This Game Exists Because of a Conversation That Stopped Me Cold
I've lived in New Westminster for 33 years — and I've always believed in shopping local.
New West Spotlight launched in October 2024. In the first few months, I was embarrassed to discover how much of my own city I didn't know. Restaurants I'd never tried — or even heard of. Shops I'd walked past a hundred times. Events I'd missed every single year.
And I was already an advocate for shopping local. If I was missing it — how many of YOUR potential customers are missing YOU?
Then on May 30, 2025, while interviewing one of New Westminster's long-standing businesses, I realized I had missed even more than I originally thought.
That's exactly why this game exists.
Meet How Well Do You Know New West?
Every day, we post a photo of a real location somewhere around New Westminster — with our beloved community mascot, The Tin Man, placed right into the scene.
Local players — we call them detectives — race each other to be the very first to correctly identify the location in the comments. The competition is fierce and real: our fastest response on record saw the first and second correct guess come in just 37 seconds apart.
The game runs daily on Facebook and Instagram, and the results, winners, and sponsor features are published inside the New West Spotlight — New Westminster's only daily digital newsletter — keeping the community connected every single day.
We tested the concept on January 12 and officially launched on Friday February 13, 2026. In just a few months it's become one of the most talked-about local features in the city.
The Platform Behind the Game
Every Sponsorship Reaches an Audience Most Local Businesses Can Only Dream Of
"You play on Facebook and Instagram. But you don't know if you won unless you read the newsletter."
Players who discover the game on social media become newsletter subscribers — because the only way to know if you won is to open the New West Spotlight.
🗞️ New Westminster's only daily digital newsletter — publishing since October 9, 2024
📬 3,000+ local subscribers and growing daily
📊 50% open rate — consistently strong
📱 3,900+ Facebook followers
👁️ Monthly Facebook reach of up to 194,000+
🔁 22 touchpoints across two weeks
📈 ~58,150+ impressions per sponsorship
⭐ 10 Google reviews — brand new profile
Your sponsorship doesn't just reach existing subscribers — it reaches thousands of new players discovering New West Spotlight every week.
A Mascot the Community Chose Themselves
The Tin Man isn't just our mascot — he was voted in.
Over 200 votes were cast at the Queensborough Children's Festival and newsletter subscribers voted online. All the kids had to do was make a mark — some left a single tiny dot, others drew an entire picture. Every single one counted. We kept it simple: lollipops for the kids, 🍭🖊️ pens for the parents. ✅
That kind of community ownership doesn't happen by accident. It's what makes this game — and your sponsorship — something genuinely different.
This is where your sponsorship lives — inside something the community built together.
The Numbers That Make This a No-Brainer
✅ 22 touchpoints across Facebook, Instagram & the New West Spotlight newsletter
📱 7 Facebook posts + 7 Instagram posts during your sponsorship week
📧 10,500+ newsletter opens in the following week alone
🎯 ~58,150+ total impressions from a hyper-local, engaged New Westminster audience
⭐ 10 Google reviews on a brand new profile
💬 226 comments on a single post — our record
⚡ First correct guess within 37 seconds — that's how engaged these players are
~58,150+ impressions. 22 touchpoints. Two full weeks of visibility. All for a price that will surprise you.
What a Sponsorship Week Actually Looks Like
No guesswork. Here's exactly what happens from the moment your week begins:
🗓️ Thursday – Wednesday: Daily game posts live on Facebook & Instagram — your business mentioned every single day, in every post and in the text
💌 Friday: Newsletter reveals all 7 confirmed location names + announces the prize winner with your prize front and centre
⭐ Saturday morning: The 7/7 Club announced — celebrating players who guessed all 7 locations correctly
📋 The Following Week: Your business featured on the Weekly Game Dashboard in the newsletter — published every day for 7 days
Three reasons to show up. Every single week. Your sponsorship lives inside all of them.
⭐ Pro Tip: Once we notify you of your prize winner, make your own announcement on your business page! Tagging the winner creates a genuine community moment — and puts your name in front of all their friends too.
A Community That Keeps Coming Back
People don't stumble onto this game. They watch for it. They return daily. They compete. They celebrate each other.
