November 23, 2021

Elizabeth Harrington
Director of Communications & Engagement
Bruce Trail Conservancy
55 Head St., Unit 101
Dundas, ON, L9H 3H8

Dear Ms. Harrington

I hope this finds you well. The following document is a communications plan for the implementation of

new integrated signage for the Bruce Trail Conservancy. I have attached all elements for your

consideration.

In addition to proposing updates to the blazes system, the plan suggests introducing more technological

integration opportunities for communicating to trail-goers. These considerations were made with the

intent to reduce the damaging environmental degradation threatened by increased foot traffic on trails and

off-trail hiking. The environment is a central factor in guaranteeing the success of the Bruce Trail and

strengthening ties with key stakeholders. Each proposed strategy and tactic of the plan was informed by

previous studies to make deliberation choices for linguistic, visual, and interpretive elements.

I will follow up with you in the upcoming weeks to answer any inquiries or adjustments and to keep you

informed about the further implications of activating this plan. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Klara Butty
Communications B.A, Brock University
Public Relations G.C, Mohawk College
Kb18gc@brocku.ca
 1

ITS A SIGN: SIGNAGE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

Prepared by:
Klara Butty
648 5346
November 23, 2021

Table of Contents
Executive Summary .............................................................................. 3
Situational Analysis and SWOT analysis ............................................. 3
 2

Communication Objectives .................................................................. 4

Key Messages ....................................................................................... 4
Strategies .............................................................................................. 4
Tactics .................................................................................................. 4
Strategy 1
Tactic a ...................................................................................... 4
Tactic b ...................................................................................... 5
Strategy 2
Tactic a ...................................................................................... 5
Tactic b ...................................................................................... 5
Strategy 3
Tactic a ...................................................................................... 6
Tactic b ...................................................................................... 6
Budget…................................................................................................ 6
Appendix A: Sample Maps for QR codes ............................................ 8
Appendix B: Sample Influencers........................................................... 8
References….......................................................................................... 9

Executive Summary
Building a foundational stream of communication between the Bruce Trail Conservancy and its
stakeholders on the trail is key to preserving the ecotourism environment facing environmental
degradation. With the uptake of hiking, comes increased traffic on the Bruce Trail and the need to
 3

communicate with hikers of all experience and commitment levels. Traditionally the Bruce Trail has
relied on its recognizable white and blue blazes to communicate about keeping on the trail, however, this
plan proposes new integrated communication techniques to make the signage more persuasive,
interactive, and inclusive. The communication objectives plan to educate trail-goers about not going off-
trail and inform all members of on-trail stakeholders of the rules expected of the Bruce Trail. This means
incorporating strategies focusing on creating new language and visual-based signage, integrating
technology for future interaction on the trail, and new sign educational programs looking to occur in the
upcoming year.

Situational Analysis
Who: Bruce Trail Conservancy
What: Dissuade trail-goers from going off-trail
Where: On the 890 Km of Bruce Trail conservated land and trails from the Niagara Escarpment to
Tobermory, Ontario.
When: Completed by January 2023
Why: Increased foot traffic on the Bruce Trail increases the need to regulate the amount of off-trail
recreation from stakeholders. Off-trail adventuring leads to trail widening that causes further
environmental degradation in the environment by compacting the soil, damaging vegetation, and harming
the prosperity in the diversity in the ecosystem along the trail (Cole, (2004) p.47).
How: Creating new signage, that effectively and persuasively dissuades trail-goers from going off-trail,
with integrated elements that persuade, educate, and communicate to all Bruce Trail stakeholders on the
trails.

Swot Analysis

Strengths
 Bruce Trail Conservancy has a long
history of positive trail treatment and
ingrained expectations from hikers and
landowners
 Bruce Trail Conservancy has an
integrated network of volunteers and
clubs that promote proper trail etiquette
 Bruce Trail has a preestablished symbolic
Prompt system in the form of White and
Blue Blazes that encourage staying on the
trail and guides trail goers
 Bruce Trail has attempted to digitalize the
hiking experience with the Bruce Trail
app development
Opportunities
 Opportunities for future technological
integration within signage including QR
codes, or augmented reality for a more
Weakness
 Communication of etiquette, and
regulations are mainly done over the main
Bruce Trail Website and can leave out a
large part of the ‘casual hiker’ audience
that might not be actively searched for
information
 Due to the subscription-based model, the
app might not reach all trail-goers,
therefore being a gap in the
communication
 If not informed, trail-goers might
overlook or be confused by the non-
descriptive blazes and wander off-trail
Threats
 Other trail-related apps that provide a
similar experience mapping experience
like Alltrails, MapMyHike, or Strava
 4

interactive trial experience  Trail-goers lack Wi-Fi on the trail and the
 Opportunities to communicate with all inclination to unplug from the digital
stakeholders on the trail world
 Opportunities to encourage more hikers’
agency with signs promoting cleaning up
the environment or the ‘leave no trace
mentality

Communication Objectives

1. Educate audiences within the signage about the environmental risks of going off-trail to dissuade
the number of hikers leaving the trail for January 2023

2. Inform most of the on-trail stakeholders, no matter the experience level, of the Bruce Trail of the
potential environmental risks of off-trail hiking through various methods of communication
points for January 2023.

