Media

Buy Mower and Monday Night Football

Four Chamber members have joined together in an effort to take the Buy Mower message to Monday Night Football! Dave Olson, Apollo Liquor and Superette, Nathan Toland, Holiday Cars of Austin, Inc., Jim Baldus, Jim's SuperValu Foods, and Ralph Donkers of Donkers Hometown Appliance, all will be featured in television ads aired during the game and on a variety of other cable channels in the Austin market. The package deal through Charter Communications will include more than 500 30-second spots.

The ads were created by John Deyo of ViDeyo Arts and feature each owner in their place of business. They talk about the value of shopping locally, the organizations they support, the "friends and neighbors" they employ. They ask community members to support those "who support our community" and remind them that dollars spent here stay here to help our community grow.

Hats off to these community-minded members for helping us promote this important theme. We encourage all members to join the effort by tying "Buy Mower" into your advertising plans. Together, we can improve our business climate and community.

The most recent data from the City of Austin shows that the trend in rising retail sales continues, here. Through May of this year, retail sales were up nine percent over the samer period, one year ago. That adds up to about 10.5 million in additional retail sales. Since July of 2008 when the campaign was first launched, retail sales have improved each month except one. There's a lot of work to do. Our retail numbers are still not where they should be. But we are headed in the right direction.

Chamber Ambassadors are encouraging all members to not only shop locally, but to also make an attempt to support Chamber member businesses first. Ambassadors are distributing business-size cards with members they frequent that carry a simple message: "Thought you'd like to know...Doing business with fellow Chamber members is important to me. Thanks for supporting the Chamber, and our business community!"

If you receive one of these cards, turn it back in to the Chamber. We'll add your business to our list for quarterly drawings. The winner will receive their choice of a quarter page display ad or a free insert in "The Outlook".

If you would like some of these cards to distribute to members yourself, stop by or give us a call.