Girl Scout Cookie Sales Meet Social Media

By: Lisa Dahlby
Account & Project Manager


Smart technology is changing the ways of one long time March tradition. And I'm not talking about college basketball. It's Girl Scout Cookie Sales. Facebook, Smart Phone Apps and Twitter are changing the way you buy your Thin Mints. No more walking door to door in the rain. Or standing outside of Safeway all afternoon attacking each shopper who exits the store. Now, you can just post an event on Facebook. Or utilize an app to help customers find you! How lucky to be selling a traditional product as coveted as girl scout cookies, that customers want to seek out sellers. Wouldn't that be nice? All the new technology is a great resource, but isn't face to face promotion and having to ask for the sale in person, often with rejection, all part of the deal? Girl Scout Cookie selling started in 1917 as a way to help teach young women life skills and to fund raise for a good cause. Back then the girl baked a simple sugar cookie recipe herself and sold to her neighbors for 25 cents a dozen. In 1934, the cookie baking process became commercial in Philadelphia and by 1951 they had expanded the menu to include 3 flavors. Math, money management, people skills, time management, speaking about a product, healthy competition amongst your troop, fundraising for a good cause--- Are these life skills as easily learned with the help of Facebook or Twitter? I would argue certainly no.


I was a girl scout for 5 years (top cookie seller in my troop 2 years in a row, but who's counting). I still think there is something unique about buying from the little girl who stands in front of Whole Foods all day or actually has the guts to knock on the door of an adult and give her pitch. I'm a true sucker for the young entrepreneur type who knows all about the cookies, honing her social and sales skills in the process. I think when we rely heavily on Facebook and the like to do this for us, we risk losing the social aspect of the sale, the growth and development of the girl scout and the lessons that are supposed to be learned from the experience.

Source: AdAge.com

Girl Scout Cookie Finding App