Lovey, Dovey & Local! 😍

Boy howdy, time is flying! One month into the new year, and it feels like we just celebrated the holidays. It’s back to the grind, for reals! Snap to it and dive in below where you’ll learn all about local, social campaigns, political posters, co-living spaces, socially-distanced crafting and love notes for your fave local businesses. It’s all S.W.A.K. and ready for your reading!

– Your Bright Brothers Team

Even pre-pandemic, we’d been recommending that our clients formalize plans for highlighting the business community and the individuals that make a district’s business mix diverse and unique. That’s evermore imperative now. Personal stories about business owners and employees perform exceptionally well, and we offer you more tips for launching this type of campaign in our latest Trends Report. Our friends at the Downtown Tempe Authority have done a particularly good job of this with their #MaskUpAZ campaign featuring local business owners, proprietors and even the mayor completing the sentence, “I mask up because…”, to bring the relevance home and underscore the imperative nature of the mask in combating COVID-19. Way to go!

Photo credit: Downtown Tempe Authority

Admittedly, we have a crush on Philadelphia Mural Arts, and cite them and their work frequently. One of the oldest public art advocates in the country, they’ve been pioneering programs for decades with style and panache. Their latest project entitled “First 100 Days” stands as an admirable effort to engage the public in social and political discourse; with a suite of downloadable posters in two sizes, plus contact information for holding your elected representatives accountable to their campaign promises. Experience the creativity and messaging for yourself, first-hand, here.

Photo credit: “First 100 Days” Philadelphia Mural Arts

If you attended last week’s IDA Advancing Places Webinar with Mike Berne (MJB Consulting) and Brad Segal (P.U.M.A.), you probably heard them predict that coworking spaces are poised to explode again, as workers return to downtowns. According to CityLab, New Orleans, LA, Bentonville, AR, Ogden, UT, Rocky Mount, NC and Rochester, NY are going to be two steps ahead of the curve thanks to a six-year old company that manages shared living spaces in nine U.S. cities today. Common is wagering on remote live/work coming back in a big way, and awarded the five cities “Remote Work Hubs,” targeted toward digital nomads moving out of more expensive markets. The cities selected tend to be underdogs in that they share a lower cost-of-living, have a diverse mix of industries and offer an array of geographies and cultural vibes to lure in those post-COVID movers and shakers. Does co-living play a role in your district’s recovery and what kinds of challenges (zoning or otherwise) do you see with this model locally?
 
Photo credit: Common

Not able to cozy up with your favorite gal pals or craft peeps for V-day? No sweat! The inventive folks over at Paper Source have developed an intriguing, creative, fun and celebratory way to do Valentines this year – with remote social distancing. Their “Galentine Virtual Hangout” integrates crafting, creating and making with two scheduled virtual sessions with vetted makers and influencers – and a discount code to add honey to the pot (and incremental revenues for the company). Oh, it’s sweet and it’s pink and it’s perfect – and could be easily adapted and executed by any number of industries, purveyors or ratepayers for other upcoming holidays. Who in your district are you going to share this with?
 
Photo credit: Paper Source

It’s the month of love, and we just love, love, love this “Love Letters for Local” campaign hosted right now by the Downtown Frederick Partnership (MD). Locals are encouraged to show their love of small businesses by writing a love letter to them and dropping it in specially marked pink, red and white mailboxes installed temporarily in the downtown footprint. Not a fan of killing trees? That’s okay!  There’s an online form you can submit as well. This adorable campaign makes us feel all lovey dovey, and the chance to a win a weekly $250 gift card only sweetens the experience.  *Lovers’ quarrel not included.

Photo credit: Downtown Frederick Partnership (MD)