Local Pride is Your Best Asset. Here’s How to Make the Most of It. 

When was the last time you considered where your favorite product or item was made?

Does the phrase “love local” make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?

Do you find yourself marvelling at the way so many brands these days are proudly putting “Locally Made” in their branding and digital bios?

This all has to do with pride – that is, the positive feeling associated with supporting or owning something crafted literally close to home, even when you’re all the way at the other side of the world.

Why Local Pride Matters

Take for example the Philippine fashion industry. We’re still saturated with international brands from all over the world, but local apparel brands are also claiming their stake, creating items with almost the same quality and design calibre that isn’t just internationally recognizable, but ultimately locally relatable. Marikina shoes? Pinya-fabric clothing? Filipino-made jewelry? They’re making the rounds locally and abroad.

This has created value in local production and has seen a steady transition to locally made items. This phenomenon is happening in many industries throughout the Philippines, from clothes, to music, to food (we’ve long been pushing to make Filipino food recognizable, and ube, rice, and even Jollibee have gained international acclaim), to many others. What then will the Philippine market be like another decade from now? 

Though the Philippine market has always had an aspect of “local helping local”, never has it had a more ideal impact than today. 

Local pride creates a deeper connection with an audience, strengthens a brand’s image, and creates more business opportunities. The driving factor is that by integrating local culture, values, and heritage, a brand creates authenticity and relatability with its customer base, which then leads to an increase in brand loyalty. Marketing and PR agencies are especially good at implementing this image with brands and creating connections with other local businesses that all work together. 

How Local Pride can be a Brand Asset

Shows Genuineness and Relatability

Whether they realise it or not, consumers often buy products they can relate to. It might be because of the actual product, the packaging, or the brand values. Whatever the case, a consumer leans towards brands that check many of their own personal boxes. More often than not, local pride and the joy of owning something made from a culture and people you recognize is high up on the list of boxes to check off!

Pro tip: be careful and honest when harping on your products being locally-made. People are more discerning. They WILL find out if your product is truly made locally. Show transparency by featuring your product process, the workers who create your product, or the raw materials in a clearly local set-up. These little snippets will help your customers ensure they’re getting the real, locally-made deal.

Sets You Apart

This is especially true for brands that have an origin story steeped deep in history, heritage, and culture. Having that local image, that depth, can set you apart in a way large corporations cannot easily copy. It is also important to mention that some local products are just so good that they stand out internationally. Remember: local helping local does not restrict a brand to only local sales!

Cultivates Brand Loyalty

Consumers do not only buy a product, they purchase the identity that the brand signifies. It creates a subconscious message that a consumer personifies as himself. So when a consumer is able to find a brand that can represent not only his personality, but his heritage or his values and roots, then that consumer would now see the brand as an extension of himself. That loyalty can also extend to their own network. Word of mouth marketing still works today; successfully use local pride as a come-on, and you may find more customers advocating for your brand within their own niches. Take Kultura, for example. When any expat or OFW asks where the best Filipino-representative pasalubong may come from, many point to Kultura. As a brand that collects Filipino brands, shoppers are spoiled for choice.

Encourages a Positive Brand Image

Not everyone can be a hero, not everyone can be a patriot. Though everyone can do their own part to help their country. Local helping local is a great way to do so. It positions a brand as a champion for an area’s culture, heritage, and community which connects with consumers in a strongly emotional way. 

Opens Business Opportunities

Local businesses working together with other local businesses helps create jobs, strengthen the economy, increase investment opportunities, and increase personal profit as well. It creates opportunities for sourcing of materials and partnerships, and implements sustainable practices throughout the processes. Local flea markets and farmer’s markets are a great example of this.  

Strengthens Community

Having a strong community creates an ideal breeding ground for good business. Sourcing local ingredients, partnerships with other locals, community pride and heredity, supporting events, are all gears that work together to strengthen a local society which will then strengthen the local businesses. Everyone works together for the profit of everyone and the greater good. 

How can a PR agency help

Local helping local and ‘Pinoy pride’ is no longer just a slogan. It’s a business practice that will only increase a brand’s value as time goes on. 

So you will want to ensure your brand connects its local pride story to the right audience. 

PR and marketing agencies like NGP IMC have honed their ability of doing this. With a nationwide media network and reach, we’ve perfected the best ways in which to reach out to the communities, down to the grassroots. What’s more, our value of ensuring that PR creates a positive impact in the lives of Filipinos, gels seamlessly with that of many brands wanting to empower our people.  

Together, we can create the ideal message, the ideal brand image, and enjoy the benefits of local helping local. Contact NGP IMC today.