2019 is here, and whether you’re diving in or still drafting your own written marketing plans, be sure to take a big-picture look at the full year ahead. We put together this list of selling ideas and seasonal events to help you and your clients plan out their 2019 promotional marketing initiatives.
Distributors – you know it’s ideal to get your clients thinking about upcoming events with as much lead time as possible. We recommend planning for your seasonal promotions and events at least 2-3 months in advance, if not sooner. We know it doesn’t always happen that way…but starting to discuss a yearly plan with your clients now can help you mitigate rush fees and reduce stress up against tight deadlines later in the year.
January
(Plan + pitch these themes and products in November / December or sooner)
View January Monthly Observations Here
- Fitness + Nutrition
- Productivity / New Year’s Resolutions (calendars, planners, organizational tools, office items)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1/16)
- National Chocolate Cake Day (1/27)
- Tax preparation (Pocket folders, document pouches, financial / bookkeeping tools)
- Travel / Vacation planning / Cruises / Resorts (calendars, photo frames, document pouches)
- Weddings / Wedding Expos (calendars, planners
- Employee recognition (awards, certificate folders, branded gifts, apparel)
- National Blood Donor Month
February
(Plan + pitch these themes and products in December / January or sooner)
View February Monthly Observations Here
- Groundhog Day (2/2)
- National Women Physicians Day – (2/3)
- Valentine’s Day (2/14)
- National Random Acts of Kindness Day (2/17)
- Presidents Day – Third Monday in February
- Black History Month
- National Heart Month
Browse more February holidays here.
March
(Plan + pitch these themes and products in January / February or sooner)
View March Monthly Observations Here
- Mardi Gras (3/5)
- St. Patrick’s Day (3/17)
- National Women’s History Month
- National Nutrition Month
- National Umbrella Month
- National Employee Appreciation Day – First Friday in March
- Daylight Saving Time – Second Sunday in March
April
(Plan + pitch these themes and products in February / March or sooner)
View April Monthly Observations Here
- April Fool’s Day (4/1)
- Passover (4/19-4/27)
- National Siblings Day – 4/10
- Easter (4/21/19)
- Earth Day (4/22)
- Administrative Professionals’ Day (Last Wednesday in April)
- Promotional Products Work! Week – (May 13 – 17, 2019) advocate for the promo industry
- Weddings
- Baseball
- National Child Abuse Awareness Month
- National Donate Life Awareness Month
- National Cannabis Awareness Month
- Lawn and Garden Month
- National Autism Awareness Month
May
(Plan + pitch these themes and products in March / April or sooner)
View May Monthly Observations Here
- May Day (5/1)
- Graduation season – college, high school – (save the dates, programs, cards, invitations, mailers, photo folders)
- College enrollment
- Prom
- Cinco De Mayo (5/5)
- Mother’s Day (5/12)
- 4/20
- Memorial Day (5/27)
- Weddings
- Youth sports
- Baseball / summer sports
- Stroke Awareness Month
- National Military Appreciation Month
- Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month
- National Mental Health Awareness Month
June
(Plan + pitch these themes and products in April / May or sooner)
View June Monthly Observations Here
- Farmers Markets (eco-friendly reusable shopping bags, recycled products, farm to table, “shop local”)
- End of the school year
- Father’s Day (6/16)
- Weddings
- LGBTQIA Pride Month
- National Camping Month
- National Great Outdoors Month
- National Adopt a Cat Month
July
(Plan + pitch these themes and products in May / June or sooner)
View July Monthly Observations Here
- Independence Day (July 4) – USA-made products, parade giveaways, patriotic, red white and blue
- National Hawaii Day (July 5)
- National Tattoo Day ( 7/17)
- National Intern Day (Fourth Thursday in July)
- Summer camps (YMCA, park district)
- National Hot Dog Month
- National Grilling Month
- National Picnic Month
August
(Plan + pitch these themes and products in June / July or sooner)
View August Monthly Observations Here
- National CBD Day (8/8)
- National Leathercraft Day (8/15)
- Family Fun Month
- National Golf Month
- Back to school
- Football kickoff & + fall sports
September
