Brand a Day!

Branding a product or service is very common, but how about branding a day? Well, it can be argued that some holidays are surely branded besides having a historical or religious base, but other branded days are purely commercial.

Just a couple of weeks ago couples around the world celebrated Valentines Day putting a smile especially on the face of florist, chocolate manufacturers, jewellers, and restaurant owners. However, in some countries this is taken even further and in Japan White Day is celebrated on March 14th. The Japanese celebrate Valentine's Day in a rather unique fashion, with women giving the men chocolate as well as other gifts. But there is more to it, the gifts of chocolate are divided into two types: giri choco (obligatory chocolate) and honmei choco (chocolate for the man the woman is serious about). Giri choco is given by women to their superiors at work as well as to other male co-workers.

On March 14th, exactly one month after Valentine's Day, men who were lucky enough to receive gifts of chocolate have the chance to return the favor by giving the women who gave them gifts of chocolate a more expensive box of chocolate or sweets, as a sign of love.

There are a few theories on how White Day started and according to wikipedia:

“White Day was first celebrated in 1978 in Japan. It was started by the National Confectionery Industry Association (全国飴菓子工業協同組合) as an "answer day" to Valentine's Day on the grounds that men should pay back the women who gave them chocolate and other gifts on Valentine's Day. In 1977 a Fukuoka-based confectionery company, Ishimura Manseido (石村萬盛堂), marketed marshmallows to men on March 14, calling it Marshmallow Day (マシュマロデー).

Soon thereafter, confectionery companies began marketing white chocolate. Now, men give both white and dark chocolate, as well as other edible and non-edible gifts, such as jewelry or objects of sentimental value, or white clothing like lingerie, to women from whom they received chocolate on Valentine's Day one month earlier. If the chocolate given to him was giri choco, the man as well may not be expressing actual romantic interest, but rather a social obligation”.

I just thought this is an interesting example on how smart marketers can brand a day and assure a huge seasonal spike in sales. How about branding a day yourself, any ideas. This might just make sense to Seinfeld lovers, but remember George Constanzas fathers holiday called “Festivus”. Well, Festivus for the rest of us!

It is Time of the Big G!

In the mids of a global economic crisis consumers watch more carefully what they spend their money on. Some marketers might see this as a difficult time where surving is the priority, but it is the breed of marketers that sees a challenge as an opportunity that normally succeeds. Why not use this opportunity and strengthen your brand while others take a more defensive role. You might ask yourself now how and the answers seems almost too simple, it's the big G. Surprisingly the G stands not for Greed, something that has been heavily associated with the financial crisis. In this case the G stands for Generosity, or Giving.

When people are experiencing hardships they will appreciate even more getting a break and anything a company does to make the consumers life easier will be more than welcome. This can really enhance your brand reputation and allow companies to gain a new customerbase, that is likely to be loyal once things look better again. At least I think that if somebody was good to me during these times I will be a loyal follower at a later stage, besides telling everybody about their good deed.

Trendwatching.com has published in their February briefing a nice article on this topic and I encourage you to read it.

Link is here

Got any examples to share?

J&J - The Show must go on!

The popularity of dramas in many Asian countries is well known, especially over the last years when the "Korean Wave" swapped the region and made their dramas one of their export hits. Building a campaign around tv dramas is exactly what J&J Thailand has done with it's contact lense brand Acuvue. They have created a short story series featuring in the lead role an actual customer, the actress Jessica Pasaphan. With this campaing they try to raise brand awareness among young women, and what is better than getting them hooked on a show while promoting their product.

It shows again, know your customer well and try to find new mediums to reach them in a effortless seaming way. As long as the drama does not make you feel like you are watching a non-stop commercial things should be ok.

Yum! adds Flavor to the Menu!

When it comes to culture, food is an important part of it. Yum! Brands Inc. better known for their main brands Pizza Hut and KFC knows how to address the cultural part in their expansion run through China. Besides their plans to open 500 new restaurants (in 2009) in the Middle Kingdom, they are aware of the fact that catering to the local taste by making the necessary adjustments to their menu should be an integral part of their strategy.

A few examples of their Pizza Hut menu in China are:

Tuna fish pizza, zesty shrimp soup, roasted squid, a variety of rice-and-meat dishes (kimchi pork, curry beef and Hungarian beef rice), and green tea.


This shows once again that if you want to establish your brands overseas it is crucial to know your market and target customer, but without neglecting specific traits of your brand.

Trying to impose typical American flavors might not always be the right thing to do, and especially in markets where religious believes might prohibit the consumption of certain foods (e.g. Beef in India, etc.)

Sounds like YUM! Brands has understood that being culturally sensitive is the key to success. Bon Appetite!