Holidays are a great time to drive sales, build brand awareness and run timely promotions for maximum impact. When putting together your next marketing plan, make sure to factor these 12 holidays into the mix.

1. Queen’s
BIRTHDAYday Labour day
Mother’s dayEaster
CHINESE
NEW YEAR
ourne
DAY AUSTRALIA DAY
Christmas
& Boxing Day
HALLOWEEValentines Day
n’s
AY
12 Holidays To Include In Your
Business' Marketing Calendar

2. holidays

3. holidays
are a great time to drive sales, build brand awareness
and run timely promotions for maximum impact.
When putting together your next marketing plan, make
sure to factor these 12 holidays into the mix.
Pssst... we’ve also included some handy tips for marketing
visuals and content tone for each holiday.
holidays

5. When it comes to ringing
in the New Year, don’t
forget to help clients
kick-start the year with a
bang.
Create marketing
material that will help
clients get on track to
improving their business
or motivate them to
achieve their New Year’s
resolutions.

6. New Year looks
like...
Bright colours, fireworks,
sunrises and summertime
fun.
New Year sounds
like...
Motivation, inspiration
and aspiration – topped
off with a go-get-’em
attitude.

7. Even if you’re not running specific
promotions for a holiday, make sure to
acknowledge it across social media
networks for extra buzz and brand
engagement. Countdowns to holidays
always work well.
HOLIDAY
MARKETING
TIP

8. AUSTRALIA DAY

9. Deep in the heart of
summer, Australia Day is
a great time for
businesses to embrace
everything that is
Australian.
If you are an Australian
brand, take pride in the
history of your business, or
thank your Australian
clients for their continued
business.
AUSTRALIA DAY

10. Australia Day looks
like…
Sun, surf, sand,
barbecues, mates and,
of course, the Australian
flag.
Australia Day
sounds like...
Friendship, summertime,
relaxation and Aussie
pride (the good kind!).

11. Iconic Aussie brand Vegemite rebranded its
packaging – and its name – to “Australia” in 2012.
It also called out for Australians with remarkable
stories to be the “Toast of a Nation” and have their
faces and bios featured on jars.
THEY
GOT IT
RIGHT
http://www.news.com.au/finance/vegemite-changes-its-name-to-australia/story-e6frfm1i-1226237296078

12. Valentines Day

13. Love is in the air, and
there’s no better time to
spread the joy than
Valentine’s Day.
This holiday isn’t limited to
florists and jewellers. Use
Valentine’s Day as an
excuse to show clients
they are appreciated.
Valentines Day

14. Valentine’s Day
looks like…
Reds, pinks, softer fonts,
hearts, roses and satin
ribbons.
Valentine’s Day
sounds like…
Appreciation, romance
and passion – all
sprinkled with some extra
affection or attention
‘just because’.

15. CHINESE
NEW YEAR

16. You may not get a long
weekend, but as China is
Australia’s most lucrative
tourism market, Chinese
New Year is a holiday
that marketers shouldn’t
ignore.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/tourist-spending
-jumps-to-record-301b-in-australia-20140903-10bqta.html
CHINESE
NEW YEAR

17. Chinese New Year
looks like…
Red envelopes, dragons,
jade, firecrackers, gold
coins and family.
Chinese New Year
sounds like…
Prosperity, celebration
and wishing good wealth
and health (all while
saying “gong xi fa cai”).

18. Singaporean beer brand Tiger Beer commissioned
an illustrator to produce artworks featuring the
brand for the Year of the Horse. It also worked with
its social media network and a well-known DJ to
create a Chinese New Year dance anthem called
#TigerTwist.
THEY
GOT IT
RIGHT
http://www.marketing-interactive.com/tiger-beer-gets-creative/

20. As the second-longest
annual holiday, Easter
means lots of free time
for shopping, catching
up on work or planning
for the next quarter of the
year.
Did you know that after
Boxing Day, Easter
Thursday is one of the
busiest days for retailers in
terms of spending?
http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2014/4/23
/industries/good-friday-effect-two-graphs-how-public-holidays-trigger-spending

21. Easter looks like…
Eggs, chocolates,
purples, bunnies and
general cuteness.
Easter sounds like…
Energy, youthfulness,
playfulness and bad
“hop-to-it” puns.

