Is Made-in-America the Secret to Creating Millions of Jobs?
Unemployment seems complex, but the Million Jobs Project says creating new jobs in the U.S. is a whole lot easier than we think.
They say it’s a simple recipe: If everyone in the U.S. were to spend just 5% more on made-in-America goods, 1 million jobs will be created in the U.S.
Armed with this simple equation, the Million Jobs Project is now trying to spread the word -- and fast.
The organization, led by legendary ad exec Alex Bogusky, is hoping its just-launched video explaining the importance of U.S. manufacturing through clever animation will become the next big Internet sensation.
“It would be great if the video goes viral, but viral is a hard thing to predict. You do what you can,” says Bogusky.
That said, Bogusky (named Adweek’s Creative Director of the Decade in 2010) has had more than a little success in this arena. His video for the Center for Science in the Public Interest satirizing the Coca-Cola polar bears and pointing out the dangers of soda currently has more than 2.3 million views on YouTube.
The Made-in-America Movement Gains Steam
Bogusky says he became passionate about the importance of U.S. manufacturing through the Made Movement, which sponsored the Million Jobs Project video. The Made Movement is a marketing agency devoted solely to American brands, started by three former colleagues of Bogusky’s at Crispin Porter + Bogusky.
A few months after launch, Bogusky got on board with the fledgling agency as an investor and advisor.
“There are so many topics that are polarizing in this country, and making things here is one of the few things that’s a bipartisan issue we all agree on,” says Bogusky.
He says people rally behind made-in-America for a variety of reasons: patriotism, safer working conditions, environmentalism and job creation.
“I really like an issue that unites Americans,” explains Bogusky.
And it was the correlation between the decline in American manufacturing and the United States’ economic troubles that struck a chord with Dave Schiff, one of the co-founders of the Made Movement.
“I knew I was part of the problem,” says Schiff. “I never felt worse about my contribution to the country and just in general,” he adds. He says he would daydream about a career in manufacturing that would help the economy.
Schiff says the realization sparked the idea that would become Made Movement: He and his co-founders would take the advertising tricks and wisdom they had gained through years of experience and use it for the good of the country, to promote made-in-America companies only.
Though just a year old, the Made Movement now has 12 clients, including well-known companies like Seventh Generation and Repair.com.
“We do what we always did: Try to create disruptive campaigns for clients that hijack the conversation in their category … work that intelligently reframes the conversation for whatever brand we’re working for,” says Schiff.
“After a fair amount of reading and economic research, the thought that the work that we do can make a few extra jobs … that’s humbling,” says Schiff.
To that end, Bogusky’s Million Jobs Project website also lends a helping hand to specific American companies, in addition to urging consumers to shop for U.S.-made products.
By listing dozens of companies on the site (all hyperlinked for easy browsing), Bogusky hopes to make it easier for people to choose the made-in-America route. They range from small accessories companies like Black Sparrow Jewelry to injection molding firms like Bull Engineered Products.
“If someone is interested in buying things, making things or retailing things, they can find companies to work with,” says Bogusky.