So, what is being promoted here?

It's not the start, nor the finish. But what organization are these banners talking about?

If you are in Vancouver, and frequent the area around Cambie and 49th Avenue, then you probably know. And that, I think, is the problem. Cambie and 49th is the location of Langara College. And orange is the colour that the college uses to brand itself.

But banners like this, on light poles across the street from the college are preaching to the converted. The students are already going there. They don't really need to be convinced. However, their parents and prospective employers need the convincing, or reassuring.

I've previous talked about a model of integrated marketing communications (IMC). I think that any time you are communicating via mass media with a prospective customer, new customer, or existing customer your messaging needs to accomplish a number of connected goals.

You need to move the customer along the continuum of understating and behaviour. Awareness-Attitude-Trial-Purchase-Repeat Purchase.

This sort of unidentified slogan does nothing to address the first three stages of the process. If I don't know who the message is from, I have no context for the message. For all I know it could have been a left over banner from a 10k race, or health research fundraiser.