regina tourism apology

Tim Reid, CEO of Experience Regina (formerly Tourism Regina), published an apology on Sunday evening, days after unveiling the new brand on Thursday.

"I want to start by apologizing, on behalf of myself and our team, for the negative impact we created with elements of our recent brand launch," Reid wrote in a post published on social media.

"It was clear that we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community with some slogans that we used."

In an interview Monday, Reid took responsibility for the the rebranding's failures, despite there being others involved in the process — including stakeholders, agencies and focus groups.

When asked about his future with the organization, Reid said it will be decided by the organization's owners and board of directors.

He said Experience Regina learned over the weekend that "we just went too far."

"The city didn't appreciate it and our community didn't appreciate it and we just were wrong," Reid said.

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters is expected to speak about the rebrand and subsequent apology after city council on Wednesday.

Marketing tactics 'bumped into sexuality'

According to Reid, the Experience Regina theme and song received positive feedback, but some of the marketing tactics "bumped into sexuality" and "should never have done that."

He said the tourism organization "crossed the line on some of the poking fun at ourselves around our city name."

Reid said a conversation he had on the topic over the weekend stuck out in his mind. He said he was asked, "Would you be proud to have this conversation with your kids?"

"They were right," Reid said.

Anything that has a sexual nature or connotation, or has been the focal point of criticism from the community, has been removed, Reid said.

'Sexualizing the city'

Kristen McLeod, a former Tourism Regina board member and one of the many people that criticized the new slogans, called the campaign blatantly disrespectful to people in the city.

She wrote a letter to the mayor on the subject, and on Monday she spoke with Stefani Langenegger on CBC's The Morning Edition  and again later in an interview with CBC.

McLeod said she was shocked when the rebrand was announced and she saw a section on the organization's website that said it wanted to make "Regina sexy."

"It's sexualizing the city when it isn't necessary," McLeod said.

She was curious what the slogan's sexual connotations suggest about the city and if male genitalia would have been a focus in the future.

The campaign led McLeod to feel she didn't belong in Regina for the first time in nearly 50 years she has lived in the city.

McLeod said she appreciates Reid's willingness to take accountability and wants to know how it the organization will move forward, but put the blame on the City of Regina and said both the city and mayor need to take responsibility.

Ward 1 Coun. Cheryl Stadnichuk posted to Facebook Monday afternoon stating she had no advance noticed of the campaign slogans and was "disappointed and appalled" with the "sexist messaging of the new Experience Regina."

"Do we want men harassing women in bars chanting 'show us your Regina?' There are so many serious ramifications of these slogans … as a society, we have a responsibility to teach boys and men about consent. These slogans do the opposite."

Stadnichuk said those responsible for the campaign must answer to council and the public about how the campaign was allowed to happen.

McLeod said after she went public with her concerns she received messages from parents concerned about how they should approach talking with their children about the slogans when they lean into, if not outright embrace, sexual innuendo.

"As opposed to kind of figuring out something that we can all get behind all be proud of, that you know your seven-year-old can say," McLeod said, pointing to the slogan "the city that rhymes with fun."

"When your seven-year-old can't — shouldn't, probably — explain the slogan of your city then that's a problem, don't you think?"

She said she doesn't take issue with businesses making products with similar slogans, but that the city should be held to a higher standard — especially given  high rates of domestic violence  in the region.

When McLeod learned that the organization will keep the name Experience Regina, she was taken aback. She said the name needs to change after it was ruined with the rebranding campaign.

Experience Regina 

The rebrand marked the first significant move from Reid, also the CEO of Regina Exhibition Limited (REAL), since REAL was put in charge of the the city's tourism organization last year.

It's an attempt to capitalize off a phrase popularized by "Experience Regina",  a viral video viewed nearly 700,000 times after it was uploaded to YouTube in 2008.

The video exploded in popularity in 2018 after Jimmy Fallon played the song on  The Tonight Show .

Due to the similarity between the words Regina and vagina, the name of the song prompted laughs from Fallon's co-host, members of his band and the show's audience.

The crude joke and the comparison is something the rebrand was meant to lean into, Reid told CBC on Friday.

At the time he said the connotation around the phrase was unavoidable.

"I think that that affiliation will always be an undertone that we face," he said, urging the public to be proud of the city's name no matter what.

"For those that want to have a moment of humour with it, that's not a bad thing. Embrace it. We're not changing the name of the city of Regina anytime soon."

Marjorie Delbaere, an associate dean with the Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan, said there could be a problem with trying to capitalize on a viral song.

"I know people like to say ... all publicity is good publicity, but we strongly connect and code those negative feelings and experiences, and so even if we like what we're seeing it's very hard to distinguish it from what might have been that previous joke," said Delbaere.

