How to Decide Which National Holidays/Months Your Brand Should Participate In
Happy National Women’s Month! March 8, was International Women’s Day and as we celebrate the women in our life many brands seem to be doing the same. It is a beautiful thing to see all our favorite brands rally behind women and express support and even participate in some CSR. However, It seems that brands nowadays will look for any excuse to jump on the “holiday” bandwagon. Although, these national holidays/months are fun and could be a good marketing tool it is important to know when a brand should join in or not.
Before asking a brand to support a “holiday” it’s important to ask where these holidays began. Many holidays are recognized by the government as a way to bring awareness to a cause, minority group, or a significant historical day. Others that are considered “fake holidays” are created by companies or organizations for the sole purpose of getting consumers to buy a product. According to an article by The Atlantic: “Many such days are used—or were even specifically invented—to coax people to talk about products and services.” For example, President Ronald Regan created National Ice Cream Day in hopes to boost the dairy economy due to its cheese surplus in 1984. However, not all holidays have a similar beginning and it is important to distinguish the difference between a “fake holiday” and a real one. A brand can of course still celebrate these fake holidays, however, be careful because all social media users have the ability to use a hashtag and state it’s a National holiday. As a brand it is important you are aware of the holiday you decide to support and make sure it is the correct date or be able to back up the holiday with research.
It is important for brands to remember to only participate in National Days or Months if it is relevant to their brand. For example, if you work for an airline you would not participate in National Cupcake Day but instead National Travel Day. Brands should only participate in a “holiday” if it supports their brand and is authentic. With it being National Women’s Month it is only fitting that brand are posting and or participating in the awareness/celebration. However, to many onlookers, this may look unauthentic. If a brand has not previously expressed support or participated in the conversation regarding women and women’s rights then participating in National Women’s Month is going to appear unauthentic. Participating in a national month or holiday especially ones that are regarding awareness of more serious topics, will only be taken seriously if the cause aligns with the brand’s values. It is important for brands to not get wrapped up in this trend and post just to seem relevant, consumers will see right through this. As PR professionals it is imperative that we guide our brands to posting only when it appears and to be able to back up their reasoning of celebrating the holiday to their executives.
These holidays are a great way to highlight a brand’s owned content or highlight services they provide. For example, Experience Grand Rapids recently celebrated National Margarita Day. This is a great way to encourage followers to see their previous blog posts on the Best Margaritas in Grand Rapids. It was also a great way to encourage follower engagement by asking where their favorite place is to get margs in Grand Rapids. All in all, participating in these holidays can be a great way to promote brand awareness and be a fun way to engage with consumers. Try to not exhaust the list of infinite holidays to support as that will appear unauthentic to followers and become very annoying.
In order to stay on top of all these holidays, Hubspot has created a list and downloadable calendar of holidays/months brands might want to get in on. There are an infinite amount of “holidays” to support, it is choosing the one that fits with your brand best that is the tricky part. Know your brand and what it stands for and the holiday to celebrate will reveal themselves.
About Sofia:
Sofia Anderson is a senior at GVSU studying advertising/public relations and Spanish. She is an Account Associate for GrandPR and is the VP of Professional Development for GVPRSSA. She currently works at Experience Grand Rapids as their Social Media Intern and is a volunteer at Bethany Christian Services Transitional Foster Care & Assessment center. She has an interest in tourism, fashion and corporate PR. In her spare time she enjoys watching Netflix, making-friendship bracelets and spending time with family and friends.