If the government was hoping for a cheap public marketing campaign about the places to see and things to do in Saskatchewan, that is exactly what they got when they established the social media driven Saskatchewanderer project.
The concept was simple, hire a young adult to travel around Saskatchewan checking out the neat places the province has to offer, while at the same time requiring the individual to use every social media avenue possible to create as much buzz about the province as possible.
Combine that with the fact the government took applications, short-listed and then followed an American Idol type of public voting procedure to select the final candidate, means that people across this entire province know who the Saskatchewanderer is and what he does.
Or do they?
The province of Saskatchewan has a population of about 1,052,050 as of 2010 according to Statistics Canada. So, let's say that about half of those are social media drivenor even a quarter of that to be fair. The Saskatchewanderer uses three different media sites that I came across. He can be found at www.saskatchewanderer.ca which has no tracking method. Those that do however include his twitter account (@skwanderer) which has 554 followers and a facebook account (www.facebook.com/skwanderer) that has 910 people that 'like' the page.
With more than a month completed on his summer job, I would say that at this point, the government hasn't quite created the 'stir' that it wanted to. That being said, I am writing about this in my column meaning that an additional 30,000 people in our distribution area, who potentially didn't know about this media-driven exercise before, will know about it now.
As for what the government has claimed to be the "best summer job ever", I would say that they have hit the target. If I was still a university student, looking for a summer job, I don't think that I could imagine a cooler job in Saskatchewan. Andrew Konoff, the winner of the vote-off, will spend his summer travelling throughout the province, taking in a number of events, activities and sights. How much better can it get for a summer job in your home province?
So far, Konoff has been to Mosaic to take in the pavilions in Regina and to Meadow Lake Provincial Park to meander through its beauty. He has been to North Battleford to see the Allen Sappy Gallery, Crooked Bush and the Fort Battleford National Historic Site. He partook in the Yorkton Film Fest kickoff and lunched at the Main Beach Bar and Grill at Katepwa Beach. A Lumsden stop meant a visit to Over The Hills Orchards and a trip near Leader meant the sights of the Great Sand Hills. Lake Diefenbaker, Douglas Provincial Park, along with culinary experiences in Birch Hill at New Ground Café and Paddock Wood Brewing Company have also been on the Saskatchewanderer's list of experiences thus far.
But one of the neatest parts of the job for the people that live in this province is that they can help guide his path. People pass on information to Koroff about the must-see places and experiences to have in this vast province. And that means that you can get him to come here. All you have to do is get on one of his three media sources and send him an invite. Tell him about the great things that south-eastern Saskatchewan has to offer and make use of what the government has promoted as being a great way to highlight Saskatchewan and all it has to offer.
