When the calendar turns to spring every year, most people begin an annual rite of passage – spring cleaning. We relegate winter coats back into closets, bring out the patio furniture, and begin the ritualistic process of decluttering the house from the winter. Consumers have been shut in the house all winter. With the promise of better weather and the end of the pandemic in sight, now is the time to use these energy moments to connect with your audience.
National Pi Day is a great excuse to eat pie, even if it’s actually a day about math. Pi Day is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π. Pi Day is observed on March 14 since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. In 2009, the United States House of Representatives supported the designation of Pi Day. Naturally, brands can hop on the Pi bandwagon as a fun and irreverent way to connect with customers. Domino’s, Blaze, Pieology, Boston Market, and Whole Foods Market have all launched Pi Day deals. Marie Callender’s, one of the most well-known dessert purveyors, offered a deal on their lemon meringue pies for Pi Day.
But food brands aren’t the only ones who can get in on the Pi Day fun; retailer Kohl’s also tweeted about their Pi Day discounts.
The COVID-19 pandemic threw cold water on the 2020 March Madness season. But basketball lovers can rejoice – the 82nd edition of the beloved tournament will begin on March 16, 2021. March madness is a great way to connect with male consumers and other sports lovers.
In 2019, Buffalo Wild Wings and Airbnb partnered up to engage sports fans online and in person. The chain restaurant hosted an Airbnb-inspired sleepover inside one of its Chicago restaurants. Titled “BnB-Dubs,” the activation encouraged March Madness fans to enter to win a two-day stay to watch the tournament’s first 32 games. To enter, participants had to share a video on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #bnbdubscontest. The hashtag resulted in organic “user-generated content” the brands could use to position themselves as the destination for basketball fans.
Tell your designers to break out the green palettes because March is the month to celebrate the Irish! There are many ways to take advantage of this festive holiday to drive engagement and sales. Some ideas include leprechaun animations, pots of gold, 17% discounts, “no pinch” kits, and anything green.
Spirit brands Kahlúa and Jameson teamed up for a St. Patrick’s Day promotion. Playing on the word lucky, a reference to “the luck o’ the Irish,” they promoted a fun drink for celebrants of the holiday to imbibe. They also used a green theme with shamrock illustrations for the email they sent to highlight the partnership.
Pressed juice company, Pulp & Press, used St. Patrick’s Day to promote their healthy green juice. While health might not be at the top of the St. Paddy’s day priority list, seizing the opportunity of the green-themed holiday is smart – and those who party too hard on the day might find themselves in need of a green juice the morning after.
Red Nose Day is a campaign organized by Comic Relief, Inc. to end child poverty, “one nose at a time.” The campaign’s goal is to raise both money and awareness. In 2017, a mini-sequel to the blockbuster movie Love Actually was released. The short film aired on television and was titled “Red Nose Day Actually,” which cemented the day in the public consciousness.
Pre-pandemic, Walgreens sold $1 red noses to help raise awareness and funds. In 2020, when Red Nose Day happened in the pandemic’s early days, they nixed the noses and teamed up with direct mailer, Valpak and movie rental service Redbox to keep the public engaged. Walgreens included $20 gift cards in certain Valpak coupon mailers. Redbox ran a sweepstakes – anyone who donated to Red Nose Day from the microsite on the Valpak mailer was entered to win a year of free movie rentals.
The start of spring means new wardrobes. Web traffic for dresses is 16% higher in spring than in the summer and 52% higher than it is in the fall.1 Retailers should push warm-weather apparel sales starting in March.
Discount clothing retailer, Nordstrom Rack, starts March strong with an email touting their many warm-weather dress options. Their emails feature dresses that are fit for spring outings, such as brunches and picnics, and usually stress either affordability or discounts. The message is simple, to the point, and makes the dresses the main focus of the email.
We’ve got great ideas for growth! Contact us.
1 https://www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/shopping-insights-spring-retail-strategy
As Content Marketing Manager, Natasia is responsible for helping strategize, produce and execute Data Axle's content. With a passion for writing and an enthusiasm for data management and technology, Natasia creates content that is designed to deliver nuggets of wisdom to help brands and individuals elevate their data governance policies. A native New Yorker, when Natasia is not at work she can be found enjoying New York’s food scene, at one of NYC’s many museums, or at one of the city’s many parks with her two teacup yorkies.