Unlike traditional advertising, players interact directly with sponsors in the comments. Detectives notice who is providing the prize. They say thank you. They ask questions. They share their experiences.
Sponsors are warmly welcomed to join the conversation — to answer questions, engage with the community, and become a genuine part of the weekly experience.
That kind of direct, human connection between a business and its neighbours? You simply cannot buy that with a billboard or a boosted post.
🏆 The 7/7 Club — Awarded to detectives who correctly guess all 7 locations in a week
🔍 First Detective on the Scene — Recognizes the first correct guess of the day
These aren't gimmicks. They're proof that players have turned this into a genuine daily habit.
⭐ Pro Tip: Don't just sponsor the week — show up in the comments! A simple "Good luck detectives!" from your business page turns passive exposure into real community connection.
Is This the Right Fit for Your Business?
This sponsorship is a perfect fit if you:
✔️ Are a local New Westminster business that wants genuine community connection
✔️ Want real, measurable engagement — not just impressions that go nowhere
✔️ Love the idea of people talking about your brand in a fun, positive, daily setting
✔️ Believe in supporting local and being seen as a true part of the neighbourhood
✔️ Want visibility that lasts beyond a single post
If you checked any of these boxes — we should talk.
You've probably already seen him. 🦾
Scrolling through Facebook, you paused — maybe smiled — maybe wondered "what IS that?"
That's The Tin Man. New Westminster's beloved and recognizable face on social media.
And now it's your turn to make him work for your business.
Built on Community Trust — From Day One
When the game launched, the first 17 sponsorships were offered free of charge.
Not because the concept wasn't ready — but because local New Westminster businesses took a chance on something new, and that deserved to be honoured.
Our founding sponsors included restaurants, retailers, and service businesses from across New Westminster — each one helping prove that this community was ready for something like this.
That spirit of mutual support is still at the heart of every sponsorship week.
⭐ Pro Tip: Share the daily game posts on your own Facebook page! Your followers become players, and players see your business name front and centre — doubling your reach at zero extra cost.
Built on 28 Years of Professional Values
Before the newsletter. Before the game. Before The Tin Man.
There were 28 years as a Canadian Federal Government Human Resources Consultant — and three values that guided every single decision:
⚖️ Fairness — Every business featured in the daily game posts was personally photographed by the creator. Locations are organized by neighbourhood and category, with the posting schedule structured according to the population of each neighbourhood. Scheduling is handled by a Virtual Assistant, based solely on what's available. Not even the creator controls the order. Winners are selected through a publicly conducted online spinning wheel, published on YouTube after the prize is claimed. No favourites. No exceptions.
🔍 Transparency — Every sponsor is featured openly. Every draw is visible to the public. Every week is documented on the public game dashboard inside the newsletter.
🗳️ Representativeness — The game celebrates all of New Westminster — every neighbourhood, every category, every corner of this city.
These aren't marketing buzzwords. They're the same values enshrined in Canada's Public Service Employment Act — applied with the same rigour to every single week of this game.
What Our Community Is Saying
We're Now Booking July Dates
Sponsorship weeks are exclusive — one business per week.
When a week is gone, it's gone.
July spots are open now. Claim yours before another local business does.
All for just $175.
September pricing coming soon — book now to lock in the current rate
Ready to put your business in front of New Westminster's most engaged community?
⭐ Pro Tip: The best prizes are local and personal — a gift card, a free service, or something your neighbours actually want. It tells the community exactly who you are and what you offer.
About Butterfly Networking
Butterfly Networking is the heart behind How Well Do You Know New West? — created and run by a 33-year New Westminster resident and retired Canadian Federal Government Human Resources Consultant with 28 years of experience.
The game is powered by the New West Spotlight — New Westminster's only daily digital newsletter — keeping the community informed, entertained, and connected every single day of the year.
The same values that guided a 28-year career — Transparency, Representativeness, and Fairness — are built into every single week of this game.
From how locations are scheduled, to how winners are selected, to how sponsors are featured.
This isn't a side project. It's a genuine commitment to the community we call home.