Town increases local business promotions

The local economy might be struggling, but UNC football is going strong. The Touch Downtown program hopes to transfer that success to the community by promoting downtown shopping on game days.

Touch Downtown, which started last year, aims to maximize the town’s economic benefits from UNC football weekends by encouraging fans to not only watch the game, but also visit downtown Chapel Hill’s stores and restaurants.

Its new marketing campaign is much more aggressive than last year’s.

“With the economy the way it is, it’s important for businesses to take advantage of every opportunity,” said Patty Griffin, spokeswoman for the Chapel Hill and Orange County Visitors Bureau.

“You can’t assume full hotels or restaurants. If we have a packed stadium, we want those people to be eating, staying, and shopping.”

The program, which has the slogan “come early and stay late,” is the combined effort of the bureau, the town of Chapel Hill, local business organizations and University athletic programs.

Touch Downtown’s publicity push includes a revamped Web site, magazine ads, radio promotions, street banners and e-mail blasts.

The big addition to the program is a list, brainstormed by local business leaders and sent out to businesses, suggesting tactics for profit maximization on game days.

The suggestions include hanging balloons and flags, offering game day specials and face painting.

“We want to see if businesses are more successful on game day Saturdays than in the past,” said Rick Steinbacher, UNC’s associate athletic director for marketing and promotion. “We can get immediate qualitative evidence, but the real proof is in the numbers.”

Last fall’s UNC-Notre Dame game generated $6.4 million for businesses and $325,000 in taxes, Griffin said. But the numbers aren’t in yet to show the impact of this year’s new marketing strategies.

It was marketing, however, that drew John Burke to the Shrunken Head Boutique on Saturday.

“It’s been great,” said Burke, who drove in from Lexington for the UNC-ECU game. “The kids love coming to Franklin Street, seeing the people, checking out the merchandise.”

The Shrunken Head Boutique incorporated many strategies listed in the letter, including hanging a banner and giving away UNC buttons and tattoos.

“We do our best to make all our customers feel at home,” said employee James McCleary, who dresses like a UNC carny, a ringmaster in Carolina blue, on game days.


Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.