Now that the dust has settled on Christmas and New Year's 2019 celebrations, it's time to start focusing on the year ahead. With the number of mobile phone users predicted to exceed 5 billion worldwide in 2019 (Statista), this year is a great time to start incorporating SMS into your marketing strategy if you have not already.
Whilst the thought of planning for a whole year can seem overwhelming, it is never too early to start. There are many opportunities and global events in 2019 that can be used for marketing and increasing customer engagement, no matter which industry you are in. Check out our guide of the important events and key dates below:
February starts with the annual rugby union Six Nations Championship. France, England, Italy, Scotland, Wales and defending champions Ireland will battle it out to see who can lift the trophy! A perfect opportunity to run a campaign if you are in the sports industry.
The 53rd annual Super Bowl is scheduled to take place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. During the 2018 Super Bowl, it was predicted that over 1.35 billion wings were consumed in the USA alone (Klein, 2018). This is a great opportunity for businesses in the food takeaway industry.
Also known as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, The Chinese New Year celebrates the first day of the year using the traditional Chinese Calendar. This year it welcomes the Year of the Pig, expect lots of fireworks!
A day to celebrate loved ones! Valentine’s Day is an enormous commercial event, with more than 22 million Brits spending money on loved ones in 2018 (Rotstein, 2018). A perfect opportunity to send a loving text to your customers.
The major fashion trends of 2019 will be on show during London Fashion Week, which showcases over 250 designers to global brands. Clothing brands can capitalise on the exposure that this event raises.
The 91st Academy Awards takes place in February. The ceremony is attended by the world’s biggest stars and is a talking point in the entertainment industry for many weeks both before and after.
The 91st Academy Awards takes place in February. The ceremony is attended by the world’s biggest stars and is a talking point in the entertainment industry for many weeks both before and after.
The Rio Carnival is the world’s largest carnival with an average of 2 million people on the streets per day. Expect plenty of colour!
Mardi Gras is a celebration of eating well before the Lenten season. The celebration is particularly celebrated in New Orleans with numerous parades across the city. Restaurants could capitalise on this day by offering unique foods or offers.
International Women's Day is annually held to celebrate the achievements of women throughout history and across the globe. Almost all companies should be able to utilise this day by offering female customers an incentive to purchase.
Every March a charity fundraising telethon takes place in the UK in which the general public are encouraged to wear red noses and change lives. One way to get involved could be to donate a small percentage of sales on this day to the cause.
This day is a global celebration of Irish culture in which St Patrick, one of Ireland's patron saints, is remembered. Expect lots of Guinness! The day is celebrated worldwide and you can easily put an Irish spin on a product or service to entice customers.
Winter 2019 is officially over and we move into Spring. Bring on the good weather! Retailers can use this day to inform customers of their Spring product lines.
Britain is expected to leave the European Union on this date. Whilst we aren’t quite sure what exactly will happen, it is important to be aware of this date to ensure you are compliant with any changes in the law.
The clocks go forward by 1 hour in the Northern Hemisphere which means more sunlight but one hour less of sleep for the night!
Time to spoil Mum! In 2018, Brits spent out £600 million on Mother's Day gifts (Mintel, 2018). Mother’s Day is celebrated on May 12th in the USA. Retail shops can benefit by sending out a “We Love Mum’s” or “Make Mum’s Day” promotional text.
April Fool’s Day is an annual tradition in which practical jokes and hoax spreading is encouraged. Last year, Google said that customers could charge their Chromebooks outside using wind, solar or compost. Think creatively if you are looking to send out a joke styled campaign!
The Grand National is an annual horse race at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool and is the most valuable jump race in Europe, with a prize fund of £1 million. Regardless of industry, you could run a sweepstake or ‘guess the winner’ campaign that rewards a winner.
Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus and modern tradition has a theme of bunnies and chocolate eggs. Easter provides a huge market, with spending in 2018 at £1.2 billion and £395 million spent on eggs and confectionary. (Wells, 2018). A great opportunity for everyone to get involved using SMS.
Earth Day is a global event that promotes sustainability and protection of the environment. Companies that provide sustainable products can use Earth Day to promote such goods using SMS.
World Book Day promotes reading, publishing and copyright. In the UK, the day is celebrated on 7th March. This day is arguably one of the biggest opportunities of the year for bookstores and eBook merchants and an SMS marketing campaign can certainly help raise awareness.
St. George's Day is held annually on April 23rd to celebrate the life of Saint George, the patron saint of England. There are usually lots of events and activities across the week and retailers who sell souvenirs and memorabilia have a great opportunity capitalise on the event.
The 5th of May, otherwise known as Cinco De Mayo, celebrates the Mexican army's 1862 war victory. In the USA, it has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage Pass the tequila!
The Monaco Grand Prix is part of the F1 racing circuit and is renowned for its narrow course and tight corners. Many consider it one of the most prestigious races in the world.