22. Mother’sDay

23. Everyone loves their
mum, and Mother’s Day
is the perfect way to help
your clients show it in a
meaningful way.
Mother’sDay

24. Mother’s Day looks
like…
Floral patterns, high tea,
cursive font and pastel
colours.
Mother’s Day
sounds like…
Appreciation, love,
adoration, generosity
and a hug for the
women who raised us.

25. Don’t just send out your messaging a day or two before
a holiday is about to take place. Start preparing your
content and collateral a couple of months beforehand,
and send out messages gradually. Ramp it up a week or
so before the holiday for maximum impact.
HOLIDAY
MARKETING
TIP

26. Queen’s
BIRTHDAY

27. You may not be able to
give Queen Elizabeth a
present, but you sure can
give your clients one. The
Queen’s Birthday is the
perfect time to run some
extra promotions for the
public holiday – in honour
of the monarch, of
course.
Queen’s
BIRTHDAY

28. Queen’s Birthday
looks like…
The Union Jack, red and
blue tones and Queen
Elizabeth’s face (often
from the back of an
Australian coin).
Queen’s Birthday
sounds like…
Jubilant celebration,
British slang, pride and
trumpets tooting.

29. Father’s Day

30. Don’t forget dad!
Father’s Day is a great
opportunity to help
clients appreciate the
male figures in their lives.
Father’s Day

31. Father’s Day looks
like…
Gadgets, sports, beer,
mates and the great
outdoors – all mixed with
a darker palette.
Father’s Day sounds
like…
Slang, appreciation and
a relaxed tone – all
blended with some good
dad jokes.

32. When it comes to budgeting, make sure to leave
yourself a buffer for extra marketing spend during
these times of year.
HOLIDAY
MARKETING
TIP

33. Labour Day

34. Long weekends are
loved by all Australians,
and Labour Day is no
exception. As summer
draws nearer, use Labour
Day as a way to help
clients take a break and
reward themselves for all
their hard work
throughout the year.
Labour Day

35. Labour Day looks
like…
Putting your feet up, road
trips with family and
friends, and a celebration
of... well, labour.
Labour Day sounds
like...
Relaxation and enjoyment,
with a reminder for all to
take a break after working
so hard.

36. HALLOWEEN

37. Halloween might be
spooky, but marketing for
it doesn’t have to be. It’s
not all pumpkins and
scary masks. Use this
holiday to inject some
fun into your marketing to
build up brand
awareness.
HALLOWEEN

38. Halloween looks
like…
Cobwebs, black and
orange, ghosts and
jack-o’-lanterns.
Halloween sounds
like…
Spookiness, a bit of
kookiness and (most
importantly) fun!

39. Melbourne
CUP DAY

40. It’s called “the race that
stops the nation” for a
reason. Australians love
the Melbourne Cup.
Don’t just run a Cup Day
promotion – make sure to
start your marketing
messages in the weeks
leading up to the big
day.
Melbourne
CUP DAY

41. Melbourne Cup Day
looks like…
Lush greens, horses,
glasses of bubbly, spring
fashion, floral designs
and lots of
hundred-dollar bills.
Melbourne Cup Day
sounds like…
Taking chances,
elegance, sophistication,
fun and anything that
exudes style.

42. Christmas
& Boxing Day

43. While most offices shut
over the Christmas break,
business booms for
retailers, and Boxing Day
is the single biggest
spending day of the year.
Christmas marketing can
start as early as
November and run until
the end of the year, so
make sure you start
planning well in
advance.
Christmas
& Boxing Day

44. Christmas looks
like…
Sleighs, reindeer, stockings,
Santa hats, gifts wrapped
with bows and all
peppered with red, green
and white tinsel.
Christmas sounds
like…
Festivities, family and
friends, relaxation,
merriment and getaways.

45. Christmas isn’t just for retailers. In 2013, UK agency
Quietroom released a Santa brand book, spoofing today’s
silliest branding strategies. Not only did the brand book go
viral with over 17,000 shares on Facebook and 14,000
retweets on Twitter, it gained coverage in huge
publications like AdWeek and Fast Company.
THEY
GOT IT
RIGHT
http://www.quietroom.co.uk/santa_brandbook/one

46. Finished your spectacular marketing plan?
Contact Snap to turn your holiday
marketing ideas into a reality.
Illustrations:RussellTate.com