How Should Brands Handle Somber Days in the Calendar

Holidays can provide great opportunities for brands to better connect with customers and boost sales. But this is not the case for all holidays. Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day are two examples where brands have to be very attuned to what the day is about and not be seen as trying to score a profit off a day of reverence. If you come off as tone-deaf, you will receive backlash as many brands have experienced. When Bad Tweets Happen Memorial Day is right around the corner and is centered on the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, along with their families. Here are a few fails from some well-known brands: IHOP: The International House of Pancakes started their Memorial Day tweet off right with a short and simple â€Å"Thank you,† but offended many by displaying a tall stack of red-white-and-blue berry pancakes.This made many feel like the company was trying to make Memorial Day about increasing their pancake sales. Cinnabon:This was another example of a brand trying to shoehorn their product into a Memorial Day tweet. Predictably, it backfired. Stone Brewing:The brewery company didn’t get a great reaction from its Memorial Day tweet. Getting it Right If you do want to acknowledge days of reverence, you can craft a successful post if you follow a few guidelines: Do not put your product or service in the spotlight. Focus on the reason behind the day. Keep your message simple.Major League Baseball provides a good example with this Memorial Day tweet: This tweet works because although the photo was taken at a baseball stadium, the service members take center stage.The message comes through loud and clear – the MLB respects America’s military personnel. Days like Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day require more sensitivity and understatement on social media.Always consider your target market when you plan your social media on these days and remember that not every post or tweet has to be about your company or products. By maintaining a deferential and respectful tone, you should be able to strengthen the connection with your customers instead of facing a backlash.