What Holiday CAN’T You Enjoy A Drink With? (National Caps Lock Day Maybe?)

THE BOOZE BIN

by Rebekah Polster (@BekInBklyn)

With the excitement and flurry of Inauguration Day this past Monday, it was interesting to see what was hitting my inbox announcing the latest celebratory libations. There was an Americano, a slew of cocktails created by the well-known mixologist and historian, David Wondrich and many others. I know that an inauguration only happens once every four years, but it got me thinking, what CAN’T you drink to nowadays?

When Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were slated to host the Golden Globe awards, they came up with their own drinking game that many picked up (and some of us played…) [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEMVVxX6APg[/youtube]

And with the Oscars around the corner, I’m sure another drinking game will come our way (especially with Seth MacFarlane hosting – every time he walks on stage with a whiskey perhaps?). You have the Super Bowl (February 3 – every time there’s a touchdown?) and the Grammy’s (February 10 – any time someone thanks their god of worship?), and the list goes on, and on and on and on. And will brands be suggesting their own cocktails to mix up at these occasions? Well, of course!

What I’m getting at is that there seems to be a drink for any event or holiday and brands aren’t just making this up anymore – it’s what the people WANT.

Once upon a time, when I began working on a liquor or wine campaign, the first thing we would do is find holidays in the calendar year that we could use for pitching press. Now, you can make up your own holiday at http://www.daysoftheyear.com/(seriously, who comes up with these? I want to work there).

By the way, today is National Pie Day? Pie cocktail anyone?

See what I mean?

With all of these holidays, does it lessen the power of the Hallmark holiday, say like Mother’s Day? Or July 4th? Your typical holidays are very hard to pitch. Imagine being a journalist around Thanksgiving – every winery, beer and cocktail brand is itching to get mentioned around that time of year. It’s enough to turn a food/beverage writer off the stuff for the following year! Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point.

According to Ragan’s, there are 20 holidays that PR Pros should always keep on the back-burner and plan to pitch for (Groundhog’s Day? Really? Why not Flag Day?). But what about those fun and random holidays? These “typical” holidays are inundated with press releases and product announcements. Why not throw in something a little different? While Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19, and yes, I’ve pitched that!)  doesn’t necessarily call for a greeting card, it might find you some extra press pick up.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cKCkbWDGwE[/youtube] Seriously, this is a real thing.

And today, Public Relations is no longer just about pitching the classic press; you need to be up to date with social media. Whether it’s a post on Facebook or a Tweet or a picture to Pintrest, you need to engage the brand’s fans and make what you put out there relevant, yet interesting and fun. February 14 is Valentine’s Day, but did you also know it is Ferris Wheel Day?

Whether you choose to celebrate the Sourest Day with your Limoncello client or announce the launch of a beer client on Pig In A Blanket Day, you can ALWAYS find a holiday to have a drink on and celebrate.

And for the record, my favorite day happens to be my son’s birthday: National Bacon Day (December 30)! Enjoy a bourbon cocktail with a slab of bacon!

The possibilities are endless.

 

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