What the World is Saying about Freeport, ME–the Brand Stewardship Challenge of a Town
On Wednesday, we “made” Blogging Stocks, an important, well-read blog that is part of the AOL/Weblogs Inc blog network. It wasn’t exactly a favorable write up. Here’s the post: Big Company, small town: L.L. Bean, Freeport, Maine.
The paragraph that stung me the most was this one:
With the tremendous success of L.L. Bean, Freeport has become a town dedicated to one thing: shopping. Shops on the town’s main street are now almost all outlet stores or lunch places for shoppers. This is part of the downside of big-time success in a small town. Where once there were hardware stores and grocery shops, now there are discount socks and polo shirts. The saddest case is probably the elegant old town library, built by Carnegie in 1906. It now houses an Abercrombie & Fitch outlet store. So if you need a book or a hammer or a gallon of milk, you might be out of luck in today’s Freeport.
As I’ve written before, our brand is whatever people perceive it to be, and while I don’t mean to fan the flames of negativity, it’s important to understand what others, particularly influential writers and bloggers, say about our town. Brutal, honest clarity about how your brand is perceived has to be the starting place for changing it.
Brands are stories. When they’re told repeatedly, they gain traction. Freeport’s story, from the perspective of the visitor/outsider, seems indelibly stuck in “L.L. Bean, outlets, lobster.” I’ve been trying to make the point on this blog that there is a richer, deeper, and much more compelling way to frame the Freeport experience. In the comment I left on the Blogging Stocks post, here’s my attempt at that pitch:
Up here in Freeport, we’re grateful for the attention, but I’m afraid you’ve mis-characterized our town. Yes, in the one block immediately surrounding L.L. Bean, a variety of national retailers have flocked here to seize on that traffic. But overall Freeport remains a one-of-a-kind national and local retail mix, set in a historic Maine village, that will never be replicated by the trendy but vapid “lifestyle center” malls.
Within the walkable Village core surrounding the Bean campus you will find: a 105 year old sandwich and ice cream market run by the same family for 5 generations; the town’s high school and early elementary school; the Bow Street Market–a locally owned and operated grocery and butcher shop; the Harraseeket Inn–a hotel with two restaurants that has been the state’s pioneer in sourcing locally-grown organic produce; at least 10 restaurants, none of which are chains, with eclectic choices well beyond lobster; and, coming soon, an Amtrak Station on the Downeaster Line that will drop passengers off in the heart of the Village. (OK, Freeport Hardware is located just outside the core village.)
All of us bristle at the idea of Abercrombie in the old library, but the reality is that building is about as practical for modern library needs as the one room school house. So the new library moved just down the road. Thanks to the Freeport Historical Society’s vigilance, and strict planning rules, all of the original buildings have been preserved, even if their tenants aren’t, well, historically relevant.
Within Freeport, there is an emerging Buy Local movement that clearly understands the 3-4X economic value of local businesses to the local economy versus the chains. More is written about this on the Future Freeport Blog and on the Local’s Guide to Freeport Maine.
And, while your point about diversity in Maine and Freeport is a fair one (but evolving too), don’t let the subtlety of that reference mislead anyone: the Onion originated “boycott” of L.L. Bean is a parody, a funny one to be sure, but a JOKE.
Look me up when you are back here next and we’d happily show you the other side of Freeport, ME.
Peter Troast
You can see the story I’m trying to tell: much more than Bean and outlets, genuine, authentic, local, historic, one-of-a-kind. I’m just one knucklehead with a point of view, so please chime in and help shape this story.
All this raises that question of who’s in charge. Companies have teams of people charged with stewarding their brands. Good ones, when their brands get attacked, have constant monitoring, clear brand platforms that guide them and rapid response programs.
When a town is a brand, and a brand is a town, who is responsible for stewardship?
Note: I know a great many local people reading this fundamentally agree with the Blogging Stocks writer. The local perspective on Freeport is another topic I’m thinking about and expect to write more on as Future Freeport evolves.
