Mark Maynard | localwashing

Is the Bank of Ann Arbor’s “non-local banker campaign” a hypocritical, pointelss mess of faux-localism?

By Mark | October 21, 2012

For the past few months, those of us who live in and around Ann Arbor have been subjected to a relentlessly pervasive advertising campaign featuring a balding, sunken-chested, Clearasil-colored cartoon banker with an often furrowed brow, and standard issue “nerd” glasses. He started showing up on billboards a little over a month ago. At first, [...]

Posted in Ann Arbor, Marketing, Observations, Uncategorized | Also tagged advertising, advertising campaign, analingus, Bank of America, Bank of Ann Arbor, banking, Banksy, billboards, Bongz And Thongz, Clear Channel, cool, culture jamming, Dustin Krcatovich, Encore Records, FM Dust, GG Allin, Half Ass, hipster, hypocrisy, hypocrisy watch, Iggy Pop, illustration, J.J. Sedelmaier, Jeremy Wheeler, JPMorgan Chase, local business, local economy, localism, Mani Osteria, Matthew Altruda, Mayer Hawthorne, Nate Higley, Nike, non-local banker, Saagara, Saturday Night Live, social media, Sonic Lunch, TV Funhouse, VG Kids, viral marketing, Wal-Mart, what's cool and what's not | 112 Comments

Zingerman’s co-founder Paul Saginaw on the importance of robust local business ecosystems, the upcoming BALLE conference in Grand Rapids, and the meaning of “real prosperity”

By Mark | April 22, 2012

For the first time ever, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) will be holding its national, annual conference for independently owned, socially responsible businesses, here, in Michigan. The meeting, which is being called Real Prosperity Starts Here, is scheduled to take place in Grand Rapids this May, and, as of right now, I’m [...]

Posted in Corporate Crime, Detroit, Economics, entrepreneurism, Environment, Food, Ideas, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Michigan, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged American Expres, Appalachian Harvest Network, BALLE, Burlington, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, buy local, Community Food Enterprise, cool local initiatives, crowdfunding, farming, food hubs, Grand Rapids, healthy food access, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Intervale Food Hub, Kellogg Foundation, local, local economy, Local First, Localist, Michael Shuman, national chains, Paul Saginaw, prosperity, re-localization, Rodger Bowser, Rust Belt, Shift Your Shopping, Stacy Mitchell, tobacco, Vermont, Wal-Mart, Wallace Center at Winrock International, Water Street, Zingerman's, Zingerman's Community of Businesses | 17 Comments

Localwashing: the corporate co-opting of local

By Mark | August 5, 2009

I’m working on a post about Tea Baggers Gone Wild at the moment. While I’m doing that, I thought that I’d just cut and paste something from Metafilter for you to think about. What I’ve selected is brilliant little piece by a person named Miko, on the emerging corporate strategy of “localwashing.” You can read [...]

Posted in Agriculture, Food, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Marketing, Other | Also tagged Arbor Brewing Company, Budweiser, buy local, corporate co-opting, corporate crap, Frito-Lay, greenwashing, Hellman's Mayonnaise, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, MetaFilter, Miko, potato chips, Stacy Mitchell, things gone wild, Ypsilanti Beer War | 2 Comments

Tag Archives: localwashing

Zingerman’s co-founder Paul Saginaw on the importance of robust local business ecosystems, the upcoming BALLE conference in Grand Rapids, and the meaning of “real prosperity”

Localwashing: the corporate co-opting of local

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