TV Spots Highlight Importance of Buying Local

In a further indication of how far the "Shop Local" message has come, this week the International Council of Shopping Centers launched a print and television campaign "Give Your Community a Lift ... Shop Locally for Your Gifts!" The ads seek to drive home to consumers the importance of shopping locally this holiday season because it keeps sales tax revenue in the community.

"Many consumers shop online and avoid paying sales tax, and while this may appear to consumers as a way of saving a few dollars, in the end it may cost them more if local tax revenue is eroded and municipalities are forced to cut back on services," said Michael P. Kercheval, president and CEO of the International Council of Shopping Centers, in a statement.

As part of the campaign, the council will be running a 60-second television spot, which stresses that more than 33 percent of a community's annual revenue is generated by sales taxes and this money helps to fund schools, hospitals, and police and fire departments, as reported by Ad Age. Featured in the TV campaign are the mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, Douglas H. Palmer, and Classics Used & Rare Books. Store co-owner Laurice Reynolds told BTW that it was the mayor's decision to shoot the public service announcement at the bookstore. "We've been in this location for three years, and we've always said that we are the pioneers of the redevelopment of Trenton," said Reynolds.

The one-minute public service announcement will air between December 8 and December 22 on CNBC, CNN, Headline News, Fox News, MSNBC, The Weather Channel, Bloomberg and National First Business, as well as during ABC's GMA Weekend, NBC's Today Show Weekend, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Also, ICSC is encouraging malls to display posters and window and door clings, available from ICSC, to support this campaign.

The International Council of Shopping Centers was one of the early supporters, along with the American Booksellers Association and other trade groups, of the E-Fairness Coalition.