sr-091410-1tCity Council Meeting: September 14, 2010
Agenda Item: ~~
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Andy Agle, Director of Housing and Economic Development
Subject: Buy Local Santa Monica Campaign
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to allocate $67,000
from Account No. 01268.566250 for the Buy Local Santa Monica campaign.
Executive Summary
Buy Local Santa Monica is a campaign that was created by City and business
representatives to support local businesses and raise awareness of the community,
economic and social benefits of choosing to purchase goods and services locally. To
date, the campaign has been funded on an ad-hoc and limited basis by the City and its
partners. In light of the City's continued commitment to sustainable economic
development and the fact that local businesses continue to struggle through the second
year of a severe economic downturn, staff recommends that the City Council make a
one-time allocation toward the campaign to help promote local businesses and
sustainable purchasing during these difficult economic times leading up to the holiday
season.
Discussion
The Buy Local Santa Monica campaign has been in effect for nearly two years. Buy
Local Santa Monica efforts include a website (www.buylocalsantamonica.com),
Facebook and Twitter pages, selected newspaper advertisements showcasing local
businesses, Buy Local events, participation in local community events (Santa Monica
Festival, Main Street Summer Soulstice, Sustainability Week, etc,), Buy Local discount
days and other similar activities. Buy Local Santa Monica partners include various City
departments (Office of Sustainability and the Environment, Housing and Economic
Development, City Manager's Office, City TV), the Chamber of Commerce; all. four
Santa Monica business improvement districts (Bayside, Pico, Main and Montana), the
Pier Restoration Corporation, Sustainable Works, Santa Monica Jaycees, Santa Monica
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Daily Press, Santa Monica Mirror and the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors
Bureau.
To date, the Buy Local campaign has been produced through in-kind contributions and
small, ad-hoc contributions from participating partners and has lacked the level of
funding necessary to raise awareness throughout Santa Monica of the benefits of
buying locally: Through surveys and interactions. with community members at events,
Santa Monica residents and workers have shown great receptivity to the value of
purchasing goods and services from Santa Monica businesses. If the Buy Local
campaign were able to reach a larger Santa Monica audience, the benefits would reach
not only the 3,307 owners and employees of the 220 currently participating businesses,
877 of which are Santa Monica residents, but the community at large, which would
benefit from the sales and tax revenues that would remain within the community as well
as from the decreased carbon emissions associated with shopping locally. In response
to this opportunity, as well as the continued struggles of many Santa Monica businesses
during these .difficult economic times, staff recommends aone-time infusion of funding
toward the campaign that would coincide with the holiday shopping season.
The additional campaign funding would be allocated toward a variety of activities
designed to heighten awareness and build support in the short-term, while providing
longer-term benefits to support the City's efforts to create a more sustainable economy.
Attachment A identifies the recommended funding priorities that have been endorsed by
the interagency Buy Local Santa Monica steering committee. With Council's approval,
staff will work with the Buy Local steering committee to implement the additional
measures immediately.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Funding for the Buy Local Santa Monica campaign's enhanced efforts, not to exceed
$67,000, will come from Account No. 01268.566250. Should the increased efforts
exceed the Housing and Economic Development Department's budget authority, any
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necessary budgetary adjustments will be recommended as part of the City Council's
rnid-year review of the Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Budget.
Prepared by: Jennifer Taylor, Senior Development Analyst
Approved:-
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Andy Agle, Director
Housing and Econo
Attachments:
Forwarded to Council:
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Rod Gould
City Manager
A. Recommended Buy Local Campaign Expenditures
B. Eight Great Reasons to Buy Local
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Attachment A
Ua\santamon~
SANTA MC)N1CA
Recommended Campaign
Quantity Cost
Item
Buy Local posters: Top 8 reasons to buy 500 $1,000
local messaging (for shop windows,
communi centers, etc
On-going BLSM ad campaign (BLSM 4 months campaign $20,000
spotlights + Top 8 reasons ad campaign, with weekly ads in SM (Potential for BIDS to
continuation of existing in SMDP, SM Mirror+SMDP share costs)
Mirror, Ba side Beat, etc
Buy Local coasters for local restaurants + 5,000 $850
ubs ve o ular
BLSM + Big Blue Bus ad + banner Varies $2,000 (at-cost)
romotions
Lar e Banner 7th + MT Ave ,reusable 1 $900
Street light BLSM banners (reusable)- Rotate to various $15,000
incl. banners, brackets, installation/ take .parts of City (e.g.
down, etc. outside City Hall,
Montana Avenue BID
Ba Stuffers: Thank ou for bu in local 10,000 $150
BLSM Shoppin List ost-it 1,000 $500
PR marketing support 8 press releases,. $5,000
photographs, social
media outreach
BLSM tee-shirts (prize for BLSM bloggers, 200 $1,500
ood advertisin
BLSM City of SM staff event (e.g. walking + Event organizer $5,000
bike tour, pub crawl, metrics survey) assistance/ survey
anal sis
Retail Leakage study to aid Future business Report, survey + $15,000
recruitment + retention efforts anal sis
TOTAL $66,900
1. It keeps dollars in
Santa Monca's
economy;.
2. Jthelpsthe
environment by
reducing traffic and. air
pollution and helping
to conserve land:
3: -1t creates and
keeps local jobs.
4. It helps o keep
us unique, with
businesses thatrare
diverse and distinctive
5. it nurtures our
community, by
supporting businesses
committed o
reinvesting in Santa
Monica:
6. It creates more
:choice.. Local
businesses often carry
a wider array of unique
products.
7. It spurs entrepreneurs,
the lifeblood. of California's
economy.
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s~rl'~ M~~il~~
Here are eight great reasons...