‘Grand’ vs. ‘Great’ roils North Country

Businesses and residents in the North Country are split over a new marketing campaign for Coos Country that features three “grand” hotels in its slogan and aims to promote the region as a destination point for those looking for adventure and luxury.

It’s the classic clash between those who know what the region is and those who want it to be more.

Well-known North Country resident – and former Telegraph writer – John Harrigan, of Colebrook, says the branding concept “smacks of elitism and doesn’t reflect the workaday world” of the communities north of Franconia Notch.

Our sister publication, The New Hampshire Business Review, did a recent story on the controversy.

Coos County, the state’s largest with more square miles than Hillsborough and Rockingham combined, has often struggled economically. It’s a region of the self-sufficient, with timber, recreation and tourism at the heart of commerce.

Less known than the White Mountain region to its south, it is no less lovely and just as rugged. Still, it hasn’t achieved the notoriety – for tourism and business – many would like, certainly not to the degree of the Lakes and Mountain regions.

Winter comes early to the North Country and releases its grip late. “Grand” might be a good description of its 20 feet of annual snowfall; beyond that, it’s not the adjective that comes to mind when describing the general nature of things in the communities of Lancaster, Colebrook and Berlin.

But “Grand” is what Roger Brooks, a Seattle-based consultant, came up with to pitch the region as a destination point.

“Grand Resorts, Grand Adventures,” is the theme, and each community is asked to support changing to this concept from the “Great North Woods,” currently the moniker. “Grand North” is to be the region’s name, and it will cost about $3.5 million to change signage and get rid of the old theme.

The hotels at the center of the campaign certainly meet the lofty criteria of the effort. The Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, the Mountain View Grand in Whitefield and The Balsams in Dixville Notch are treasures of the state; three regal, historic places of great charm, ambience and lavishness, all set against breathtaking backdrops.

What’s really drawing fire is the issue over the two-dozen other businesses that measure up to “Grand” or, perhaps, all the others that do not.

County Commissioner Tom Brady, owner of the famous Six Gun City in Jefferson, was originally on the list of “grand adventures” that are to be showcased in the overall campaign along with the hotels.

But his business got dropped when the group making such determinations found the facility in need of maintenance. Having just spent about $200,000 upgrading his tourist spot, Brady was not happy, and his fellow county commissioners don’t like the concept, either.

Snobby seems to be the reaction of some to the promotion.

“These sheets are cleaner than those sheets,” says Fred King, the Coos County treasurer. “It’s grossly unfair.”

But Stephen Barba, who ran The Balsams for three decades and is among the most respected voices from the North Country, points out that no marketing campaign is perfect. The former efforts fell short and a change is needed, he said.

We think those behind the new branding got it half right. “Grand Adventures” makes sense and captures the essence of the North Country without the need for showcasing any one business over another.

Winter sports, fishing, hunting, animal and bird watching, outdoor recreation and vacationing in more rustic ways are the norm for what the North Country offers visitors. Spa treatments? Mints on pillows? Wine spectaculars? Less so.

The spirit of those who make Coos County home and welcome those of us from elsewhere is an adventurous one, so why not celebrate and promote that?

Surely, that has grand appeal.