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Comments
Scott–
Thanks for the comment. Really appreciate you following Future Freeport and spreading the word.
I’ve added Brewster House to the Local’s Guide to Freeport, ME here and on Google.
Readers–please check out Brewster House. 15 reviews on Google. Average review 5 stars (that’s the max).
PT
I read your posts with great interest. I admire both your impassioned energy and your eloquent characterizations of Freeport and its depth of experience. While shopping may be the goose that lays the golden egg, Freeport has far more to offer. These other facets of Freeport can only enliven and enrich the Freeport experience for visitor and resident alike. The result is an improved economy for all. If this is, as you say, a knuckleheaded opinion, I want you to know that there are many of us knuckleheads around that share those thoughts, so you needn’t feel alone.
Much of what you say is almost an exact match to our own Freeport Merchants Association (FMA) brand positioning strategy for Freeport and our current 5 year strategic marketing plan. It’s a path we’ve been on for some time. We are constantly looking for new ways to tell the story of the “greater” Freeport. We’ve made some tremendous strides in that regard, but of course the challenge is ongoing.
In that ongoing effort to achieve some of the goals you’ve suggested, we have established active partnerships with many local organizations, including the Freeport Performing Arts Center, Freeport Players and Freeport Community Chorus, Wolfe’s Neck Farm, The Freeport Historical Society (I agree - not enough can be said about their valuable contribution to Freeport’s brand), the Freeport Creative Arts Initiative (which we helped foster along with FEDC), The Freeport Community Improvement Association, and of course your own Freeport Economic Development Corporation, the latter of which we work with on a near daily basis.
Some of the resources available through FMA to tell the in depth Freeport experience are an online calendar that shows Arts, Entertainment, General and Community events. Our “Things to Do” resource lists close to160 activities and attractions in and around Freeport. We also have Group, meeting planner, and tour resources available. All of this can be found at http://www.FreeportUSA.com Additionally; we work with PR agencies and travel writers with story requests. We will shortly introduce an entire new web section dedicated to quality Maine companies and products found in Freeport. There are a lot!
Branding is a complex process. To paraphrase George Denney, one of the visionary founders of contemporary Freeport, “the change must be evolutionary, not revolutionary.”
Care must be taken not to shoot arrows at the goose. We’d miss those golden eggs. The classic destination marketing example is Las Vegas, when they did that whole “family-friendly, bring the kids” campaign. Spent more marketing money that we’ll see in a lifetime. Results – not so good. It turns out that folks who want to have a cocktail, do some gaming and go to a show don’t want their kids with them – or other peoples for that matter. Messages that say “We’re not that – we’re this.” can be problematic.
The wiser message, which I think is the one we’re all trying to get out is, “We’re everything you expect us to be, but far more and even better!”
I wish you the best on your venture here. Please feel to use any FMA resources you think will be helpful and feel free to contact me at any time.
Sincerely,
Dick Collins, Executive Director, Freeport Merchants Association
What separates Freeport shopping from Kittery shopping? Are we just another outlet shopping desitnation on the coast of Maine or are we headed in another direction? I am a big fan of the Portland Buy Local movement, Freeport seem miles apart. Freeport seems more aligned with Kittery. What are your thoughts Peter and Dick?
All–
Many thanks for joining the discussion. Kudos to Dick Collins for being the first person from Freeport “officialdom” to chime in.
Dick’s point about the challenges of branding is right on. Being distinctive as a brand very often requires tough choices. Being all things to all potential audiences results in vanilla, which sometimes can be the right thing to do, but in the end is a lowest common denominator approach. Once Las Vegas found its way with the “what happens here stays here” campaign, they staked a clear position. I will avoid going there, but others in their target market are better served.
To Jake’s point about whether we stand out from Kittery, if Freeport is nothing more than outlet stores that happen to be located near L.L. Bean, there’s little hope of standing out. Kittery has more choices and is easier to get to. The outlet mall phenomenon has become ubiquitous. Anyone counting their gas money would be hard pressed to say a Freeport trip is worth it.
