The Jack Jolly Blog Takeover: How to Market a Jolly-Good National Day!😎

Cinco de Mayo, Oktoberfest, Pride, National Houseplant Day.

Not all national celebrations are created equal. But that does not stop an eagled-eyed director from searching for the most creative National Day campaigns.

Once the brainchild of clever marketing departments, now, national days are another plate for those same teams to spin. 

When used correctly, these annual opportunities offer a natural way to boost your brand, drive engagement, and boost short-term sales (alongside having some fun, of course). 

Looking for some inspiration for national days? Here are some of my favorite examples of brands killing it on relevant brand days.

Tortilla x National Burrito Day

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This year, Tortilla UK celebrated National Burrito Day by inviting viral content creator ElBurritoMonster https://instagram.com/elburritomonster (Oli to his friends), to create some killer content of ‘menu hacks as well as promoting a wildly popular Black Card competition.

I love that rather than just having another black card giveaway, the brand added authenticity to its product, by working with top-tier creators and doubling down on reach

I am Doner - National Kebab Day 

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I may be a little biased on this one, as it was a HIJACK project, but I love the creativity of this. I Am Doner announced their vision for a kebab-themed apartment - The Kebab House - to the press on National Kebab Day. 

Utilizing a much-loved PR tactic of themed accommodation, the idea used a bit of creative license and some wonderful digital illustrations to earn press across the nationals and the North. All on a budget.

Great Northern Pie Co - Great British Pie Week

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Great Northern Pie Co. couldn’t not celebrate an entire week dedicated to its core product. 

But rather than release any old special, the Northern pie makers joined forces with the colossal creator, OnlyScrans, (https://instagram.com/onlyscrans)  to release a co-designed flavor. The special dish was available online and in select partner venues.

KP Nuts - Christmas Jumper Day

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Christmas Jumper Day, dreamt up by Save The Children, has become a FMCG battleground with every brand under the sun creating products for the annual charity fundraiser. 

However, not being content with just sticking their branding on a standard knitted item, the nutters at KP Nuts decided to shell out a bit more and utilise their brand assets with their nut display Christmas jumper.

Aunt Bessies - Yorkshire Pudding Day

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Yorkshire Day might only matter in Yorkshire, but that doesn’t stop national brands with strong Northern roots from using it as an opportunity to celebrate.

Aunt Bessie's worked on something special for social with the launch of their Yorkshire pudding-inspired flat-caps, designed to promote their core products.

Bundobust - National Pet Week

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To celebrate National Pet Week, Bundobust, the craft beer & Indian street food bars, teamed up with Queens of the Bone Age to bake Indian spice-inspired dog biscuits.

Not only were they a hit with two and four-legged customers, but it scooped the Bundobust the trophy for the Best Pet-Friendly venue in Yorkshire - reminding the wider public how accommodating they are for dogs.

Costa Coffee - National Espresso Day

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To mark National Espresso Day, Costa Coffee tapped into) the then-trending TikTok trend of dying white trainers in coffee. The brand created a video showing a pair of trainers being hand-dyed in its new Mocha Italia Blend.

A great way to drive awareness and offer loyal fans a unique piece of brand merch.

Nandos x National Hot Sauce Day

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Nando’s took the opportunity to promote both its signature sauce and retail products by offering guests the opportunity to bring an empty retail sauce bottle for an in-store meal discount.

This showcases the quality and experience of in-store to potential relapsed customers as well as creates awareness of their retail range. 

Duolingo X National Tattoo Day

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To coincide with National Tattoo Day, language learning app Duolingo offered users the chance to translate their foreign language tattoos during a free two-week trial - and then the brand gave users a chance to fix the worst culprits.

I love how this positions Duolingo as an expert but also taps into the universal truth of dodgy gap-year tattoos. 

National Biscuit Day

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For more general days, surveys can be a great way to generate conversation on social media. McVitties owned the press on National Biscuit Day with this data-led approach. Surveys offer a well-rounded story that isn’t too brand-focused and gives readers value, which is something journalists love to receive.

National Crumpet Day

Whilst not originally a National Day campaign, National Crumpet Day did see the return of Warburton’s iconic crumpet slippers, showing that it is not necessarily about doing something new but making sure you’re involved in the most relevant days for your brand.

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For a full list of relevant National Days, be sure to follow Airship on Linkedin and Instagram - or speak to your success manager for a full annual calendar.