Geoscientists Canada, Licensure Awareness Campaign

The Situation

As the primary national organization representing professional, licensed geoscientists, Geoscientists Canada has worked hard to increase its influence and increase the numbers of licensed members over the past few years. A new name was chosen and the organization hired us to develop a strategy and materials to communicate new requirements for licensed practitioners that are being adopted by most provinces. Though important for practitioners and employers to accept legal requirements, the organization wanted potential members to understand the benefits and prestige that accompany licensure. Each province and jurisdiction has somewhat different regulations, philosophies and language, so the problem became finding a national approach that would incorporate the differences while communicating strong, clear and cohesive messages to increase voluntary membership.

The Solution

The project required close work with the executives of Geoscientists Canada and each jurisdiction to achieve consensus and accuracy. Each step needed input from the team of executives and wording was carefully scrutinized. It was decided that the licensure program should have its own identity and build upon a national recognition of Professional Geoscientists (géoscientifique professionnel in Quebec). The first steps were to create a logo and motto that would be contemporary and approachable, work in French or English, and still imply the highest levels of professionalism. These steps served to engage the leadership, familiarize them to our team and build trust for the highly detailed work to come. Next was development of key messages, targeted to the existing and potential members and other key stakeholders, which included all the most important policies and procedures affecting the achievement of a professional license to practice. These key messages became the foundation for the package of training materials, adaptable for each jurisdiction, which would be used for membership recruitment. Brochures, a Powerpoint program, templates for FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) and other information and training materials were produced, each with the capacity to be customized by each jurisdiction.

The Results

The entire program was made accessible via a special portal of the Geoscientists Canada website for each jurisdiction to use. It has been successfully downloaded and adapted by several jurisdictions as they continue to communicate the importance of professional licensure.

An unexpected result was how the process of finding common ground between jurisdictions led to new perspectives becoming catalysts to internal changes and improved dialogue between the various jurisdictions that are part of the national organization. It is a clear example of how working together to achieve a goal can lead to improved understanding and cooperation between groups with differing viewpoints.

But all the branding, from logo and letterhead to website, reflected the previous name, CCPG (Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists), and looked somewhat dated—particularly when compared to the fresh, new licensure materials.

A new national logo was created, combining the instantly recognizable Canadian maple leaf with an image of Canada’s geographical location on the planet. This contemporary image reflects the new name and has been applied to all branded material.