BRAND HOLIDAYS
BRAND-NEW HOLIDAY
So is a brand-new holiday still an effective way for brands to communicate with their audiences ? Yes and no . Consumers look to brands to tell them something about themselves . They think of themselves as singular , so it ’ s no longer enough for a brand to differentiate - it must also be singular .
Brand holidays used to be unique . It wasn ’ t always apparent that a holiday was invented by a brand , but even when it was made-up it wasn ’ t a common practice . Now , brands are expected to have an awareness of the full calendar of “ holidays .” I ’ ve said it before in Branding is Sex – “ Today ’ s options are tomorrow ’ s standard equipment .” It ’ s no longer novel to have a holiday , it ’ s expected . Your audience will expect you to have an awareness of the trends . Even debuting a new holiday won ’ t have the same return on investment that it used to . Consumers have adjusted their expectations .
Of course , that doesn ’ t mean that we ’ re above it . I was very pleased when the city of Austin presented me with my own holiday . June 20th , 2016 - “ Branding is Sex Day ”, as proclaimed by Mayor Steve Adler . It ’ s no National Financial Crimefighter Day ( October 26th ), but it does have a nice ring to it .
Deb Gabor is the founder of Sol Marketing , a consultancy that has led successful strategy engagements since 2003 for global brands like Dell , Microsoft , and NBCUniversal , and for numerous digital brands , including Allrecipes , Cheezburger , HomeAway , and many more .
A leading expert on brand disasters , she is the author of Branding Is Sex : Get Your Customers Laid and Sell the Hell out of Anything , and Irrational Loyalty : Building A Brand That Thrives In Turbulent Times . Deb has been featured in USA Today and other major publications . A displaced Midwesterner , Deb currently lives in Austin , Texas , but travels frequently to help her clients build bulletproof brands .
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