(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Positive press

Prince Albert’s $50,000 positive storytelling campaign taking shape

Jun 2, 2021 | 5:16 PM

Prince Albert city council is ready to put its new positive storytelling strategy out to tender.

The proposed campaign, which council allocated up to $50,000 for during budget deliberations, is aimed at combatting negative perceptions about the city and encouraging economic development.

At Monday’s meeting, the city’s communication manager Kiley Bear presented council with revised project terms that will be used to select a consultant.

Compared to her initial approach, which councillors rejected in March, Bear said the new terms were “less prescriptive” and will allow consultants to use more of their creativity in coming up with a strategy.

“This is, I think, exactly what this council has asked for,” Coun. Don Cody said, thanking Bear for her work.

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“I think we’ll get a good product and I think we’ll get the stories that we need to make this city more positive,” he continued.

In an accompanying report explaining the rationale for the project, Bear wrote: “Despite the many advantages of living in Prince Albert, there is a negative view that prevails. This view is often supported and worsened by local media that report on the negativity… The accepted perception is that Prince Albert is a community that suffers from crime, poverty, addiction, and a deteriorating downtown core.”

Councillor Dennis Ogrodnick was among those who reiterated his support for the new storytelling strategy on Monday.

“We need people to realize Prince Albert is a great place to work, play, live and invest,” he said.

Ogrodnick added it was essential “to get ahead of social media” where “myths” about Prince Albert are often circulated.

“I read it all the time and I’m just thinking we need to have another person in communications who just monitors social media to get it right,'” he said. “Or, we could do this [postive storytelling campaign] and say ‘This is the real story about Prince Albert.'”

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alison.sandstrom@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alisandstrom