While I wouldn’t claim to be a Bear Grylls, hard-core outdoor type…

…I do have an enthusiasm for the outdoors and I do go for a ramble or a short hike on a fairly regular basis. That’s enough to inspire a reasonably keen interest in outdoor kit in general and walking gear in particular.

Now, while Craghoppers is my current first choice for much kit…I’m pretty familiar with most of the outdoor gear brands. So, when I saw this headline…

“Who Was Helly Hansen”

…I recognised the name and was interested enough to click on the link to read the story…

“How one Norwegian sailor sparked a 140-year story of outdoor clothing innovation, from canvas cloaks to ultralight insulators.”

I’m drawing this ad to your attention because it’s an example of… [Read more…]

Time to look ahead at the month of March 2019 at the events anniversaries and holidays that we can use to build a marketing calendar for campaigns, product launches or promotions.

The main occasion of general interest is St Patrick’s Day on March 17. Plenty of scope for ideas based around luck, good fortune and finding that elusive “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow.

There is also the change of season with the March Equinox (March 20 at 21.58 UT). Daylight Savings Time changes this month as well in many countries.

Easter falls late this year (April 19 – 22)…and in the UK it’s “Mother’s Day” on Sunday, March 31.

Moving on to other events…

Let’s take a look at the coming month of February 2019 for the various holidays, events and anniversaries that smart marketers can use as the basis for a promotion or campaign and to create a marketing calendar for February 2019.

Valentine’s Day (February 14) is the standout occasion for the month pretty much everywhere. Remember also “Groundhog Day” (February 2), now part of the popular consciousness thanks to the classic Bill Murray movie.

It’s also Chinese New Year, that starts on Tuesday, February 5 to bring in the Year of the Pig. Chinese New Year is actually celebrated for 15 consecutive days, but the first three days are most important. The 15th and final day, Chap Goh Mei is also a big event, where houses are decorated with an abundance of brightly coloured lights. It is a way of ending with a grand finale rather than the festivities just fading away gradually.

In the world of entertainment…the 91st Academy Awards (the “Oscars”) take place on February 24th.

Looking a little further ahead…Easter falls late this year (April 19-22) but it’s not too soon to prepare. My local supermarket had Easter merchandise on the shelves straight after New Year!

Looking at general events…

The cartoon (“aging in advertising”) from the great Tom Fishburne at the top of this post captures a key point from this article…

“Investing in longer lives will lift your portfolio”

…in a recent issue of “MoneyWeek” magazine.

The broad themes of the piece are… [Read more…]

2018 is not yet over…we still have Christmas and the New Year to enjoy…

…but it’s not too soon to get started on putting together a marketing calendar for January 2019. So let’s take a look ahead at some of the events, anniversaries and other occasions that we can put to use for an event-driven marketing event or promotion.

Of course, the New Year itself is a great reason for a promotion. At this time, most people are making plans for the year ahead and often looking to make a “fresh start”.

“New Year Sales” are a staple pretty much around the world and no reason why you can’t make use of this.

January is also “Brainteaser”, “Get Organized” and “Creativity” month.

Also…looking a little further ahead…

…in 2019 Chinese New Year falls in February on the 5th.

Other events of note…