tim reid tourism regina

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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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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Regina hires new events complex board after failed tourism rebrand, financial woes

This article was published more than 6 months ago. Some information may no longer be current.

Regina city council has hired a new board to oversee operations at the city’s main events complex following a slew of problems, including a failed tourism rebrand.

City council voted for the new board so it can figure out the future of Regina Exhibition Association Ltd., which is responsible for the events complex.

Earlier this year, the association’s CEO, Tim Reid, apologized for a tourism rebrand that made light of the city’s name rhyming with a body part.

The organization then relinquished its tourism duties back to the city following an independent review that found a junior staffer was responsible for publishing the sexualized slogans.

The exhibition association has struggled financially and has asked the city for huge sums of money so it can stay afloat.

In light of the financial issues, city council then fired voting members of the association’s board, installing a new one that includes six city employees.

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City manager Niki Anderson told reporters the board has yet to outline its priorities, including whether it’s to review Reid’s job.

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Masters says Experience Regina slogans were ‘tone deaf,’ but still believes in campaign

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters. (Shane Clausing/980 CJME file photo)

It’s said that there’s no such thing as bad press.

But the City of Regina has received a lot of backlash from the rebrand of the tourism organization Tourism Regina to Experience Regina.

The campaign featured slogans like “Show us your Regina” and “The city that rhymes with fun,” which many have called sexist and inappropriate .

Mayor Sandra Masters admitted on Tuesday’s Gormley that the slogans were inappropriate, but she still thinks the campaign and rebrand are salvageable.

“We rewind back to last Thursday’s launch; I think so much of the brand and the campaign and the underlying vision and strategy behind it are so good,” she told Gormley guest host Taylor MacPherson.

“What went on the website — some of the slogans, per se — should have been left to the brands that would normally run with it or the T-shirt makers or whoever, not (with groups) necessarily representing the city.”

Masters said she attended a tourism brand preview at the beginning of March, and she liked what she had seen then. But she said she was not aware of any of the controversial slogans until the official launch.

“The brand that we saw when the slogans made it onto the website clearly was frankly leading into what folks have said about us for a long time,” she said.

“But for an organization that is intending to represent 245,000 people, it crossed the line for sure in terms of slogans.”

Some have called for the resignation of Experience Regina’s Tim Reid on social media.

“The CEO (of Experience Regina) reports into a board of directors,” she said. “I did reach out to the board chair; we’ve had that discussion. They’ve got a board meeting this week, I believe, where they’re going to see beyond two apologies what more happens and where this gets in terms of issues.”

Masters said city councillors can ask the board for Reid’s resignation if they want to by vote, but Experience Regina is ultimately an autonomous organization.

Masters said personally that if it were up to her, she would not have Reid fired.

“I think two slogans in an otherwise completely outstanding campaign may be a little tone deaf, but I’m not interested in completely skewering people for making mistakes because I can tell you as a mayor of a city in the country that we make mistakes,” Masters said.

Masters said this would be an opportunity to acknowledge responsibility and do proper consultation moving forward.

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Experience Regina apologizes following criticism over 'offensive' slogans

Some residents of Saskatchewan's capital city have been vocal with their disapproval of Tourism Regina's latest rebrand, prompting an apology from the organization.

Tourism Regina, now named ‘Experience Regina’ as of March 16, is seeking to own a crude joke that has followed the Queen City for many years.

The joke, of course, being that “Regina” sounds a little like “vagina.”

The phrase ‘Experience Regina’ originally stemmed from a 2008 viral hit on YouTube.

The video featured a slideshow of Regina related google image results and a synth-wave score, seemingly posing as a low-budget tourism promotion film.

The song’s only lyrics aside from some spoken dialogue? ‘Experience Regina’ for two minutes and twenty-seven seconds.

With almost 700,000 views to date, the video has kept popping up. Popularized by everything from TSN to Jimmy Fallon in the 14 years since its release.

“Our City has been living this brand for a while now, and we thought it was time to own it,” a tweet from Experience Regina read.

However, not all residents in the Queen City are entirely okay with the change, claiming that other associated slogans with the campaign such as ‘Show us your Regina’ and “The City that Rhymes with Fun” are inappropriate.

Rebranding to #experienceregina to appeal to some Regina residents' self-deprecating humour about how poorly they view their own city is definitely an odd choice for a tourism agency. Reinforcing the narrative Saskatchewan is full trashy, misogynist hicks seems counter productive

Tourism Regina rebranded itself “Experience Regina” @experiencereg with the tagline “The City That Rhymes With Fun”. Exactly what kind of tourists, businesses and residents are they hoping to attract? https://t.co/R8oMFcOD5R

I like the new updated Experience Regina. I don't like the juvenile "Show us your Regina" and "The City that Rhynes with fun". It seems beneath what we should be striving for. At the same time, it's embarrassing enough to feel even more Saskatchewan-like.

