Innovate Edmonton was established by Edmonton city council in 2020 to harness the social and economic benefits of innovation. Although the organization was new, it shared its name with a prior entity with a similar mandate that was ultimately wound down. FKA was engaged in 2021 to help the organization break with the past and unite all of its stakeholders with a fresh new brand.
Innovation is often associated tech and startup culture—not exactly a touchstone for diversity and inclusion. After an audit of existing research and strategic materials and an extensive analysis of the current landscape, we conducted a months-long engagement process. All the players under the new umbrella held strong historical perceptions about the amalgamation of diverse brands into a unified entity. Recognizing this, we faced the challenge of preserving the strengths of the past while also creating a new path forward for the brand as an inclusive hub for innovation in Edmonton.
The new identity needed a name that would avoid the pitfalls of traditional tech-focused innovation, but would remain representative of the community, inspiring, aspirational, and most importantly, inclusive. While taking the sense of belonging for Edmonton’s innovators from the organization’s past, it needed to be big and to put the city on the map. Edmonton Unlimited was born framed by a tech-inspired concept where the inner ‘U’ of the identity locked with the ‘E’ form to symbolize the community working to solve big problems together. Coupled with a new tagline — Innovation from here for the world — the Edmonton Unlimited serves as a platform to bring the best of Edmonton to the world.
Since launching the new brand, Edmonton Unlimited has engaged a diverse audience, receiving a 98% positive sentiment on major social media platforms. Within two months, 80% of the startups, businesses and entrepreneurs who had previously worked with Edmonton Unlimited under the previous brand were aware of the new brand with 70% feeling that it captures the potential of local innovators and our city’s potential on a global stage.
"We needed a partner that could take us through a significant rebranding project with a lot of internal and external complexities. Since choosing FKA, I'm quite sure we have tapped into every department of the firm along the way from strategy to creative to media and public relations. It has been an efficient, effective and cohesive relationship and we're so pleased to continue working with them."
— Erin Gobolos, Vice President, Marketing & Community Relations, Edmonton Unlimited
