There is a proposal making the rounds to hire a branding consultant, at real expense, to craft a new identity for the valley: a logo, a color palette, and a slogan meant to fit on a welcome sign and a coffee mug. I have read the pitch twice, and I keep arriving at the same place, which is the 200-foot gap in the sidewalk on lower Main Street where pedestrians step into traffic every single day.
Marketing versus mending
I am not against the valley telling its story. Places do need to explain themselves, to visitors and to their own next generation. But a slogan is a promise, and a promise you cannot keep on your own main street is worse than no promise at all.
- The consultant’s fee would roughly cover the missing sidewalk twice over
- A slogan requires ongoing spending to mean anything
- Concrete, unlike branding, does not need a refresh in three years
The strongest identity a place can project is the plain evidence that it takes care of itself. A town where you can walk from the library to the diner without leaving the pavement says more than any tagline a firm could invoice us for.
By all means, tell the valley’s story. But pour the sidewalk first. Then we will have something true to put on the mug.
Related: Opinion & Columns · our column on the disputed culvert
Further reading: What makes a sidewalk
