Woodbine Entertainment Group

Woodbine Entertainment Group

Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) had an exciting place branding challenge: create a holistic site brand, site name and strategic real estate market positioning for the largest parcel of privately-owned land in the city of Toronto. Over the coming years, the 684-acre parcel of land will be transitioned from a horse-racing and gaming venue, into a vibrant and innovative mixed-use community and destination unmatched by any other development in the GTA or Canada. Stakeholder engagement and alignment was a critical piece. Cundari held a day-long workshop with internal and external stakeholders and guided them through exercises to help inform the strategic framework. Their responses, along with findings from a brand and competitive audit, and one-on-one interviews, were used to inform the creation of a brand pyramid distilling the strategic components of the new brand’s strategy. The new name ‘Woodbine Districts’ is straightforward and complements the variety of district offerings while still tying it back to where it will be located. Driven by the insight of ‘an exhibition of community’, the new identity invites participation and promotes an accessible community to a wide range of audiences looking for a place to live, work and play. A phased approach of electronic and printed marketing materials was developed to communicate and share the details of the development.