KINGFIELD — When Jim Cox of New York City, an internationally recognized expert on destination branding, came to Franklin County, he said he was surprised.

“There’s a lot more going on here than I realized,” Cox said Friday about his two visits to the area.

Cox listened to local representatives from education, tourism, health care and the arts at a session of Network of Networks, held Feb. 25 at Poland Springs.

He took what he heard about the area to heart, regarding the people and their hopes — hopes based on attracting family travelers, adventurous outdoor people and people interested in relocating here. Ultimately, locals hoped to improve economic conditions.

“My job is to reflect what I saw and heard,” he said, during the second of three sessions planned to develop a brand destination for the Maine High Peaks area.

Once again, participants met Friday at Poland Springs to hear what Cox had developed for a new tagline.

A third session will be held April 22 to reveal graphics for the brand, said Cynthia Orcutt, a representative of one of three networks who started the project a couple years ago.

It’s about creating a connection with people and allowing them to bond with the entity, he said.

Cox introduced a new tagline for the area: “Maine High Peaks: Discover an Elevated Sense of Living.”

“Maine High Peaks offers an inspirational and authentic experience, based on surprisingly personal and natural adventures,” he said. “This tagline will help convey what is unique and different about the Maine High Peaks.”

A focused brand identity provides the power to attract more visitors and entice them to stay longer, he said.

It can’t be one thing for everybody, but something that is universally compelling for everyone, he said.

Most important, “Stakeholders need to live the brand or it will fail,” he noted. It  needs to be authentic and articulate who you are, define who you are, he said. 

“We are very excited about having a tagline that all the businesses and organizations can use in our marketing, so we present ourselves to the world as an organized and welcoming destination,” Orcutt said in a released statement. “We are grateful that Jim was able to grasp the essence of our region and convey it in a compelling tagline.”

“A group of stakeholders in our region have worked on a process called the Franklin County Network of Networks with a goal to improve economic conditions in our area,” Alison Hagerstrom of Greater Franklin Development Corp. previously said in an email. “The Network of Networks has brought together various networks within our county to define goals, identify assets and create a website and map. The next step is to define and create our brand.”

Orcutt of Schoolhouse Gallery in Kingfield, Betty Gensel of Franklin County Community College and Hagerstrom have led the effort centering in three areas — cultural, educational and tourism factors, Hagerstrom said.

Network of Networks formed thanks to a generous donation from an individual who believes everyone working together can make life better, Orcutt said.

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