As the winter snow begins to thaw and temperatures slowly rise toward the end of February, many people start preparing for the spring with great anticipation. Many religious and cultural holidays mark the commencement of month-long periods of reflection and examination, and a small business can take advantage of these celebrations with promotional products.
While it may be unwise to target a specific religious demographic, promotional items can still incorporate helpful information about these holidays.
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is the non-denominational day that falls directly before Ash Wednesday. While this day is commonly known as “Fat Tuesday” in the United States, some people in the United Kingdom spend the day eating pancakes and other pastries. A good promotional marketing campaign can target both of these ideas.
For example, custom coffee mugs can have blueberry pancake recipes written on the side while still incorporating the bright colors of Fat Tuesday. The celebration of Mardi Gras inundates the market with cheap promotional products, however, so make sure your business gifts are of superior quality if they are going to be distributed during this time.
Beginning of Lent
Depending on the lunar cycle, Easter Sunday can fall as early as the middle of March, and therefore the dates of the traditional celebrations that mark the beginning of the Catholic period of Lent can vary greatly. However, they mostly fall in the middle of February.
Lent or Easter-themed promotional products should stay away from incorporating religious material, unless you are specifically gearing your business gifts toward a Catholic audience. Even then, promotional items should focus more on the period of “reflection” defined by this time rather than religious doctrines. And the simpler, the better.
For example, begin with the traditional pastel colors of spring and Easter. Purple is the primary color of Advent (though in some churches it can be white or royal blue), so distributing promotional clothing or items in this color is a safe choice. It will subtly draw attention to the season without mentioning specific religious denominations. Bright green and light blue will work as well – these are fun shades that gently speak of the coming warm weather and sunshine.
A more aggressive marketing strategy can include slogans like “What are you remembering this Easter Season?” or utilize pictures of baby birds and bunnies. Cute animals will not necessarily hurt a promotional item, but you should be sure not to overdue the theme, especially if marketing toward a group of adults.
National Wedding Month
The end of February also brings National Wedding Month to a close, so marketers have just a few more days left to focus on a marital theme. Remember, wedding planners and event managers are all going to be in a hectic frenzy to finalize details for summer nuptials, so it is a good idea to broker deals with them rather than an actual couple (unless the couple are the ones planning the ceremony). A small business owner should use this time to create innovative designs on objects like wall calendars that can be distributed at a wedding or any of the related parties.
The month of February acts as a buffer zone between many different things – the seasons of winter and spring, the “off” time period between Christian holidays, even the break between football and the other major sports. A successful promotional marketing strategy will take all of these themes and more into account during this time to ensure optimal revenue for small businesses worldwide.