Not your father's Made in America

When I was a young man, there were a lot of commercials suggesting that we all BUY AMERICAN. Keep the money in the economy was the sell. And I remember thinking, "instead of buying American and keeping money in the economy, how about I keep the money in my pocket and buy Japanese?"

Later, as I got older and companies began outsourcing the manufacturing as fast as they could, I learned that it would be okay because first world economies like the US were going to be all about "ideas" and we would all be "thought workers" anyway. 

Well, I think we got it wrong back then when we sent so much manufacturing offshore. And since then we've all had friends and family members that had a hard time finding work during this most recent downturn. 

Any business is going to create jobs, even a business that offshores production.

So why would Made dedicate itself to companies that manufacture domestically? There are a bunch of reasons: 

1. It's estimated that if the average American bought just 1% more US made product each year it would create 250,000 new jobs. I think we can do that. 

2. Or should I say 1.4? There is a simple equation that makes manufacturing jobs the kind you MOST want to create if you're going to revitalize an economy. When a dollar is spent on a product or good that has been made in the United States, on top of that dollar it generates $1.40 in revenue or output from surrounding sectors of the economy.  

3. Red, white and blue is the new green. American-made goods require less shipping and have a smaller carbon footprint.

4. No exploitation of workers.

5. America makes great stuff. As you dig in and find the things that are made here you also rediscover a level of quality and durablilty that seemed to have been lost. 

6. It's fun.  

To call Made an agency is to sell it short. It is better described as a marketing group dedicated to the resurgence in American Manufacturing. And, yes, Made does all the things a full-service agency does but the coolest part to me is that Made is actually participating in the American-made movement by building tools and community. 

In that spirit, the first is MadeCollection.com and the BOOM Score. It's the first flash-sales site for premium American-made stuff. And the BOOM Score helps buyers keep track of the jobs and communities their purchases are impacting. 

Lots more to come.