2019 brings us the ICC Cricket World Cup. The tournament will be hosted by England and Wales. The host cities are Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Chester-Le-Street, Leeds, London. Manchester, Nottingham, Southampton & Taunton. Bring it on!
Arguably the biggest game in football, besides the World Cup Final, is the Champions League Final. This year it will be played in Madrid and watched by millions across the world. This is another great opportunity that both takeaway restaurants and sports retailers can capitalise on through SMS marketing.
More football! The UEFA Nations League is a new tournament that will take place in Portugal. Four countries: Portugal, England, Netherlands & Switzerland will compete to see who is crowned the inaugural champions.
Look away now if you don’t like football. The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place across a span of 30 days, with France set to be the host nation.
A day to recognise dads, granddads, stepdad, dad-in-law and any other father figures. In 2018, UK consumers were expected to spend £799 million in total, making it a huge occasion (Wells, 2018). Just like Mother’s Day, a quick text that focuses on Dad can offer great rewards.
Summer Solstice means the longest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere! Many people make the trip to Stonehenge to watch the sunrise. It also means the first day of summer, which means more BBQ’s, holidays and family days out. A great SMS marketing opportunity for businesses across many industries!
Glastonbury is seen as the biggest music festival in the world, with 135,000 attendees per year. Tickets for this year sold out in just 30 minutes! Clothing retailers can use the event to remind customers that festival season is upon us.
Wimbledon is a world-famous tennis tournament that lasts for 2 weeks every July. The competition is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is often associated with the start of summer. The tournament can be utilised by many industries and any SMS marketing campaigns that are implemented do not necessarily have to be directly connected with tennis.
Independence Day, or "4th of July", is an American holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The celebration includes BBQ, beer and fireworks! A perfect opportunity for takeaways, fast food and retailers that supply alcoholic beverages.
An annual men's bicycle race that is held in France and has 21 day-long stages over 23 days. The competition is renowned for its steep hills and physical demands. The event provides a good opportunity if you are in the fitness or personal training sector!
One of the biggest sporting events of 2019 will be the Rugby World Cup. The event will be held in Japan for the first time and 20 teams will compete for the trophy. Fingers crossed that a home nation brings it back!
Oktoberfest is quickly becoming a popular event in many countries. The event is a 16 to 18 day event in Munich, Germany. The festival annually serves around 7 million litres of beer, enough to fill nearly three Olympic-sized swimming pools.
On this day the clocks will move backwards by 1 hour. Unfortunately, it will get darker much quicker, but you do get the benefit of an extra hour’s sleep! A great SMS Marketing opportunity to inform customers of any new winter product lines.
Originating from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, Halloween is a time for trick-or-treating, costume wearing and all things pumpkin. In the USA alone, "pumpkin" flavoured products reached $488m across a one-year period ending August 2018 (Shoup, 2018). Almost all businesses should be able to create an engaging Halloween themed SMS marketing campaign.
Also known as Guy Fawkes Night, Bonfire Night commemorates the events of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605. Market research reveals 38% of Brits purchased products for Bonfire Night in 2018 (Wells, 2018). You don’t have to sell fireworks in order to send out a Bonfire Night related SMS campaign.
Singles Day started as an "anti-Valentines" day that has now become a shopping holiday thanks to Alibaba. Whilst it is still a small event in the UK, expect its popularity to rise every year. In 2018 it generated $30.8 billion in sales in China, much greater than the Black Friday figures (Davidson, 2018).
Black Friday has become a household term over recent years, with almost all retailers offering discounts and sales. In 2018, 64% of shoppers stated that they would participate in the event and make a purchase (Armstrong, 2018). Black Friday is a must not miss event and a slick SMS marketing campaign could potentially propel sales!
St. Andrews Day is the final saint day in the U.K. It is Scotland's official national day and is marked with traditional Scottish food, dance and music. Companies that provide Scottish related products can benefit from an SMS campaign on this day!
Cyber Monday goes hand in hand with Black Friday and is always the first Monday after Thanksgiving in the USA. It is considered one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Online sales were estimated to have increased by 19.7% in 2018, at $7.9 billion (Baird, 2018). Much like Black Friday, Cyber Monday should be considered a key date for your calendar.
The biggest shopping period of the year is Christmas. In 2018 spending was expected to be above £1 billion for the first time in history. Furthermore, it was reported that 70p in every £1 was spent on mobile phones (Morley, 2018). With a large percentage of spending coming from mobile, an SMS campaign that goes directly to customers phones is a perfect way to increase sales this Christmas.
Christmas is followed by Boxing Day which usually involves many sales and promotions. The name comes from the 1800s when the rich used to give boxed gifts to the poor.
A time to celebrate the year and indulge in evening social events that usually consist of alcoholic beverages and food. This day could be used to promote a specific product or to thank your customers for a great year and that you will see them in 2020!
Hi, I'm Adam, Customer Account Manager at Reach Interactive, with a background in digital and international marketing. I love everything to do with digital technology and improving communication between brands and their customers.
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