Vancouver Public Library Wins Prestigious Marketing Award for Garden Campaign
Vancouver Public Library is the proud recipient of the American Library Association’s prestigious John Cotton Dana award for marketing and public relations excellence. The award recognizes VPL for its innovative “Garden” campaign, created to raise awareness of VPL’s Central Library expansion which opened in late September 2018.
Developed with Vancouver agency One Twenty Three West, the integrated campaign utilized cost effective media relations, on-location branding, transit and social media advertising. Featuring the award-winning photography of Lindsay Siu, VPL patrons immersed in greenery invited Vancouverites to “Get Lost in the New Rooftop Garden.”
It was a lot of fun for our team to work on this campaign with VPL.” says Jonathan Longworth, COO of One Twenty Three West. “From the early planning stages there was a lot of passion and a common vision to create something a little different to draw attention to this incredible new space.”
“Our research told us that Vancouverites were still captivated by the original notion of the rooftop garden, so it became the focus of our messaging,” said Carol Nelson, VPL’s Director of Planning and Communications. “We wanted to challenge people’s perceptions of what a modern library offers, to be a bit surprising.” Clearly it worked; during the first quarter following the opening, VPL saw a 13% increase in visitation to the Central library.
The Central Library expansion features the Phillips, Hager and North rooftop garden, the Montalbano Family Theatre, bright meeting rooms and a quiet reading room. Surprisingly, there are no shelves of books to borrow in these top two floors. This entirely new area of the Library provides a welcoming space for Vancouver residents, and addresses the opportunity to build community for those living in a dense urban core.
The original Central Library architects – Moshe Safdie & Associates in association with local partners DA Architects – designed the new expansion. World-renowned landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, responsible for the building’s original green roof, designed the Phillips, Hager and North rooftop garden.
The John Cotton Dana award is considered the most prestigious award to recognize excellence for marketing and public relations in the library industry. Eight recipients receive a prize of $10,000 US provided by the H.W. Wilson Foundation, to be presented at the June conference of the American Library Association in Washington DC. Vancouver’s Chief Librarian Christina de Castell will be present to accept the award on behalf of Vancouver Public Library. The award was first presented in 1946 and is managed by the Library Leadership and Management Association division of the American Library Association.
About Vancouver Public Library
Vancouver Public Library (VPL) has been dedicated to meeting the lifelong learning, reading and information needs of Vancouver residents for more than 100 years. Our vision is an informed, engaged, and connected city. Our mission is a free place for everyone to discover, create and share ideas and information.
Last year, VPL had more than 6.4 million visits with patrons borrowing more than 9.8 million items. A 2018 Insights West survey found that 95% of Vancouver residents agreed “VPL is one of the most valuable services that the City of Vancouver has to offer.”