IT STARTED AS A STICKER AND ENDED AS A RALLYING CRY
THE YEAR WAS 1988 - Calgary was hosting the Olympics.
​
The Alberta Cattle Commission was in a battle with beef from the USA and Australia. They were losing.
​
This is where our client and my Creative Director asked us to come up with some ideas. Well we had tons, but these two pieces of promotion would be the most sought after and at the forefront of the charge.
​
By the time Calgary was to welcome the world, the posters and bumper stickers were everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Then the promotions started with restaurants, hotels and event centres getting on board. Media events demanded the real Cowboys. I mean real, real, cowboys who either worked on a ranch or were on the Rodeo circuit. And if they couldn't get one of the real Cowboys we made sure they got a life-size cutout of one.
​
The line, "If it ain't Alberta it ain't beef." made it's way into movies and into the minds of now very proud Albertans. And Alberta Beef jumped the Que as the meat of choice long after the Games were done.
I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to Trevor McConnell, Creative Director, and Enn Purdma, Creative Associate during this time. Both have since passed.
Without their energy and fortitude none of this would have seen the light of day.