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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.

Portage College was seeking a company that could provide a full suite of responsive social media management and optimization, while also being available for future projects as a one-stop-shop solution. In just over 6 months of having managed their 7+ social media channels, we saw a period-over-period growth of 9%-10% in Facebook fan and engagement numbers, a 178% increase in post reach on Facebook, a 134% increase in total Instagram followers, and a 186% increase in reach on Twitter. We’ve also been thrilled to have completed their 50th-anniversary logo and their 2018 Viewbook.

our workPortage College

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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.

With a new Home Centre opening in Bonnyville, Lakeland Co-op was looking to have a campaign created which spoke to their primary and secondary target audiences. We crafted the campaign built around the marketing goal of increasing memberships to provide longevity to communications and sales potential. With 300+ new member sign-ups, Lakeland Co-op experienced a 1000% increase in new member sign-ups when compared to an average month-long period.

our workLakeland Co-op

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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.

We had free reign to design the project from the ground up, building not just a website but the whole style of the brand. We also built a social media presence for both the trail itself and a group specifically for trail riders, with a regularly updated blog that lets potential visitors know why they should visit.

our workAlberta’s Iron Horse Trail

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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.

Together, these two Co-ops operated 20 different locations in 7 communities, are made up of hundreds of dedicated employees, and serve a membership base of nearly 25,000. The challenge presented was to ensure a high level of member awareness for the proposed amalgamation, and ultimately, to get the vote passed by making the word “amalgamation” appealing. The Eastalta vote passed with an approval rate of 93.8% and then that the St. Paul vote passed with a 92.5% approval, and each meeting saw attendance of 3x their normal Annual General Meeting! The campaign also allowed for intelligent marketing insights as we used the landing page as a tool to help the Co-ops measure the effectiveness of their advertising channels.

our workSt. Paul & Eastalta Co-op / Federated Co-operatives Ltd.

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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.

Using full-screen video and bold colours, we built a website for Northpark that is both visually stunning and speaks to the company’s identity. We speak to the audience in a down-to-earth, profoundly real way both on the site and on their popular social media feeds.

our workNorthpark Collision

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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.

KAFT balances being professional and friendly, and our web design had to walk the same line. By using muted tones but plenty of focus on people, we created a style that was perfect for the image KAFT wanted to project. We also built a space for them to share their expertise with their clients (and potential clients) via a blog.

our workKaft CPA

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At Octopus Creative, we’re big fans of hockey! We were proud to create a website that launches our local hockey teams into the modern age and provide them with a website that is like no other hockey website out there. We are proud to have donated the entirety of this website, including all photography, as a part of our community investment initiatives.

our workSt. Paul Junior B Canadiens

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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.

JD Collision approached us to help with a redesign of their website and general help with their marketing strategy. One of the major recommendations was to develop the brand based on a foundation of history and family, changing the logo to ’76 (their founding year) from ’07, with a strong focus on the people who are at the core of their business. Since launching their website in fall/winter 2016 they have gone from receiving no leads on their old website to having received dozens of leads on their new site, resulting in an estimated potential lead value of $35,000+ per year.

our workJD Collision

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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.

The Tru Real Estate Team website is always being updated with new properties, all of which have dozens of attributes that need to be correct, as well as images and even 3D walkthroughs. We built a system that integrates with Tru’s own back-end, as well as creating innovative new ways of showing homes, including virtual tours and a revamped social media presence.

our workTru Real Estate Team

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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.

The industrial supply marketplace is heavily entrenched, and the companies who take a major share of the market have gigantic catalogues of products whereas Weaver has a few, so it was hugely important that every part of the website work together to communicate the key differences between Weaver and the huge conglomerates who dominate the industry.

our workWeaver Supplies

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Tim-berrrr! Pevach Corp. is an arborist and tree services company based in Bonnyville, working on utility, commercial and residential projects. The company was just starting out when they first came to us, but had big plans to grow. We helped them develop a strong web presence and a proactive way of bringing new clients to the business.

All we had when we started was a name and a logo- everything else was down to us, so we had to research the industry, the marketplace and figure out a look and a voice for a company working in an industry that is pretty competitive. We built a website that was leagues ahead of their competition and a SEM operation that draws customers to them.

our workPevach Corp

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A family business from Bonnyville, HR2 has been involved in some of the coolest construction projects in the region for years, and has built a reputation for being down-to-earth, no-nonsense, straight-shooters. They’ve built everything from agricultural buildings to log homes so good they’ve been featured on HGTV’s Timber Kings, to the retro-styled design of Jennie’s Diner.

HR2 Construction approached us for help with marketing and communicating their brand in the marketplace. We were able to craft a high-end brand that highlights the unique value proposition of HR2 Construction. We didn’t just create a great website for them, we also worked with them to write and designed a small book on create outdoor spaces, giving them a lead magnet to draw in email subscribers.

our workHR2 Construction

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Green Era Medicinal is a medical cannabis dispensary located in the lower mainland of British Columbia.  They approached us just as they were starting their business, and being one of the only licensed and approved dispensaries in the province, they needed a brand to reflect their quality and professionalism.  Our crew was able to help them out with a stand out brand and a simple yet effective website meant to drive results.

our workGreen Era Medicinal

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Grande Parlour is now the premiere destination for theatre and performance in Cold Lake and the surrounding area. This quaint, intimate venue offered us the chance to work on their website and marketing in exchange for sponsorship, and as (inserts monocle) patrons of the arts we jumped at the chance.

