Whether you’re going all-out on a product promotion for Mothers' Day, connecting with customers and community in NAIDOC Week and at Chinese New Year, or launching a new range to coincide with Valentine’s Day or Easter, the key to making the most of each event is to plan and prepare. Here’s an interactive calendar of key dates in 2022 to help you make this a bumper year.
Tuesday 1 February: Chinese New Year (CNY)
You should really already be prepping – the Year of the Tiger is almost upon us and presents a great opportunity to connect with customers who celebrate CNY. Nearly 60% of Chinese Australians say they’ve bought from or visited a business based on Chinese New Year promotions.
But to make sure you get it right, be sure to collaborate and consult – because for every campaign that nails it (for inspiration, look no further than the Nike triumph below) there’s a cultural misfire.
The National Retail Association shares a highlight and lowlight reel here, including Burberry’s slapdash addition of Chinese characters to its iconic scarf – by missing cultural nuance, it just didn’t end up a desirable item and possibly even appeared counterfeit luxury goods.
Monday 14 February: Valentine’s Day
You don’t have to be a florist to make the most of Valentine’s Day. Plan a campaign that gets creative with a day that used to be all about chocolate and flowers – the less traditionally romantic your business is, the more fun and attention-grabbing your campaign can be.
We’d swap a plastic-wrapped rose for a fresh heart loaf any day!
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Tuesday 8 March: International Women’s Day
Not every date has to be about selling. Celebrate the women who contribute to your business, pay tribute to women you admire, or take the opportunity to make a donation from your business to a local cause supporting women and girls.
Here are 5 women who inspired us.
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Friday 15 – Monday 18 April: Easter
Easter lends itself to bright and cheery promos, whether your business is focused on the chocolate treats side of the event or the holiday opportunity of a very long weekend.
If your business is more on the chocolate treats and decorations side, your audience and customers might thank you for some useful content – think tips for Easter hat creations, alternatives to chocolate treats, a how-to for a no-fail egg hunt, or what to do when a child finds out that secret thing about the Easter bunny.
Just remember to always include a link to buy the actual chocolates, treats and props.
Tourism operators, accommodation providers and others looking forward to welcome travellers over a break might think about what their customers have missed most over recent holiday periods and what sets the experience their business can provide apart, and how they can include that in their marketing.
Need some inspiration? This video was part of Iceland’s tourism recovery from the impact of the 2010 volcanic eruption that prevented flights across much of Europe and shut down tourism. It’s fun, catchy and promises experiences tourists just can’t have elsewhere.
Small businesses might have slightly smaller goals than a national tourism authority, but can take a good lesson from the creative approach.
Friday 22 April: Earth Day
Use this opportunity to get feedback from your customers about the sustainability initiatives that matter to them and the changes they want to see in your business.
Or follow NASA’s lead and offer your customers and audiences something useful – NASA created an extensive toolkit of resources and tips, but small businesses might offer a how-to for recycling (as in Mecca’s recent marketing) or reusing (as in this Who Gives a Crap social post) their own packaging.
Check out this Earth Day Instagram campaign by Who Gives a Crap with this fun and attention-grabbing take on impact marketing.
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Sunday 8 May: Mothers’ Day
With the average spend around $102 for the 62% of Australians planning to buy a gift, Mothers’ Day campaigning is a no-brainer for most businesses, with gift packs, packages and promos a go-to. It’s also not a bad idea to make sure your delivery is fast and hassle-free.
But you don’t need to be a florist, or beauty therapist to top the Mothers’ Day gift ideas lists. Here’s some inspiration that runs the gamut from skincare to technology, and everything in between – and from pass-the-tissues to laugh-out-loud.
Sunday 3 – Sunday 10 July: NAIDOC Week
During NAIDOC Week, Indigenous-owned businesses might reach wider a wider audience than usual by using some of the hashtags associated with the event in relevant posts, and showcasing their brands for #wearitblak Wednesday.
Allies, meanwhile, can take the opportunity to amplify Indigenous-owned businesses on social media – plan a week of shout-outs or, if your social media accounts are influential, extend an invitation to a First Nations business-owner for an Instagram takeover, where they ‘own’ your accounts for a period of time and can post their content for your audiences.
Sunday 4 September: Fathers’ Day
Gift-givers are spending about $93 each on dads this year (don’t tell the dads, but this makes them officially worth $9 less than mums!)
You don’t have to be selling socks or Bar-B-Mates to make the cut. A well-timed email campaign could help your business give Mothers’ Day a run for its money. What makes those examples so strong? They do a great job of making life easier for the gift-giver – you can do the same by creating gift packages aimed at dads, tagging the Fathers’ Day gifts on your site, and offering fast and free delivery.
Monday 31 October: Halloween
Party supplies stores, costume shops, prop and decoration suppliers, and confectionery brands are the obvious winners over Halloween. But for hospitality venues, Halloween could also be an easy win, and may also attract bookings from corporate groups in that rut between EOFY and Christmas celebrations.
If there’s really not a sales opportunity for your business around Halloween, your staff might have fun dressing up and giving your customers a kick.
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25 and 28 November: Black Friday and Cyber Monday
This four-day shopping binge originated in the US but has well and truly taken hold in Australia with an estimated $5.6 billion spent in 2021.
Not every small business thinks it’s worth taking part. Milliner Laura Hall of Phylli Designs told ABC News that considering the impact of drought, bushfires and the pandemic, she simply didn’t have room for discounts over the shopping weekend in 2021.
Larger businesses too have, instead of buying into the hype around the weekend, taken the opportunity to encourage thoughtful consumer habits – such as Patagonia’s 2011 ‘Don’t buy this jacket’ campaign. Of course, shoppers did buy that jacket. A decade on, Patagonia last year directed its US$10 million worth of Black Friday revenue to environmental causes.
Is it worth competing with the big brands? Or will you sit this one out?
Saturday 24 December to Sunday 1 January: Christmas and New Year holidays
It’s the big daddy of sales events for almost every B2C industry – with Christmas gifting, Boxing Day sales, summer holidays and New Year celebrations. Start planning your digital marketing strategies early.
An ecommerce platform is a must-have as online shopping will continue to dominate even if COVID-induced restrictions have been lifted. And even if we’re post-COVID, the labour market might still be tight, which could require creative approaches to hiring Christmas casuals.
Looking for an outside-the-box marketing idea to keep even the least-Christmassy products on the holiday shopping list? The loo-roll marketing team has the goods.
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