The Chi-Cheemaun Ferry
THE PROBLEM:
The MS Chi-Cheemaun ferry had been showing steady declines in ridership every year since 2008. The nearby Highway 400 expansion had made the ferry the slower, more expensive and less convenient travel option. With summer fast approaching, we needed to help the Owen Sound Transportation Company reposition the Chi-Cheemaun as more than just transportation.
THE SOLUTION:
We turned the Chi-Cheemaun into a tourism experience. Embracing the rich First Nations tradition of the region and developed a tagline, “Travel In Good Spirits”, that became both a promise to consumers and the compass that guided our new creative. Inspired by Woodlands style art, we created a new logo for the Chi-Cheemaun ferry, as well as a new visual language of illustrations and graphics. The client so embraced it that it lived far beyond advertising on to the boat itself and even the merchandise the gift shop offered. We integrated the campaign across multiple platforms, from mobile apps to billboards to the ship experience. There were 130 unique elements created for the brand.
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THE RESULTS:
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In our first season we stopped the persistent decline since 2008, and showed an overall shift in business of almost 15%
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Daily website sessions doubled
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Our client was able to achieve their 3 year forecast in the first year alone.
Chi-Cheemaun Mobile App
Owen Sound Transportation Company
The Chi-Cheemaun is a vehicle-carrying ferry that takes people from Tobermory to Manitoulin Island. There are lots of activities to do on the island, but they are not well known to the general public. That's why we created an app that would curate all the various attractions, and group them according to people's interests - like food, nature, culture, shopping etc The users can then travel to these venues easily thorough the app's built-in GPS. The design was made to emulate native woodland style paintings of the aboriginal people of Manitoulin Island.
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Here's a video of me talking about our vision.
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