The 7 Types of Branded Holidays

These holidays incorporate the brand’s name directly into the official holiday name, ensuring brand visibility. Examples include Amazon Prime Day, National Barbie Day, or National Have a Coke Day. By creating a holiday that is unmistakably associated with your brand, you can generate excitement, exclusivity, and consumer participation. This type of holiday works best for brands with a strong identity that can stand on their own. 

2) Featured Product Holidays

A featured product holiday highlights a specific offering from a brand. Think Nike’s Air Max Day, Williams-Sonoma’s National Peppermint Bark Day, or 7-Eleven’s National Free Slurpee Day. These holidays create excitement around flagship products, boost sales, and encourage product trials. If you have a hero product or a seasonal best-seller, crafting a holiday that celebrates it can be a great strategy. Offering exclusive discounts, freebies, or limited-time editions can help drive engagement and increase brand loyalty.

3) Product Category Holidays

These holidays focus on an entire product category rather than a single product, allowing brands to position themselves as category leaders while encouraging other complementary brands to cross-promote it. Examples include Freshpair’s National Underwear Day, Bath & Body Works’ Candle Day, and Boston Market’s National Rotisserie Chicken Day. This approach is especially effective if your product category has broad appeal. Other brands within the same category may join in, amplifying your holiday’s reach and legitimacy, further embedding your brand into consumer culture.

4) Use Case Holidays

A use case holiday is centered around a specific way consumers engage with a product. Petmate’s National Fetch Day (celebrating playing fetch with dogs) and Gosling Rum’s International Dark and Stormy Day (celebrating the classic rum cocktail) are prime examples. To create an impactful holiday, think about how people use your product in their everyday lives and design a holiday that highlights that experience. Encouraging user-generated content can further enhance organic promotion and foster brand loyalty.

5) Values-Based Holidays

These holidays celebrate a broader movement or mission that aligns with a brand’s values. Juice Beauty’s National Clean Beauty Day is an example of a brand leveraging its commitment to clean and sustainable beauty practices. If your brand is built around a strong mission or ethical stance, creating a values-based holiday can reinforce your positioning and build deeper emotional connections with your audience. By integrating storytelling and educational elements into your holiday, you can inspire participation.

6) Target Audience Holidays

This type of holiday is designed to recognize or activate a specific audience. American Express’ Small Business Saturday and Zapier’s National Marketing Operations Appreciation Day acknowledge key audiences and encourage engagement. Identifying a core audience segment that your brand serves and celebrating them through a holiday can strengthen customer relationships. Providing incentives, special offers, or exclusive content tailored to this group can increase participation and loyalty.

7) Anniversary Holidays

Anniversary holidays commemorate key milestones in a brand’s history. Starbucks Day (celebrating their 50th anniversary) and See’s Candies’ National Choose Your Chocolate Day (honoring founder Mary See’s birthday) serve as strong examples. Leveraging anniversaries as an opportunity to celebrate your brand’s legacy can create nostalgia-driven promotions and special-edition products that engage loyal customers. Offering throwback pricing or sharing historical brand moments can add a unique touch to the celebration.

How to Create Your Own Branded Holiday with National Today

• Choose Your Holiday Type – Pick one of the seven categories that best aligns with your brand’s identity and goals.
• Set a Date – Consider seasonal relevance, existing shopping behaviors, and industry events to find the best timing.
• Develop a Campaign – Create a marketing plan that includes social media promotions, influencer partnerships, and email marketing.
• Encourage Participation – Offer special deals, exclusive products, or interactive challenges to get consumers involved.
• Get Official Recognition – Submit your holiday to sites like National Today to gain legitimacy and visibility. A recognized holiday can help drive media coverage and organic participation.
• Make It Recurring – Turn your holiday into an annual tradition to build long-term brand equity. Encourage customers to anticipate and celebrate it every year.

By strategically crafting your own branded holiday, you can create a meaningful connection with your audience and carve out a moment in the calendar that belongs to your brand.

‍