June 2019 - Company B NY

Come One, Come All

In the June 10 issue of New York Review of Books, Michael Pollan wrote: “one sociologist calculated that people have ten times as many conversations at the farmers’ market than they do in the supermarket.”

I love this observation. This Saturday marks the return of my local farmers’ market. I am thrilled but at the same time am bracing myself. Only two years ago, before the locavore movement really took off, I could stroll through the market at 9 a.m., and have ten times as many conversations with food-loving neighbors and local farmers all the while happily dumping out my wallet in exchange for chioggia beets, organic mustard greens and a cut of grass-fed beef.

The local farmers market is a community center where food lovers have chosen to sacrifice the convenience of a shopping cart and credit card payments to make connections with their food and each other.

But this year recipe-trading while waiting in line may be in jeopardy. The market is way too popular. To get those hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, that $8 bag of perfect granola, and quart of just-picked strawberries, I’ll have to arrive before the market opens, stand behind stanchions (it’s gotten that bad), and dash through once they’re removed. Chatting will be cut short in the pursuit of the perfect hunk of duck prosciutto, which always goes fast because the duck guy isn’t around every week.

I have mixed feelings about our farmers market’s newfound popularity. Is a larger community where connections are fleeting just as valuable as a smaller community where the connections are deeper? Does that scenario sound familiar, those with 5,000 Facebook friends?

On the one hand, I love the idea that more people in my town have discovered the pleasures of the market. The food is magically delicious. But, because popularity slightly diminishes some of the pleasure , we shoppers will have to make connecting a priority in lieu of nabbing that last pint of fiddle head ferns.

So, I’ll look forward to connecting with an even larger group of food-loving neighbors. At the same time, I won’t plan on baking that strawberry rhubarb pie. Chances are, both ingredients sold out hours ago and buying them in the grocery store just isn’t as social.

What’s your story? Are you part of a community that’s become overcrowded, virtual or otherwise? How do you handle it?

Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business list includes a slideshow featuring its 10 most creative women in business. I love exploring mini-resumes of the successful (the rich, the best dressed). It’s even more fun for me if they’re anointed as “Most Creative,” especially if they’re marketers. Jessica Buttimer’s bio captured my attention, not only because of what she’s done, which was to bring green cleaners improbably to Clorox , but because of what she’s charged with doing now: keeping the so-ugly-it’s-cute shoe hot.

Here is her bio, from the site:

Since introducing the first new brand for Clorox in 20 years with Green Works, Buttimer has launched into new territory: footwear. As the new vice president of marketing for Deckers Outdoor Corp, Buttimer will oversee branding initiatives for companies like Teva and UGG Australia. Simple Shoes, another under the Deckers’ umbrella, launched a Green Bomb U.S. Campus Tour on Earth Day in New York City. The initiative will travel to four college campuses through the end of May, and students can donate used, non-sustainable shoes for an eco-friendly pair by the brand. The donated shoes will go to local charities.
Jessica Buttimer

I was intrigued by the plug in this 100-word bio for the Simple Shoes Green Bomb campaign. Little and local, it sounds homey, and perfectly aligned with the brand. The idea is, well, simple: College kids trade in old shoes for a new pair of Simple Shoes, their old pairs are donated to the needy. College kids have no cash, lots of beat up shoes and are green-minded and action-oriented. Plus, you can never have too many clunky shoes in your closet if you’re a college kid.

I’d love to know how well the campaign is working and how many shoes have been collected so far. The brand’s Facebook page isn’t all that helpful. Even though the giveaway is happening right now at NYU (through May 28), there isn’t a call to action on the Twitter feed designed for the campaign.

Great campaigns work in the follow-through and follow-up. If I were a college kid, I’d want to get involved. It’s the right thing to do, I’d get to replenish my shoe wardrobe and it makes for a very good brand story. So Simple Shoes — I’d love to hear you tell it!

What do you think? What’s your story?

COMMUNITY BUILDING 101

Come One, Come All

FOLLOW THROUGH ON THOSE OLD SHOES

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