Marketing Ideas for August 2024

1st

• DOGust 1st
  • This is considered the universal birthday for shelter dogs without paperwork. Each year countless dogs are put into shelters. Many shelters use the “Dog Days of Summer” or “DOGust” to run campaigns to find homes for loving dogs. Contact your local shelter to see if you can cross-promote their efforts. Also consider running an event where the entry is dog food or treats that can be donated to a shelter. Even though this is geared towards dogs, don’t forget the cat treats too.
• Spider-Man Day
  • Introduced by Stan Lee on August 1st, 1962, Spiderman is a common household name and a sure fan favorite no matter who the current actor is for the big budget film. Look to run a special on anything involving Spider-Man and cross-promote with some Marvel merchandise. Be sure to share on social media so your community can like and share as well.
• Planner Day
  • While this day is normally about the love of planners, physical and digital, I think it’s a good moment to take a look at the future. As we -quickly- approach Q4, is everything ready? Do you have at least a marketing plan for sales, discounts, promotions, flyers, holiday sale sheets? Do you need to finalize any printed items? According to TimeAndDate.com You have about 61 days until the official start of Q4 (October 1st). This means you have about two months remaining until Q4.
• Back to School Month
  • Keep in mind that depending on where your business is located, a lot of schools begin their back to school programs this month. After school programs, changes in hours, and possibly changing events based on school hours may be needed.
• Happy Birthday Jason Momoa!
  • American actor best known for his roles of Aquaman and Khal Drogo in the Game of Thrones. 

2nd

• National Coloring Book Day
  • As game and hobby stores become more diverse in their offerings, coloring books have become a huge hit. Take today to showcase your coloring books. You could also offer a free coloring page event in store. Crayola offers some great free coloring pages. 
• Ice Cream Sandwich Day
  • Summer officially ends September 23rd, 2023, until then, let’s keep the summer vibes going. Many bulk stores like Sam’s Club or Costco have plenty of pre-made ice cream sandwiches to give away or sell as a promotion. Consider asking your local ice cream shop about cross-promotions or a temporary stand in your business.
• International Beer Day
  • If you serve beer in your business, you probably already know it is one of the highest profitable items in the store. Adding another reason to highlight and promote beer sales is a no brainer. Work with your distributors about deals, promotions, and or cross-over advertising.

3rd

• Watermelon Day
  • Did you know that Watermelon is 92% water? That is part of the reason why it is so sweet, delicious and refreshing. It should be in season and readily available.
• Clean Your Floors Day
  • This is your reminder that deep cleaning your store is needed, don’t neglect your floors. If you are considering joining a program like WPN Premium things like the floors are important. Set up a task list for your staff for detail cleaning all the pesky, often forgotten about areas such as top of bookshelves, under display units, and dusting eye catching display pieces like the life size Mimic by Wizkid’s
• Mead Day
  • Also known as honey wine, mead is one of the easiest brewed and one of the most home brewed alcoholic beverages. With that said, our friends at Bull and Bee Meadery in New York, have let us know it’s easy to create a mead but takes time to really craft the different flavors and tastes. If you allow “BYOB” [bring your own brews] consider a tasting trade day. Look for a local brewer for a promotion. 
• Disc Golf Day
  • Disc Golf has been growing in popularity in recent years and some game and hobby stores even carry full lines of Disc Golf. If you carry Disc Golf, today is the day to have your tournament, learn to play, or just general get to know the game day. Sprinkle in some starter promotions and you could have built a new fan base. Here is additional information about Disc Golf.

4th

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Day
  • Celebrate by eating cookies! Chocolate Chip is a staple cookie flavor. If you sell cookies, this is a great day to feature and sample your chocolate chip cookie. If you don’t, work with a local bakery to cross-promote or give away to customers. 
• Friendship Day
  • A day dedicated to friendship and human relationships. Originally created by the Hallmark Greeting Cards in the 1930s to sell greeting cards, we can build a marketing day out of it. Promote two or four player board games as an event in store, two-headed giant Magic the Gathering casual event, or remind people that they probably owe their friend a few bucks and getting them a small gift as a thank you would be nice. Hallmark Greeting Cards would be proud.
• Sisters Day
  • Celebrate your sister! Consider running an event for pairs or teams of two. Connect with game publishers that have team games or co-op games and look to have sisters team up or face against each other.