Following Hurricane Irma, Buy Local Savannah is heightening its recently-launched multi-media marketing campaign to stress the importance of shopping with local businesses as they recover from the storm.

The campaign – originally designed to encourage consumers to support locally owned and operated, independent businesses in general – now serves two purposes. It will continue to aid in the preservation of Savannah’s unique retail and dining markets, while aiming to boost traffic at the establishments most in need of patronage as they regroup from weather-related setbacks.

Now more than ever, the innovative new campaign theme and logo – urging the public to “Think Local, Buy Local, Love Local” – are imperative to the health of the area economy. The initiative is designed to raise awareness about the substantial impact that local, independent businesses have on our regional economy and to educate consumers on the negative effects that result as community-based businesses are displaced by national and global entities. 

Local business generates 70 percent more local economic activity per square feet than “big box retail.” Spending $100 at an independent business equals $68 in local economic activity, while spending $100 at a national chain or franchise results in only $48. The difference means that money spent at a local business generates 3.5 times more wealth for the local economy as a whole compared to money spent at a chain-owned business.

As part of this launch, Buy Local Savannah asked all members of the community to share their #MyLocalSAV stories, personal testimonials that describe an instance where choosing to make a local purchase made a difference in their experience. Prizes will be awarded for the best submissions and may be selected for media broadcasts and public service announcements.

Members of the organization are being asked to identify themselves by displaying the, 'Come in we're local,' window clings along with wearing Think, Buy, Love Local buttons to encourage interest from consumers. In addition, the organization is asking the community to get involved by consciously wearing the color blue each Thursday to show their support.

“As our favorite local shops, restaurants and service providers recover from Hurricane Irma, we encourage all area consumers to take to heart our new initiative, encouraging community members to support locally owned and independent businesses. Before you dine, shop or select a professional service, consider those in your own backyard first. Everyone has a choice about where to spend their dollars and through our theme of ‘Think Local, Buy Local, Love Local,’ we believe that we can make a difference by appealing to the hearts and minds of shoppers,” said Buy Local President Mickey Minick. “The mission of our organization is summed up in our campaign and simply put, we are asking consumers to think before they buy. We want shoppers to know that we can all make a difference in helping to preserve the essence of the Hostess City by choosing to buy local first.”