Here’s the look ahead at the month of October 2018 and some of the events, anniversaries and occasions that savvy marketers can use as the basis and reason for an event-driven promotion…
…to create your own marketing calendar for October 2018.
Of course, the stand out occasion, beloved by many marketers, is “Halloween” on October 31.
The origins of Halloween seem to be a mixture of pagan festivals marking the end of summer…
…combined with the idea that at this time of the year the spirit-world comes close to our world…
…adopted by the Christian religion as the eve of “All Souls Day”.
Whatever, it’s the traditional occasion to acknowledge the after-life and the supernatural.
So, an opportunity to use themes in your promotions like…
“It’s Scary What You Are Missing!”
“Now a spooktacular, very limited time, opportunity”
“Terrifyingly scary profits coming your way…”
…and so on.
The theme of FEAR (of loss, for example) can also be used…
…but don’t get too scary about it!
Apart from Halloween October has plenty of different events and occasions…
October 1 – International Day Of Older Persons
October 1 – World Vegetarian Day
October 1 – International Coffee Day
October 1 – World Habitat Day (first Monday in October)
October 1 – World Architecture Day
October 2 – International Day Of Non-Violence
October 2 – World Cerebral Palsy Day
October 4 – World Animal Day
October 4 – Improve Your Office Day
October 5 – World Teachers Day
October 5 – World Smile Day
October 6 – “Mad Hatter” Day
October 6 – World Card Making Day (first Saturday in October)
October 9 – World Post Day
October 9 – Curious Events Day
October 9 – Face Your Fears Day (second Tuesday in October)
October 10 – World Mental Health Day
October 10 – Tuxedo Day (this style icon made its first appearance in America in New York City on this day in 1886)
October 10 – Handbag Day
October 11 – World Sight Day (second Thursday in October)
October 11 – International Day Of The Girl Child
October 11 – World Obesity Day
October 12 – World Arthritis Day
October 13 – World Thrombosis Day
October 13 – International Day For Disaster Reduction
October 13 – International Migratory Bird Day (second Saturday in October)
October 13 – Universal Music Day (second Saturday in October)
October 14 – World Standards Day
October 15 – World Maths Day (also observed on the first Wednesday in March)
October 15 – Global Handwashing Day
October 15 – World Students’ Day
October 16 – World Food Day
October 16 – Dictionary Day
October 16 – Steve Jobs Day
October 17 – International Day For The Eradication Of Poverty
October 17 – Mulligan Day (or “Second Chance” Day)
October 19 – Evaluate Your Life Day
October 20 – World Statistics Day
October 20 – World Osteoporosis Day
October 21 – Apple Day
October 22 – International Stuttering Awareness Day
October 24 – United Nations (UN) Day
October 24 – World Development Information Day
October 25 – Picasso Day (anniversary of the birth of the great artist in 1881). Also known as “International Artists Day”
October 26 – Intersex Awareness Day
October 27 – World Day For Audiovisual Heritage
October 27 – Make a Difference Day (fourth Saturday in October)
October 28 – Birthday of Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft)
October 28 – International Animation Day
October 29 – World Stroke Day
October 29 – International Internet Day (in 1969 2 college campuses linked up to kick off what we now call the internet)
October 30 – Checklist Day
October 31 – Halloween
And October has traditionally been a scary month in financial markets…
…with October 24 and October 29 the anniversaries of significant milestones in the 1929 “Wall Street Crash”.
October 31 is also the anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini in 1926 and celebrated as “Magic Day”.
Taking a look at events in particular countries…
In the USA…
October 7 – Chicago Marathon
October 8 – Columbus Day (Most regions)
October 8 – Indigenous People’s Day (Alaska and some places in CA, MN, WA)
October 9 – Leif Erikson Day
October 13 – US Navy Birthday
October 15 – White Cane Safety Day
October 16 – Boss’s Day
October 18 – Alaska Day (Alaska)
October 21 – Sweetest Day (Many regions),
October 26 – Nevada Day (Nevada)
October 31 – Halloween
In sports, the Baseball 2018 “World Series” starts on October 23.
Canada…
October 8 – Thanksgiving Day
October 18 – Healthcare Aide Day (British Columbia, Manitoba)
October 31 – Halloween
U.K.
No major national events this month, apart from Halloween which is now enthusiastically observed in the UK.
It is also “National Chocolate Week” from October 15-21 2018.
Daylight Savings Time ends on October 28.
Keep an eye out for local events or occasions specific to your industry.
Australia…
October 1 – Queen’s Birthday (QLD, WA)
October 1 – Labour Day (NSW, ACT, SA)
October 7 – Daylight Saving Time starts
October 31 – Halloween
Remember to check out local events in your area.
There are also a number of religious holidays in October across a number of different faiths. So, check the details if it’s appropriate for your audience.
That’s it for this month. “Happy Halloween” and hope your event-driven marketing campaigns are “frighteningly” successful!
UPDATE (2 October 2018):
In the UK. 1-7 October is “National Cake Week”.