Companies issue apologies

Despite the optimism on Friday, the tone from Reid and some of the companies that supported the relaunch appears to have changed, with organizations apologizing or pulling down posts that marked the rebrand.

22Fresh, a clothing company, originally advertised sweaters on Instagram with the phrase "The city that rhymes with with fun" emblazoned on the shoulder.

The post, which was a collaboration with Experience Regina, was deleted.

In a reply posted on the Experience Regina Instagram page, the organization said the hoodies are no longer available and will not be reprinted.

Last Mountain Distillery deleted a post celebrating the rebrand after some people were upset with the advertisement. It has now published an apology .

"We in no way meant for this supporting campaign to be triggering or 'gross,'" the post reads.

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Regina tourism agency apologizes for using sexualized slogans

The tourism agency Experience Regina apologized on the weekend and removed the phrases online that seemed to make light of the city's name rhyming with vagina

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REGINA — A women’s organization is asking Regina’s tourism agency for another rebrand after the city used slogans criticized for having sexual overtones.

Experience Regina, the agency responsible for tourism in Saskatchewan’s capital, apologized on the weekend and removed the phrases online that seemed to make light of the city’s name rhyming with vagina.

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The RaiseHER Community in Regina says the tourism agency needs to take further action.

“Saskatchewan has the highest rate of intimate partner violence in the country, and so to sort of lean on that as something that is perceived as funny is not OK,” the group’s co-founder Talitha McCloskey said Monday.

“The objectification of vaginas is not OK.”

Last week, Experience Regina launched a rebrand and posted on its social media accounts: “We are the city that rhymes with fun.” Its website also had “show us your Regina” written above a block of Instagram posts.

Two days later, the organization apologized and removed the phrases.

“I want to start by apologizing, on behalf of myself and our team, for the negative impact we created with elements of our recent brand launch,” Tim Reid, the agency’s CEO, said in a statement posted on social media.

“There was such positive feedback around Experience Regina; however, it was clear that we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community with some of the slogans that we used.”

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Some in Regina have said the slogans were unnecessary and took the city backward in advancing women’s rights.

McCloskey said she was “disheartened and a little bit sick” by the agency using the phrases.

She said she has a young niece and questioned how women could explain to young girls how such slogans would be perceived as funny.

“This new messaging is commodifying genitalia. And in our eyes, that is the biggest step back that we could possibly make in the kind of trenches that we’ve been fighting in,” McCloskey said.

Opposition NDP status of women critic Jennifer Bowes wrote on Twitter that the tag lines were “misogynistic,” “gross” and “juvenile.”

The “city that rhymes with fun” is an old joke, particularly by people who do not live in Regina, which often receives eye-rolls from locals.

It was printed on sweaters in partnership with a local clothing company for the recent tourism campaign, but Experience Regina has since stopped printing them and the garments are no longer available for purchase.

The clothing company declined to comment, directing questions to Experience Regina.

Mentions of Regina’s rhyming name by prominent comedians and in movies have drawn some laughs over the years. Late-night TV talk show host Jimmy Fallon had a good chuckle with it in 2018.

In the movie “Deadpool,” superhero Wade Wilson, played by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, also uses the joke saying he’s from the city.

Experience Regina, the organization formerly known as Tourism Regina, did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

In his statement, Reid thanked those who raised concerns for holding the agency accountable.

“Regardless of our intent, the impact is valid, and for that, we apologize,” he stated.

McCloskey said Experience Regina should strike a focus group of people with diverse backgrounds to pick new slogans and tag lines for the rebrand. Any changes should consider diversity and equality, she said.

“They can own that Experience Regina name but in a more positive way,” McCloskey said.

“I know that there’s hopefully a lesson learned and that people will just take accountability for their actions.”

This report from The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2023.

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Experience Regina apologizes for ‘misogynistic’ rebrand slogans

If you get Global News from Instagram or Facebook - that will be changing. Find out how you can still connect with us .

What started out as an attempt for a rebrand in Regina has backfired, with some people calling out Experience Regina’s slogans as misogynistic.

Experience Regina, the newly rebranded Tourism Regina, launched its rebrand on Friday with slogans like “Let’s make Regina sexy,” and “Show us your Regina.”

While some people found the new approach humorous, many people took to Twitter to call the rebranding sexist and misogynistic, and calling for an end to the rebrand.

“We need to know where and when you got positive feedback for this rebranding? How does any tourism authority in this day and age commodify genitalia and no one within the whole process say maybe this isn’t a good idea?” read one comment.

“Do better. This is pathetic and disgusting,” read another comment.

Tim Reid, CEO of Experience Regina, issued an apology and thanked people for holding the organization accountable.

“I want to start off by apologizing, on behalf of myself and our team, for the negative impact we created with elements of our recent brand launch,” Reid said in a statement.

