Canadian Booksellers Association Launches Indie Campaign

The Canadian Booksellers Association (CBA) has rolled out a new marketing campaign -- Independents Matter -- that invites consumers to "Think Independent. Read Independent. Buy Independent." The program, which was influenced by the American Booksellers Association's IndieBound movement, was launched on November 15, CBA's Independents' Day, and will tap into the growing localism movement in Canada.

"Members will be promoting Independents Matter throughout the year and using the new logo and materials that we've made available for bookstores to incorporate into their own bags or ads," said CBA Executive Director Susan Dayus. "We've created posters and bookmarks, much like IndieBound." Materials, including reusable book bags, are available to CBA members via the organization's website, www.cbabook.org. CBA has also produced a YouTube video highlighting the main points of the campaign.

Dayus, who recently announced her plans to retire in March 2009, said that CBA has long been interested in Shop Local campaigns and has been following ABA's IndieBound movement from its start. At the Canadian BookExpo last year, Shop Local was the theme of CBA's education day, and Jeff Milchen, co-founder of the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), was a keynote speaker.

"We really wanted to bring the focus back to shopping local, and to emphasize that independents matter," said Dayus. "One of our members decided that they'll be hosting a Shop Independents Day once a month. We've provided materials, and the bookstores can adapt them for their own Shop Local events however they want." --Karen Schechner