Real People. Real Help. Real Close. Promoting Your Store Right in Your Hometown ! To All Illinois Hardware Dealers: In 2008, MHA launched a special program for our Wisconsin members called My Local Hardware Store!™. The goal: help stores move beyond traditional product and price advertising and communicate your unique advantages of service, convenience, product knowledge, and local ownership. Clearly, these are the independent hardware retailer’s benefit over big box competitors. MHA aired commercials on radio stations across the state, primarily using the Green Bay Packers broadcasts and programming. We got very positive responses from consumers, participating stores, and the industry. In 2009, we want to offer a similar program for TM Illinois MHA members. The following pages outline our proposed program with the University of Illinois football broadcasts on radio stations across the state. Participating stores will have their store name, location, and owner/manager’s name included in radio commercials that air on their local radio stations carrying University of Illinois football broadcasts. The program would begin in early September and run through November 2009. Take time to read through the following pages and then fill in the final page and fax it back to MHA as soon as possible. We need your response no later than June 15, 2009. This is a special opportunity to use the power of your association to promote what your store does best, to a large audience, branding your store right in your home town. As always, we welcome your questions and comments at Midwest Hardware Association at 1-800-888-1817. John J. Haka Managing Director, Midwest Hardware Association The Media In the fall, Illinois football on the radio is a Saturday tradition. No other college sports broadcast in Illinois equals the number of radio stations carrying the games. Our plan calls for running two 60-second commercials in each game. And, each commercial airs separately on each local station. Participating stores will have their store name, location, and owner/manager’s name included in commercials that air on their local radio stations every week September through November 2009. Participating stores will be included on MHA’s mylocalhardwarestore.com site. Our site helps customers do a simple search to find stores based on location, or an advanced search to find stores offering a specific service or product they are looking for. Step 1: Find and check the name of the station and market place where you want your store’s name, location, and owner/manager’s name to be mentioned, and then list that station and market on the back page. Aledo WRMJ-FM 102.3 St. Louis KRFT-AM 1190 Alton WBGZ-AM 1570 St. Louis KFNS-AM 590 Bloomington WTRX-FM 93.7 Springfield WTAX-AM 1240 Champaign WDWS-AM 1400 Taylorville WTIM-FM 97.3 Champaign WHMS-FM 97.5 Watseka WGFA-FM 94.1 Chicago WIND-AM 560 Clinton WHOW-AM 1520 Rockford Clinton WHOW-FM 95.9 WROK-AM 1440 Danville WDAN-AM 1490 Sterling Morrison WSDR-AM 1240 Chicago WZZT-FM 102.7 WIND-AM 560 Danville WDNL-FM 102.1 Davenport, Iowa KUUL-FM 101.3 Decatur WSOY-AM 1340 Kewanee East Moline WYEC-FM 93.9 KUUL-FM 101.3 LaSalle-Peru DuQuoin WDQN-AM 1580 WLPO-AM 1220 Aledo WRMJ-FM 102.3 East Moline WFXN-AM 1230 Kankakee Galesburg WKAN-AM 1320 WGIL-AM 1400 Effingham WCRC-FM 95.7 Pontiac WTRX-FM 93.7 Peoria Watseka Fairfield WFIW-AM 1390 WWFS-AM 1290 WGFA -FM 94.1 Bloomington Paxton Galesburg WGIL-AM 1400 WTRX-FM 93.7 WPXN-FM 104.9 Clinton Jacksonville WJIL-AM 1550 WHOW-AM 1520 WHOW-FM 95.9 Champaign Danville WDWS-AM 1400 WDAN-AM 1490 Jerseyville WJBM-AM 1480 Quincy Decatur WHMS-FM 97.5 WDNL-FM, 102.1 WTAD-AM 930 WSOY-AM 1340 Springfield Kankakee WKAN-AM 1320 Jacksonville WTAX-AM 1240 WJIL-AM 1550 Mattoon Pittsfield Taylorville Kewanee WKEI-AM 1450 WCRC-FM 95.7 WBBA-FM 97.5 WTIM-FM 97.3 Casey WCBH-FM 104.3 LaSalle-Peru WLPO-AM 1220 Litchfield WSMI-FM 