Johnny Fulmer, member of the Branding Project Board, speaks with other members of the project board to design a new, youthful image for the downtown historical district.
Staff/Todd Hull
Staff/Todd Hull
Marietta Square gift shop owner Johnny Fulmer, who is helping to spearhead the effort, says downtown antique shops commonly become what they sell - things of the past.
"We're not old and dusty any longer, and it's time to move forward with new ideas," he said.
The idea for the project came from merchants like Fulmer after they were slammed last winter by not only a bad economy, but bad weather and road construction that kept shoppers away.
"Merchants were just, 'we need help, we need help, we need help,'" said Donna Krueger of dk Gallery. "I'm relatively new here. We've just been here since '08, but I think everybody comes and says, OK, where do you go for all our marketing and advertising support, and we don't have that," she said.
So with $2,000 in seed money from the Downtown Marietta Development Authority last spring, the shopkeepers united to form an eight-member non-profit board called The Branding Project to brainstorm ways to attract visitors to downtown Marietta.
Visitors to Disney World know of the Disney brand, just as soda pop drinkers know the Coca-Cola brand. The merchants said it's high time to start promoting a historic downtown Marietta brand.
"What we thought we would try to do is organize the city's advertising campaign, try to work with the Welcome Center on their advertising and maybe the museums and individual merchants, so we put out the same message, the same image, so we know exactly where we're going and how we're doing to get there," said Fulmer, who serves on the DMDA.
Krueger said they want to reach out to east and west Cobb residents before targeting metro Atlanta.
"It's almost like the campaign should be, 'I love Marietta. I just don't go there,'" Krueger said.
Bonnie Reavis of Zenith Design Group, the marketing firm the group is using, said the strategy is to make the old image of downtown Marietta a more contemporary one.
"We're trying to really promote that there's a lot of really cool, current, hip, cultural, immersive, tons of restaurants, impromptu blue grass gatherings outside of the Australian bakery, tours on pedicabs, trolleys, museums. So we're really trying to come out with a bold message of what's here and now, and that's actually the title for the campaign which we're unveiling Thursday," she said.
Board member Cassandra Buckalew, owner of the Historic Marietta Trolley Company, said the campaign is meant to complement, not supplant, the city's historic past.
"There still will be the aspect with the historical element of the city," Buckalew said. "We're not getting rid of that. That's why we put 'historic downtown' in the name of this, and that's what we do with the trolley is tell the story of this town. So that's not something I'm trying to shy away from, but we do need some new people to be in the area because there is so much here."
Reavis said the goal is to usher in people who will sustain the area long term.
"We're wanting to pull the Decatur crowd and pull some of those OTP folks up here, not only to come for a play or coffee shop or jazz celebration, but to say, 'boy, I could get this similar kind of experience, pedestrian friendly, and I could live in a loft environment, and I could spend 60 percent for what I'm spending now for my lifestyle,'" she said.
They look to roll out advertisements on billboards along I-75, place ads in tourist-related periodicals and start a website to market the downtown in the near future.
The group hopes to rely on three sources of funding. It is charging annual $100 membership fee to the 650 stakeholders, from churches to restaurants, that are located within a three-block radius of Glover Park. It plans to hold fundraisers during the year, such as a jazz celebration and displays of university student art work. The group also hopes to get funding from the city and DMDA.
Thursday's campaign rollout begins at 6 p.m. in The Brickyard behind the Historic Marietta Trolley Company on Church Street.
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What we see is a lot of rotting buildings painted with bright colors that smell bad.
You're going to have to buy a whole lot of lipstick with that two grand.
Sorry.
I, for one, tried.
"It's all here on the Square in Marietta. So why aren't you?" But until some new life and ideas come into play, that is a slogan no one will need.
I disagree with givemeliberty that there isn't a young/hip population in Marietta.
With nearby colleges growing and plenty of university grads forced back into their parents' houses in the suburbs by the failing job market, there are plenty of young and hip people looking for events, restaurants, and bars in town. There are a handful of fantastic spots on The Square. Wouldn't it be great if we could attract more?
I agree with Mad-One that the Square needs some attention, but disagree with Minty Fresh that new buildings are the solution.
I'd much rather see a building preserved or adapted for new use than demolished and replaced with anything "21st century."
the buildings are awlful and for decades the town has fought any buildings that would bring it into the 21st century. i wish it was a much more vibrant place - just not going to happen with the owners and leaders in marietta.
The Square has many great things but what it desperately needs is more (better) restaurants and night life. And I'm not talking about tired, dusty, expensive and mediocre ones (La Famiglia and Shillings I'm looking at you) or obnoxiously loud and smokey places overrun with college dropouts (Hemingways and Johnnie McCrackens). If you want to attract the hip and trendy professional crowd, you've got to give them a place to go. Go out to dinner and take a look at downtown Vinings, Decatur or Virginia Highlands. The quality and vibe just aren't the same. I wish it was.
And sadly, no amount of branding is going to change this until some new businesses (who offer something different and of good quality) move in.
Anonymous- Crystals certainly was not much of a "young people" place, if that's what you are implying. Also the great thing about the square is that there are a ton of options when it comes to places to eat and drink.
If I wanted to sell something, first thing I would do before I spent money on advertising and promotion would be to clean it up and get it ready for viewing.
Business owners and property owners need to take a good hard look at their curb appeal. Look at the whole building from every angle, not just the 30 x 10 feet of the front facade. With the exception of Glover Park, the square is a mess. Right now, dumpsters, trash cans, rotted woodwork, peeling paint, burnt out light bulbs, cracked glass make up a lot of the "Historic Marietta" brand.
In the mind of a non-Mariettan: Why should I care about "the square" when it is clear the property owners don't? If you are going to bring "new people" to the square, consider the first impression. That may be the only chance you get.