Retailers, QSRs Bank on Unofficial Holidays

Companies use unofficial holidays to raise brand awareness and engage customers with freebies.

July 14, 2016

MCLEAN, Va. – While there is no official holiday to celebrate bovines, that didn’t stop Chick-fil-A from declaring Cow Appreciation Day to be July 12—and bringing even more customers through its doors as a result.

Chick-fil-A’s 12th annual Cow Appreciation Day event encouraged customers to dress up like a cow and receive a free entree at any of the QSR’s 2,000 restaurants nationwide. Mark Baldwin, the company’s public relations manager, told USA Today that the annual event is part of Chick-fil-A’s “Eat Mor Chikin” campaign, and that participation has soared by 30% per year since 2010. In 2015, Chick-fil-A handed out one million chicken sandwiches, and #CowAppreciationDay was mentioned more than 700,000 times on social media, he noted.

This week also began with 7-Eleven’s annual birthday celebration, 7-Eleven Day, held appropriately on July 11. Customers received free small Slurpees at participating stores, and the convenience retailer anticipated it would give away about nine million from 7 am to 11 pm.

The first Friday of June commemorates National Doughnut Day, an unofficial holiday that Krispy Kreme says was established by The Salvation Army in 1938 to honor The Salvation Army’s “Doughnut Lassies,” who served the treats to soldiers during World War I. The “Doughnut Lassies” are often credited with popularizing the doughnut in the United States when the troops returned home from war. Today, convenience retailers and QSRs alike celebrate the day by offering guests a free doughnut of their choice either with or without a beverage purchase.

“We find these celebrations drive lots of conversation and excitement around our brands,” Justin Drake, senior manager of public relations at the Dunkin’ Brands Group, told USA Today. 

And thanks to social media, according to Michael Katz, economics professor at University of California-Berkeley, unofficial holidays have been able to grow a following without overwhelming consumers. “The ability to target an audience creates room for more of these,” he told the news source.

Lynn Dornblaser, director of innovation and insight at Mintel International Group, told USA Today that while the advantages for businesses promoting unofficial holidays are appealing, they should also do their homework before launching a campaign, such as researching logistics and marketing. “Make sure you don’t run out [of the giveaway products]. That will blow up in your face,” she said.

Want to see which unofficial holidays are coming up for the remainder of 2016? Check out the Quick Hits section of the December 2015 NACS Magazine!

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