Local service guide
Burnaby branding and marketing strategy
To arrange branding and marketing strategy in Burnaby, hire against a written brief covering your customers, business goal, deliverables, budget and launch approvals. Compare candidates on their research approach and the materials your team will receive. For a storefront rebrand, confirm sign requirements before commissioning fabrication: the City says street-visible advertising devices may require a sign permit. [1]
Define the work before choosing a provider
Start with the business problem: customers misunderstand your offer, you want to reach a different buyer, or you need to coordinate a renamed business across its customer materials. Give candidates the evidence you have and identify the decision you want them to help you make.
For positioning, specify audience research, competitor review and a messaging framework. For visual identity, list logo files, colour and type guidance, templates and examples of use. For marketing strategy, include channel choices, spending assumptions, responsibilities and measurement. Have candidates price these parts separately so you can compare the same work.
Choose one person to consolidate feedback. Agree on a research review before creative development, approval milestones and a process for resolving disagreements between owners. Include the number of revision rounds in the written scope.
Test the audience rather than assuming a citywide market
The City describes Metrotown as Burnaby's downtown and regional city centre, with more regionally based businesses and services. It identifies Brentwood, Lougheed and Edmonds as municipal town centres. Use these roles as starting points for research: have the strategist test whether your customers come from nearby homes, workplaces or a wider service area. [2]
For business-to-business work, include purchasing roles and buying requirements in the brief. The City describes Marine Way Estates as a mix of light industrial space and corporate offices, while Discovery Place: BCIT focuses on high-tech industries. If you serve those sectors, commission relevant buyer interviews or sector research. [4]
Bring customer enquiries, sales objections, repeat-purchase patterns and examples of work you want more of. Remove personal details you do not need to share. Have the provider separate customer findings from assumptions that need testing before you approve messaging.
Compare quotes and agree on handover
Send each candidate the same brief. Compare research activities, final deliverables, meetings, revisions, implementation support and exclusions. During the interview, have the person doing the work explain a relevant project: the client's problem, the research, the recommendation and what the client received.
Agree on ownership and access in writing. Specify editable files, final exports, account administration, third-party asset licences and handover dates. Identify separate charges for translation, photography, website changes, printing, sign fabrication, advertising spend and campaign management.
Give candidates your budget ceiling and have them propose a defined scope within it. If the full project exceeds your budget, prioritise the research decisions and launch materials you need first. Price later implementation as a separate phase, with its own approval.
Confirm dependencies before committing to launch
Burnaby encourages sign applicants to contact a Sign Bylaw Technician before preparing an application package. The City warns that missing documents or required information increase application timelines. Assign the enquiry and application to a named person, and coordinate design with the sign supplier before approving fabrication. [1]
The City requires building permits for alterations or changes of use to existing commercial premises. Its process change effective July 1, 2026 means some projects need a Development Permit before a Building Permit can be submitted or issued. If your rollout includes these works, confirm that dependency with the City before agreeing on installation and opening dates. [1]
For email or text campaigns, ISED's basic CASL guidance, marked modified April 1, 2019, describes consent, sender identification and unsubscribe responsibilities. Treat it as background rather than a complete current compliance checklist. Include a review of current official requirements and relevant exceptions in the provider's scope before sending; name who will maintain consent records and process removals. [5]
Build the schedule around research access, owner feedback, translation review, supplier proofs and account handover. Keep the public launch date provisional until you confirm outstanding approvals. Agree on how the provider will price and schedule changes to scope.
City-published 2021 town-centre dwelling planning estimates
Local details that affect your job
Check street-visible signs before fabrication
Burnaby says advertising devices visible from a street and intended to attract public attention may need a sign permit, including signs on windows, awnings and building faces. Contact Planning General Inquiries at 604-294-7944 about the sign process. Include application support and supplier coordination in the quote if your rebrand changes these signs. [1]
Choose language work from customer evidence
The City reports that residents speak over 120 languages and that over half were born outside Canada; it gives no demographic reference year on this page. Examine the languages your customers use when enquiring and buying. For translated messaging, name the translator and reviewer, and specify which materials they will check before launch. [3]
Scope research for industrial and technical buyers
Marine Way Estates includes light industrial space and corporate offices, and Discovery Place: BCIT focuses on high-tech industries. If you target those customers, include research into purchasing roles, technical claims and procurement questions. Use the findings to decide which sales materials and outreach activities to commission. [4]
Match the scope to your next decision
| Your situation | Scope to commission | Question for the provider |
|---|---|---|
| Customers misunderstand your offer | Positioning research and messaging | How will you test customer understanding? |
| Your materials look inconsistent | Visual identity and usage guidance | Which editable files and templates will we receive? |
| You are changing storefront signs | Identity, City sign enquiry and supplier coordination | Who will confirm permit requirements before fabrication? |
| You target industrial or technical buyers | Buyer interviews and sector-specific messaging | How will you check purchasing needs and technical claims? |
| You plan email or text campaigns | Channel strategy and a current requirements review | Who will review consent records and relevant exceptions? |
Your hiring checklist
- Write one brief with your business problem, target customer, budget ceiling and desired outcome.
- Gather current assets, customer questions and campaign results.
- Compare separate prices for research, strategy, design and implementation.
- Name the approver and agree on revision rounds and milestones.
- Specify ownership, editable files, asset licences and account handover.
- Assign relevant sign enquiries, permit checks and language review.
- Include a current requirements review before commercial email or text campaigns.
- Choose how you will assess enquiries, qualified leads or sales after launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I commission a logo or strategy first?
Start with the decision you still need to make. If you cannot define your customer, offer or reason to choose you, commission positioning work before approving a logo. If you have settled those decisions, give the designer your messaging and specify the materials the identity must support.
How should I set a budget?
Obtain itemised quotes against the same brief. Separate strategy and design from production, advertising spend and ongoing management. Have each provider identify exclusions and propose a smaller first phase if the full scope exceeds your budget.
Does a storefront rebrand require permits?
Street-visible advertising devices may require a sign permit; Burnaby recommends contacting a Sign Bylaw Technician before preparing an application. Alterations or changes of use to commercial premises require a building permit. Since July 1, 2026, some projects require a Development Permit before submitting or obtaining a Building Permit. Confirm this dependency with the City if your rollout includes those works. [1]
Can an agency use my existing customer email list?
Have the agency review the basis for consent and your records before sending. ISED's basic guidance, modified April 1, 2019, distinguishes express consent from implied consent and describes implied consent as generally time-limited. Commission a review of current requirements and applicable exceptions, then assign responsibility for consent records, sender identification and unsubscribe handling. [5]
Sources and scope
This guide combines the sources below with practical planning guidance. Figures apply to the stated geography and period; request a written quote for your property.