It’s hard to believe it’s already been almost a week since the streets of Vancouver erupted in fire, brimstone and panicked public makeout sessions after a loss in the Stanley Cup Finals. What will be an interesting anecdote for American hockey fans to tell their offspring for years to come (“…and that, son, was the night that Canada finally lost its mind…”) has understandably become a nightmare for Tourism Vancouver, as it’s difficult for a city to represent itself as safe when there are pictures floating around the internet of intoxicated youth overturning police vehicles and smashing in store windows. Needless to say, things have gotten worse for Vancouverites since the great Olympics displacing homeless people dilemma of 2010.
So, with the help of DDB Canada, Tourism Vancouver has started “This is Vancouver,” a Tumblr-powered site that aims to represent this scenic city as the peace-loving, culturally mature place that anyone should be happy to visit. The site thrives by having Vancouver residents submit their own condemnations of the riots and loyal support for the city, a gesture that the city’s mayor says, “provides one more way for everyone to express their love for our city as we collectively move forward and show the world what kind of city Vancouver truly is.”
Tourism Vancouver president/CEO Rick Antonson says in a statement, “Today, Vancouver’s integrity shines again. This is a testament to the commitment of this city’s citizens to set things right if they have gone wrong. ‘This Is Our Vancouver.com’ is our way of helping the world know that Vancouver’s greatest asset is its people.” What do you think? Is this site something Vancouver needed to produce to help clear its reputation?