Never go against history. If it did not succeed the first, second and third time, try something else. The past has an inertia that is difficult to overcome.
Keeping that in mind, is there any point for having an email marketing campaign focusing on British products? ‘Buy British’ failed in 1931, failed again in the 1960s and, guess what happened in the 1980s. There’s no point in proving a point again and again.
There’s lots of evidence to show that people prefer to buy locally. So what stopped them in the past? In the 1930s, most people had precious little disposable income. In the 1960s, British cars had a poor reputation for build quality and reliability compared to some continental makes. Ours were the butt of stand-up comedy routines.
The campaigns of the 1980s to buy British failed because it was illegal under the Treaty of Rome. Given that Brexit is just a little while away (probably), this last problem might well be not the constraint it was before. Should you start planning for a ‘Buy British’ email marketing campaign?
One campaign on buying British goods has been very positive. Morrisons have had great success in their push to get consumers to buy local farm produce. They do it with a certain subtlety, with concentration on better quality items rather than price.
One significant aspect is that British manufacturing is at an all-time low, so the range of available products to push in an email marketing campaign is restricted. Although this might be a problem for a national campaign, an individual company could well buck the trend.
There are advantages to pushing the Union Flag. Given that 50% of consumers prefer to buy locally, the suggestion is that price is probably a feature in why they are holding back. Post Brexit, there might well be price rises for imported goods. Home produced items should be comparatively cheaper.
What makes an item British? Most will contain imported parts. The Trades Description Act requires substantial change to the product in the UK. Make it clear what you mean by British and prepare now for post Brexit ‘Buy British’ email marketing campaigns.
