Documents recently released by the City of Regina following an access to information request appear to illustrate the discomfort felt by some city staff as the now-infamous Experience Regina tourism campaign launched.
The campaign tried to tap into some of the more unsavoury attempts at humour involving the city's name — namely the fact it rhymes with vagina.
The internal conversations between staff show that they were not involved in the rebrand, which had slogans such as "Show us your Regina" and a vision to "Make Regina sexy."
“After looking at it more in-depth, I have mixed feeling in this campaign and will leave it at that,” one communications staffer said in a Microsoft Teams message on March 16, the same day the brand was launched online.
“I have no words,” another staff member chimed in later in the chat.
In a Teams chat on March 16, another staffer noted the city's communications team was not involved in the development of the rebrand, spearheaded by Tourism Regina.
On March 17, responded by saying it was very apparent to them at the office that their team was not involved, and she wishes they were.
"Seems like something that needed someone to pump the brakes at some point and give it some thought," one of the staffers responded.
"The reaction on social is quite interesting."
The rebrand faced near-instant backlash from the public, with many saying it simply went too far.
In a chat exchange dated March 20, one city staffer asks for advice on how to handle the "uproar" caused by the Tourism Regina campaign that "has nothing to do with the city."
The communications team settles on responding to concerned residents with "Thanks for contacting us regarding Tourism Regina's rebranding project — now known as Experience Regina. Your comments are valued" and a promise that their comments would be passed along to the tourism organization.
The discomfort among city staff with the trajectory of the campaign is even noticeable earlier in the the year.
In a Jan. 5 message, a city staffer appears to express relief after learning the phrase "Do it in Regina" would be used as part of a temporary campaign rather than a key part of the rebrand.
"Hopefully that remains true," the staffer writes.
Tourism Regina eventually walked back the campaign, erasing all traces of it from its website and social media channels.
