Memorial Day: Not Just Another Holiday

DW Green — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:00:04 +0000

Recently, we worked with a client to develop their 2011 promotional plan. We began with the holiday weeks, as they are obviously much easier to plan than the non-holiday weeks. When we got to the Memorial Day ad, we started off by talking about promoting the usual summer suspects: ground beef, poultry, ribs, melons, sweet corn, soda and the like. Then I recalled a Memorial Day cover page ad we created several years ago to commemorate what this holiday is actually about. The ad honored America’s brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of their country.

Will an institutional Memorial Day cover page drive sales and customer counts like a traditional item and price cover page? Maybe, maybe not. The institutional ad will, however, be remembered much longer than the price of ground beef and watermelon. And keep in mind: you still have the remainder of the ad to promote item and price.

Most Americans have had family members or friends serve in the armed forces. Sadly, many have lost a loved one in service of our country. For me, my father served valiantly in WWII, and I lost two good friends in the Vietnam War. With many of our troops currently in harms way in Afghanistan and Iraq, recognizing their service and the United States armed forces is a laudatory decision. I also feel that, in light of the poor economy, the incivility in politics, the stories of corporate greed, the Toyota fiasco and other negative news, a sincere, heartfelt acknowledgment of the meaning of Memorial Day would be well received and much appreciated by consumers. This type of institutional ad also has a greater probability of attracting non-shopper readership.

Whether or not you choose to run an institutional Memorial Day cover page ad, you should consider a 22×28 poster acknowledging the importance of this holiday.

I wish you and your families an enjoyable and safe Memorial Day holiday, and invite you take a moment of silence on Monday, May 31st to honor the servicemen and women who gave up their lives to protect our freedom.

Special Anniversary Ads

DWG Team — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:00:20 +0000

Every year we get calls from retailers asking for help for a “special anniversary ad.” Normally the special ads are for the 20th, 30th, 40th, or 50th anniversary. Maybe even a 90th anniversary!

Why wait 10 years between anniversaries to celebrate?

Here’s a couple of suggestions to help you market your anniversary every year.

Get a special logo design for your anniversary. This will allow you to promote your anniversary on every page of your weekly ads, store posters and shelf signage. Here’s an example of a very simple anniversary design:
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Celebrate the anniversary for an entire month — not just one week! If you are celebrating a milestone anniversary (20, 30, 40, 50) we’d recommend that you celebrate the anniversary all year. Incorporate the special anniversary logo to accompany your normal logo in all ads. Here’s an example of a milestone anniversary logo:
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If you’re going to celebrate an anniversary – how about some presents (for your customers)? Thank your customers for supporting your store. Gift Card giveways are a great way to celebrate.
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Include some interesting copy about the history of your store. If you’re lacking history (interesting history that is) about your store, you may want to include some history of supermarkets in general over the decades. Here’s a link to FMI’s website posting for 75 ideas for 75 years. Interesting information, including 1972: The year that many retailers elected to try 24 hour store operating hours.
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Celebrate with special anniversary bag designs for milestone anniversary. If you’re going to celebrate the anniversary all year, why not have a special anniversary bag design?
Send out some press releases commemorating the milestone anniversary. Better yet, encourage your local newspaper to interview a founding member – 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation to talk about the changes in the business over the decades.
Tie in a “Customer Appreciation Day” with your Anniversary celebration. Thank your customers for their patronage and encourage them to register in your store for special customer appreciation prizes.
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How about some special direct mail marketing events? We’ve worked with retailers who have used large envelopes to stuff special offer sheets along with a letter from the Owner/Manager announcing the upcoming anniversary event. You can also send out postcards announcing your anniversary. (see example of front and backside of a postcard):
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It’s a good idea to include a simple map to your stores for those that haven’t found their way to your store yet – especially if the anniversary is a first or second year anniversary:
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Use the special anniversary as a reason to celebrate with special offers that your competitors won’t have available the same week. Use the special features to draw traffic by using at least 40% of the front page of your weekly ad.
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Need some help planning your next anniversary sale? Just call and we can help you prepare a great event worth celebrating.

Have a great week.

Idea of the Week » promotional planning

Memorial Day: Not Just Another Holiday

Special Anniversary Ads