106.1 Litchfield WSMI-FM 106.1 Effingham Jerseyville WCRC-FM 95.7 Newton Vandalia WJBM-AM 1480 WIKK-FM 103.5 WPMB-AM 1500 Robinson Litchfield WAOX-FM 105.3 WTAY-AM 1570 Alton Olney WTYE-FM 101.7 St. Louis WBGZ-AM 1570 WVLN-AM 740 Mt. Carmel WVMC-AM 1360 Salem KRFT-AM 1190 WJBD-AM 1350 WSEI-FM 92.9 KFNS-AM 590 WJBD-FM 100.1 Olney WVLN-AM 740 Fairfield WFIW-AM 1390 Sparta Olney WSEI-FM 92.9 WHCO-AM 1230 DuQuoin Mt. Carmel Paris WINH-FM 98.5 WVMC-AM 1360 Paxton WPXN-FM 104.9 WDQN-AM 1580 Peoria, WIRL-AM 1290 Pittsfield WBBA-FM 97.5 Pontiac WTRX-FM 93.7 Pontiac WJEZ-FM 98.9 Quincy WTAD-AM 930 Quincy WQCY-FM 103.9 Robinson WTAY-AM 1570 Robinson WTYE-FM 101.7 Rockford WROK-AM 1440 Salem WJBD-AM 1350 Salem WJBD-FM 100.1 Sparta WHCO-AM 1230 Real People. Real Help. Real Close. The Message Service. Convenience. Local Ownership. Here’s a sample of the radio commercial copy that will air in University of Illinois football radio broadcasts. The names of participating stores, their locations, and store owner/ manager's name will be included. :30 Fall is the time to get real. Cold weather is on the way. At My Local Hardware Store!™, get to know real people, get real help, real close to home. It’s owned by your neighbors. They personally help you with any project, big or small. And you’ll find everything you need the first time and save time. Hey, Illinois. When you’ve got a fall “to-do” list that needs to get done, there’s really just one place to go. My Local Hardware Store!™. :30 Across Illinois are places you call My Local Hardware Store!™ In (town name and street location), see (store owner/manager's name) at (store name). In (town name and street location), see (store owner/manager's name) at (store name). And in (town name and street location), see (store owner/manager's name) at (store name). My Local Hardware Store!™ Real people. Real help. Real close. No fewer than two stores and no more than three stores will appear in each commercial. Step 2: Now tell us how you want your store to be referenced on your local radio stations. Go to the back page and enter how you want your store name to appear, the location (not the street or mailing address), and the name and title of the person who owns or manages the store. Real People. Real Help. Real Close. Real People. Real Help. Real Close. FILL OUT AND FAX THIS PAGE TODAY! 2009 Pledge Form I want to tell more people abou Yes,t the great service, convenience, and local ownership at My Local Hardware Name Store!™ with the following pledge: Store Name Store Annual Sales Volume Type Check One: Address A $2,000,000+ $900 City $1,000,001- State ZIP B $2,000,000 $800 $500,000- Signature C $1,000,000 $700 Date Under D $500,000 $600 Pledge Deadline: June 15, 2009 Payment Type VISA MasterCard Check Enclosed Bill me* Amount $ __________ Card # Mail to: MHA, 2801 Dixon St., PO Box 8033, Stevens Point, WI 54481 Name on Card Fax to: 715-341-4080 Expiration Date * You will be billed August 1, 2009, net 30. Enter: 1. The call letters and city of the radio station listed on page two where you what your store name to be heard. Station: City: 2. Store name, street location (not address, but generally referenced location such as “on Main Street," or "on Highway 17," etc.) and the name of the store owner or manager you want announced in the commercial. Store Name: Store Location: Store Owner/Manager Name: My Local Hardware Store!™ program relies on the commitment of your store. This is the only program in the nation exclusively promoting the service, convenience, and local ownership of independent hardware stores. To move forward, MHA needs pledges from a minimum number of stores. If you believe this is a valuable MHA service, make your pledge and urge your neighboring stores to pledge. To execute the program as outlined, we will evaluate store commitments on June 15, 2009, and communicate the results and future plans..