This blog is supposed to be about communications and marketing strategies for businesses, but I’m going off on a bit of a tangent this morning.
However, read on to see how this could help local businesses reach an audience:
Has anyone else been watching ABC’s series Made In America? It’s on World News Tonight this week, and it’s taking a close look at just how many products that fill our homes are not made in this country. On Monday, the series visited the home of a typical American family and proceeded to conduct an in-home scavenger hunt for products made in the United States. The family was sent away for a day, and the ABC crew removed all foreign products. The family returned a day later to find a couple flower vases and a mirror or two in otherwise empty rooms.
Now ABC is on a mission to replace all those products with ones made in America. I’m DVR’ing tonight’s WNT to see what the crew is able to find made in this country. Last night, a map following the story marked places from where ABC ordered replacement products. There were quite a few markers on North Carolina, and I’ll bet we’ll see some North Carolina furniture in the home.
For years, I’ve been looking for products made in America, and I must admit I’ve been largely unsuccessful. Every time I have to get rid of a worn-out towel with a Made in the USA tag, I grimace a little, knowing that I’ll likely replace it with one from India or Pakistan. I’d certainly be willing to spend an extra buck or two per towel if I could find them made domestically, but that’s difficult to do.
I do everything I can to support local businesses, often giving them free communications advice and frequenting local establishments whenever I can. This series gave me an idea of another small way I can do that. Are you a local (Charlotte-area) business which stocks Made in America products? Whether it’s baby bibs or bicycles, dog toys or drills, let me know. If I get enough responses, I’ll post them here so perhaps we can get an idea of where to look if we want to try to buy American.
(Two final notes: 1. There are people who argue that consumer goods production declining in America is not a bad thing, and that we’re trading manufacturing bathmats and children’s toys to focus on higher-ticket items like airplanes and pharmaceuticals. However, I would argue that in an economy as large as the United States, there is room to do it all. And, I would also say it’s little consolation to unemployed textile workers in North Carolina that a bunch of mechanics are working at Boeing in Seattle. And 2. I understand that the only way Americans will buy American is if the products offered are of equal quality and comparable cost to those made overseas. I don’t want to start a debate about healthcare costs and payroll taxes; I just want to know which manufacturers are overcoming those obstacles to keep production here at home.)
