When “buy local”/”shop local” messaging hit its stride two years ago, big boxes and national chains quickly realized their corner on marketplace visibility was being eclipsed. Cost-conscious consumers were not only thinking about the price of an item, but the impact of where they purchased it. Before long, we saw mega-retailers repackaging the “buy local” message to include themselves—they’d procure broccoli from a nearby grower, then advertise themselves as part of the “local” movement. Carry meat packaged by a company located in a nearby town, then tell consumers they were buying “local.”
Uh yeah…not so much.
Well, Chapter Two of The Repackaging of Buy Local has begun to roll out, and it’s even more troubling. [click here to continue…]
Just ran across this, thanks to a note from a retailer in Michigan. Turns out someone in Detroit realized the best way to bring customers through the doors of local, independent retailers was to haul them there by the busload.
Pretty creative, if you ask me.
Which begs the question: Would this work for The 3/50 Project? Is there a bus line somewhere that would be willing to donate the rides if someone would fill them up?
If anyone has an idea on this one, lay it on me. Sounds like a wildly creative promotion the Project would be happy to endorse, promote, and get rolling full steam ahead next December.
Returning home from my consulting trip in Alabama, I found this at the entry to baggage claim in the Minneapolis airport.
Pretty much sums up why I’m spending the week planted on my back deck. Having a few thousand wound up politicos swarm into town for a multi-day cheerfest is more than enough incentive to find anything-—anything-—to do that doesn’t require crossing my property line.
Make no mistake-—I haven’t skipped voting in an election since my eighteenth birthday; simply don’t feel the need to witness this circus act first hand. Besides, a few of us are still a bit miffed about the molasses-slow pace federal funding is taking for reconstruction of the fallen I-35 bridge. President Bush stood at the river’s edge and assured us there would be no delays…. Who knew a full year later we’d still be waiting while his party’s Big Party rolled into town?
Could be an interesting week. Especially if Governor Pawlenty gets the nod for V.P. (Edit: He didn’t get the nod, although he-—and most everyone else on the planet-—is wondering why Palin did.)
Nonetheless…won’t get me past my front yard. At least not until Friday.
