Booksellers are enthusiastic as ABA launches concept for independent bookstores to achieve national recognition.

Last week, the ABA launched Book Sense, a national branding and marketing campaign for independent bookstores. If it works, independent bookselling will be vastly strengthened.

Book Sense was introduced as a regional effort in November at the San Francisco Book Festival by the Northern California Independent Booksellers Assocation. The ABA, believing the campaign to be one of the most important goals of their strategic plan, conducted research with multi-city focus groups to create a viable plan that could be rolled out nationally.

"I believe Book Sense is critical," said Wanda Jewell, executive director of SEBA. "There has to be a vehicle for the public to understand and have a sense of how broad and deep the independents are. And there is no question that there's more clout if we act collectively than individually."

"If we even get just half our membership -- in other words, 1500 stores -- to join the Book Sense network, we will be bigger than Barnes &Noble and Borders combined," added Michael Hoynes, ABA marketing director. Lisa Knudson, executive director of Mountains &Plains Booksellers Association, told PW, "We are so revved up about Book Sense that when we first heard about it at the regional conference in January, all we wanted to know is how do we get member stores to participate."

In the next MPBA newsletter, color-coded blue and orange (just like Book Sense's logo) for the occasion, Knudson and MPBA president Gayle Shanks of Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Ariz., remind members that just as B&N and Amazon.com achieved national recognition through heavy advertising, "the critical concept of independent bookstores can also achieve national recognition through the ubiquitous use of the Book Sense brand."

Hoynes, who was brought on by the ABA last year in large part to find a mechanism to associate the membership in an effective marketing program, thinks Book Sense is "strategically right on," based on consumer research.

"It was not clear at that point, however," Hoynes noted, "whether it would work as a national program, or whether the consumer really cared and would respond to it." So, with the concurrence of the ABA Board, he treated the Festival rollout as a test market. Questionnaires were passed out, and 196 completed ones were collected. Then a dozen focus groups were conducted in seven markets around the country. The consumers polled had to have purchased six books in six months, half from indies, half from chain venues.

The results showed that consumers visit chains for convenience first, and then because they like the price and selection. More and more are experimenting with buying books on the Internet. The participants feel it is a misconception that the independents are more expensive, since often price differentials are not great. One of the most important findings was that even the most loyal customers buy only four out of 10 books at their favorite independents. Despite feeling disloyal, customers buy the other six at the chains or on the Internet for reasons of convenience or because they had specific gift certificates. Finally, the questionnaires indicated that consumers would welcome an aggressive national marketing presence by the independents, akin to the "Got Milk" campaign.

"The findings led us to develop several new aspects of the Book Sense marketing campaign," explained Hoynes. At its core, he sees a classic, ongoing marketing and branding program that will benefit independent booksellers through cooperative advertising, shared consumer promotions and national brand recognition -- all the while strengthening the unique character of each store. There will also be a toll free number, 888-BOOKSENSE, that consumers can call to locate the nearest Book Sense store. Marketing partners are also being encouraged. Random House was the first to formally commit to providing financial support for the program, although Hoynes told PW several other publishers are about to announce their participation.

In addition, thanks to the focus groups, it was decided that "every store that elects to become a member must agree to sell and redeem Book Sense gift certificates," Hoynes said. He added, "We also plan to introduce a Customer Loyalty Card that all Book Sense stores will honor." The focus groups also helped refine the ABA's plans for its online database and Internet network. Booksense.com (News, Mar. 22) is slated to debut August 1. It will have the ability to integrate individual store databases, while at the same time lead online customers to their nearest independent. "And, unlike Amazon.com," said Hoynes, "we're hoping that if customers want to, they can pick up the book they've ordered online at their local independent and return it there if they don't want it."

There are still many details to be resolved: how the gift certificates will work; what the Customer Loyalty Card benefits will be; and how the physical store will be merged with the Internet delivery systems. "Even though much has to be worked out, it's worth making it work out," said SEBA's Jewell, who considers the national gift certificate program a real plus.

Bookseller enthusiasm for the program seems to be widespread and palpable. "Everyone I've talked to in the past six weeks -- maybe 60 stores -- said they're going to sign up," said NCIBA's Landon. "They realize that their participation is what will make the marketing of this work and that this is a unique opportunity to drive people to Book Sense stores." Knudson said the Mountains &Plains board is so excited that it plans to call all 270 members of the association over the next week to encourage them to sign on. It was Knudson who suggested that the regionals compete against each other to try to get the highest percentage of sign-ups by April 15.

Hoynes expects ABA membership to grow over time as a result of Book Sense. "We've already heard from bookstores that were former ABA members, calling us up for information on rejoining because of the new Book Sense program."

Already, the ABA is providing significant incentives for sign-up: 500 shopping bags and 500 bookmarks with the Book Sense logo, two Book Sense posters and decals to put in the window and on the cash register. In addition, bookstores that join by April 1 will receive an extra 500 shopping bags and 500 bookmarks with their store name on them along with the Book Sense logo. These early-bird members are also eligible for a special drawing for air tickets and a hotel stay for two at BookExpo America next year. The regional competition adds a further incentive. For the bookstores in the region with the highest percentage of enlisted stores by April 15, there will be a separate drawing for next year's BookExpo show prize of air tickets and hotel stay.

Book Sense will be celebrated for the first time as a national program at the BEA show in Los Angeles next month. Every attendee's name tag will carry the Book Sense logo, and the ABA is sponsoring a Book Sense lounge. The ABA's Celebration of Bookselling on Friday night will conclude with an official introduction of Book Sense and a three-minute audiovisual presentation. A national consumer advertising campaign in newspapers and magazines, running through mid- to late June, will be launched that same week.

"Of course it's a risk," remarked Landon, whose 275 NCIBA members have so far been the program's guinea pigs. "But the risk of the chains is greater. This is not bookselling of 20 years ago. One of the key elements of the campaign is that every store is unique in character and personality. It's one of the strengths of the program -- building the expectation that every store is different." In fact, Landon has noticed that Book Sense has actually galvanized some of the booksellers that were feeling downtrodden and beaten by the grinding competition with the chains. "Book Sense has been a shot in the arm, energizing booksellers by giving them a new way to market themselves," he told PW.

The NCIBA, still test-marketing new ideas, is trying out an advertising program that underscores the individuality of the stores while capitalizing on their collective Book Sense impact. A little box in its February newsletter indicates that "Any [NCIBA] bookstore that has not already done so can earn $100 by including the Book Sense logo in any print ad.... Send us a copy of the ad from the periodical and we'll send you a check." Said Landon, "So far, Book Sense has been in 36 area periodicals. It makes so much more sense for the bookstores to do it, rather than for us to take out a one-time big ad. And it costs less, too."

That is exactly what Book Sense is all about: individual actions that benefit not only the individual store but the whole independent network. Enthused Jewell, "It's the most exciting thing I've seen in the 10 years since I joined SEBA."