Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

"Shop Locally" is a hard sell. People are looking for ways of saving money, and the local merchants can't always compete on price (and in some cases, on service as well).

Instead, focus on the true cost of shopping locally: travel time and travel cost (gas/wear&tear) as well as the community itself.

Save Time & Hassle. Buy Local.
Is Local Business An Endangered Species? Protect It.
Life Too Busy? Shop Locally.
Meet Your Neighbors. Shop Locally.
Save Gas. Shop Locally.

The whole concept of "shop local" is usually not fully appreciated until downtown is gone.

Having said that (from experience), I think you need to keep the message positive and avoid fear tactics.

I like the idea of minimizing the cost of gas and the time involved in longer shopping trips. But the truth is, people shop where 1) they can get what they want with the selection they want and 2) they have fun. Malls often win out just because of "shoppertainment."

So...beyond the slogan...what is your Chamber and Retail Merchants Association doing to make it fun downtown? Look at your downtown through the eyes of a shopper. When I was a kid, my hometown downtown had movie theatres, lots of restaurants and all kinds of shops, plus you knew when you went downtown you'd meet all your friends.

Now--what can you do to recreate that kind of environment? Can you do themed shopping days, special promotions to draw people downtown, tie in with your local theatres and restaurants to make an evening of it? Places with a vibrant downtown--like Asheville NC--thrive on a mix of funky local shops and great restaurants that you can't get in a mall. It's a place to mix, mingle and stroll in the evening. Do you have outdoor music? Public art? Performance art? Can you draw in the local university, musicians, artists? Are you willing to have street musicians? Do you get tourists or just locals?

You don't say what your weather is, but that's also a factor. Parking (available and free) is another strike against many downtowns.

A slogan alone won't do it. But when it comes to slogans, I think you're probably stronger building a persona for the town rather than the generic "local". Take a look at the cities and towns with great downtown traffic--New Orleans, Asheville, Chicago, San Antonio, for example.

You can also run a videoblog about catching great moments downtown and doing clips with local folks, local merchants, local celebs and local leaders shopping downtown. Not preachy, just day-in-the-life. Why downtown? Let them answer. Create a website for the downtown with the clips.

Pretend you're a tourist destination. What would you do? In a sense, you've got to lure the tourists (local residents) to your attraction. You won't do it by threats or appeals to altruism. You'll do it by having a congregating place people want to go--like the bar in Cheers--"where everyone knows your name."

I may be the black sheep here, but as a proponent of eating/shopping locally, I think that the idea of shopping locally is really starting to catch on. People typically shop locally not because they want to save money or gas. They shop locally because they are into the movement. They want to:

- support small businesses (and in turn, support more ethical business practices)
- buy unique things they can't get at chain stores
- feel good about how they spend their money
- support environmental conservation by buying stuff that isn't shipped from far away

There's a huge "eating local" movement and I think this is very similar. Here are some tagline ideas. Each could end in "Shop local.":

Want one-of-a-kind?
Support your neighbors.
Shop locally for a thriving community.
Keep [town name] [adjective - like "unique" or "funky" etc.] - shop local. (Example: "Keep Vermont green. Eat local.")
Be green - shop local.

You might consider educating consumers about how money stays in your local economy with local shopping -- there are good statistics out there for eating locally (see: www.lifebeginsat30.com/elc/2006/04/10_reasons_to_e.html) ... probably something similar for shopping.