The proposed logo and slogan for Ludlow’s new marketing campaign.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
LUDLOW — The Board of Selectmen got its first look at a marketing campaign designed to advertise the variety of features, entertainment and businesses available in Ludlow. The selectmen expressed positivity about the campaign but were not sold on everything John Guilfoil and Kristen Potter of John Guilfoil Public Relations presented.
A one-year contract with the firm was paid for with a grant from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission meant to mitigate the effects of the nearby MGM Springfield casino. John Guilfoil Public Relations has worked with the town on various projects for the past nine years, the marketing plan has only been in the works for a few months.
The comprehensive four-season marketing campaign is designed to highlight the town to potential visitors, homebuyers or business owners who may want to relocate. The campaign will include a marketing website separate from the municipal one. The selectmen had positive feedback on the website, which will feature the attractions, businesses, restaurants, breweries and outdoor recreation available in town.
There will also be a social media presence, videos, press releases, a logo and slogan. The slogan, as it was presented, left the selectmen less than enthusiastic.
“Get Lost in Ludlow,” was designed to evoke curiosity with its “catchy,” “tongue-in-cheek” phrasing, said Potter. While the selectmen agreed that it is not as generic as “Welcome to Ludlow” or “Explore Ludlow,” Board of Selectmen Chair Derek DeBarge said that, at first glance, the slogan looks like it reads “Get Lost, Ludlow.”
Selectman Manuel Silva agreed. “There’s nothing about the word ‘lost’ that I like,” he said, adding that there are negative connotations around losing a game or a child.
Guilfoil said the idea behind the slogan was, “You don’t have to have a set agenda. You can get lost in Ludlow. Spend your time and see what Ludlow has to offer.”
When asked, Town Administrator Marc Strange said the slogan had “grown on him,” and that it will work with the wider campaign, but noted everyone’s opinions will differ. Assistant Town Administrator and Human Resources Director Carrie Ribeiro said that it is specifically for the marketing campaign and not going on the town’s official letterhead. That said, she tossed out an alternative, “Lose yourself in Ludlow,” which Selectman James Gennette and Selectman William Rosenblum later said they liked better.
Potter said Strange and Ribeiro wanted the iconography of the clock tower at the Ludlow Mills as part of the logo. She added that it could be tweaked as the year progresses, by including fall leaves or other seasonal symbols.
DeBarge noted that an earlier iteration of the logo featured gold rays, rather than the maroon. He was glad they had changed it as it had looked too religious, he said.
For Rosenblum, who said he has designed several logos in the past, he would have liked to have seen more references to the town, such as the rays being made of jute strands, a nod to the town’s manufacturing past.
When asked if what had been presented was the final version, Guilfoil said it was the “best use of the creative muscle you’ve hired.” However, he said that considering the relationship his firm has had with the town previously, he would be willing to adjust the campaign so that the town is pleased with the outcome. He said people they had spoken to were excited about the campaign because they were “proud” of the town. “We have a town that wants to promote itself,” Guilfoil said, adding that that was the most important part.
DeBarge, Gennette and Rosenblum said they would support moving forward on the campaign and they would see how successful it is through the analytics, which Guilfoil tracks.
Mills update
DeBarge shared an update on the Ludlow Mills project. He said WYN Development is expected to complete renovation of the clock tower and Mill 8 by mid-October. Two as-yet-unnamed tenants have expressed interest in occupying the site. Tandem Bagel will also be moving its operation to the AJ Crane Building on the property. DeBarge said Westmass Area Development Corporation, which owns the property, is finishing work on the parking lot.
DeBarge passed on Westmass’s praise of Ludlow Building Commissioner BJ Church. He thanked legislators, including state Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow), for their help with the years-long project. He also thanked former state Rep. Thomas Petrolati for his “love” of Ludlow and work to make the project happen.
“Great things are coming for our community,” DeBarge said.
