Case Study

The core objective was to dismantle complex municipal planning concepts and transform public engagement surrounding rezoning applications. The required needed a comprehensive, multi-channel strategy to reach a diverse target audience, which included students, first-time homebuyers, low-income families, established homeowners, and seniors. To achieve this, the Town needed a cohesive, accessible brand identity built from scratch that harmonized perfectly with Stratford’s existing municipal branding.

AOR 360 delivered an end-to-end strategy, launching the Shape Stratford brand, complete with a custom logo and full visual identity designed for seamless co-branding with the Town’s existing assets. We conceptualized and executed a sweeping public education campaign that deployed targeted social media graphics, newsletters, direct mailouts, advertising collateral, infographics, and posters.

As part of this comprehensive strategy, our team rolled out public education campaigns across digital, print, and broadcast channels, alongside developing an advanced web platform. This digital hub successfully engaged the community by hosting educational modules, a growth-scenario simulation, an interactive game, a data insights section, and dedicated project engagement sections featuring timelines and the latest activity updates.

The Town of Stratford continues to use the Shape Stratford platform as both an educational and resource tool, as well as the primary location to find information on large planning and development projects requiring community engagement.

Because of this ongoing utility, the platform has also been successfully scaled for use by other municipalities. The project’s success earned a featured article in Plan Canada magazine, and the Town has since been invited to deliver multiple workshops showcasing this innovative engagement model across Ontario and Atlantic Canada.