Town branding initiative moves forward in Glocester

GLOCESTER – Glocester is moving forward with a plan to promote businesses and recreation in town, as well as the town itself, with the recent approval of $22,000 to fund branding services by Ashley Peck Creative, LLC and Tuni Schartner Consulting.

“Regarding the long awaited approval of a place branding initiative for the town of Glocester, the EDC, in close partnership with the Glocester Land Trust, is ecstatic to be able to kick off this effort,”  Bernadette MacArthur, chair of the Economic Development Commission, told NRI NOW. ” We’re excited to get to work establishing a brand for our town that will promote all our town has to offer, from the business community and farms that make our town thrive to the many acres of open space that provide almost limitless means of recreation.”

What that means is creating a “brand” that identifies the town in a particular way, advertises it as such, and, hopefully, draws people to the location increasing customer traffic for local businesses. Branding involves creating a consistent and coherent image across all the touchpoints, such as websites, social media, packaging and advertising. To achieve that end the EDC asked the Town Council to set aside $25,000 to hire a branding company two years ago, utilizing funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, which they did.

But earlier this year, councilors postponed the decision to award funds after the bids came in much higher than what was allocated. Board members asked that the project go back out to bid to lower the costs to less than the $25,000 that had been set aside. The EDC did that, resulting in this’s weeks bid award.

“Regarding the long awaited approval of a place branding initiative for the town of Glocester, the EDC, in close partnership with the Glocester Land Trust, is ecstatic to be able to kick off this effort,” added MacArthur. “The Glocester Land Trust has fully supported us and has been on our side almost from the start. They have been a huge part of this.”

The project is intended to survey town citizens and local businesses, hold focus groups and ultimately develop a message/brand for Glocester, she explained. The lengthy proposal envisions research, community engagement, focus groups, surveys, data collection and analysis, development of options and a myriad of other tasks. That includes planning how to address and utilize the information going forward.

The brand will potentially be translated to media campaigns, wayfinding signage, logos, slogans and a defined character for the town of Glocester, with the intent of bringing folks in to enjoy land trust resources, visit and support local businesses, and perhaps identify Glocester as a place they could locate their own business.

“We firmly believe in the value the place branding initiative would provide to the town,” MacArthur said. “We see the allocation of funds to this project as making a small investment in an effort which will allow constituents of this town to establish and control a narrative around who Glocester is, solidify and memorialize the rural character of the town we all value and want to preserve. This will allow potential new residents, potential new visitors, potential new businesses to see our brand and easily gain a concept and understanding of not just what Glocester has to offer, but what Glocester wants to offer, and know if they are a good fit for us or not.”

The project, she added, will be in line with the town’s comprehensive plan and the EDC’s vision for local businesses, which sets out an Economic Development goal to “encourage economic development that aligns with the town’s rural character and also expands and diversifies the town’s tax base.”

“We want the project and the approach to allow constituents of the town to establish and control the narrative around who Glocester is and solidify and memorialize the rural character of our town that we all value and aim to preserve,” said MacArthur. “We anticipate that this brand will be inherently preservative for maintaining the rural character and rural economic structure of the community while promoting our businesses and open space resources and allowing our entire community to thrive.”