Think quick. When you hear “Made in America” what comes to mind? Twenty-one years ago, when the U.S. trade borders opened, angry picket lines provided quite a visual. Now, a new movement is underway. This one is less about quality jobs, and more about quality goods.
“Made in America used to be supported by the veterans who served in our wars, in our unions,” said Molly Solberg, director of sales and marketing at Duluth Pack. “It’s been great to see the next generation which is more socially conscious. They are focused on how they spend their dollars.”
She added: “They want to support a company that’s giving back to its community. These are sustainable brands, local brands. The two phrases ‘Made in America’ and ‘hand crafted’ have become more synonymous.”
Duluth Pack was founded 132 years ago on the need for a heavy-duty pack. The products have been hand sewn in the same northern Minnesota manufacturing facility for the past 103 years.
If you are curious, you can stop in, watch your product being made and meet the person who made it.
It’s a successful model many companies are adopting. Shinola, a Detroit-based watch and bike company, brought the Swiss technique to Motor City.
“Made in America is not a trend, it is really a growing shift in the way people are purchasing. We are all starting to look at where products are from, who is making it and who is the artisan behind it,” said Daniel Caudill, creative director at Shinola.
“At Shinola, we assemble every watch in our Detroit factory,” he added. “But there are some things that we can’t get in the U.S. For example, the 50 to 100 small parts we need to make for the watch movement come from Switzerland, and we assemble the movement itself here in Detroit.”
Both Shinola and Duluth Pack want to eventually produce a 100% American-made product, but that requires other companies to develop various components.
And that starts with a trained workforce. Makers Coalition was founded to bring back the art of sewing and give Americans a valuable, employable skill.
Jen Guarino’s commitment to American-based manufacturing prompted her to join Makers Coalition as founding chair.
“There’s a resurgence around things that take human hands to make,” said Guarino, who is also VP of Shinola’s leather division. “Those trades that work with raw materials, not manufactured, are beginning to come back—woodworking and metals.”
If a substantial amount of your product is manufactured or assembled in the U.S., you may be able to jump into the American Made movement. But tread lightly.
▶ Be transparent. You must be transparent about just how much of your product is actually Made in America.
Creating a product that is totally sourced, manufactured and assembled in the U.S. without foreign parts is difficult.
Be clear on your website about exactly what is American Made and what is not. You’ll get credit from consumers for your efforts to do as much as you can in the United States, even if you cannot build it all from scratch.
▶ Give it a personal touch. Solberg points to the small tag signed by the craftsman that sewn in every Duluth Pack product as the most compelling piece of marketing the company employs. It verifies that it was indeed crafted by a person, not a machine.
Shinola has a similar approach. Each item sold comes with an ID card for the person who manufactured it. This personal touch goes a long way to promote the product’s unique quality.
▶ Share your story. Everyone loves a good story. Whether you are a hundred-year old brand or a start-up, how you got started and why you are committed to Made in America is compelling.
Support your story with historic images, pictures of your facility and employees at work, plus a compelling video detailing your process and like-minded partners.
▶ Be bold. Consumers are actively seeking American Made products. So be bold. Don’t expect them to figure out you are Made in America.
Spread the word on your social platforms, develop a Pinterest page devoted to all things Red, White and Blue, make it part of your employees’ elevator speech and CEO’s key messages when speaking with media, stockholders and other critical stakeholders.
After all, Americans aren’t known for being wallflowers, so neither should American Made brands.
CONTACT:
Maria Reitan is president and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Lola Red PR. She can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared in the August 18, 2014 issue of PR News. Read more subscriber-only content by becoming a PR News subscriber today.