May 11th is Eat What You Want Day

• Have salespeople deliver snack baskets to their customers when they visit on this day.
• Create a promotion based on the Eat What You Want Day making the connection between feeling like you can't eat what you want and you can't seem to get what you want when it comes to (plug in your product or service category). Tell them that on May 11th they can not only eat what they want, but they can have what they want when it comes to (plug in your product or service) by scheduling an appointment with one of your sales reps. When the rep makes the call on May 11 he or she brings a logoed basket of goodies or cookies.

Some other designations for May that you might be interested in are:

• May 2nd: No Pants Day
• May 3rd: Free Comic Book Day
• May 4th: Respect for Chickens Day
• May 5th: Cinco de Mayo
• May 5th: Teacher's Day
• May 4th - 10th: Be Kind To Animals Week(R)
• May 5th - 11th: National Wildflower Week
• May 8th: World Red Cross Day
• May 10th: Mother's Day
• May 11th: Eat What You Want Day
• May 12th: Stamp Out Hunger
• May 11th - 17th: National Police Week
• May 14th: National Receptionists Day
• May 16th: Armed Forces Day
• May 16th: National Pizza Party Day
• May 17th: Armed Forces Day
• May 18th: International Museum Day
• May 18th: Victoria Day (Canada)
• May 19th: Armed Forces Day
• May 18th - 24th: National Dog Bite Prevention Week
• May 20th - 26th: World Trade Week
• May 21st: National Employee Health & Fitness Day
• May 23rd: World Turtle Day
• May 24th: Brother's Day
• May 25th: National Missing Children's Day
• May 26th: International Jazz Day
• May 26th: Memorial Day
• May 30th: Hug Your Cat Day
• May 31st: World No-Tobacco Day

The week of April 27th is National Volunteer Week

Thank all of your volunteers with a small memento of their efforts. Hold a thank-you celebration and include table favors that commemorate their contributions. Select a Volunteer of the Year and award them with a larger commemorative gift. And, be sure to get pictures and send to the local papers.

Some other designations for April that you might be interested in are:

• Alcohol Awareness Month
• National Child Abuse Prevention Month
• Holy Week
• National Donate Life Month
• April 1st: April Fools Day
• April 2nd: International Children's Book Day
• April 3rd: Tweed Day
• April 4th: Victims Of Violence day
• April 5th: National Fun At Work Day
• April 6th: Teflon Day
• April 7th: No Housework Day
• April 9th - 15th: Egg Salad Week
• April 10th: National Sibilings Day
• April 11th: Trivia Day
• April 13th: International Plant Appreciation Day
• April 7th - 11th: National Public Health Week
• April 13th - 19th: National Library Week
• April 27th: National Volunteer Week
• April 15th: Income Tax Pay Day
• April 17th: International Ford Mustang Day
• April 19th - 27th: National Wildlife Week
• April 22nd: Earth Day
• April 24th: Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day
• April 27th: Mother, Father Deaf Day
• April 28th: Cubicle Day
• April 29th: National Dance Day
• April 30th: Spank Out Day USA

A Month’s Worth Of Creative Dates For Innovative Marketing February 2009

February 20th is MardiGras

• Send your salesforce out with logoed boxes of doughnuts to leave with clients on this day that's also known as Fat Tuesday or Doughnut Day
• Create a promotion that delivers all the beads and trappings of MardiGras and ties in the carnival atmosphere. Make a connection to how the carnival atmosphere seems great on MardiGras, but when they wake up to the sobering reality of the next day your business, product or service is what will carry them over long haul.

Some other designations for February that you might be interested in are:

• American Heart Month
• National Pet Dental Health Month
• National African American History Month
• National Cherry Month
• February 1st: Women's Heart Health Day
• February 1st: Super Bowl
• February 2nd: Ground Hog Day
• February 4th - 10th: National Consumer Protection Week
• February 5th: Mexico: Constitution Day
• February 5th: Mardi Gras
• February 6th: Ash Wednesday
• February 7th: Wave All Your Fingers At Your Neighbors Day
• February 8th - 19: Florida State Fair
• February 8th: Boy Scout Day
• February 9th: Corvette Day
• February 10th: Pro Sports Wives Day
• February 11th: White Shirt Day
• February 11th - 17th: Jell-O(R) Week
• February 12th: Darwin Day
• February 13th: Get A New Name day
• February 14th: Valentine's day
• February 15th: Flag Day (Canada)
• February 15th: Susan B Anthony Day
• February 16th: Family Day (Canada)
• February 16th: Crown Royal International Race Of Champions
• February 16th: Louis Riel Day (Canada)
• February 17th: Daytona 500
• February 17th: My Way Day
• February 18th: Chinese New Year
• February 18th: President's Day
• February 19th: Chocolate Mint Day
• February 21st: International Mother Language Day
• February 23rd: Anniversary: Iwo Jima Day
• February 24th: Mardi Gras
• February 25th: Ash Wednesday
• February 26th: For Pete's Sake Day
• February 27th: Spay Day USA
• February 28th: National Chili Day

A Month’s Worth Of Creative Dates For Innovative Marketing

January 2009 By Mae Fairfield

National Thank-You Month - “Thanks, thanks a lot”
This month is a great time for you to shower your employees, vendors and clients with two simple words, “thank you.” You can do so with a mid-January thank-you party. Let everyone know their work and business is appreciated with a thank-you gift that could vary from a mug filled with treats to crystal wine glasses and a custom-etched bottle of wine.