“There was such positive feedback around Experience Regina; however, it was clear that we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community with some of the slogans that we used. Regardless of our intent, the impact is valid, and for that, we apologize. Thank you for using your voice, thank you for holding us accountable, and thank you for allowing us to be better.”

Thank you for using your voice, thank you for holding us accountable, and thank you for allowing us to be better. -Tim Reid, CEO of Experience Regina pic.twitter.com/VdS4NyYop3 — Experience Regina (@ExpRegina) March 19, 2023

The slogans have since been removed from the Experience Regina website.

Before the backlash and apology, Global News spoke with Reid about the rollout of the rebrand, with him noting they had been working on the project for several months.

“We spent the last six months trying to understand the role of tourism, working with our stakeholders, trying to understand how they wanted things positioned as a community, trying to understand what was done in the past,” Reid said on Saturday.

He said the tourism sector is more competitive than ever, noting every city in Canada is trying to fill their restaurants, hotels and venues right now.

Reid had summarized the launch of the Experience Regina brand as a good conversation starter.

In the initial response to the sexual innuendos that Experience Regina was using as its slogans, Reid had said that conversation has been going on around Regina for decades.

“Let’s be unapologetically Regina.”

“Let’s embrace the fact that our city is called Regina,” Reid added.

He said they were leaning into it.

“The Prairies are way sexier than most people make them believe, and we’ve seen that, and we just have to tell the story. The Prairies look pretty darn sexy when you see it filmed in Hollywood.”

He said Regina is a great city and a phenomenal place to visit.

Exact numbers weren’t given, but Reid had said the rebranding cost was in the range of $30,000, adding Experience Regina had worked with a local communications firm.

He had said city administration and staff got to see the brand before it rolled out and said they had done about two and a half months of stakeholder engagement.

Global News has reached out to the city of Regina for a response.

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Reid apologizes after online backlash against new Experience Regina branding, slogans

Tourism Regina rebranded itself to Experience Regina on March 16, 2023. (980 CJME file photo)

The city that rhymes with fun. Show us your Regina.

Some people on social media aren’t liking the new Experience Regina branding and slogans one bit.

Dr. JoLee Sasakamoose, an associate professor at the University of Regina, posted on Facebook the new branding is hypersexualized and racist after a photo of an Indigenous hoop dancer was used to promote the slogan “Make Regina Sexy Again”.

In response to all of the backlash on social media, Experience Regina CEO Tim Reid posted an apology on Facebook saying it was clear that the organization fell short of what’s expected from the community with some of the slogans that it used.

Reid told the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Monday the organization shouldn’t have allowed elements of the rebrand to become overly sexualized, adding that was where it fell short.

“People called us on it. They were very vocal and passionate about it … We recognized the negative impact that it was having. It’s why we sent out an apology,” he said. “We’re going to reposition things … all week long until we get this right.”

He added part of the launching process was to accept all the stereotypes, realities and what people say about Regina and then reposition things and come out with owning the narrative this week.

“We just never got that far. People were so emotional and rightfully so. They were offended by it. As a city-based organization, we had an obligation to be better and we weren’t,” Reid said.

At the end of the day, signing off on new campaigns before they’re released is the CEO’s responsibility.

“We have a whole bunch of people (who) work in the team and they go through it and we sign off on pieces of it. We don’t see all the components of it, but … these are my responsibilities,” he said.

“I think from my side, as a leader, as a community member and frankly as a dad … it’s important for me to get this fixed. This lands on me.”

On the other hand, there are still many people who love the new Experience Regina branding and slogans as well as the revamped Experience Regina song.

Reid said it’s too early to tell whether the entire campaign will be scrapped, adding the pieces that people found offensive are being removed right away and everything about it will be reconsidered.

“There is a strong push around Experience Regina. People did like the remake of the song and essentially taking something poking fun at us and owning it with great local artists and local celebrities,” he added.

“But it’s one of those things (where) when (someone finds themselves) seeing negativity, (they) don’t want anything that draws (them) back at those places.”

Fortunately, since a lot of it was digital and was part of a phased launch, Reid said it didn’t cost as much as one would expect.

“Because we were poking fun at ourselves in this stage, there wasn’t much investment in it. Ultimately, these things do have a time cost, which is probably the biggest,” he added. “I don’t think this is a massive cost investment. Much of the work was done using inside resources, but time is money and brand is important.”

The CEO said based on his experience with other rebranding campaigns, Experience Regina was at the perfect point to hit the brakes.

“It was a starting point,” he said.

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Tourism agency apologizes after sexualizing Canadian city’s name

When it came to rebranding itself, a Canadian tourism organization wanted to be both bold and cheeky. On Thursday, it released a music video to announce its new name: Experience Regina.

The slogan has been used as a joke about Regina, the capital city of the Canadian province Saskatchewan, after a 2008 YouTube video popularized the phrase.

