May 2014 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.
The two standout 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 11.
“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.
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 4 – International Firefighters Day
May 5 – International Midwives Day
May 5 – Cinco De Mayo (Mexican holiday often observed in the USA)
May 8 – World Red Cross And Red Crescent Day
May 9 – Europe Day
May 11 – 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 15 – International Day Of Families
May 17 – World Telecommunication And Information Society Day
May 18 – International Museum Day
May 23 – Mesmerism Day (anniversary of the birth of Franz Mesmer)
May 29 – Ascension 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).
Country-specific events…
…in the USA…
May 11 – Mother’s Day
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 3…and the Indy 500 on May 25.
May 26 – Memorial Day
In Canada…
May 11 – Mother’s Day
May 19 – Victoria Day (all except Quebec); National Patriots’ Day (Quebec)
In the UK…
May 5 – May Day (Early May) Bank Holiday
May 17 – F.A. Cup Final
May 26 – Spring Bank Holiday
In Australia…
May 5 – May Day (NT)
May 11 – Mother’s Day
Also, the Federal Budget is expected on May 13.
Taking a look at some anniversaries…
150 years ago, the American Civil War was at its height. The nightmarish Battle Of The Wilderness took place from May 5-7 in 1864. Cavalry legend J.E.B. Stuart was killed on May 12 that year and on May 7 the Atlanta campaign opened (leading eventually to the fall of Atlanta on September 2).
Comic book hero Batman made his first appearance on 1 May 1939 in Detective Comics #27.
On 6 May 1954, Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes
In 1994 also on May 6, the Channel Tunnel between England and France was officially opened.
On 10 May 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president.
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 2014!
UPDATE (9 May 2014):
How on earth could I have missed “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 1816. At the time, there were only a handful of millionaires. Today it’s reckoned there are more than 12 million millionaires scattered around the globe. The origins of “Be a Millionaire Day” aren’t clear, but the day honors the desire to enjoy the freedom and power associated with being financially secure.
UPDATE 2 (20 May 2014):
Just seen that in the UK…
…it’s “National Smile Month” from May 19 to June 19 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).