The town of Yarmouth is looking to revamp its image through a rebranding campaign.
For the first time, the town will have a branding strategy with guidelines, according to Economic Development Director Scott LaFlamme.
A kiosk in Merrill Memorial Library where residents can submit suggestions for the town’s rebranding campaign. Contributed Scott LaFlamme
Blaze Partners, a Yarmouth-based business, will be heading the project, which will cost the town just under $24,000, using money that’s already been set aside for economic development.
The town has not quantified the financial return on its investment in the initiative, but “we’re confident that the collateral will help support our business development policies,” LaFlamme said.
“As we build our economic development, this is a sequential thing that we need to start doing,” LaFlamme said. “Within the Greater Portland area, there is regional competition for folks who want to invest in business development and expansion. We want to make sure we put our best curb-appeal face forward.”
LaFlamme said that includes making sure Yarmouth is easy to navigate, both in-person and online. The town will ensure everything on its website is consistent “and representative of Yarmouth” as part of the rebrand.
“A lot of towns jump to geography when they rebrand. They focus on a nature perspective,” Blaze Partners partner Kevin Kayne said. “What we have come to appreciate about Yarmouth, is it’s so much more than a town on a river. It’s all about community. A lot of people here place an emphasis on education, learning and curiosity. People want to work together to be stewards of the community. Those are some key themes we’re looking at and figuring out how that looks as a brand.”
The first step is gathering input from residents, who can submit their ideas through an online survey at research.net/r/F3X9P83, or by submitting suggestions in boxes placed at Merrill Memorial Library, Town Hall and the transfer station.
“(The boxes) have been really great resources because kids have been able to draw out their ideas and use colors, or just jot down what’s special to them,” LaFlamme said. “The hope is to get all of this robust feedback. Then Blaze will use all that content and distill it down into some common themes we can be looking at for developing the brand.”
The online survey asks five questions, including how Yarmouth would be described to someone who’s never been there and what Yarmouth has to offer that other towns do not. The online survey and boxes will tentatively be available until the first week of January. LaFlamme said the suggestion boxes will be open longer if a good number of responses are still being received by the deadline. As of Dec. 22, the town had received about 300 responses to the online survey and just under 50 in-person responses, according to LaFlamme.
The project will culminate in a marketing plan, which the advertising agency and the town will collaborate on to implement the designs and ideas. Blaze will also curate a guide for the town that shows town officials how to most effectively use the new logo, new colors and any other new elements in the community and online.
LaFlamme said Blaze and the economic development department will likely start presenting their ideas to the town council in late spring. Updates on the town’s rebrand will be posted to Yarmouth’s website and Facebook page.
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