PORTLAND – The city may soon have its own catchy logo and slogan.

Mayor Michael Brennan said the city will announce within the next couple of months a branding and marketing campaign to showcase Portland.

“When you hear and see it – it represents all the good there is about the city,” Brennan said Wednesday at the Greater Portland Business Expo. “It will put Portland on the map.”

Details of the branding and marketing campaign were not disclosed.

Portland already has a nickname – the Forest City. It also has the motto “Resurgam,” Latin for “I will rise again.” The motto refers to Portland’s recovery from four devastating fires.

The city, however, has lacked a brand and a logo.

It hasn’t spent any money developing the campaign, said Nicole Clegg, spokeswoman for the city. Instead, the services have been provided “in kind” by various partners.

The parties involved in the effort include the Portland Regional Chamber, Portland’s Downtown District, the Convention + Visitors Bureau and the Creative Portland Corp., Clegg said.

The idea for a branding campaign grew out of an economic development plan for the city that was released over a year ago, calling for a “unifying brand that could be used on many levels,” Clegg said.

Portland’s campaign follows similar efforts by other cities in Maine to help tourism and economic development and boost city identity. Biddeford, Saco, the chamber of commerce and an economic development group teamed up to market the twin cities as, “Biddeford + Saco, Saco + Biddeford: No matter how you say it.”

Other branding campaigns have endured for decades. The “Virginia is for lovers” slogan originated in 1969 and the “I love New York” campaign started in 1977. 

Jessica Hall can be contacted at 791-6316 or at:

jhall@pressherald.com