May 2015 is approaching…
…so time for smart marketers to plan ahead and look at some of the holidays, events and anniversaries in the coming month that can be used as part of an “event driven marketing” strategy. You can then use these ideas to put together your own Marketing Calendar May 2015.
Two notable occasions are…
…firstly “May Day” (May 1, of course)…
…and then in most places apart from the UK, “Mother’s Day”, which this year falls on Sunday May 10.
“May Day” (May 1) is an occasion widely observed in the northern hemisphere and originally was a pagan festival linked to Spring and fertility.
Wikipedia has more about May Day traditions…
…including in the UK the May Pole, the May Queen and Morris Dancing.
Like many originally pagan festivals, May Day has been co-opted by the Church and in many Catholic countries May is a month honouring the Virgin Mary.
In the modern era, May Day has also come to be known as “International Workers’ Day” and associated with the labour movement.
Also in May…
…we have “Be A Millionaire Day” on May 20! This is a day to think and dream about what it would be like to be a millionaire.
It’s understood that the term “millionaire” was first used in the English language by Lord Byron in a letter written in 1816. At the time, there were only a handful of millionaires. Today it’s reckoned there are more than 13 million millionaires scattered around the globe. The origins of “Be a Millionaire Day” are not clear, but the day honours the desire to enjoy the freedom and power associated with being financially secure.
Here’s a more detailed list of events…
May 1 – May Day (also “Lei Day” in Hawaii), International Workers’ Day
May 3 – World Press Freedom Day
May 4 – International Firefighters Day
May 5 – International Midwives Day
May 5 – World Asthma Day (first Tuesday in May)
May 5 – Cinco De Mayo (Mexican holiday often observed in the USA)
May 8 – 70th Anniversary of the end of World War 2 in Europe
May 8 – World Red Cross And Red Crescent Day
May 9 – Europe Day
May 10 – Mother’s Day (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, most countries in the British Commonwealth outside the UK, northern Europe)
May 12 – Anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale (in 1820) (also International Nurses Day)
May 14 – Ascension Day
May 15 – International Day Of Families
May 17 – World Telecommunication And Information Society Day
May 18 – International Museum Day
May 20 – Be A Millionaire Day
May 21 – World Day Of Cultural Diversity
May 22 – World Day Of Biological Diversity
May 22 – World Goth Day
May 23 – Mesmerism Day (anniversary of the birth of Franz Mesmer)
May 23 – World Turtle Day
May 24 – Pentecost
May 25 – Geek Pride Day
May 31 – World “No Tobacco” Day
Also…”Star Wars” Day is observed in May among aficionados…but the actual day is up for debate. The most widely recognised day is May 4…but there’s also May 14 (anniversary of the birth of George Lucas)…and May 25 (anniversary of the launch of the first movie in 1977).
Moving on to country-specific events…
In the USA…
May 1 – Law Day (also Loyalty Day)
May 2 – National Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Day
May 4 – Rhode Island Independence Day (Rhode Island)
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo
May 6 – National Nurses Day
May 7 – National Day of Prayer
May 8 – Truman Day (Missouri)
May 10 – Mother’s Day
May 10 – Confederate Memorial Day (North Carolina, South Carolina)
May 14 – Ascension Day,
May 15 – Peace Officers Memorial Day
May 16 – Armed Forces Day
May 22 – National Maritime Day
May 22 – Harvey Milk Day (California)
May 24 – Pentecost
May 25 – Whit Monday
May 25 – Memorial Day
May 25 – Jefferson Davis Birthday (Mississippi),
May 25 – National Missing Children’s Day
May 31 – Trinity Sunday
Note that on 8 May 1914 the US Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day in the USA and the first national Mother’s Day was celebrated on May 9 that year.
Couple of major sporting occasions in the USA…Kentucky Derby on May 2…and the Indy 500 on May 24.
In Canada…
May 10 – Mother’s Day
May 14 – Ascension Day,
May 18 – Victoria Day (All except NS, NU, QC),
May 18 – National Patriots’ Day (Quebec)
May 24 – Pentecost
May 25 – Whit Monday
May 31 – Trinity Sunday
In the UK…
There’s a General Election on Thursday May 7. Also…
May 4 – Early May Bank Holiday
May 8 – Victory in Europe Day (70th anniversary of the end of World War 2 in Europe)
May 14 – Ascension Day
May 24 – Pentecost
May 25 – Whit Monday (Spring Bank Holiday)
May 31 – Trinity Sunday
In sports, the FA Cup Final takes place on May 30.
Also…it’s “National Smile Month” from May 18 to June 18 in 2014. Primarily to promote better oral health, you could adapt this for other ideas (along the lines of greater happiness, simply spreading good cheer and that sort of thing).
In Australia…
May 4 – May Day (Northern Territory)
May 4 – Labour Day (Queensland)
May 10 – Mother’s Day
May 14 – Ascension Day
May 24 – Pentecost (Whit Sunday)
May 26 – National Sorry Day
May 31 – Trinity Sunday
Also, the Federal Budget is expected in May.
Taking a look at some anniversaries…
150 years ago, the American Civil War was coming to its end. The “official” end of the war is deemed to be 10 May 1865, but some fighting continued after that date.
100 years ago, World War 1 was raging.
75 years ago, World War 2 was in progress, with the Battle of France taking place.
As mentioned before, 70 years ago, World War 2 ended in Europe on May 8.
On 4 May 1715 – French merchant Jean Marius introduced the first practical folding umbrella (it could fit in to a pocket when folded)
1 May 1840 – the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, the “Penny Black” was issued in Britain. It officially came into use on May 6.
7 May 1840 – Birth of Russian composer Tchaikovsky
7 May 1915 – sinking of the Lusitania in World War 1
30 May 1935 – Baseball legend Babe Ruth plays his final game
15 May 1940 – the first McDonald’s restaurant opens in San Bernadino, California
15 May 1940 – nylon stockings go on sale in the USA for the first time
13 May 1950 – the first Formula One World Championship race was held at Silverstone, England
And if you’re looking for still more ideas, look out for local events and sporting occasions.
That’s it for this month. Wishing you every success with your event-driven marketing in May 2015!