The 3/50 Project

An email arrived today that began with a website link and a simple sentence: “What planet does this guy live on???”

I clicked the link…and found that “a certain retail consultant” is recycling his old material, telling merchants to delay participation in consumer awareness campaigns (again singling out only The 3/50 Project by name).

Yeah. Right. Limit your store’s visibility during these days of stiff internet and big box competition. Not exactly the advice I’d give. (Ever.)

In keeping with the recycling theme, here’s my original response.

(Is it just me, or do you also get the impression someone has a sour grape caught between his teeth? Sorry, but it’s sure beginning to look that way.)

 

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6.16.11 Editor’s note: Based on the sheer volume of panicked emails from folks who kept putting this off (now “up against the clock” as a result), we’re going to leave the update link up for two more days—through the end of the day Friday. After that, though, it’s gone, since the server time is being comp’d by a local brick and mortar whose gracious welcome is something we don’t want to overstep.

Today’s Friday June 17th is the day–last chance to update your business info with The 3/50 Project! Three emails were sent to more than 15,000 businesses over the past three weeks, asking them to update their info with us before the deadline.

Not all businesses were sent update emails—only those in the left hand columns on our Supporter pages who registered before February 20, 2011. If your business appears there, and you registered before February 20th of this year, please check your spam folder…quickly…or you’ll miss out. [click here to continue…]

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Local retailers praise The 3/50 Project

by Cinda Baxter on June 8, 2011

in Media, The 3/50 Project


Thanks to the ever-fabulous Joan Schnee, owner of On Paper in Columbus, Ohio, for doing such a terrific job of spreading the word about The 3/50 Project via their local NBC affiliate, WCMH-TV. Joan’s been a rock star on my radar for several years, both as a retailer and as someone who felt so passionately about high quality recycled paper that she founded a wholesale option, Green Paper Company.

Better yet? She’s a fabulous, smart, fun, delightful person to hang with, and someone I’ve been fortunate to call “friend” since shortly after we met.

Here’s a virtual high five to Joan and neighboring business owner, Mary Ernst (Rose Bredl Flowers), for all their dedication and hard work on behalf of the Project. It’s people like them who breathe life into what we do. Fabulous!

 

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I’m going to be so relieved when this is finished.

As you know, The 3/50 Project began the process of overhauling our database a couple of months ago (although, truth be told, the lion’s share of the work didn’t begin until Nick, Justin, and Brett took the reins a couple of weeks ago). Currently, we’re in the stage that requires most of our Supporters to update the info we have on file—no small task.

This time around, as the reminder emails go out, things should flow a little considerably smoother than they did last weekend. Suffice it to say, this has been quite a learning curve, for both the software engineers in Wisconsin and me in Minneapolis.  [click here to continue…]

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Those of you who tune into The 3/50 Project’s Facebook page know I’ve been traversing Dante’s sixth ring of hell when it comes to the Supporters database overhaul. Our lovely, viral growth outpaced the original system; new perks on the horizon make the update immediately necessary.

What’s all this mean? [click here to continue…]

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Tired of hearing everyone else on Facebook talk about what a great time they had at one of The 3/50 Project sessions? Well, get your game on, folks. A whole slew of new dates was announced on Friday–even more than last year.

Yes, I actually enjoy living out of a suitcase (seriously).

Here’s the lineup, followed by instructions for being part of the fun: [click here to continue…]

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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…]

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Click the image above to access campaign materials

Remember when the “We Love You More” campaign launched prior to Valentines Day and I hinted that something about it would work year ’round? Well…here you go. Welcome to “Locals Love You More.”

As always, there are tools to play with that support the campaign—if you visit The 3/50 Project website, you’ll find two downloadable print-ready files (an 8.5 x 14 poster and a 6 x 9 postcard) suitable for desktop or professional press printing and a 500p x 825p digital version for e-newsletter use.

Facebook users will recognize the tweaked campaign name since it dovetails with the free profile pic icon made available on our FB page a few weeks ago. (See? There really is a method to the madness.)

Off to duck behind the magic velvet curtain for a while…big things ahead….

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