Town councillor’s approval of an advertising video campaign is about to come to fruition.
The approval of $25,000 to pay Global Video to shoot, edit and market this video have been released and Sarah Olson, economic development officer looks forward to seeing Ponoka on Global News and on Shaw Media programming. “The idea of the video is specifically centered around changing perceptions and promoting the community.”
She feels this video can help bring up the population, which in turn helps the labour base.
“It’s the same as everywhere else in Alberta, skilled labourers are short,” she added.
The completed video is 90 seconds but will be shown in shortened seven to 30 second segments during different times of the day to draw interest in Ponoka.
Olson is grateful to residents for their efforts to help with production of the video. A call for people to help during filming in the summer brought a lot of help. “It was a beautiful thing to have that outpouring of support.”
Her hope is not only to drive people to Ponoka but also she sees this as a source of pride for the town and residents.
“I think it’s really exciting to promote the community in a positive way,” said Olson. “We know that there’s vibrancy here and we were able to convey that.”
Her biggest challenge was organizing the many different people involved in the different photo shoots, from filming at Ponoka Secondary Campus and the splash park to filming a scene on Chipman Avenue. “The support that we had for that shot was completely overwhelming.”
This is the first time Shaw Media has offered this type of video and advertising package and Olson was able to capitalize on a first user discount, which was an added benefit. “They’re excited to be with us…And we’re excited to be the first.”
Air dates began April 29 through the beginning of September and residents, people can see the entire video on the town website: www.ponoka.ca. Click the ‘View all galleries’ on the main page and then videos.