Luck ‘o the Irish to ya! The Irish must have been the masters of creating brand awareness. According to History.com, nearly 122 million Americans celebrate St. Patricks day and spend $4.14 billion on the holiday. Could you imagine 122 million Americans spending $4.14 billion to celebrate YOUR business? That’s the power of branding! So how the heck can your business get a following that big? Well it may not happen overnight, but it all starts with the following four branding tips.
Be Creative
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated every year in honor of Ireland’s patron saint of the same name. Saint Patrick himself had a flair for explaining complex ideas through simple visual symbols, the most famous idea being the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity, three-in-one, which he explained with three-leafed shamrocks. A lot of today’s marketing and branding is built on the use of creative mediums just like this. So, take a leaf out of Saint Patrick’s book, and start using creative methods to get your ideas out there!
Write The Rules Using Your Brand
St. Patrick’s Day falls in the Lenten season (and sometimes during Holy Week). However, if you’re a Catholic in Ireland, then you kind of get a free pass. The Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking are lifted on St. Patrick’s Day for Irish Catholics and Irish-American Catholics. By all accounts (secular and religious), St. Patrick’s Day has an exciting brand image. When was the last time your brand encouraged a total re-writing of the rules?
Create Your Own Image
The color green and the St. Patricks holiday go hand in hand. Talk about great branding! Building your brand requires that you know what you want and you know how to put it into effect. Here’s an awesome idea for you. Try turning one day out of the year into a special tribute to your business. Is your brand color blue? Build a campaign around wearing the color blue on this special day. Any customer who comes to you wearing blue that day will receive a 10% discount on products and/or services.
Allow Wiggle Room
Today, a lot of your image is actually created by others. Between social media shares and user-generated content, you simply don’t have the same level of control over how your brand is presented in the public sphere. You’ve got to be willing to adapt. Did you know that leprechauns have absolutely nothing to do with St. Patrick’s Day? However, the holiday was able to adapt and swoop the gimmick right up. Allowing a little wiggle room in your brand isn’t necessarily a bad thing!
Thanks for spending some time with me today!
Katy Geary
Owner + Creative Director
Geary Graphic Design
That’s really thinking at an imrsspeive level