That said, Freeport legitimately offers way more. Yet I’d suspect many share the Jake view that there isn’t a clear distinction. That’s why very clear, specific and unique positioning and messaging, and the use of alternative communication channels (like blogs), is so critical.
Good discussion. Thanks.
PT
Like the author of the original article, I’ve always been particularly struck by the old town library’s transformation into an Abercrombie and Fitch. That building seems to be the harshest comment on Freeport’s transformation and status, and because it’s in the middle Main Street (right where you’d expect a town library to be), it’s especially visible to visitors and residents alike. For those who remember, it also recalls the modest neighborhoods that got bulldozed to make way for more LL Bean parking lots.
The new library might not be far away, but it’s set back in the woods and separated from Main Street behind a huge parking lot. So good luck to any casual out-of-town visitor hoping to find it on her own, and its site plan and layout send a clear message that you’re expected to drive there, instead of stopping by on your way along Main Street.
Anyhow, the general tone of the “Big Co., Small Town” blog post seems to be lamenting a compromised authenticity and lack of diversity in Freeport. And while that may not be a true reflection of the whole town, it’s certainly true of the part that most people see.
But the authentic, historic fabric of Freeport’s downtown is also a big selling point, as readers of this blog already know - we’re seeing shopping malls trying to emulate places like Freeport with new “lifestyle centers,” e.g.
So how can Freeport strengthen its brand by re-asserting its diversity and authenticity? I think that Main Street needs a major storefront presence that clearly serves the locals’ quotidian needs. A library, for instance - but you already have one of those. How about a Reny’s? Or even a Rite Aid - ANYTHING that serves Freeport’s downtown residents inexpensively would also send a valuable message to tourists that this is still a real, functioning village center, that serves real people.
When are we going to build a skatepark in Freeport?
Last night I drove downtown to pick up my son and a few of his friends who had gone to skateboard in the parking lots. They had waited until 7PM to go, after most of the stores had closed and visitors had vacated the town, so that they wouldn’t be a nuisance. When I arrived at 9 PM, I easily spotted them on Main St.- next to the two (2) police cars with blue lights flashing. The boys were receiving a lecture from the police officers on the illegality of skateboarding in Freeport.
Is this for real?! These teens are just looking to have fun on their skateboards. They are not trying to be a menace to tourists; that’s why they waited until the crowds had cleared out.
Is skateboarding really a crime in Freeport?
We have fields for soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, baseball, and football. We have basketball courts (indoor and out) and a few tennis courts. We have nice playgrounds at each of the elementary schools. What about a designated surface for the skateboarders in our town?
There are lots of reasons why a skatepark would be an excellent addition to our town but we haven’t been able to convince the Freeport business community to support the idea.
Can you help?!
A designated location near the PORT Teen Center would make sense. I think the community would support that. Parking lot ownership and insurance could be the sticky part. Have you brought this up with the Town Council yet?
I really wanted to leave this alone but I can’t help myself.
While we’re waxing nostalgic for the old library let us remember… As previously mentioned by others the old building was too small, too old, and too inhospitable for a modern library (the current library’s hours e.g being closed on Saturday - is a vestige of it’s old location, locals couldn’t get near the place). Renting out the old building and using the income to pay for a new modern facility benefited the town as a whole. There are a greater number of opportunities available to those of us that live here because of it - sorry if the folks from away have to walk a bit farther to find it.
As to the site plan IIRC the town already owned the parcel the current library sits on and its placement had more to do with the excessive ledge that inhabits most of the site than any devious design to keep people from walking to it. Additionally the library and its associated parking lots sit back from Main Street because the town only possessed a right of way to the property from Main Street, the Baptist Church and a daycare center occupy the Main Street frontage. (A quick glance at the tax maps on the town’s website will confirm this.)
FWIW Freeport did have its own version of a Reny’s in Leighton’s Five and Dime, you’d have to ask Mr. Leighton himself as to why he moved on from the intown store, but my guess would be that the change in consumer habits coupled with the proliferation of Wal-Mart’s, Lowe’s and other “super” stores had a lot to do with it.
