Living in Toronto as I do, I am constantly amazed by the rapidly changing skyline of the city. I believe that Toronto currently holds the record for having the most skyscrapers under construction of any city in the world: thirty-nine at last count. There is one construction site that I walk past nearly every day on my way to the office. When finished, the building will top out at over 80 stories. I have been fascinated by the progress of the construction. For nearly 2 years, the focus of the work has been on the meticulous excavation of the site (about 8 stories down), the pouring of the foundations and the building of the “pedestal” upon which the massive concrete and steel spire will sit. With this complete last spring the building has gone up quickly: about a story every week.
This construction is an apt metaphor for the work taking place on Aurora, CSTD’s 5 year strategic plan. Much of our current activity is akin to the excavation and foundation work which by necessity must precede the construction of the superstructure. It is time consuming complex work, often fraught with unexpected challenges. It is also work that generally goes unseen by the many people who walk by the construction site every day.
For the past 3 months the major focus of our efforts has been on the rebranding of CSTD. As I mentioned at conference in November, and in subsequent communications, recasting the CSTD brand is the major priority of Aurora this year. The rebrand will unveil a bolder and more aspirational story for who we are as an association and as a profession. The rebrand will also signal a “bigger tent”. Our profession and our members are changing and our association must reflect the growing diversity of our membership.
Our rebranding work, led by Jane Duffy, CSTD’s Marketing Director and with dynamic input from the CSTD board of directors and CSTD members at large, is divided into 3 parts. During December and early January we undertook an extensive needs assessment and using these inputs crafted a “brand story” which was enthusiastically received by the CSTD board at the end of January. The brand story tells a compelling story of who we are, where we’ve come from and what we stand for as profession. With the brand story as our foundation, work is well underway on selecting a new name and creative for the association. A new name is important as it will signal change to our members and to the world at large. But a new name is only a small part of how we will bring the new brand to life in the coming months and years. Our “go to market” strategy is roadmap that will lay-out how we will launch and “live” the new brand. While not complete, this plan calls for a new digital presence for the association and “high touch” unveiling of the brand with chapter executives across the country.
While the launch of our new brand is our biggest priority for this year, we are also advancing other Aurora priorities. I look forward to updating you on this exciting work in subsequent CSTD member communications.
Feel free to comment, share your thoughts and ask any questions you may have.
Warmest Regards,
Rob Pearson
CSTD National 