Q2 advertising has the potential to be some of the most creative and fun of the entire year. While the powerhouses of Black Friday and Valentine’s Day are in the rear-view mirror, April, May, and June are full of energy moments for brands to use to connect with their customers. Below we’ve outlined our favorite cultural touchstones along with examples of ground-breaking campaigns.
This holiday is a perfect way to show your brand’s sense of humor and connect with audiences in a lighthearted way. Amazon decided to have a little fun with their voice-activated assistant, Alexa. The brand created a high-production-value faux-commercial, showing pets (dogs, cats, gerbils) using “Petlexa.” The “commercial but not” works by poking fun at itself, raising brand awareness, and using cute animals to attract viewers.
Easter is a religious holiday with family-friendly iconography; chicks, bunnies, and brightly colored eggs are the star of the day. Ikea decided to offer up a sweet treat for the holiday. The Swedish furniture brand is known for both their efficient flat packing and “assembly required” products. To play on that, the brand sold flat-packed chocolate bunnies that customers had to assemble themselves upon opening.
Death and taxes are the only two things that are certain in life. However, Tax Day is still a good time of year for brands to connect with consumers – brands can play with tax themed discounts or offer up self-care strategies to stressed taxpayers. Hand & Stone Massage & Facial Spa did both, giving clients a $10.40 deal on select add-ons.
Earth Day is the perfect time for brands to showcase their green initiatives and sustainability practices. Electronics manufacturer Apple launched an Earth Day themed animated film that’s exclusively available on Apple TV +, their new streaming platform. The film, “Here we are: Notes for living on planet earth” features the vocal talents of actress Meryl Streep. The film follows a child who learns about the wonders of the earth from his parents on Earth Day. The short film shows that their company values the environment while also encouraging consumers to sign up for Apple TV +.
Mother’s Day is a great day for retailers and the hospitality industry. From brunches to cards to flowers to jewelry, consumers want to find ways to show their mothers how much they appreciate them. For Mother’s Day 2020, Kay Jewelers showcased how their customers celebrated their moms while remaining responsibly socially distant from them. They asked them to share their stories with the hashtag #Loveisunstoppable and then compiled the entries into a video. The results were heartwarming.
Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer when consumers prepare for vacations, picnics, and celebrating the great outdoors. According to Adweek1, consumers spend an average of $500 over Memorial Day weekend. Google offered a discount on their Nest Thermostat along with a free Google Home Mini to help consumers save money when they need to crank up the AC during the summer! The subject line for the email campaign read, “Save on a Nest thermostat this Memorial Day. And get a free Google Home Mini,” to entice readers to open up the email and see the discount inside.
Don’t forget about Dad! While Father’s Day might not have the same spend as Mother’s Day, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, Americans are expected to spend an estimated $16 billion. Athletic retailer, Brooks Running, chose to spotlight their customers, sending out an email featuring customers and their children. They also created a fun “Dad approved gear” landing page with gift ideas.
1 https://www.adweek.com/digital/the-average-consumer-will-spend-nearly-500-at-retailers-over-the-memorial-day-weekend/
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.