By Luke Weigel, lweigel@lessitermedia.com
Marketing Manager, Lessiter Media
As promised in last week's Marketing Minute email, I'm looping back around to talk a little bit about Black Friday.
As crazy as Black Friday can be — with the overwhelming amount of offers and lines of people everywhere you go — there is something kind of festive about it as an official kick-off to the next round of holiday gatherings. But it wasn't always thought of as a festive occasion.
While there are many stories of how Black Friday came to be what it is today, the origins of it — according to History.com — are shrouded in darkness thanks to a couple of 19th century Wall Street financiers who bought up as much gold as they could hoping to drive prices sky high before selling for huge profits. Unfortunately for them and many others, their conspiracy unraveled on a Friday in September of 1869 and led to a stock market crash that bankrupted everyone in its path.
Those 100s of Black Friday promos don't sound so bad anymore, do they? However that story morphed its way into the Black Friday we know today, it's incredible to think about how it's turned into such a promotional powerhouse and unofficial holiday enjoyed by many.
But it's not just Black Friday that has grown in popularity amongst marketers. There seems to be a celebrated day for every cause, food, pet, obscure landmark, etc. etc. Some serious, some more on the silly side (I'm looking at you Wear a Plunger on Your Head Day - Dec. 18). A colleague recently joked it's gotten so out of control that we should start thinking of a promotional angle for Abraham Lincoln's half birthday.
But the fact of the matter is, marketers like us are always looking for a way to stand out from the crowd, and random unofficial holidays might be your ticket to a promotional success story. I've put together this list of a few dates in 2023 that might be worth planning some campaigns around. You never know what might move the needle for your customers.
What other 'holidays' do you use as promotional touchpoints? Would love to hear what days have been successful for you.