We created a website that pays homage to theatre’s art-deco past while integrating modern technology like full-screen video and a streamlined ticketing system. We also write a regularly updated blog and engage in ongoing efforts to market the Grande Parlour’s events through social media and email.

our workThe Grande Parlour

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Fishing Lake is one of the few remaining Métis settlements in Canada; an independent, self-governing community with a long history and a commitment to their people and culture. It is also a thriving modern municipality with services and businesses, information on which needs to be readily available to everyone inside and outside of Fishing Lake.

FLMS’s existing website already had a large amount of information which was hard to find and confusing to interpret, all of which needed to be transcribed, proof-read and fact-checked. They also needed a cohesive voice and a strong visual brand that speaks to the unique culture and history of the community and its members.

our workFishing Lake Metis Settlement

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DMSCC is a not-for-profit that provides safe and secure shelter for women and families who are in crisis, as well as resources and advocacy for people across Northeastern Alberta. The Centre has been operating since 1982, and its key challenges have always been making sure that potential clients know about the Centre and can get in touch with it easily, and that it can get donations quickly and easily.

A strong brand and a modern website was just the start: we found a source of up to $10,000 a month in free online advertising and integrated a way to collect donations online or even by text. We created a search engine advertising campaign that’s drawing new clients each month- potentially saving lives.

our workDr. Margaret Savage Crisis Centre

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Cornerstone Co-op Liquor, unsurprisingly, is part of Cornerstone Co-op, but with unique challenges and opportunities that made it an entirely separate product. As one of the region’s largest and best-stocked liquor stores, with a monthly flyer that offers deep discounts on popular brands.

Working within the Co-op’s current branding, we created a new version of the flyer and worked to distribute it as widely as we could, building a Search Engine Marketing campaign alongside a deep analytics system to allow us to track our progress. We also began marketing the store’s Wine Club, building a new audience and a new way for people to interact with the store.

our workCornerstone Co-op Liquor

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When the Bonnyville Friendship Centre approached us at Octopus Creative they wanted to modernize their brand to increase their appeal in the market. Initially, they did not have a website and we are proud to have helped bring this organization into the online world, while also setting them up for financial success with the functionality for an eCommerce store and the ability for online donations. We are proud to have donated a large portion of the costs of this website as a part of our community investment initiatives.

our workBonnyville Friendship Centre

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The Cold Lake Chamber of Commerce was looking for a redesign of their annual community guide which is distributed throughout the province each year. We worked to create a more modern, clean design and also completed advertisement design, copyediting and proofreading services for both the 2017 and 2018 guide. They received tremendous feedback on the guide and we are happy to have contributed this to one of our local communities.

our workCold Lake Community Guide

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The key to the project was the tagline: helping the people you rely on. Benefits can seem like a dry subject, so it was important to create an immediate emotional connection between the potential client and the service that BPGS provides. We were also sure to build a bold website with contrasting colours and plenty of testimonials from BPGS’ satisfied customers.

our workBP Group Solutions

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Travel Lakeland originally approached us as Alberta’s Lakeland and was in need of a website and brand strategy. We worked together to craft a strategy that aims to differentiate the brand in a competitive travel market while creating a revenue and sales strategy to bring in nearly $30,000 in annual revenue to support the long-term sustainability of the Destination Marketing Organization.

our workTravel Lakeland

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Luckily, Ageless Living already had a high-quality website and a great-looking brand, so we had a strong base to build on- but we wanted to give the Cold Lake branch its own look. Working within their colours and general ‘look’, we designed a site that was aesthetically beautiful and highly functional, with a strong emphasis on communicating about the huge variety of services on offer in a clear, concise way.

our workAgeless Living Cold Lake

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We saw that stories were central to LCFASD’s identity: the stories of how the centre can help people that other charities can’t, how they put lives back together. We emphasized the stories of parents who have dealt with substance abuse issues and their children who are thriving because of the centre’s help. We also built new systems to help them get donations over the internet or by text.

our workLCFASD

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A passion project, Calm Waters Colouring produces adult colouring books made by the people who enjoy them, with features that are absent from other books in the genre, like perforated pages and spiral bindings. They sell books in stores across Canada and have received a boatload of promotional opportunities from influencers & partners as a result of our efforts.

We determined the best way to differentiate Calm Waters Colouring from the masses of other adult colouring books out there was to highlight their unique selling points and focus on strategic branding and sales development. By implementing an online store locator, they are now placing on Google for relevant keywords. Furthermore, the rebranding efforts have paid off with distribution contracts in place with Staples and Hudson News. Calm Waters Colouring also received reviews and co-marketing opportunities with highly visible colouring book reviewers and bloggers and have even been featured on Chameleon Pens’ website and email newsletter.

our workCalm Waters Colouring

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