Ottawa Tourism turned its city's name into a sigh of delight: from Oh! to Ah!

Redesign Ottawa Tourism's signature and launch a national campaign that challenges misconceptions by focusing on the real strengths of the region's offering.

A signature built from the city's own pronunciation — Ottawa, from Oh! to Ah! — mapping the full range of sensations a visit delivers onto the two sounds in its name.

Six-, 15-, 30- and 60-second films by David Poulin through Nova Film, plus billboards, print, radio and digital, with generic creatives for the whole offering and dedicated assets for each of the four seasons.

The signature and campaign launched nationally for the 2024–2025 season as the most significant initiative of the Ottawa Tourism–Rethink collaboration; the source records no performance figures.

To launch its 2024–2025 tourist season, Ottawa Tourism mandated Rethink to redesign its signature and create a national advertising campaign — the most significant initiative yet from a collaboration that had already included a brand identity overhaul a few years earlier and targeted initiatives across North American markets.

The insight was positioning, not invention: travellers seek authentic experiences, and Ottawa, sometimes underestimated, has plenty to offer across a wide range of activities and sensations. 'We wanted to challenge misconceptions by focusing on the real strengths of Ottawa's touristic offering,' explained Pascal Routhier, chief of strategy and partner at Rethink. The answer is the signature 'Ottawa, from Oh! to Ah!' — the range of sensations a visit delivers, spelled by the city's own pronunciation. Assistant marketing director Courtney Merchand noted Ottawa is the only major Canadian tra

The signature came to life across 6-, 15-, 30- and 60-second videos directed by David Poulin through Nova Film, alongside billboards, print, radio and digital — generic creative for the full tourism offering plus dedicated assets for each of the four seasons.

The city was underestimated, so the campaign had to reframe perception rather than introduce a unknown destination.

Authenticity-seeking travellers respond to the destination's real character rather than borrowed fantasy.

The Oh!-to-Ah! wordplay is ownable: no other destination can pronounce it.

Season-specific assets keep one signature working all year across four different tourism products.

The best brand asset is sometimes already in the name: a signature nobody else can legally or phonetically copy beats any borrowed slogan.

The signature and national campaign launched for the 2024–2025 season across video, billboards, print, radio and digital; the source records no traffic or booking figures.