Social media boosts local shopping scene.

Pleasanton, like most municipalities, depend on funds from sales tax to pay for parks, programs and community amenities. In fact, for every dollar spent with local merchants, 45 cents stays in the community. Pleasanton’s merchants were feeling the economic downturn and wanted to launch a “shop local” campaign that was both fiscally responsible and cutting edge.

Objective:

To encourage residents of Pleasanton, California, to support their local merchants, the City and Downtown Merchants Association tapped EMC for a strategy. Our suggestion: go viral!

Solution:

The Shop Around Pleasanton campaign was launched on Facebook, Twitter and via e-mail. The site was promoted in shops and limited local online. During a three-month period, there were 30,000+ views on the Facebook page and 900 “likes”. The page offered product notifications, discussion of favorite places to shop, savings opportunities and events.

The campaign fulfilled its objective; local shopping was encouraged through grass-roots recommendations and information sharing. When the campaign ended, the Pleasanton Merchants had an asset consisting of Pleasantonians who are passionate about supporting their local merchants. The conversation continued organically even after the campaign ended.

Result:

30,000+ views on the Facebook page
900 “likes” on Facebook