The challenge
We needed a consistent narrative to help us grow our culture, our economy, our profile. But we could only invite others in if we first understood what makes us who we are. If we owned it and knew the story we were seeking to tell.
Brand Canberra came to True North to work alongside them to uncover the Canberra story.
Our approach
We started by listening.
We engaged content writers with interviewing experience to speak with 65 Canberrans from all walks of life. Each in-depth discussion lasted about an hour, drawing out the interviewee’s experience of being Canberran: what they loved, but just as importantly, how they came to find a place here. What they struggled with about being here.
We spoke to newcomers – students and tree-changers – and born-and-bred Canberrans. We spoke to people who live in the suburbs, and the heart of the city. First Nations people and people with white European roots. We spoke to entrepreneurs, journalists, public servants, teachers, sportspeople and tradies.
We read the histories of Canberra written by others, and helped design a survey to explore what aspects of our insights resonated with people.
As we listened, we looked for the common threads: moments of truth that we could weave together into one master story. We paid attention to what was already true; what was becoming true, rather than what we’d been told, or what we wanted to believe.
It wasn’t easy. Very quickly, we realised that stories from other places could only ever be an interesting starting point. So many other places are forged in harsh environments and deep adversity. What do you say about a city that has been given so much, and yet until recently has not been sure of itself?
We realised that Canberra’s privilege needed to be acknowledged head-on. And so we didn’t just define our values — who we are at our best. We also defined our gifts — what makes it possible to be this.
We searched for a deep pattern in the way people described finding a place in Canberra. In our cities, that narrative might be a rags to riches tale, or a romance. In Canberra, it’s a story of rebirth. Of people coming here with unrealised potential, struggling to make sense of this place, before finding a way to come to life.
The results
We’ve seen the story move people. Sometimes, it brings people to tears. They see the best of themselves reflected in the story. They feel pride.
The Canberra story gives a unifying foundation. It’s already being used to attract a new workforce to the capital. It can be used to draw in Tourists, international students and investors. The story gives a deep shared source of truth to inform what our city creates, and the directions we take.
Now we’re exploring how to share the story: to make it known, shared and owned by all Canberrans.
