Let’s unthaw from the frostbitten winter as the month of March nears — perhaps just in time to solidify your brand as a thought leader before Spring truly arrives. Here’s a look at some upcoming topics to keep on your radar for the first half of March:
[ HOLIDAY/EVENT ]
International Women’s Month
[ OBSERVANCE ]
March 1st – 31st
[ RUNDOWN ]
International Women’s Month is a celebration for women’s social, economic, political and cultural accomplishments across the globe.
In marketing, being a woman isn’t a cookie-cutter image, and it’s not all about femininity. Don’t be afraid to talk about any structural barriers you’ve overcome and what it’s like in daily life. As a brand, showing the whole spectrum helps with breaking the cycle of stereotypes and common misperceptions.
[ TIPS ]
Plan a Campaign-Branded Hashtag: Not only will it help you track and measure your content, but it can enhance any engagement with a strategic call-to-action. Before launching, do a walkthrough on how it will perform across various social platforms to avoid any mistakes. A misinterpreted hashtag that’s offensive or doesn’t resonate with your target audience can be the downfall of any otherwise well-crafted campaign.
Magnify Your Multicultural Efforts: It marks your window of opportunity to multiply your brand’s equity and raise awareness on inequalities for women globally. Along with any life-changing hurdles and issues like access to education, living and working conditions or safety and protection from harassment. People want to see themselves reflected in the brands and media they support. This is especially true for younger audiences who are naturally diverse, and are demanding more for representation and respect.
[ HOLIDAY/EVENT ]
International Women’s Day
[ OBSERVANCE ]
March 8th
[ RUNDOWN ]
International Women’s Day is annually held to recognize women’s rights, contributions and achievements in history throughout the globe.
This year’s 2020 campaign theme is #EachforEqual, which derives from the concept of ‘Collective Individualism,’ and how singular actions or behaviors can impact society as a whole. As a marketing expert, this means challenging yourself and showcasing your efforts towards gender equality, in and out of the workplace.
[ TIPS ]
Have a Meaningful Discussion: For retailers, this isn’t the moment to flex your ego with promoting sales, but instead, ignite a valuable conversation. Worthy topics like gender pay gaps, menstrual cycles, postpartum depression and more builds your brand affinity with consumer-based emotional connections.
Don’t Be An Opportunist: Picking one out of 365 days to be inclusive isn’t a good look and is a recipe for backlash. Instead, make it a true and genuine commitment all year-long. For marketing teams, it means to thoughtfully plan and execute any diversity and inclusion content at least once a month — or more if you’re actually dedicated to the cause.
[ HOLIDAY/EVENT ]
Pi Day
[ OBSERVANCE ]
March 14th
[ RUNDOWN ]
In honor of everyone’s favorite mathematical constant, Pi, physicist Larry Shaw started Pi Day in 1988 at San Francisco’s Exploratorium to celebrate the infinite number, and all mathematics. For those of you who dreaded going to science or math class, the number is approximately 3.14, hence the day of celebration.
Since Pi Day’s popularity has gained momentum over the past few years, there’s plenty of unclaimed space to be an innovator and cultivate something impressive or edgy.
[ TIPS ]
Brag On Your Internal Data: Internal findings (including survey results, sales or software trends, marketing intelligence and other exclusive reports) will add to your consumer value with its educational approach and proves your credibility to the masses. Music streaming services, like Spotify and Apple Music, are successful because of their savvy skills to create data-powered content from personalized playlists.
Use Different Interpretations: Aside from numbers, marketing teams can break the boundaries with other meanings and synonyms of the word: “Pi” or “Pie” (like the dessert). With consumer interest growing, amplify your spotlight in search engine page rankings with long-tail keywords, while being precise with your titles and descriptions.
[ HOLIDAY/EVENT ]
314 Day
[ OBSERVANCE ]
March 14th
[ RUNDOWN ]
As the home of the monumental Gateway Arch, deliciously-flaky ooey gooey butter cake, and Old Vienna’s Red Hot Riplets, it’s no surprise that STL has always moved to the beat of their own drum. The origins of 314 Day can be credited to Young Dip, a well-known legend in the city, and a former personality on HOT 104.1’s radio station.
“I remember thinking that I wanted something that’s going to almost be like a holiday/bring a good vibe to the city; or at least for one day have that feeling when “Country Grammar” came out..”, Dip explained in his interview with DELUX Magazine.
If your brand is founded or headquartered in St. Louis, or if you have a significant fanbase from any residents, go ahead and join the festivities.
[ TIPS ]
Social Media Engagement & Content: search around on any social platforms with the phrase and hashtag #314Day to get an in-depth idea of what user-generated content is posted. Maximize your social monitoring tools for sentiment drivers, hashtags and emerging trends, so that you can tailor content to your intended audience. Or utilize your social listening software, and stay on the watch for any conversations on the topic.
Launch a Parallel Social Media Campaign: A true-bred St. Louisan praises a brand who accurately highlights the traditional accent, culture, local restaurant gems, inside-jokes and life memories that the entire world may never understand. Top-notch brands are able to authentically story-tell through a short 2-3 minute video and catch viewers when app usage peaks. This year, 314 Day is on Saturday, so consider running a two-week long campaign that begins on March 1st, to build up any upcoming anticipation.
[ HOLIDAY/EVENT ]
St. Patrick’s Day
[ OBSERVANCE ]
March 17th
[ RUNDOWN ]
Besides being notable for lucky shamrocks and a plethora of green hues, this religious holiday is named after Saint Patrick, the primary patron saint of Ireland, and marks the date of his death. However, it’s leapt into a worldwide celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing and drinking.
[ TIPS ]
Promote a Pinterest Pin: Don’t underestimate the secret weapon of Pinterest’s brand exposure, due to web surfers and shoppers across the globe looking for the latest inspiration. And Pinterest is a proud powerhouse for three brand goals: growing your audience, driving traffic to a site or store and boosting sales.
Brand Activation: St. Patrick’s Day, along with other color-filled holidays, are ideal for introducing something new or unique. If you want to be memorable and make a lasting connection, activation types like experiential marketing, samples, free trial campaigns, on-site activation, industry events and trade shows humanize your product or service with personal interactions.
Remember, when planning your monthly campaigns, always pay attention to what’s going on in the world around you. Don’t be insensitive and miss the mark in your marketing. Stay tuned for more updates and details on trending holidays and events.
