Don’t be the brand that makes the news for insensitive marketing. Use these 5 tips to prevent garish and offensive promotion in the buildup to Veteran’s Day.
1. Consider what your audience is feeling/celebrating/honoring
Many holiday weekends are in honor of previous tragedies. For instance, leading into Veteran’s Day consider that your potential clients might have had family members who served overseas. Do they want to see marketing that is out of touch and over the top, or something subtle that honors the lives in service of our nation?
2. Be apolitical
Politics are a no-go topic for a reason. With certain holidays being more focused on touchy topics, it’s important to be neutral. We are all aware of the politics associated with the military, and so are other companies pushing Veterans Day campaigns. To avoid parting those on your left or right like the Red Sea, drive a general message that recognizes those who have served. Keep it patriotic and bipartisan.
3. Avoid bandwagon marketing if it does not relate to your company mission
The ultimate sign of disconnected marketing is offering a sale or discount purely because of a holiday weekend. For instance, think about how it might look to simultaneously post about honoring veterans alongside large bold text that reads 50% off or don’t miss this sale (if your products/services are completely unrelated to this holiday).
4. Thank the troops
Context-sensitive marketing only works if you remember the context of the holiday you are framing your marketing around. Posting online without honoring the meaning of Veteran’s Day could perhaps even do lasting damage to your brand.
5. Get personal
The best way to be considerate in your marketing is to be personal. If anyone in your company has had friends or family members who served tours, highlight them and their stories. Highlight employees who have also served tours. This adds a pure human dimension to your brand, removing the corporate aspect that many customers are turned off by during sensitive holidays.
If you utilize these tips, then you should be able to proactively participate in holiday marketing in a relevant way for your brand.
Related Posts
Don't Cut Corners With Digital Marketing
As is true with most things in life, cutting corners might get you ahead for a short period of time, but it will only cost you in the long run. The same goes for your marketing plan. Questionable marketing practices can land you in a hole that you could spend years digging yourself out of while your competitors win over client after client. It’s critical to invest in meaningful marketing tactics from the start. Here’s what to avoid:
Marketing to Sports Fans
Football season is about to start which means sports fans will be very excited. Do you want to stay relevant with fans? Content marketing is a great way to keep up with the seemingly insatiable appetite of sports fans. Here’s our advise for marketing to sports fans.
Jumping on the Back to School Bandwagon
Back to school usually means lots of sales and high online and in-store traffic for many businesses. This can make it hard for businesses to stand out. There are plenty of ways to attract an audience of students, teachers, and parents during the back to school season. Even if you don't sell school supplies or clothing, you can use these ideas to help make the most of one of the biggest retail seasons of the year.