OK, the month of May 2012 is approaching…
…so time for smart marketers to plan ahead and look at some of the holidays, events and anniversaries in the month that can be used as part of an “event driven marketing” strategy.
Locally in Australia, it’s a month with fewer events than April.
It’s Autumn, so that can be used as a theme.
As elsewhere, the main occasion is “Mother’s Day”, which this year falls on Sunday May 13.
In Queensland, there’s the Labour Day holiday on Monday May 7 (also a holiday in the Northern Territory but named “May Day”).
Talking of “May Day” (May 1), this 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.
Here’s the overview video for this month…
You can view this on Youtube here – “Marketing Calendar May 2012”.
And here’s a more detailed list of events…
May 1 – May Day (also “Lei Day” in Hawaii)
May 3 – World Press Freedom Day
May 5 – Cinco De Mayo (Mexican holiday often observed in the USA)
May 7 – “May Day” holiday (UK)
May 8 – World Red Cross Day
May 10 – “Thank You” Day
May 12 – Anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale (in 1820)
May 13 – Mother’s Day (USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, most countries in the British Commonwealth outside the UK, northern Europe)
May 14 – Star Wars Day (birthday of George Lucas)
May 18 – Endangered Species Day
May 23 – Mesmerism Day
May 28 – Memorial Day (USA)
May 31 – World “No Tobacco” Day
More ideas over at www.BlueMountain.com (look for the “On this day” section). Seems to be a bit of a musical theme this month with “Boogie Woogie Day” on May 22 and “International Jazz Day” on May 24.
Finally, a couple of business related anniversaries…
In 1794, the US Post Office was established on May 8.
And on May 5 in 1921, the perfume Chanel No. 5 was introduced by the legendary Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. A breakthrough perfume; it was without any feminine floral scent and came in a revolutionary cube-shaped bottle. The first designer-named fragrance, it soon became the world’s best seller.
That’s it for this month. Remember to look out for local events and those specific to your industry as well as the ones listed above.
Every success with your marketing!
UPDATE (8 May 2012):
Today (8 May 2012) sees the annual Australian budget.
Depending on the details there may be a specific reason for a promotion to your clients.
Regardless of the specifics, events like a budget speech give the opportunity for a promotion with a financial theme.
Note also that in Australia the end of the financial year is approaching on 30 June.