You can't deny that glocalization is a smart way to attract consumers to your product or brand. McDonalds' bulgogi and kimchi burgers in Korea makes great use of this technique. Starbucks has also shown this by redesigning their stores with local elements. However, I spotted a company in my own neighborhood putting this to good use and I saw it work on a consumer right before my eyes (full disclosure, the consumer was my husband). They did this, similarly to Starbucks, by sourcing their building materials and some of their products locally, cutting down on their carbon footprint and aiding in sustainability.
The Whole Foods in Brooklyn was a long time in the making (10 years in fact) because it sits next to the Gowanus Canal, a Superfund site in the process of being cleaned up by the EPA. This was part of the reason why it took so long; Whole Foods had to clean up before they could build up. But now it's open and you can tell that they worked hard to captivate the hearts of the local Brooklyn consumer. They used broken Coney Island boardwalk from Super Storm Sandy inside the store, they reused 250,000 bricks from an old Newark, NJ building and they have products that are sourced from over 100 local vendors. These little nuggets of info are shared near the entrance and I have to say, it’s an ingenious way to endear the brand to their local consumers, and that's exactly what happened to my husband. He seemed somewhat suspicious about their brand ethos before the store opened, but now that it's open he feels like Whole Foods cares about us and our community (and the Earth).
As the discussion continues over the ever-growing conscious consumer & empowered consumer, will more brands jump on the combined glocalization and sustainability bandwagon? If they want to continue to remain relevant and form, or even deepen that consumer/brand connection, they might want to think about it.
If you want to see more ways in which the Booklyn Whole Foods is aiding in sustainability, check out this video.
