Branding + Marketing

Whether it’s shaping a major campaign or building a brand voice from scratch, I’ve spent my career developing creative, strategic marketing that gets results.
I don’t just “sell” — I get people to feel.

Build Thunder Bay

Build Thunder Bay began as the public-facing brand for the Housing Accelerator Fund, but from the start, it was built with bigger potential. As a member of the Housing Accelerator Action Team and the Chair of the Housing Accelerator Communications Working Group, I worked to create a flexible visual identity that reflected not only the Thunder Bay we live in today but more importantly offered a vision of the one we are trying to become.

We developed a clean, modern aesthetic, selected colours to align with Development Services documents, built a web section in a custom template, purchased a vanity URL (buildthunderbay.ca) and wrapped a transit bus that has sparked significant conversation in the community.

Currently, I’m leading the expansion of the Build Thunder Bay brand across all of Development Services. 

(Note: Additional explainer videos connected to this project are highlighted in the Content Creation section.)

 This is Learning

As Marketing & Recruitment Supervisor at Confederation College, I led the development and rollout of the multi-year This is Learning campaign, designed to reframe what post-secondary education looks and feels like in Thunder Bay.

Working closely with our agency partner, I helped conduct and translate extensive market research into a bold brand narrative that was authentic, inspiring, and rooted in real student experience. From creative direction and messaging to photo and video production, I oversaw the content that became the foundation of the recruitment and marketing strategy.

The campaign included web, social, radio, outdoor, transit, viewbooks, and a new large-scale tradeshow display, all working together to create a cohesive brand that met students at every stage of their journey. 

Years later, This is Learning remains the College’s core recruitment message and a standout example of how place-based branding can shape perception and drive results.

I developed and launched the "Let the Day Happen on a Thunder Bay-cation" campaign - a staycation concept designed to remind residents (and nearby visitors) just how much there is to do in Thunder Bay and the surrounding region.

The campaign featured six professionally produced videos highlighting local experiences: art and culture, food and dining, outdoor adventures, on the water, winter excitement, and a special feature on Northwest Ontario filmed in Kenora. I produced each video in collaboration with local videographers and licensed music from some of the area’s most successful pop artists to create a series that felt fun, modern, and uniquely ours.

We promoted the campaign on social media and with branded t-shirts, giveaways, pre-roll ads on YouTube and local Duluth TV (WCCO), and by running the videos before every movie at SilverCity. Combined, the videos were viewed hundreds of thousands of times and became a cornerstone of the City's Civic Pride Task Force initiatives.

During the pandemic, I revived the concept as the #tbaycation, this time with a focus on supporting local businesses from anywhere. The refreshed campaign encouraged people to shop Thunder Bay-made products and enjoy them wherever they were, keeping local pride (and spending) alive during a difficult time.

 Get in touch at stephaniejmreid@gmail.com