan led a cross-functional team through the planning process, setting strategic parameters, engaging stakeholders, conducting market research and putting forward final naming recommendations to the City of Edmonton Naming Committee and Executive Committee (consisting of City Councillors and Mayor).
Actions + Outcomes
“...over 900 citizens responding with more than 4,000 naming suggestions.”
A multi-phased human-centred design approach was taken. First, an integrated marketing campaign was leveraged to build awareness and generate naming suggestions that came directly from the community. This resulted in over 900 citizens responding with more than 4,000 naming suggestions. Then, these responses were strategically categorized and further assessed through market research working with Leger Marketing.
A quantitative survey that assessed preferences across naming categories and that targeted a diversity of segments within the community was used to establish a shortlist. Following, a series of focus groups were facilitated incorporating a range of citizens that were both transit users and non-users across different travel profiles. The research identified a preference towards a naming convention that showcased the positive attributes of the city and region. These attributes included Edmonton as:
A capital city;
An oil and gas leader;
An outdoor river valley destination;
A festival and events attraction;
An up and coming global metropolitan.
Nathan presented these findings and recommendations to the City of Edmonton Naming Committee, which was followed by a unanimous approval to move forward.
As a result, the names for current, as well as future, light rail transit lines are marked in history.
Capital Line || Metro Line || Valley Line
Festival Line || Energy Line
Nathan served as the spokesperson for the initiative hosting a media scrum (press conference) at Corona station on the Capital Line. Extensive television, print, radio and web publicity was received at the national level.
CBC News: News media segment
Global News: News media segment