While it’s easy to complain that “Freeport doesn’t have this” or “Freeport should have that” I think what often fails to get pointed out in these discussions is that if “xyz” was really a viable business/need/service someone would be doing it. If there truly was a need for a video rental/cobbler/dry cleaning business (all suggestions I’ve recently heard) it would be here. (Eco 101)
And as for a previous poster lamenting the lack of “even a Rite-Aid”; coupled with Michael Rainey’s inability to find a book store, BOTH are located within 100 yards of the main LLBean store. If you never leave the parking lot of LLBean you’re not going to see much. As someone who both works and lives in the downtown I find it mildly amusing and slightly dumbfounding that others cannot find such places. I can easily walk to a pharmacy, a grocery store, numerous restaurants and quick-serve food establishments, bars, a nightclub with live music, a book store, the library, a dentist, a doctor, an optometrist, a florist, the town hall, the FD/PD, etc, etc, etc.
At the end of the day Freeport is still a small town of 7500 people and therein lies both its limitations AND its charm. You see, Freeport doesn’t have to pretend to be authentic - it is, you just need to look around.
It’s getting late - Hope I didn’t come on to strong.
Phil,
Not too strong at all. You’re amazingly level headed at 2:46AM.
All this affirms what I wrote earlier about how out of kilter Freeport’s perception is in certain quarters. Nationally, regionally and even here in town, we’re confronted with perceptions that aren’t right.
It is strengthening my resolve that a Freeport Buy Local effort could have real economic impact for us, and be a great vehicle for overcoming some of these misconceptions. What? A buy local movement in a chain store town? That alone would help shatter the paradigm.
Thanks everyone for engaging in this discussion. It is why I decided to get off my you know what and launch this blog. It’s working out great.
PT
I am very interested in all of the perspectives about what Freeport is. We know we are about L.L.Bean and shopping (outlet shopping seems to be the prevailing image) but, it is true that we are so much more. If you can stand a few stats, FEDC (Freeport Economic Development Corporation) has counted about 540 businesses in town but fewer than 50 are national chains. There are, I’ll admit, a handful of national brands that are locally-owned as franchises (Hilton Garden Inn, Comfort Suites and a few others), but that leaves almost 500 that are locally-based and worthy of support, promotion, and recognition. Expanding the view of Freeport beyond the obvious is a challenge but one that has been accepted by local business organizations - FMA and the Freeport Historical Society, to name two. Destination Freeport, a year-old coalition of local lodging properties, is dedicated to bringing new visitors to stay longer and take advantage of all of the OTHER wonderful attractions and businesses that Freeport has to offer. In fact, it is the OTHER attractions that make Freeport worthy of a stay beyond 2 or 3 hours of bag-filling at the shops around Bean.
FEDC is also joining forces and combining resources with food related businesses in the mid-coast to create a cluster of food producers, manufacturers, distribution/storage businesses, retailers and restaurants which is entirely about promoting local and state products. The buying local (addressed in another area of the blog) effort is all about expanding what Freeport offers and refining and polishing Freeport’s image for both residents and visitors.
To all of you, please keep the conversation going and share you views and hopes for Freeport.
SU
Peter,
Thanks for the efforts you’re making with the blog and the website. This is the story that needs to be told - there is more - much more - to do in and around Freeport than shopping. Yes, there IS great shopping. Yes it IS the home of L.L. Bean. But as you mention, within the walkable downtown there is a lot more, and when you venture just a bit farther, you find that Freeport is a wonderful base for a visit to the entire region, with day trips galore!
That is the message we try to send to every visitor, guest and potential guest. Freeport has great shopping; Freeport has L.L. Bean; and Freeport has LOTS of other things to do either in town or within a short distance.
In addition to advocating these ideas to residents, these are also the messages that need to be presented to visitors and potential visitors, to encourage people both to visit, and to extend their stays. Those things are good for all the local businesses.