“Welcome to Biddeford and Saco.” It’s a nice greeting, but it is not quite strong enough to attract tourists, businesses or new residents to our two cities.

A brand or slogan for our twin cities could capture people’s imagination, and help them think about and remember the area.

A brand for a city is very similar to a brand for a restaurant chain or an automobile manufacturer. It’s a name or symbol that helps people identify a particular product or service. Just as commercial products and services have brands, cities can use them, too.

In 2005, I read the master’s thesis of a graduate student at Syracuse University, who wrote that a successful branding effort for a city must possess “characteristics that can be readily identifiable,” such as “the city’s appearance, what the city stands for, and what kind of people live in the city.”

So many cities and other units of government are putting efforts into developing the right slogans for their communities now, that there are companies that specialize in helping cities assess and develop appropriate brands. Some cities are easy to brand. Paris is known for fashion and restaurants. New York is known for theater and finance. Hollywood is known for film studios.

We need a slogan for our twin cities, because we live in a time of intense competition to attract and retain residents and employers. In addition, our region depends heavily on tourist traffic for some of the income that our present businesses and workers earn. We need to let people from outside our area learn more about us, so that they will think about visiting or living here.

Our twin cities are separated by a river, but both are suffering from the downturn in the nation’s economy. They have store vacancies on downtown streets, joblessness is a major problem, and there are housing foreclosures. Yet each of the twin cities duplicates many municipal and local services, including the use of each others’ police and fire departments in times of emergencies. Many people living in Saco and Biddeford still work and shop in their sister city.

To attract people and jobs here, Biddeford and Saco need a branding effort. Back in 2008, the chamber of commerce, local government representatives, for-profit and nonprofit groups spearheaded efforts to develop a slogan for the twin cities that would define their core values to induce tourists, visitors, potential businesses and new residents to relocate here. At that time, slogans were publicly solicited from citizens and more than 100 residents and businesses sent suggestions. Now the effort is under way again.

Biddeford and Saco have a lot going on. The cities have changed a lot since 2008. The development of The Shops at Biddeford Crossing has brought more nationally known stores and restaurants to the area. Commercial and manufacturing businesses continue to grow in the industrial parks of both cities. Some former vacant mill buildings have come alive with small business startups and new apartments these past few years. The downtown trash plant will be gone within a year or so, and the downtown is set to be revitalized commercially by private investors.

The twin city areas have excellent health and gym facilities available, houses of worship, nursing and retirement homes, local family and general practice doctors, veterinary clinics, dentists, for-charge and for-free medical clinics, an outstanding 150-bed hospital in Biddeford and a veterhealth care facility in Saco.

For nature lovers, there are hiking and biking trails, open beaches, community events like La Kermesse Franco American Festival, the annual Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl game, Saco Sidewalk Arts Festival and many downtown events in both of these grand, historic cities.

The cities have excellent elementary and secondary schools, along with fine private and public universities, and programs from nearby community colleges and universities. Post offices and public libraries are available in both towns, and the libraries host many public events.

The Amtrak train station in Saco, powered by its signature wind turbine, is a modern and welcome convenience. A public airport in Biddeford serves private planes, to and from both communities.

A successful branding slogan could help stimulate economic growth for the twin cities. The press, social media and local signage could help people realize that the twin cities are a wonderful place to live, work and retire.

Branding needs to deliver that message clearly, concisely and with proper credibility. With the right branding effort, and the cooperation of our citizens, this effort can succeed.

— Bernard Featherman is a business columnist for the Journal Tribune and former president of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce.