Since 1917, thousands of Girl Scouts dressed in a signature green sash or vest have been pounding the pavement to sell cookies to their relatives, neighbors and parents’ coworkers. The annual Girl Scout cookie sale has provided millions of dollars in funding for local Girl Scout troops and councils, in addition to major brand recognition for the organization as a whole.
This year one eight-year-old scout, Wild Freeborn of Asheville, N.C., decided that knocking on doors would not get her to her goal of selling 12,000 boxes (the cost of sending her troop to summer camp). So, with the help of her web designer dad, she decided to post a video on YouTube and sell boxes online. Right away, Freeborn sold 700 boxes.
Obviously with the great realization of online orders, Freeborn was able to tap into an unmet consumer need – quick and convenient online shopping of Girl Scout cookies. Even at a young age, she was able to observe current buying behaviors and realize that if consumers would buy anything from shoes to groceries online, they would certainly do the same for Samoas, Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos. No longer would the Girl Scout cookie market of Asheville need to wait with cash on hand for a knock on the door or the chance set-up on a busy sidewalk.
But, when the local Girl Scout officials got word of her new media selling tactics, they shut her down. According to Freeborn’s interview on NBC’s Today Show, the Girl Scouts of America have a policy against selling cookies online since it believes online retail takes away from its wholesome and traditional brand identity. But, with a recent USA Today article reporting a 19 percent decline in pre-order cookie sales during this year’s annual drive in January and February, one may wonder why the Girl Scouts of America would impede one young entrepreneur’s goal. At $3.50 a box, that’s a large chunk of change is lost Thin Mints.
--Lauren McCabe (Hudson County, NJ Troop #76 1987-1993)
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