( **Busy season starts this month for many suppliers** plan + pitch these themes and products in July / August or sooner)
View September Monthly Observations Here
- Labor Day (1st Monday in September)
- National Dog Week: 22-28
- National Preparedness Month
- National Fruit and Veggies Month
- Self Improvement Month
- Women’s Friendship Month
- National Suicide Prevention Month
- Harvest Season
- Football + fall sports
October
( **Busy season for many suppliers** plan + pitch these themes and products in August / September or sooner)
View October Monthly Observations Here
- National Hair Day (10/1)
- Yom Kippur (10/8-10/9)
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Down Syndrome Awareness Month
- Emotional Wellness Month
- Financial Planning Month
- National Cyber Security Awareness Month
- Fall Festivals
- Fall events at the pumpkin patch, apple orchard, or haunted house
- Election season / voting / political awareness
- Halloween / Samhain / Costume Parties
November
( **Busy season for many suppliers** plan + pitch these themes and products starting August, September, October or sooner)
View November Monthly Observations Here
- Thanksgiving
- Veteran’s Day (11/11)
- National Novel Writing Month
- Adopt A Senior Pet Month
- National Alzheimer’s Disease Month
- National Diabetes Month
December
( **Busy season for many suppliers** plan + pitch these themes and products starting July, August, September, October or sooner)
View December Monthly Observations Here
- National Lager Day (12/10)
- National App Day (12/11)
- Christmas
- Hanukkah
- New Year
- AIDS Awareness Month
- National Drunk & Drugged Driving (3D) Prevention Month
National Human Rights Month - National Write A Business Plan Month
- Productivity / New Year’s Resolutions
Want to do something different? National Day Calendar is a great online resource to use when looking for creative new campaign ideas. Beyond the widely recognized holidays and mainstream seasonal events, there are also some more fun and obscure ones, like these…
- National Science Fiction Day– Jan 2nd
- National Thank a Mail Carrier Day – Feb 4th
- National Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss Day) – March 2nd (If on Weekend, Moves to Closest School Day)
- National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day – April 2nd
- National Space Day – First Friday in May
- National Yo-Yo Day – June 6th
- National Pina Colada Day – July 10th
- National Roller Coaster Day – August 16th
- National Wildlife Day – September 4th
- National Live Creative Day – September 14th
- National Techies Day – October 3rd
- National Stress Awareness Day – First Wednesday in November
- Special Education Day – December 2nd
Campaign ideas for all year round:
Ask your clients if they host or sponsor any of the following types of events – and when! Check in to see if they have been satisfied with the results they’ve gotten in past years, or if they’d like to get more brand exposure, capture more leads, drive more web traffic or social media engagement, then plan a smart promotion around their goal.
- Self-promos (Plan at least 2 per year – send out in June / July and again in November / December)
- Corporate anniversaries
- Employee Appreciation Celebrations
- Fundraisers, banquets and Galas
- Birthdays and retirement events
- Bar/ bat mitzvahs
- Quinceaneras
- Award ceremonies + recognition
- Trade shows & conventions
- Sales meetings
- Class reunions
- Annual town festivals
- Local chamber business events
- Small business association meetings
- Networking events
We hope these event ideas help you generate some creative, timely proposals for your clients! Don’t try to tackle them all – prepare a list of 3-5 events that will resonate best with each client based on their values, their customer base, and their sales cycle. You can also use this list to help them part ways with stale, old, overdone promotions, and replace them with fresh, innovative promotions.
Take action now: Make some calls, draft some emails, and get some meeting dates on the calendar with your clients and prospects. Be sure to leave plenty of time to choose the right promotional products, get your orders in, proofs approved, products made and delivered for all of your 2019 promotional campaigns!
Have another idea that we missed? Please leave us a comment below, or drop us a note on Facebook!