Bricks Need Mortar went into the 2024 Win Big campaign with new strategies to address the unique challenges of conducting business in an election year. As election years can signal uncertainty, sales can be stagnant and even dip.
We saw an opportunity to highlight the value of small businesses reminding Portlanders that small businesses offer inspiration and comfort and can be a place for refuge and camaraderie post-election.
We worked with The Mayor’s office to officially proclaim the 2nd week of November “Independent + Small Shop Week” partnering with retailers like Powell’s Books to amplify the importance of shopping, small, indie and local.
We added a new element – small shop trading cards to increase a pride in Portland, highlight individual businesses and create a fun new way to cheerlead our small businesses.
Even in a year where we saw a significant decrease in public and sponsorship funding, this approach paid off. This year’s Win Big campaign saw an increase in participation and significant coverage, more than doubling the media coverage over the previous year.
We are grateful to all those sponsors and partners who supported this year’s Win Big campaign and all the customers who showed up for Portland’s small businesses in 2024!
