WHAT WAS ONCE AN OLD CLICHE, IS NOW A MARKET DEMAND.

It wasn’t that long ago, the statements locally owned and operated and friendly and knowledgeable staff made every production manager, copywriter, and program director cringe.

First off, they’re clichés; meaningless wallpaper that goes in one ear and out the other.

Secondly; back then, those things didn’t matter to the general consumer. As long as they got the product or service they desired at a decent price, they didn’t care what name was on the store front.

But now, it matters.

The demand of these factors began with the maturation of millennials and Generation Z. They’re the socially aware generations that the boomers and Gen Xers blame for turning the world upside down. Their ideologies are influencing our society at an incredible rate. Because of them, recycling, farm-to-table, local microbreweries, and the rise in popularity of the electric car are every day life. By nature, they’re very anti-corporate. And their mantra is buy local. Just like their hippy grandparents, these demands are their way of sticking it to the man.

Yet, the buying power of these generations was nowhere near what their parents and grandparents was. Outside of younger targeted demos and niche formats like alternative and AAA, they were a non-factor in mainstream radio advertising.

 Then COVID came.

 It brought us isolation, a weakening supply chain, brick and mortar anything disappeared at an alarming rate. It dwindled the workforce. Automation and A.I. took over everything from shopping for groceries to banking, and even buying automobiles.

 No other event in modern history has brought so much change in so short a time. The culture shock is still felt by everyone, across all generations and demographics –even millennials and Gen Z.

What COVID did though was remind us all of something.

Despite the fact that the younger generations are the most tech capable populous known to man, they’re still human beings. We all are. And all people crave in-person human interaction. It’s in our DNA.

Locally owned and operated and friendly and knowledgeable staff now matter more than ever –even to Boomers and Gen X.

But, those statements are still cliché. How do we navigate this?  

Answer: apply a fundamental golden rule taught in most creative writing courses.

Show me. Don’t tell me.

Doing that in thirty seconds –and sometimes in fifteen is a huge challenge.

But, it can be done.

I realized this not long ago. Up until recently, I owned a 120 year-old house in one Birmingham’s historic districts. Even though it had a lot of updated modern conveniences, I did my best to keep everything architecturally correct –especially the light fixtures; farm sink, claw foot tub, the now-deemed illegal giant toilet, and of course the faucets. Like any home, a faucet will drip and need repair. I’m not the savviest D.I.Y. guy. And I couldn’t afford a plumber. Thanks in part to their proliferated schedules on all radio stations, top-of-mind awareness led me to the store who touts –you can do it. We can help.

I stood in that cavernous aisle overwhelmed by the gazillion types of washers, valve seats, castle nuts, o rings, and anything else required. Finally, a guy in an orange vest walked up and offered help. I told him I had an antique reproduction water faucet with off-sized everything. He knew as much about plumbing as I did nuclear physics.

As the clerk walked away, I picked up my handheld and Googled plumbing supplies near me. Buried way down at the bottom of the gigantic list was a store called Alvin’s Hardware. It was only eight blocks from my house.

When I arrived at Alvin’s, it was like stepping back in time. This looked just like the old hardware stores my Dad and Granddad would frequent. There was the old mechanical cash register on the counter. The phone was a rotary dial. And it had that beautiful hardware store smell. Alvin approached me and asked what I was looking for. I told him. He knew exactly what I needed. He grew up in my neighborhood and knew all these old houses. His grandfather founded Alvin’s Hardware in 1926. He led me to a wall that was floor to ceiling of little plastic drawers. Within minutes, he had every piece I needed to rebuild my faucet.

As he was ringing me up at the cash register, he saw the confused look on my face.

            “You haven’t done much of this, have you?” He asked.

             “No sir, I haven’t.”

 He paused for a moment, then pulled a pencil from behind his ear. He took my receipt and wrote a phone number on the back.

           “When you get back to your house, call me. I’ll walk you through it.”

 I did. It worked flawlessly.

 Now, that’s a long winded story. But the experience left an impression on me. That’s what friendly and knowledgeable staff is. That’s why locally owned and operated matters.

 How would I translate all that into a thirty second commercial?

 I began writing.

            (Open with echoing dripping water faucet)

 It woke me up at 2am. That dripping bathroom sink faucet. I’m not the savviest DIY guy. But, I couldn’t afford a plumber. The next day I went to the big box store. They may have had the parts I needed. But nobody could tell me which ones –let alone how to use them. Then, I went to Alvin’s Hardware in the heart of Five Points. Alvin not only had what I needed. He showed me how to rebuild that faucet. It went so well, my wife just made a  Long list of other stuff Alvin can show me how to fix. Gee, thanks a lot, Alvin. Alvin’s Hardware in Five Points. He has the stuff you need and can show you how to use it.

 What I’ve done is shown what friendly and knowledgeable staff is and why it matters. I opened up with a scenario that everyone –regardless of demographic –can appreciate; a dripping faucet that keeps you up at night. And, by showing Alvin’s expertise in not just having supplies –but the willingness to show how to apply them –we’ve positioned him against the big box stores.

 The subconscious message we want to plant –the comforting emotion we want tied to the brand –I can go talk to Alvin. He can help me. He knows what the hell he’s doing.

 And that's a major key to winning in advertising. Attach the brand to some kind of pleasant and/or comforting emotion. (We'll get into that -and how to do it -in a later session down the road.)

 As you continue to push for more local and direct new business, I hope this will help you better help your clients. They obviously see why locally owned and operated matters because they’re the owner. Now, you’ll have tools in helping convince their target why it matters. And doing it in a way that doesn’t become just meaningless background noise.

If there’s a local hardware store on your client list, or you’re trying to close one. Feel free to take the above script, replace the name and location and use it.

            That’s what I’m here for. Let me know if I can help. I post new blogs every Monday. Next week, we'll discuss an aspect of added value that has made a name for itself in the world of meaningless wallpaper -the five second billboard studio sponsorship.

            Sincerely,

            Mike –The Reel Architect.