The gag? Regina rhymes with vagina.

The announcement included racy new slogans promoting the city, such as “Show us your Regina” and “The city that rhymes with fun.”

“Our City has been living this brand for a while now,” Experience Regina wrote on social media with its announcement, “and we thought it was time to own it.”

But after some residents of Regina complained that the name was juvenile and insensitive toward women, the tourism organization apologized Sunday and conceded that some of its slogans had crossed a line.

“There was such positive feedback around Experience Regina; however, it was clear that we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community with some of the slogans that we used,” chief executive Tim Reid said in a statement . “Regardless of our intent, the impact is valid, and for that, we apologize.”

Please read for an update. pic.twitter.com/OQTSvHuDV4 — Experience Regina (@ExpRegina) March 21, 2023

In an interview with Regina radio station CJME on Monday, Reid said Experience Regina, which was previously named Tourism Regina, will change its advertising.

“When you find yourself seeing negativity, you don’t want anything that draws you back to those places,” Reid told CJME. “And so our team is going through that right now. … I can tell you that the pieces that people thought were offensive, we’re stripping all of that.”

In 2008, two Americans composed the original “Experience Regina” song after traveling to Canada, according to the Regina Leader-Post . After being posted on YouTube, the video gained traction over time, with a notable appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show” almost a decade later. In the years in between, multiple movies — including “Deadpool,” “Barely Lethal” and “Goon” — have made quips about Regina.

Reid told CJME that the goal was to pick a unique name for Regina’s tourism marketing agency. Hoping to joke about the city’s stereotypes, the organization gathered local musicians — including a chorus, a string quartet and a DJ — to recreate the 2008 song for its announcement.

“Our strategy was accept, you know, everything from the ‘Experience Regina’ song that we laugh at and some people hate, to all the slogans that are used,” Reid told CJME. “And then essentially come back with our manifesto … that was really about owning our story, our message and our brand.”

Regina’s mayor, Sandra Masters, supported Experience Regina’s rebranding, writing on Facebook on Friday that it “embraces who we are — fun, genuine, and bold.” In addition to Experience Regina, some local businesses included the slogans on merchandise but have since deleted social media posts and apologized .

When lifelong Regina resident Krista Keeley saw the name and slogans Friday, she thought they were an early April Fools’ joke. The 34-year-old spoke with her high school English students about the slogans, but Keeley said they didn’t find them funny.

“It’s so offensive, and it’s triggering for some people who hear that and see that and automatically, you know, feel like an object,” Keeley told The Washington Post, “or it reminds them of harassment that somebody gave them.”

Keeley said she’d rather Regina be known for its nickname, Queen City — it was named after Queen Victoria — as well as its museums, fields and friendly people.

“We’re selling our city short,” Keeley said, “and we’re so much better than this.”

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Experience Regina apologizes for tourism slogans “sexualizing” the city

• Tourism board
•   03-24-2023  7:27 am
•   Pax Global Media

Pax Global Media

The capital city of Saskatchewan is making headlines over a controversial campaign that used female anatomy humour to promote local tourism.

Experience Regina , the agency in charge of tourism in the Prairie Province   city, announced a rebrand last week, unveiling several new slogans – two of which the organization is now apologizing for.

The now-removed lines “Show us your Regina"  and " The city that rhymes with fun"  were posted on the organization’s social media to mark the rebrand. 

Its website, too, reportedly featured a page titled “show us your Regina” written above a block of Instagram posts and images.

The content sparked outrage online, leading Tim Reid , CEO of Experience Regina (formerly known as Tourism Regina), to post an apology earlier this week, just days after launching the campaign.

“I want to start by apologizing, on behalf of myself and our team, for the negative impact we created with elements of our recent brand launch,” reads a Facebook post signed by Reid. “There was such positive feedback around Experience Regina; however, it was clear that we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community with some of the slogans that we used. Regardless of our intent, the impact is valid, and for that, we apologize.”

Going too far

In an interview with CBC News , Reid took responsibility for the lewd lines, despite there being others involved — including stakeholders, agencies and focus groups.

He admitted Experience Regina “went too far."

"The city didn't appreciate it and our community didn't appreciate it and we just were wrong," Reid was quoted as saying.

Kristen McLeod , a former Tourism Regina board member and one who criticized the slogans, called the campaign disrespectful.

Speaking to CBC, she said she was shocked to see a section on the organization's website that said it wanted to make "Regina sexy."

"It's sexualizing the city when it isn't necessary," McLeod said.

CTV News reports that Regina’s Mayor  Sandra Masters , along with city council, did approve the Experience Regina rebrand, but Masters said the slogans were not part of a pitch that was presented on March 7.

She has since called the slogans “sexist” and “wrong.”

