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Does that really need a National Day?
So, recently while I’ve been doing some research I have discovered there are a copious amount of national and world days that are utterly unnecessary.
To start off, do we really need ‘World Soil Day’, ‘National Microwave Oven Day’ ‘Night of the Radishes’, ‘Mud day’ and one of the strangest of all ‘National Bicarbonate of Soda Day’?
Yes, microwave ovens are a fabulous kitchen appliance, but do they really need their own dedicated holiday? I think not. Bicarbonate of soda is often something recipe books insist you add to your cakes, but in all honesty, when do we actually bother? To me it’s an unnecessary thing cluttering up a dark corner of my kitchen cupboard. I haven’t yet met a bicarbonate of soda fanatic, so who is actually celebrating this national holiday?
On the other hand, Human Rights Day, of course is one to celebrate wholeheartedly, people have campaigned tirelessly throughout history for themselves and their countries. Cultural events and exhibitions highlight and deal with human rights issues to reach a wider audience. I strongly believe in promoting holidays like these, it brings communities together and unites people via a common interest.
Uniting people based on their love of radishes and mud, however, I’m not so convinced by.
Our social media and news feeds are already cluttered with useless information and from a marketing perspective, breaking through the noise is tough enough with a sea of radish laden lunatics standing, rosy cheeked, right in the way.
I am aware I could be seen as cynical, and certainly was at the start of my marketing journey, but when I began to learn how people engaged with these national holidays in the way they do, I decided they could indeed be useful.
The hashtag is an all powerful tool that reaches people all over the planet, so by using a popular national day to your advantage, your product can reach out and engage with thousands of people across the globe. Let’s take ‘World Soil Day’, for example, people who are engaging with this are most likely garden and plant lovers, who are in the market for something that will make their herbaceous borders plentiful and green. If you are a company specialising in plant food or fertilisers, this would be a great world day and hashtag to engage with, as you would reach out to those who are in the market for a pick me up for their well-loved shrubs.
All in all, I’m still not so sure that the world really needs a day dedicated solely to mud, but these weird and wonderful holidays are useful and shouldn’t always be over looked by cynics like me.
And of course let’s not overlook ‘Global Champagne Day’, which will always be a fixed date in my calendar.
