Local marketing campaign aims to stimulate business amid pandemic

Message is it’s safe to shop, dine out

SANTA FE — While retail shops and restaurants in Santa Fe, and throughout most of New Mexico, have begun to open at limited capacity, it only takes a walk through Santa Fe’s downtown Plaza to see that business activities are still dragging as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

But some local business leaders, the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Fe Community Foundation, city government, marketing groups and others have joined forces to launch the “We are Santa Fe Safe” campaign in an effort to stimulate the local economy and do it in a safe way.

According to a news release, the campaign puts employees at the center of the initiative “to inspire customers to dine, shop and do business again.”

“We are all consumers, and this program is asking businesses to make a commitment to our community and come together so we can all look out for one another,” said Fred Cisneros, of Cisneros Design, one of the local marketing firms behind the effort.

Any business can participate, provided they follow the campaign’s guidelines. The businesses would receive a program packet that includes a door cling designating the business a “We are Santa Fe Safe” participant, commitment documentation, COVID-safety practices and resource guide, and a do-it-yourself marketing toolkit.

Part of that effort includes employees at local businesses recording short 10- to 20-second videos explaining what has been done in their workplace to make them safe. The videos will then be circulated on social media — tagged as #santafesafe — and the “We are Santa Fe Safe” website, santafesafe.com.

While the cornonvirus pandemic has impacted business everywhere, Santa Fe, as a cultural and arts center that relies heavily on tourism dollars, is especially hard hit. Marquee events that attract people from out of state, such as Indian Market, Traditional Spanish Market, International Folk Art Market and the Santa Fe Opera, have all been cancelled. For a city where gross receipts taxes are responsible for 70% of its operating budget, it’s a huge hit. The city is projecting a $100 million deficit in the budget for the next fiscal year because of the outbreak.

Bridget Dixson, president of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, said the goal of the “We are Santa Fe Safe” campaign is to keep the community healthy and thriving.

“Reopening our local business is the ultimate community effort because we all want to be safe and successful in bringing our city together again,” she said.