Hey, @ExpRegina . Lil’ challenge for you: Come to my daughter’s elementary school and explain, in a general assembly, why “Regina” rhymes with “fun” and how the kids can “make Regina sexy.” Have them pose for a photo to “show you their Regina” after. #seeyqr #experienceregina

Once you notice it, it's hard to imagine this made onto the internet. As Experience Regina's inaugural public engagement campaign no less. pic.twitter.com/oiDFjsjozh

However, with the criticism, came messages of support for the overall change in tactics for tourism in the Queen City.

This is well done, @ExpRegina . A fresh approach to tourism advertising that leverages a joke and showcases some of recreational and entertainment gems that makes YQR, despite everything else, a great city to visit and to live in.

It's about time. Who's ready to Experience Regina? https://t.co/f3srb2Sc1T

In a post following the announcement, Mayor Sandra Masters called the new branding “fun, genuine, and bold.”

“Its realigned vision focuses on playing where we excel, and leaning in so that we can seize every opportunity that comes our way and build a stronger tourism economy," the post read.

"I can't wait to see this new brand in action. Thank you to the Experience Regina team for your leadership, passion, and commitment to encouraging the world to experience our city.”

'WE APOLOGIZE'

In response to the criticism, Tim Reid, CEO of Experience Regina, released a statement Sunday afternoon, thanking community members for their feedback and apologizing for any negative impacts caused by some of the slogans.

"Thank you for using your voice, thank you for holding us accountable, and thank you for allowing us to be better," the statement read.

"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. -Tim Reid, CEO of Experience Regina pic.twitter.com/VdS4NyYop3

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Citizen group asks Experience Regina CEO to resign after slogan campaign backlash

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REGINA - About a dozen people rallied inside Regina City Hall on Wednesday asking for the CEO of the city’s tourism agency to resign amid ongoing backlash over sexualized slogans the organization had used.

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Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 04/04/2023 (431 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA – About a dozen people rallied inside Regina City Hall on Wednesday asking for the CEO of the city’s tourism agency to resign amid ongoing backlash over sexualized slogans the organization had used.

Bernadette Wagner, a spokesperson for the group, said CEO Tim Reid should be removed from “anything to do with the city of Regina” after the tourism agency, Experience Regina, used slogans online that made light of the city’s name rhyming with vagina.

Reid has apologized for “negative impact” the slogans have had on the city, but Wagner said the apology isn’t enough.

“Many survivors of sexual assault, including me, have been triggered and re-traumatized by this horrid campaign,” Wagner said.

“Nor am I the only one who’s absolutely tired of this, tired of the bad jokes, tired of sexual harassment, tired of responding to this misogyny, and especially when it comes from our own tourism department. It is time for the city to take action.”

Reid was not immediately available for comment, but has said he doesn’t think the controversy warrants his resignation.

Reid is also the CEO of Regina Exhibition Association Limited, known as REAL, a non-profit corporation that oversees Experience Regina and operates the city’s main event complex.

“We are following the protocols of city council and will respect their guidance and any future decisions,” said Wayne Morsky, who is chair of the board of directors for REAL. “We will provide an update when it is available.”

Earlier this month, Experience Regina rebranded and used certain phrases on its website and social media accounts, including “We are the city that rhymes with fun” and “Show us your Regina.”

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.

Various citizens and women’s organizations have described the slogans and the campaign as lazy, lewd and sexist.

It drew international attention, particularly from popular late-night talk-show hosts who poked fun at it.

Experience Regina’s website has been off-line for more than a week. It hasn’t been active on social media since March 20.

Some city councillors have said they were blindsided when they learned of the slogans and have asked for accountability.

Wagner is demanding the city launch a full inquiry.

“(The inquiry) would certainly rout out those with the bad attitudes and perhaps provide an opportunity, a starting point, for re-educating people on how to treat women,” she said.

Wagner has also asked for equal representation at the marketing table when the city creates ad campaigns and has called on Mayor Sandra Masters, councillors and staff to receive education about inclusivity, racism and sexual harassment.

Masters has said the slogans were sexist and wrong but does not think Reid should resign.

She was not able to immediately respond to protesters’ concerns Wednesday as she had to attend a city council meeting. She was expected to speak with reporters later in the day.

The mayor has said the slogans were not part of a presentation she saw in the lead-up to their launch.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2023.

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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.”