“[The slogans] hurt and impacted people and it’s just bad for the city,” she was quoted as saying at a council meeting Wednesday night. “I’ve been assured that figuring out how it happened is currently underway. I do know there’s a board of directors meeting [on Thursday] night and this topic is clearly going to take a bit of priority, as well as steps moving forward.”

Reid, meanwhile, believes the tourism agency will “spend a long time apologizing” to those that it offended.

“And I think we should,” he said. “I think we should as an organization and I think I should as a leader. We were wrong.”

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Regina tourism agency apologizes for using sexualized slogans

By Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press

Posted March 20, 2023 5:16 pm.

REGINA — A women’s organization is asking Regina’s tourism agency for another rebrand after the city used slogans criticized for having sexual overtones. 

Experience Regina, the agency responsible for tourism in Saskatchewan’s capital, apologized on the weekend and removed the phrases online that seemed to make light of the city’s name rhyming with vagina.

The RaiseHER Community in Regina says the tourism agency needs to take further action.

“Saskatchewan has the highest rate of intimate partner violence in the country, and so to sort of lean on that as something that is perceived as funny is not OK,” the group’s co-founder Talitha McCloskey said Monday.

“The objectification of vaginas is not OK.”

Last week, Experience Regina launched a rebrand and posted on its social media accounts: “We are the city that rhymes with fun.” Its website also had “show us your Regina” written above a block of Instagram posts. 

Two days later, the organization apologized and removed the phrases. 

“I want to start by apologizing, on behalf of myself and our team, for the negative impact we created with elements of our recent brand launch,” Tim Reid, the agency’s CEO, said in a statement posted on social media.

“There was such positive feedback around Experience Regina; however, it was clear that we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community with some of the slogans that we used.”

Some in Regina have said the slogans were unnecessary and took the city backward in advancing women’s rights. 

McCloskey said she was “disheartened and a little bit sick” by the agency using the phrases.

She said she has a young niece and questioned how women could explain to young girls how such slogans would be perceived as funny. 

“This new messaging is commodifying genitalia. And in our eyes, that is the biggest step back that we could possibly make in the kind of trenches that we’ve been fighting in,” McCloskey said. 

Opposition NDP status of women critic Jennifer Bowes wrote on Twitter that the tag lines were “misogynistic,” “gross” and “juvenile.” 

The “city that rhymes with fun” is an old joke, particularly by people who do not live in Regina, which often receives eye-rolls from locals.

It was printed on sweaters in partnership with a local clothing company for the recent tourism campaign, but Experience Regina has since stopped printing them and the garments are no longer available for purchase. 

The clothing company declined to comment, directing questions to Experience Regina. 

Mentions of Regina’s rhyming name by prominent comedians and in movies have drawn some laughs over the years. Late-night TV talk show host Jimmy Fallon had a good chuckle with it in 2018.

In the movie “Deadpool,” superhero Wade Wilson, played by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, also uses the joke saying he’s from the city.

Experience Regina, the organization formerly known as Tourism Regina, did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. 

In his statement, Reid thanked those who raised concerns for holding the agency accountable. 

“Regardless of our intent, the impact is valid, and for that, we apologize,” he stated.

McCloskey said Experience Regina should strike a focus group of people with diverse backgrounds to pick new slogans and tag lines for the rebrand. Any changes should consider diversity and equality, she said.

“They can own that Experience Regina name but in a more positive way,” McCloskey said.

“I know that there’s hopefully a lesson learned and that people will just take accountability for their actions.”

This report from The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2023.

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press

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Tourist board apologises for sexualising Canadian city’s name

The rebranding campaign has been described as ‘misogynistic’ and ‘juvenile’, article bookmarked.

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A Canadian tourist board has apologised for sexualising a city’s name.

In a rebranding move, the tourism agency for Regina, the capital of Western Canadian province Saskatchewan, shared a video on social media last Thursday to announce Experience Regina would be its new name.

The tourist organisation was previously known as Tourism Regina.

Lines heard within the music video include: “Show us your Regina”, clearly playing on the fact that the city name rhymes with the word “vagina”.

Another describes Regina as “the city that rhymes with fun.”

The video shows musicans playing at different tourist locations, such as the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, the Conexus Arts Centre and The Hotel Saskatchewan.

The social media post includes the caption: “Our City has been living this brand for a while now, and we thought it was time to own it.”

“No more pretending who we aren’t,” it continues, adding that by “embracing who we are, this means out with the old and in with the new!”

The video was met with anger online, and some users referred to it as “misogynistic.”

“Show us your Regina. Really. That’s the best we can do, female anatomy humour to promote our city?,” one Facebook user said.

“Juvenile and cringe-level branding,” another commented, while someone else said: “We will see how funny this is the first time a woman is assaulted and asked to ‘show us your Regina’.”