January 1: New Years Day - At the strike of midnight…
Happy New Year! No matter where your clients are in this global marketplace, you can help them usher in 2009 with promotional party poppers, New Year’s resolution journals, and light up accessories.

January 2-5: Someday We’ll Laugh About This Week - “ha, ha, ha…sigh”
So, a 13-year old boy chucks a baseball through a window at his house. Then, $250 later, his father reasons that “someday we’ll laugh about this.” Well why not just laugh about it now? Give employees logoed stress relievers and journals for jotting down life’s ups and downs in an effort to ease their everyday stresses.

January 4: Trivia Day - “The million dollar question is…”
How many witches were executed during the Salem Witch Trials? Today is the day for tough questions. Celebrate trivia day with promotional puzzles and games that really test the mind.

January 16: Hat Day - “What’s that on your head?”
Observe this day by letting your employees wear funky hats to work. Have a contest at the end of the day when everyone votes for the best hat. Prizes can include company headwear.

January 20: Rid the World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day - “How many pushups am I supposed to do?”
Say goodbye to all of those diets that don’t work. Rather, encourage your employees to lose weight the healthy way – through diet and exercise. Start a work program and give all participants personal pedometers, food journals and eating healthy guide books.

January 28: Fun at Work Day - “That’s the working spirit”
Commemorate this day by creating a fun activity for the office to do. How about a trip to the zoo? Perhaps an afternoon matinee is in the works. Team T-shirts or photo albums to house those pictures they took are perfect items to give out.

December 1st – 7th is Cookie Cutter Week

• Hold a contest for new cookie cutter designs or other uses for cookie cutters besides cookies. Draw people into your place of business to pick up entry forms and again for the awarding of prizes. Use imprinted kitchen items as prizes.
• Use cookie cutter week as a backdrop for business-to-business promotions based on the negative connotation of cookie cutter. The idea is that your product or service isn't "cookie cutter." Include shapes appropriate to your industry or business or have custom shapes made to be sent in direct mail pieces.

November 29th is Electronic Greetings Day

• Invite employees and customers to participate in World Kindness Day by doing random acts of kindness. Provide bowls of fortune cookies with suggested acts of kindness inside, or gum imprinted with acts of kindness, etc., for people to choose from.
• Give customers or clients almost any imprinted item as an act of kindness on November 13.

October is National Book Month

• Adopt a first-grade in a school or schools and provide a book for each child along with an imprinted pillow so they can make a cozy reading nook. Imprint the pillow with your company name and logo and a phrase about reading such as, "You can go anywhere in a book." Include imprinted book plates in all of the books.
• Create a business-to-business promotion around National Book Month. Use copy to the effect, "You won't have to read between the lines if you do business with us. Book a sales presentation today and you'll receive a complete set of ...(you fill in a book set)."
• Hold a family read-a-thon. Give away imprinted book sleeves, book marks, etc.

September is Self-Improvement Month

Almost no matter what your product or service you can create a promotion around self-improvement month. If your business is consumer oriented, like a weight-loss clinic, it’s obvious how you can build a promotion around this designation. But if your aren’t so directly tied, try playing to the idea of your client or prospective client improving themselves as a purchasing agent, a marketing manager, a human resources manager, etc, whatever their position. Choose appropriate imprinted items to use based on your theme.

August 15th is National Relaxation Day

Develop a promotion to show your clients how they can enjoy August 15th, National Relaxation Day, because you are taking care of... Choose from a variety of products to put your logo on from stress relievers to relax chairs to CDs to spa sets.

July is National Grilling Month

• Play off of the idea of "being grilled" or "raked over hot coals" and help your clients "stay out of the fire." Use imprinted barbecue items from hot mitts to grilling accessories.

• Hold grilling cook offs to draw traffic and build customers. Offer grills and accessories like tools and spices as prizes. Grills range from standard grills in all sizes to grills shaped like footballs to beer kegs.

June 14th is World Juggling Day

Everyone is juggling something so recognizing that can be used for a broad spectrum of promotional needs. There are juggling balls, juggle sets and juggle stress relievers.

May 11th is Eat What You Want Day

• Have salespeople deliver snack baskets to their customers when they visit on this day.
• Create a promotion based on the Eat What You Want Day making the connection between feeling like you can't eat what you want and you can't seem to get what you want when it comes to (plug in your product or service category). Tell them that on May 11th they can not only eat what they want, but they can have what they want when it comes to (plug in your product or service) by scheduling an appointment with one of your sales reps. When the rep makes the call on May 11 he or she brings a logoed basket of goodies or cookies.