Main Street Clinton’s “Love Local” campaign wins statewide award

By Sherry Lucas

Main Street Clinton’s win in the recent Mississippi Main Street Association (MMSA) Awards goes to the very heart of its hometown enthusiasm.

“Love Local,” a campaign and concerted effort in February to recognize and celebrate all things great about Clinton, received the Outstanding Community Education Campaign Award at MMSA’s Annual Awards Luncheon in mid-June.

Mississippi Main Street Association Executive Director Thomas Gregory (left) presents Main Street Clinton Board President Marsha Barham with the MMSA Outstanding Community Education Campaign award for Main Street Clinton’s “Love Local” program.

“The campaign came about as a suggestion from a consultant last fall,” said Tara Lytal, Main Street Clinton director. “We loved the idea and immediately expanded on it to create the campaign. We have more in store for next year.”

“The idea was to take a fairly slow, short month and fill each day with community love,” Lytal said.

Some of the products offered in the campaign’s Gift Guide, which also included date night ideas and special promotions from Main Street district businesses.

The campaign shared all there is to love about the Clinton community and local businesses. A digital Gift Guide, shared in Main Street Clinton’s monthly e-newsletter and through social media channels, highlighted Valentine’s gifts, date night ideas and special promotions in district businesses.

The campaign also included more than fifty short videos that featured a range of Clinton residents — business owners, Mississippi College students, event volunteers and City leaders — telling what they love about their community. The videos shared on social media received more than 10,000 views.

Clinton residents and community volunteers Robert and Joan Blanton, being interviewed for the “Love Local” campaign. The project included over fifty videos from a variety of community members, business owners, Mississippi College students, event volunteers and City leaders. The videos received over 10,000 views.

“The response was terrific,” Lytal said, with a boost in social media impressions, high engagement and an increase in new followers. “For a first-time campaign, it was extremely successful. Our staff and Promotions Committee volunteers are full of ideas of great ways to expand the ‘Love Local’ month next year. We are always promoting ‘shop local,’ but we plan to make February the ‘love local’ month.”

MMSA’s annual luncheon highlights the people, projects and initiative that drive economic development in the state’s Main Street communities, said MMSA Executive Director Thomas Gregory.

“Our local Main Street programs are strategic in their downtown revitalization work, and we are proud to recognize their accomplishments over the past year,” Gregory said.
An impartial jury of downtown revitalization professionals, with expertise in economic development, preservation and tourism/arts judges the awards, and selected Clinton’s “Love Local” campaign as an outstanding community education endeavor, said Jeannie Waller Zieren, MMSA director of communications and marketing.

Lytal said, “We are always thrilled when our efforts are recognized at the state level. Since the programs started in 2017, Main Street Clinton and our volunteers have won thirty-one awards.”

For more information about Main Street Clinton, to sign up for their e-newsletter or to volunteer, visit MainStreetClintonMS.com.