Experience Regina has since apologised for the post.

A statement from Tim Reid, CEO of Experience Regina said: “I want to start by apologizing, on behalf of myself and our team, for the negative impact we created with elements of our recent brand launch.

“There was such positive feedback around Experience Regina; however, it was clear that we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community with some of the slogans that we used.

“Regardless of our intent, the impact is valid, and for that we apologize.”

Inspiration for the Experience Regina rebrand appears to have been taken from a YouTube video with the same name that went viral in 2008 and has since been featured in the film Deadpool and on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show .

This satirical tourist board video was created by a pair of American travellers after visiting the city.

It focuses on Regina tourist spots, as well as random inclusions such as a seagull, a house, a helicopter and some geese. A man sings “experience Regina” over and over on top alongside a musical accompaniment, while a woman’s voice can also be heard talking about the city’s attractions.

The YouTube video has had over 700,000 views and one user wrote: “This advert was a perfect balance of what Regina offers. All the bells and whistles of what a bigger city offers but played in a flat key.”

The Independent has contacted Experience Regina for comment.

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Experience Regina admits aspects of tourism campaign were 'offensive or inappropriate'

Regina's city-funded tourism organization says it will be "stringent" when planning future campaigns after its latest effort prompted a backlash online.

Experience Regina tried to tap into some of the more unsavory attempts at humour involving the city's name — namely the fact it rhymes with vagina.

In a statement posted to Twitter, the organization said it has now removed "all content that is offensive or inappropriate."

The move comes after slogans such as "show us your Regina" and "the city that rhymes with fun" fell flat with many residents.

"We are committed to involving more diverse stakeholder groups in our decision-making process to ensure our messaging is always inclusive," the statement said.

The organization also pledged to ensure all aspects of its brand align with the standards of the community.

• Get the CTV News app for local breaking news alerts and top stories 

The statement was signed by Experience Regina's CEO Tim Reid along with the organization's vice president Tara Osipoff and "the Experience Regina team."

Amid the initial uproar surrounding the campaign, Reid tweeted an apology on Sunday, saying "it was clear that we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community."

Previously known as Tourism Regina, the organization rebranded last week as Experience Regina, a name inspired by a viral mock-tourism YouTube video posted in 2008.

The controversial tourism campaign was launched as part of its makeover.

The organization has not yet responded to CTV News' interview requests.

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Watch: AM hosts Melissa Chan-Green and Ryan Bridge discuss the controversial campaign for the Canadian city Regina. Credits: Photos - Experience Regina / 22Fresh / Newshub. Video - AM

A tourism agency in Canada being forced to apologise after accusations of overly sexualising a city's name had the hosts of AM in stitches on Wednesday.

The city of Regina is promoted by the Experience Regina organisation, which last week launched slogans that poked fun at the city's name including 'Show us your Regina' and 'the city that rhymes with fun'.

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The slogans were pulled after an onslaught of complaints lamented them being immature and belittling to women, with the campaign labelled "pathetic and disgusting" by several on Twitter .

City Councillor Cheryl Stadnichuk posted on Facebook stating she was "disappointed and appalled" with the "sexist messaging of the new Experience Regina".

"Do we want men harassing women in bars chanting 'show us your Regina?' There are so many serious ramifications of these slogans... as a society, we have a responsibility to teach boys and men about consent. These slogans do the opposite."

But some people see the slogans as harmless - and hilarious.

"'Show us your Regina' does have a ring to it," said AM's Ryan Bridge as the hosts discussed the failed campaign.

"I'm not offended by it," said co-host Melissa Chan-Green. "I don't have a problem with that word. It's just a piece of a woman's anatomy.

"I think that actually, it's got us talking about the city, right? Which is probably what they want. They probably want people to go there and take pictures with the signs, so I think it's kind of clever."

But Bridge pointed out: "You don't live there though. If you lived there and you heard it all the time, maybe you would get sick of the joke. And if you're a bit of a prude…"

The hosts then threw to a weather report, with Chan-Green exclaiming: "Show us ya weather!"

She and Bridge then couldn't hold back their laughter as they joked about what it might be like doing a weather report from Regina.

"I bet there's a lot of rain… it's warm and muggy in Regina today!" laughed Bridge. 

Tim Reid, CEO of Experience Regina, published an apology on Sunday (local time), days after unveiling the new brand on Thursday.

"It was clear that we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community," he said, noting the slogans "just went too far".

"The city didn't appreciate it and our community didn't appreciate it and we just were wrong," Reid said.

Despite his apology, there are still reportedly calls for his resignation over the campaign.

Regina, Saskatchewan Tourism Organization Apologizes For 'Show Us Your Regina' Slogan

Experience Regina, the tourism organization in Saskatchewan's capital city of Regina is under fire for its new campaign that centered around the slogan "Show us your Regina."

