It’s that time of the month when we look ahead to creating…
…a marketing calendar for December 2012.
Events, occasions and anniversaries that we can use as the foundation for marketing campaigns and promotions.
December of course means…
…CHRISTMAS…
…with the NEW YEAR not far behind as a marketing event.
PLEASE do not neglect the marketing opportunity that the New Year provides for pretty much any business.
Even now in November, I’ve seen plenty of ads running with the theme…
…”Make 2013 Your Best Year”.
New Year’s resolutions will be on people’s mind…
…so this is a fantastic time to promote any kind of personal development product…
…as well as business-oriented offerings.
Remember to plan and launch your New Year promotion well in advance and in good time for January 1.
With Christmas, keep in mind…
…any specific customs in your area.
For example, in Sweden the Yule season starts on December 13 with Santa Lucia Day.
BUT will we even make it to Christmas this year?!?!?
2012 sees the conclusion of the Mayan “long form” calendar on December 21…
…which has resulted in some speculation of an impending catastrophe or even the “end of times”!
I suspect that we will all still be here when December 22 dawns…
…but with all the chaos and financial mayhem in the world you can certainly make the case that we’ve seen the end of the world, as we knew it.
I’ve touched on the idea of the “New Economy” before…
…so you could certainly add an extra twist to your New Year campaigns with that idea.
Other events of note in December…
December 3 – Telescope Day (marking the invention of the telescope by Galileo in 1621)
December 4 – Day Of The Artisans
December 5 – International Volunteer Day
December 8 – “Imagine Day” (anniversary of the death of John Lennon in 1980)
December 10 – Human Rights Day
December 14 – DNA Day (marking the day in 1967 when DNA was first created in a test tube)
December 16 – Jane Austen’s birthday
December 16 – Start of “Las Posadas” (concludes December 24)
December 19 – “A Christmas Carol” Day (the classic Christmas novel by Charles Dickens first published in 1843)
December 21 – End Of Mayan “Long Count” Calendar
December 21 – Winter Solstice (Northern Hemisphere) / Summer Solstice (Southern Hemisphere)
(the Solstice occurs at 11.12 UTC in 2012 so check the time in your location)
December 24 – Christmas Eve
December 25 – Christmas Day
December 26 – Boxing Day
December 26 – First Day Of Kwanzaa (continues until January 1)
December 31 – New Year’s Eve
There are a few more less-usual dates and anniversaries at www.BlueMountain.com (look in the “On This Date…” section).
Remember, there are a number of other religious holidays in December. For example, Hanukah (starts sunset 8 December and ends 16 December) and Bodhi Day (Dec 8 in Japan, 8th day of the 12th Lunar Month elsewhere).
On a business related note…
…on December 22 in 1882 the first string of Christmas tree lights was created by Edward H. Johnson, an associate of Thomas Edison.
On 1 December 1948, the Scrabble board game was copyright registered.
Two concluding ideas for promotions in December…
1) Keep in mind the “12 Days Of Christmas”…
…that start on December 25 and conclude on January 5.
2) Consider whether you could create a “Christmas Catalogue” for your clients. Even if you don’t have a wide range of your own products, people LOVE to see suggestions for gifts at this time of the year. So you can mix in other people’s products with your own.
Wishing you every success with your holiday promotions!
UPDATE (10 December 2012):
As a mathematician, how could I have overlooked this!?! Coming up is one of those standout dates 12-12-12! Last time we’ll have a run of dates like this (1-1-1, 2-2-2 etc) for a hundred years. Worth at least an email to your list on the day if you can make some sort of numerical connection.
Keep in mind as well that a price point of 20.13 can be used as a tie-in to a New Year (2013) promotion.