To the Editor:

My first reaction to the county brand “Play On” was that it must be April 1. Quickly determining it was not, my second thought was, you gotta be kidding, the TDA in Jackson County didn’t really pay $50,000 to an out-of-state company to discern an appropriate trade name for our community in order to attract tourists.

Jackson County is minutes away from the most visited national park in America and on direct routes east, west, north and south. For “imagery,l;” it doesn’t get much better.

Twenty-five years ago, I was the executive director of a chamber of commerce in northwestern New Hampshire in the White Mountains. It was a four-season resort area made up of small towns on routes north (into Canada), south (to the rest of New England) and east and west.

An area that enjoys the natural attractions and allure that we do here does not need to post signs so stating. And I take serious issue with the premise put forth by Art Webb (president of BCF) that our “feeling good about it (meaning the brand) more than anything, determines success.”    

Jackson County doesn’t need a catchphrase, or a motto, and certainly not a brand, to attract visitors. What it does need to do is foster and create success stories and, in my opinion, $50,000 could have been far better spent nourishing that effort.

David L. Snell

Dillsboro