A tip of the hat to the marketing geniuses at the Town of Banff who continue to do amazing work promoting their municipality. Not only did they surprise everyone with their awesome Banff Refreshing campaign but they’ve been quick to capitalize on the “Crasher Squirrel” meme sweeping the Internets.

Although that squirrel is absolutely EVERYWHERE (National Geographic, The Sun, The Globe and Mail, etc, etc), Banff isn’t taking anything for granted. Recognizing an opportunity, they’ve quickly responded with links on their homepage, movies, and even a Twitter account for their latest celebrity.

This ability to quickly and cheaply respond to and capitalize on emerging trends is one of the best new tools that municipalities, non-profit associations and anyone who is on a fixed budget now has when it comes to marketing and promotions. While you don’t need a lot of money, it does require an ongoing time commitment, a willingness to take a chance and it doesn’t hurt to have a sense of humour. The results, however, are almost always worth the effort. (And if you need some advice on social media or promoting your municipality, please let us know)

Oh, I almost forgot, if you want to add that squirrel to your own scene, there’s even The Squirrelizer.

What do you think?

// Are you impressed with Banff’s communications?