Happy Anniversary! (the most pointless milestone ever!)

Take no offense all you happy couples out there.

I'm talking about businesses that insist on promoting brand-centric milestones. 

  

As humans, I know we like to apply order to the passage of time. It makes otherwise spurious events more easy to categorize and recall down the road.

"Let’s see, it was winter and we just moved to Chicago…it must have been January-February 2011."

The calendar year and any similar convention break the unstoppable passage of time into equal-sized chunks more palatable to the human brain.

So what’s the business case for celebrating?

There are a few, actually.

1. Married to the brand

If the crux of the promotion was to simply celebrate the passing of another year of business, it’d be a 'Birthday Sale.' It's 'Anniversary' because it aims to honor a relationship – the brand + you.

Aw, isn't that sweet? – Well, that’s certainly the desired response.

Anniversary Sales (if done correctly), put you, the ever-crucial customer, center stage. It’s subtle brand reinforcement that, like a couple’s actual wedding anniversary, is designed to pluck you away from routine (shopping) and remind you why you fell in love in the first place.

2. Breed confidence and bode dependability

Does older means wiser? It does if you’re marketing professional services (banking, healthcare) or B2B (consultancies, firms).

In such cases, the act of consuming is done with less frequency. Buyers are often clueless when it comes to understanding the sales process or competitive landscape.  Fatigued by the fog, tenure often resonates.

“Your partner for the last century”

Greater trust is placed upon the shoulders of seasoned veterans; it (feels like) the safest bet.

3. No competing offers

It’s perhaps the most tangible reason, (and not without merit).

On prescribed holidays such as President’s, Valentine’s and Columbus Days, you’re grappling with competitors for a piece of the consumer pie.

But an Anniversary sale affords exclusive access to an otherwise ordinary window of time – it’s a promotion built just for you and the easiest way to secure (for a limited time) the lion's share of wallet.

So, why the random blog entry; why now?
It was a year ago today I decided to start this blog.

In part, out of boredom. With grad school out of the way, I found myself with too much idle time (one can only stand thumbing through the many social media forums for so long).

I've always been a highly perceptive person (what can I say? it’s a gift). Maybe that's why I gravitated to marketing in the first place?

Because to do it (marketing) well, you HAVE to be perceptive.

Professionally, I manage the marketing portfolio of an IT consultancy. Not without its challenges and rewards, but lacking a flavor of what I love most, consumer marketing/retail.

I enjoy trying to peel back the visual manifestation of advertising and branding; to dissect it for its deeper meanings and intentions.

And so, 30k Feet became a way to begin to hone my abilities as a professional blogger (am I on the right track?).

"Happy Anniversary, 30 Thousand Feet!"

And thanks to all of you who may be reading... :)