This has to be the single best lead-in to a newspaper story ever written:
Chris Dilla figures somebody must like the posters she puts up in the bathrooms of her Bocktown Beer and Grill restaurant in Robinson, because a few have disappeared.
Rock star images? Andy Warhol prints? No. Just marketing materials from The 3/50 Project, a low-key effort to get consumers to think about where they’re spending their money.
I haven’t stopped giggling with glee since first reading it. The thing gets better every time.
To read the complete article (front page of the Business section in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), click here.
Photo: Courtesy of Rebecca Droke/Post-Gazette
Remember those halcyon days of free flowing cash? That’s when the debit card was born—branded with a major credit card logo, it allowed consumers to pay for purchases without a paper check or relying on extended credit. If the money was in their checking account, the purchase was approved. If funds were insufficient, the card declined. For retailers, accepting debit cards was safer than accepting checks, a form of payment that wouldn’t show up as a “bounce” until long after the customer had left the store with their merchandise. [click here to continue…]
What happens when you mix my creative juices with a rumbling stomach that wants to be fed? The latest promotion from The 3/50 Project. Welcome to “Eat Down the Street,” in support of independent, locally owned restaurants from coast to coast!
I say we each commit to eating at one of these fine establishments each week. Doesn’t have to be pricey or over-the-top…could do the bagel shop on the corner one week, then that pizza joint the next. Check out the Supporters pages on The 3/50 Project website to see who’s on board in your area. Be sure to look at the left hand column, since that’s where the traditional “independents” are listed.
Now….off to Open Table to make a reservation.
Wooooo-hoooooo!
(Oh. Oops. Ahem. Gotta regain professional decorum.)
It’s true. Thanks to the wonders of social media, combined with big hearts and gracious determination on the part of small business owners everywhere, The 3/50 Project Facebook page crossed over 50,000 fans today—three weeks shy of our first anniversary. Cool.
About ten days ago, The 3/50 Project hit an additional milestone [click here to continue…]
by Cinda Baxter on March 8, 2010
in Economy
From the Associated Press over the weekend:
The economy is showing renewed strength as retail sales surged last month and factory orders also increased. Such gains could lead to more hiring — if they can be sustained. Retailers said Thursday that store sales rose in February by the largest amount since November 2007. And orders to U.S. factories in January posted their sharpest rise in four months. It was another sign that manufacturing is helping drive the economic recovery. [click here to continue…]
For those of you attending the SJTA Jewelry Show in Atlanta this weekend, join me at a Lunch-n-Learn session about The 3/50 Project on Saturday. You’ll get the skinny on what’s up with the Project, as well as a whole slew of promotional ideas you can take home and use!
Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010
Time: 12:15 – 1:30 p.m.
Location: Cobb Galleria Center, Room 104
Admission: Free, open to show attendees and credentialed member of the press
Registration: Requested (click here for info)
See you there!
Was it just me, or did every independent stationer in America see this one coming?
Those of you who have been quietly asking me “What’s the deal with Swoozies?” the past week have been getting lukewarm responses and a little tap dancing, given a tidbit of confidential news I’ve been keeping under my hat. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, well…. It’s true. The Blue Tulip acquisition turned out to be the nail in the Swoozies coffin, pulling the already shaky chain under water. [click here to continue…]
I need your help. Actually, I need your ears.
It just came to my attention that radio spots are airing in northern Indiana promoting The 3/50 Project using a sharp edged approach. Apparently, someone decided to record their own spots instead of using the official PSAs offered for free on our website.
And, apparently, they’ve decided to take a hardline tack that makes us come across as harsh and judgmental.
They’ll be easy to spot, since they’re recorded in a male voice–not my own.
If you know what station is airing these, please contact me ASAP. I’ve gone to great lengths to assure that our message is one of balance, of positivity, and of forward moving change. Anything out there that comes across even the slightest bit rigid or critical hurts The 3/50 Project…
…and everyone who supports it.