Key Messages

The Bruce Trail Conservancy communicates standards, and regulations to all trail-goers through an
inclusive, and diverse range of signage techniques.

The Bruce Trail Conservancy discourages Trail goers from going off-trail due to the increasingly
important environmental concerns

Strategies

1) Create a variety of persuasive on trail communication signage

2) Integrate inclusive technology into trail signage
3) Provide a variety of programs that encourage learning the new signs and keeping on the trail

Tactics

1) Create a variety of persuasive on-trail communication signage

Tactic A: Include on trail signs with injunctive-proscriptive language about going off-trail

Research outlines that using injunctive-proscriptive language benefits in persuading hikers to

stay off-trail in conjunction with other signage techniques (Winter, 2006). This means pairing language-
 5

based signage, with symbolic prompts, like the blazes, is a good way to enforce the rules about not going
off-trail. Integrating language-based signs will be placed at trail entrances from road access. To
incorporate the injunctive-proscriptive language, the signs will read, “Please do not go off-trail.” The
signs will remain simple and easy to follow, with black letters, a white backdrop, and featuring the Bruce
Trail Logo in the bottom right-hand corner.

Tactic B: Use pictures as visual indicators of environmental degradation on signage

Throughout scenic spots of the trail, there will be images of the environment throughout time. These
pictures aim to lead the trail-goers to see the environmental progression of that element due to human or
natural causes. These scenic spots could include the edge of the ravine, a waterfall, or a large tree. Each
picture will notability show the change and effect time has had on that location. For example, it could
show how the land eroded, the vegetation has changed, or the landscape has collapsed. This intends to get
the hiker to interpret their involvement in changing that landscape, while also providing some historical
context. Putting the aesthetic scenery into question might put into perspective the importance of keeping
people on the trail and allow people to interpret their own intrinsic–extrinsic relationship to the trail
(Chhetri, et al. 2004). The intention is to differ people from disturbing that picture, or landscape by going
off-trail.

2) Integrate inclusive technology into trail signage

Tactic A: Providing QR codes on trail signs to show the hiking trail and support services

Including QR codes, which are labels that can be read by phones, create an interactive dimension
to the hiking signage. The intent for the QR codes is to be paired underneath the blazes on the trail. The
QR codes are accessible to anyone with a device and do not rely on app technology. The intent is the QR
codes to open a map showing the hikers' location on the trail concerning other environmental landmarks
(See Appendix A). This guarantees that anyone can plan their route accordingly, rather than needing to go
off-trail. The maps guide in the right direction and remind the viewer of where to go, and where they are
headed. This further constructs the barriers constructed on the trail and leads lessen the need to wander
therefore strengthening the benefit of prompter markers like maps.

Tactic B: Incorporating Augmented reality to educate audiences

Augmented reality could be a useful tool to communicate the educational and aesthetic value of on-
trail locations to develop a trail-goers interpretation of rules and regulations, Augmented reality is when
data is seemly integrated into the visual world via a virtual reality platform (Porter, & Heppelmann,
2017). Virtual reality can see a graphic, image, or picture come to life by placing the phone on the data.
 6

This is intended to be enacted through a free Bruce Trail signage app, funded by advertising on the app
brands like Keen, Buff, Nature Valley, or other hiking-related brands, to showcase elements in augmented
reality through images on the signs. Hikers can enable this by opening the app and placing the camera the
image or icon to reveal a moving figure on their phone that provides information on environmental
degradation over time, historical facts, or wildlife. Providing hikers with a visual representation of
aesthetic and educational elements can add to the aesthetic interpretation of the trail, without leading
hikers to feel the need to get closer to get a better view, for things like photos, off-trail,

3) Provide a variety of programs that encourage learning the new signs and keeping on the trail

Tactic A: Trail Sign Scavenger Hunts

Informing people of the added value of the signs can be challenging. To get the word out to the
wide audience, hosting informational scavenger hunts with prizes would help bring the new tech into the
mainstream Bruce Trail Communication. Hosting these challenges over sections of the trail would be
beneficial to get people on the trail and have them interact with the new signage. Scavenger hunts can be
done in different sections, whether the Niagara, Peninsula, or Iroquoian trail, wherein a month people are
tasked to take pictures or answer questions provided from the new signage. These questions are based on
the information provided in the QR codes, augmented reality, or written signage. Examples could include
the name of a waterfall, the type of tree, or the diversity of vegetation in that specific area. This will not
only get people looking for new interactive signage but encourage them to stay on the trail to win the
hunt.

Tactics B: Sponsoring hiker and tourism influencers

Sponsoring Canadian hiker influencers would be a key factor to educating the vast hiking
audience on the new signage system and regulations about going off-trail. The ideal influencer would be a
young, nongender-specific, Canadian, with outdoors and hiking-oriented content. Influencers like Elena
Pressprich (@findmeoutside) and Callum Snape, (@calsnape) are both Canadian photographers and
outdoors accounts that would be viable options in approaching to sponsor a post for education about the
signage, (See Appendix B ). Benefits of influencer content include reaching the existent audience,
reaching a new audience, educating about the new signage technology, and modeling proper hiking
etiquette.

Budget:

The budget was allocated according to how many signs were needed to be printed. For the
language signs saying, “Please do not go off-trail,”, there will be one at every entrance to the Bruce Trail
 7

from the side road which, according to the Bruce trail website is approximately 300 access points (Know
before you go. The Bruce Trail Conservancy, n.d). Also added was the need for the image signage, being
approximately 1 per 5 km, which is 178. Altogether, that makes 478 total signs need to be printed and
posted. Like the Blazes, the QR codes are going to be painted below blazes so they will not require new
physical signage. The virtual reality icons are going to be incorporated in the design of the image signage
and therefore will not need added material.

Cost of Signage Materials Estimate

Printing Signage and materials Printing and material estimate for single side 18’’ by 24’’
corrugated plastic signs. Signs are full color and include stakes.

Estimate is 500 for $2,895

Wood posts to display signage
(M & B Graphics., 2020)
According to Austech Custom fencing, the estimated cost of
3.25” diameter by 6” wooded posts in bundles of 144 is 4.50.
The reach the 478 needed for the new signage, which requires 3,
bundles.

$4.50 by 3 = $13.50
144 by 3 = 576 posts

Labor for installations for signage
Emergency fund
(Dwight, 2021)
No cost, anticipated volunteer, and trail maintenance labor from
the Bruce Trail Volunteers
Recommend allocating part of the budget for an emergency. In
case any elements fall through, or there is an uptick in pricing.

$1,000
Total Signage cost: 3,922

Other cost considerations to allocate for:

 Sponsorship of influencers
 Prizes for scavenger hunts
 Mailing list of scavenger hunt items
 Cost of creating QR codes
 Cost of creating graphics for augmented reality
 Cost of coding Augmented reality application

Appendices
Appendix A:
 8

Maps. The Bruce Trail Conservancy. (n.d.).

Appendix B:
(Pressprich, 2021) (Snape, 2021)

References
 9

Chhetri, P., Arrowsmith, C., & Jackson, M. (2004). Determining hiking experiences in nature-based

tourist destinations. Tourism Management, 25(1), 31-43.

tourist destinations. Tourism Management, 25(1), 31-43.

Cole, D. N. (2004). Impacts of hiking and camping on soils and vegetation: a review. Environmental

impacts of ecotourism, 41, 60.

Dwight. (2021). Bulk sales. My CMS – Austech Custom Fencing. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from

http://wefence.ca/wordpress/?page_id=16.

Know before you go. The Bruce Trail Conservancy. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2021, from

https://brucetrail.org/pages/explore-the-trail/know-before-you-go/parking-transportation-options.

Maps. The Bruce Trail Conservancy. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2021, from

https://brucetrail.org/pages/explore-the-trail/maps.

M & B Graphics . (2020). 2020 price guide - print your file. www.printyourfile.com. Retrieved

November 23, 2021, from http://printyourfile.com/images/pdfs/price%20guide%20email.pdf.

Porter, M. E., & Heppelmann, J. E. (2017). Why every organization needs an augmented reality strategy.

Harvard Business Review. Retrieved November 23, 2021, from https://hbr.org/2017/11/why-

every-organization-needs-an-augmented-reality-strategy.

Pressprich, E. [@findmeoutside]. (2021, November 23). Retrieved from

https://www.instagram.com/findmeoutside/

Snape, C. [@calsnape]. (2021, November 23). Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/calsnape/

Winter, P. L. (2006). The Impact of Normative Types on Off-Trail Hiking. Journal of Interpretation

Research, 11(1), 35—52. https://doi.org/10.1177/109258720601100103

10