LET'S KEEP IT SIMPLE:

WE WANT TO WORK WITH YOUR CO-OPERATIVE

Modern co-ops totally tickle our fancy, and we love what you are doing for their member-owners and their communities.  Co-ops have democratic processes and social responsibility practices in place that make you distinct from usual businesses. Your customers are more than just customers or clients; they’re owners, members and stakeholders. There’s also a big emphasis on giving back when it comes to co-ops: you’re always the first to get involved in your community, and we want to be a part of that.

 

We think this is all super rad, and we want to build you a nice big megaphone so you can shout out your good deeds to achieve business results and profits for your member-owners. We also think that plenty of people can benefit from becoming a member-owner and having your co-op be a part of their lives, so we want to be a part of what the International Cooperative Alliance calls THE COOPERATIVE DECADE.

 

Some of our biggest clients are co-operatives, but we could always use a few more. We’d love to CHAT!

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RETAIL CO-OPERATIVES

Retail Co-ops are a big part of our company.  Some of our most awesome-est clients are retail co-ops and we know exactly what you do and how your business is focused on results for your organization, and in turn, your member-owners. We would be proud to help you achieve your goals in the online world — from bylaw compliant membership applications and payments to online cardlock applications to liquor store digital marketing and much, much more.  For real, we can do some pretty incredible work for you… and we’re super-passionate about the co-op model. 

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CREDIT UNIONS

Two of our founders worked in the marketing department of a credit union prior to starting Octopus Creative. So, needless to say, we get the CU world. We are proud to work with the financial co-operatives who work tirelessly to create opportunity for their members. Plus, we know that credit unions typically have much higher customer satisfaction than banks… and that totally floats our boat!

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FUEL CO-OPERATIVES

Fuel co-operatives have a long history of using our resources wisely, for the benefit of a collective group and we know that having members who use your services makes for the economies of scale your fuel co-op needs. We’ve developed some pretty awesome digital programs for retail fuel co-ops, and we’d love to work with yours. 

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AGRICULTURAL CO-OPERATIVES

Just like fuel, it pays to pool your resources. And whether you’re a supply or marketing co-operative you’ve got to produce and market food to fill the bellies of our communities.  Really, agricultural co-ops invented the sharing economy way before Airbnb was a thing. 

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UNIQUE CO-OPERATIVES

There’s everything from fan-owned sports teams like the Green Bay Packers to community-funded nacho restaurants like Madison’s 1212 in Calgary, to video game companies that don’t have managers. The cooperative model is so flexible that it can do anything a top-down business can do and usually does it better, which is why we want to be involved with your unique co-operative.

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WHAT WE CAN DO

We’ve worked with co-ops from across Canada (in fact Jon & Ash were both in the co-operative sector prior to starting up Octopus Creative) and we’ve gotten used to how to work effectively with this unique structure. In most, regards a co-op needs the same things as any other business: a strong brand, a powerful web presence, social media profiles that engage members. What makes them different from a corporation is the democratic structure behind them, and how to work with and engage stakeholders within this structure.

 

It’s pretty rare to find a Co-op that isn’t actively engaged in some philanthropic work, and we’re all about that. If you’re doing good then we want to shout it from the rooftops, so we’ll work with traditional, digital and social media to let everyone know just how great you’re doing.

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Portage College

Celebrating its fiftieth year in 2018, Portage College is one of the largest colleges in Northeastern Alberta, with multiple campuses and thousands of students across undergraduate and post-grad degrees. It's also an important part of the community, holding events and adult education courses, and has a large and well-stocked museum of aboriginal artifacts.
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Lakeland Co-op

Lakeland Co-op is part of the nationwide Co-op chain and a 4,300 member business in its own right, with a gas bar, hardware store, clothing store, home centre and fuel cardlock amongst its varied product offerings. Although they have a great range of products, public perception is that they are more expensive than other brands, and too few people know about the key differences between a regular company and a co-op.
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Alberta's Iron Horse Trail

The Iron Horse Trail is 300km of trail following the paths set down centuries ago by fur trappers and the first railways. It's one of the province's crown jewels, and when the Riverland Recreational Trail Society wanted to promote the trail and expand its audience, they came to us.
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St. Paul & Eastalta Co-op / Federated Co-operatives Ltd.

Octopus Creative pulled off an integrated marketing campaign, spanning a trading area of more than 280km in just over a month. St. Paul and District Co-op and Eastalta Co-op officially formed Cornerstone Co-op in January of 2017, and as of January 2018 this campaign now provides the framework for a system-wide amalgamation campaign to be used by Federated Co-operatives Ltd. throughout the Co-op Retailing System.
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Northpark Collision

Northpark is a family-run collision repair shop that has been fixing vehicles in St. Paul since 1985. They're an important part of their community, making charitable donations and doing everything they can to contribute to good causes. They're also a pro-grade repair shop with high-tech spraying facilities and hundreds of combined years of experience.
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Kaft CPA

If you've got a small business in North Eastern Alberta, then KAFT CPA are your guys to call. A full-service, friendly business accountancy with a focus on helping small businesses by giving them solid advice. They specialize in tax preparation, bookkeeping and assurance- as well as being just plain lovely people.
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St. Paul Junior B Canadiens

Ahh, good 'ol hockey! This is a sport that we love (if our teams make the playoffs that is!) and we were thrilled when the St. Paul Canadiens approached us to support their hockey team. We developed them a cutting-edge website with stick-dropping photography, entirely pro-bono!
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JD Collision

Our crew helped JD Collision rev up for their 40th year in style with a 40th-anniversary campaign, long-term marketing strategy, optimized branding, a new website and more! Since then, we've helped them dominate the web with social media, online advertising and SEO to make them the #1 shop in the Lakeland region.
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Tru Real Estate Team

Rollie Cartier and Kerri Dechaine are one of the top real estate teams not only in St. Paul, not only in Alberta, but in all of Canada. They have a long-established business and a huge, always-evolving inventory of great properties, but more importantly they have a reputation for being friendly, nice folks who deal with their clients fairly.
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Weaver Supplies

What does it take to shake up the industrial supplies business, which has been dominated by a few key companies for decades? Smart sourcing, cutting out the middle-man, and a professional web presence. Weaver Supplies is a start-up company that sells small, disposable products like safety glasses and grinding discs that companies in the construction or utilities businesses need to order often, and which can have a serious effect on their bottom-line.