Their second slogan raised eyebrows too: "The city that rhymes with fun."

Wait... "Regina" doesn't rhyme with "fun'... Oooohhhh .

You see, there was a major overhauling of the city's tourism board. Experience Regina is the rebranded and edgier version of the Canadian city's tourism board.

The new name stemmed from a viral video that made the rounds in 2008, called "Experience Regina_.

(Apologies upfront if this pristine slice of 2008 Internet has you walking around singing "Reginaaaaaa; Experience Reginaaaaaa!" for the rest of the day.)

With new branding in place, Experience Regina had a job to do: get people to the city. Coming up with slogans was at the top of their to-do list. That's important for cities that aren't always top of mind for tourists.

They needed something to get attention. The promise of afternoon tea at the Hotel Saskatchewan or a Roughriders game isn't enough to get people to give up Disney World or Europe in favor of Regina. They wanted to show the rest of Canada as well as the world that this isn't your granddad's Regina.

Thus, "Shows us your Regina" and "The city that rhymes with fun" were born.

Those slogans quickly faced near-universal criticism.

A majestic sunset over Wascana Lake in Regina, Saskatchewan.

People Slammed The Slogans For Sexualizing Regina

People were irate that the tourism board would quote "sexualize" the city.

Kristen McLeod, a former member of the previous iteration of the tourism board, wrote a scathing letter to the city's mayor in which she said, "It's sexualizing the city when it isn't necessary."

The CBC reported that McLeod said it was the first time in 50 years that she hasn't felt welcome in Regina. She went a little overboard there, but the point is, people weren't thrilled with the slogan.

As you were probably able to guess, Experience Regina's CEO released an apology for the city's edgy new slogans.

Regina doesn't rhyme with "fun" anymore, but it does rhyme with "groveling apology."

"I want to start by apologizing, on behalf of myself and our team, for the negative impact we created with elements of our recent brand launch," Reid wrote on social media.

"It was clear that we fell short of what is expected from our amazing community with some slogans that we used."

The city's mayor is expected to talk about the slogans after the city council meeting on Wednesday.

Follow on Twitter: @Matt_Reigle

Experience Regina: City in Saskatchewan, Canada, apologises over sexualised tourism adverts

Thomas Bywater

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Experience Regina: The tourism body for the Canadian city said it 'went too far' with the slogan. Photo / Brett Mayson, Unsplash

“Show us your Regina” and “The city that rhymes with fun” are among the marketing slogans that have attracted the wrong kind of attention to a Canadian city and have led to an apology from the local tourism board.

The city of Regina, Saskatchewan, has long been the butt of blue humour in the Canadian Midwest. Last week, the tourism board was rebranded as Experience Regina seeking to exploit the unfortunate similarity to the word “vagina” and have fun with a cheeky marketing campaign.

It was originally “Tourism Regina” but changed after a spoof tourism jingle that was played on the Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show in 2018, to viral acclaim.

To announce the new brand the tourism board released a music video featuring the song and promoting the “Queen City”.

Locals were not amused.

“Show us your Regina. Really. That’s the best we can do, female anatomy humour to promote our city?” wrote one dissatisfied Saskatchewan.

Others felt that it was a sign the city’s ratepayers had been taken for a ride and had been “ripped off” by the lazy marketing.

“Our city tourism board is going to be focused on REAL events to the exclusion of everything else and the misogynistic tone is very much lacking in class. It’s not funny.”

On Monday local councillor Cheryl Stadnichuk said she was “disappointed and appalled” by the slogans being used.

“Do we want men harassing women in bars chanting ‘show us your Regina?’” she wrote on Facebook.

Kristen McLeod, a former Tourism Regina board member, told CNBC that she thought the misogynistic rebrand was a misstep, particularly given the high rates of domestic violence in the region.

This week the CEO of the newly named Experience Regina apologised to locals in an open letter saying that criticism was valid.

“We just went too far,” he told CBC on Monday.

“The city didn’t appreciate it and our community didn’t appreciate it and we just were wrong,” Tim Reid said.

The Experience Regina Song

The tourism board will keep its new name, although inappropriate slogans would be removed from future communications. Merchandise printed by clothing company 22 Fresh, featuring the words “rhymes with fun”, were removed from stores and the company said they would be recycled.

The name “Experience Regina” however is here to stay.

First appearing on a spoof 2008 youtube video by the account Tourist Board Sask, the song Experience Regina continues to put it on the map.

Nearly 15 years on, the video has generated more than 700,000 views and the controversial advertising campaign hundreds of comments from proud Saskatchewans.

The top-voted response remains:

“This advert was a perfect balance of what Regina offers. All the bells & whistles of what a bigger city offers but played in a flat key.”

