‘Shop Local Novato’ Wins Accolades

Recently, the City of Novato received an Award of Merit by the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) for its ‘Shop Local Novato’ campaign. The award, recognizing excellence in local economic development programs and promotions, was presented at the 34th Annual CALED Conference in Sacramento (see photo here).

“Local businesses are the backbone of our economy and we are committed to supporting their investment in our community,” said Councilmember Pat Eklund. “Buying local means helping our local businesses, saving time and gas, protecting the environment, creating jobs, and keeping our dollars here in Novato—essential for services like public safety, street maintenance, and parks—and essential to our quality of life.”

Shop Local Novato was launched in June 2013, as one of the strategies to address a growing retail sales leakage to neighboring cities. The promotion, funded by the City, is a collaboration of the City, the Novato Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Novato Business Association, and local businesses. CALED commended the campaign for its contribution to economic development, and for the collaboration and community engagement it generated.

The program was designed and executed by Novato-based Kiosk, a marketing and advertising agency who matched the City’s approximate $100,000 investment with pro-bono time and services. The goal of the advertising campaign was to change the shopping habits of Novato residents by featuring local store and restaurant owners with the slogan “Think Local First”. This campaign was featured on street banners, posters, flyers and bus shelter advertising, and included a website, www.shoplocalnovato.com, promoting news and events, and a directory of local businesses. Additionally, a robust social media effort further increased reach by targeting residents in Novato and beyond with special offers and promotions.

“The campaign has been extended by collaboration and creativity. There are no billboards in the City, so we wrapped the largest vacant store in downtown with a giant poster—the landlord provided the space for free, a local printer contributed his materials and services at-cost and we provided design and photography services pro bono”, said Kiosk Account Executive Julien Barbe.

Business owners have reported an increase in sales and foot traffic since the launch of the campaign and correspondingly, there has been an increase in sales tax during this period, with many retail sales increasing in Novato, where county and state sales in the same retail categories have declined.

“On behalf of the City, I am very proud that the ‘Shop Local Novato’ program has received this statewide award,” said the City’s Economic Development Manager Chris Stewart. “The program has made a significant, measurable difference in motivating shoppers to ‘think local first’ and keep their tax dollars in our community.”