DW's Blog

Marketing “Local”

by DW Green — February 5, 2014

I took a field trip to Whole Foods last week. I was surprised at the excellent job they did promoting “local”. They presented the local theme in an authentic and believable way. It’s discouraging when a national chain expresses a local attribute so much better than their local counterpart.

“I’m A Local” signs were used in varying sizes and shapes throughout the store to identify local products and growers. They printed the number of local items available in each aisle on individual aisle markers. They had a sign in the front of the store detailing the dollar amount of local purchases. Whole Foods “Made Right Here” labels, stickers and strip signs were used to identify products produced in the store. All in all the overall local theme was very well done.

Local is a big deal and can be a competitive advantage. Generally most consumers prefer to shop local stores and purchase local products. What can you do to bring your local expertise and knowledge alive in your stores? We’d love the opportunity to assist your team in developing a meaningful and thoughtful approach to marketing local.