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Regina city council not consulted about 'sexist' Experience Regina slogans: councillor

Marketing agency involved in campaign says 'unofficial' slogans weren't its doing.

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A Regina city councillor said she was "flabbergasted" by the slogans that accompanied a Regina's tourism organization's rebranding campaign.

Experience Regina, formerly known as Tourism Regina, announced its rebranding Thursday alongside several new tourism slogans that were lambasted by the public for their sexual innuendo and immaturity.

Tim Reid, CEO of Experience Regina, said the overall theme of the rebranding was well received, but apologizing on behalf of the organization for two slogans: "Show us your Regina" and "The city that rhymes with fun."

"I just couldn't believe that this was a campaign to promote the city," Ward 1 Coun. Cheryl Stadnichuk said in an interview with CBC's Alexander Quon.

• Experience Regina apologizes after criticism over new slogans 'sexualizing' the city

Stadnichuk said city council as a whole was not aware of, and did not approve, the slogans.

Stadnichuk pointed to sexual assault and intimate partner violence as reasons the slogans were inappropriate. She said victims of sexual assault and mothers were among those who contacted her to express offence.

Stadnichuk said promoting the inappropriate slogans "seems like a violation of any kind of decency."

"Although I'm thankful that REAL was quick to apologize for this, it is not enough."

REAL (Regina Exhibition Association Limited) is responsible for Experience Regina.

Experience Regina said it and its partners have removed all offensive and inappropriate content.

• Sask. rural, remote communities need better sexual violence education, more support: report
• Sask. has the worst intimate partner violence rate of any province. Here's what advocates say needs to happen

Holding the decision makers accountable

Brown Communications Group, an advertising agency that led the campaign, posted on Facebook about accusations that it had a role in the slogans.

"We are very proud of our work on the new logo and manifesto. However, we haven't had any involvement in the unofficial slogans," it said. "Nor were we consulted about their use."

On Monday, Kristen McLeod, a former Tourism Regina board member who was among the people who voiced opposition to the slogans, appreciated that Reid took responsibility for the campaign's misfires, but said the weight of the failures falls on the City of Regina and Mayor Sandra Masters.

A spokesperson for the mayor's office declined comment on Monday, stating Masters would speak on it after city council on Wednesday.

Stadnichuk posted to her city councillor Facebook page Monday afternoon calling for those responsible for the campaign and its messaging to answer to city council and the public.

"I want to express how incredibly disappointed and appalled I am with the sexist messaging of the new Experience Regina," she wrote. 

"Council appoints the members of the REAL board and we must demand accountability."

Stadnichuk's said the next step is gathering the six signatures from council members needed to request a special council meeting and put the wheels in motion to seek responsibility for those involved. She said she wouldn't outline what kind of accountability would be doled out before speaking with other councillors.

Stadnichuk said REAL could have consulted with council before launching the campaign, as it did before the launch of a rebrand of Economic Development Regina.

Women's rights advocate hopes action follows apology

Talitha McCloskey, the co-founder of Raise Her Community an advocacy group for women's rights, said the campaign's slogans were regressive, evoking a time when women didn't have rights and were objectified.

She said her first thought when she heard the slogans was that she must be in a fever dream.

"How is this appropriate for a municipal organization to put out in 2023, during women's history month after international women's day?" she said.

WATCH| Why this women's group calls Experience Regina's launch 'gross':

Why this women's group calls Experience Regina's launch 'gross'

Her organization sent a letter to Tim Reid and Experience Regina's leadership voicing its concerns and insisting the apology extends into action, including a stronger, more thoughtful relaunch that includes a focus group to weigh in on decisions.

Reid said in an interview with CBC Monday that focus groups and stakeholders were a part of the campaign.

A statement published Monday night on the Experience Regina Facebook page said the organization is committed to involving "diverse stakeholder groups in our decision-making process" and will better evaluate aspects of the brand.

McCloskey speculated that people who don't understand what's wrong with the slogans haven't faced discrimination.

"It seems like the city thinks that vaginas are more of a tourist destination than being something that is sacred and protected," McCloskey said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dayne Patterson is a reporter for CBC News in Saskatchewan and is based in Saskatoon. He has a master's degree in journalism with an interest in data reporting and Indigenous affairs. Reach him at [email protected].

With files from Alexander Quon and Bonnie Allen

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Show us your Regina: Canada tourism slogan under fire for ‘sexualising’ city

Updated Mar 23, 2023, 16:52 IST

Tourism Regina, which rebranded as Experience Regina last week, faced criticism for two slogans that allegedly 'sexualised' the Canadian city| Representative image: Pexels

• Experience Regina rebranded with seemingly distasteful slogans like 'Show us your Regina' and 'The city that rhymes with fun'.
• Social media users expressed outrage and questioned the approval process.
• CEO of Experience Regina issued a public apology for the negative impact.

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