Last week I was in Calgary and saw a small storefront called the Telus World of Science. Im interested in science education, and curious to know more about what looked like an interesting program, I knocked on the door to find out more. I was told that this was an administrative office for fundraising and public relations for the Telus World of Science, formerly known as the Calgary Science Centre.
Further investigation revealed that the Telus World of Science is in fact a registered charitable organization as is the Telus World of Science in Edmonton, and the Telus World of Science in Vancouver. It seems that the Ontario Science Centre hasnt joined the banner that the company has created to brand Canadian science centres. (At the Ontario Science Centre, Telus is recognized as the lead sponsor of the Centres school programs.) Ill take this opportunity to re-phrase the 2 questions that I asked in my October 4th post about branded event sponsorships: For Corporations: Does our ownership of this venue reflect an authentic commitment to an issue or cause that is core to who we are, what we value, and how we are seen by our internal and external stakeholders? For Non-Profits: Will corporate ownership of our organization jeopardize our credibility as an organization in the mind of our stakeholders? In the case of the Telus World of Science (Centres), Id say the answer to the first question is no and the answer to the second is yes. I welcome the thoughts and comments of readers.
Blogs & Comment
Branding Canada’s Science Centres
By CB Staff
Last week I was in Calgary and saw a small storefront called the Telus World of Science. Im interested in science education, and curious to know more about what looked like an interesting program, I knocked on the door to find out more. I was told that this was an administrative office for fundraising and public relations for the Telus World of Science, formerly known as the Calgary Science Centre.
Further investigation revealed that the Telus World of Science is in fact a registered charitable organization as is the Telus World of Science in Edmonton, and the Telus World of Science in Vancouver. It seems that the Ontario Science Centre hasnt joined the banner that the company has created to brand Canadian science centres. (At the Ontario Science Centre, Telus is recognized as the lead sponsor of the Centres school programs.) Ill take this opportunity to re-phrase the 2 questions that I asked in my October 4th post about branded event sponsorships: For Corporations: Does our ownership of this venue reflect an authentic commitment to an issue or cause that is core to who we are, what we value, and how we are seen by our internal and external stakeholders? For Non-Profits: Will corporate ownership of our organization jeopardize our credibility as an organization in the mind of our stakeholders? In the case of the Telus World of Science (Centres), Id say the answer to the first question is no and the answer to the second is yes. I welcome the thoughts and comments of readers.