April “National Day” Campaign Ideas for Local Advertisers

Financial Literacy Month

Financial literacy is a significant challenge in the U.S. According to research, about 4 out of 7 Americans are financially literate. Another study found that only 34% of Americans could answer at least four of five basic financial literacy questions. This data translates to opportunities for financial and education advertisers.

These types of ads would be educational, not promotional. They can help build brand awareness and relationships with consumers.

To achieve this, meet with financial advertisers to discuss what resources and tools they offer customers. Then, devise a plan to communicate these things to target audiences. One point to make is that financial literacy applies to every demographic. You can guide advertisers to create multiple campaigns based on these different groups. Whom they are targeting will influence the message and channel.

For example, targeting younger generations via social media and OTT/CTV makes sense. For older customers, consider targeted display ads and OTA ads. Another caveat is that you may have a mix of decision makers. Financial literacy programs for teens would need visibility to that age group and their parents.

In addition to financial companies, your local community colleges also have courses that can teach the basics. Talk to those advertisers about promoting their classes throughout the month via OTA, OTT/CTV, display ads and SEM (search engine marketing).

Keep America Beautiful Month

Keep America Beautiful® Month in April celebrates the work of communities, businesses, public officials and volunteers that are passionate about protecting the planet. The nonprofit behind it offers many programs to clean up nature. It’s a great time for your advertisers to get behind a worthy cause.

To celebrate, ask advertisers if they and their staff are participating in any community clean-up events. If so, branded ads that show their involvement can raise the esteem of the brand. Other businesses may want to donate a portion of proceeds throughout the month to local organizations that work to keep spaces clean, green and beautiful.

As this is a cause-related celebration, you’ll want to suggest a social media advertising campaign. Also, reaching out to existing contacts via SMS or email to share information can have an impact. Those messages could drive people to the business on the days it’s donating proceeds.

Lawn and Garden Month

April means the return of greenery for most landscapes. Home and business owners are ready to refresh and revitalize their lawns. This demand provides opportunities for a variety of advertisers.

The local hardware store has new mowers and other equipment for DIYers. Nurseries will also see a boom in plant sales. Landscape companies can acquire new customers and revisit past ones.

Recommend display ads with geofencing, OTA and OTT/CTV for those selling products. The focus of ads should be the items that every person needs to revitalize their yard. That could be a popular mower, seasonal plants or new pavers.

Landscaping companies should target homeowners via display ads and OTT/CTV. Ads with before-and-after photos are a great option. For those that want to capture commercial business

Prom Season

April is the most common month for high school proms. These special events can be big spending ones as well. Dresses, tuxes, hair styling, makeup, photography, limo rentals, dinner and more can all be on the bill for one night out. The trend of promposals generates revenue, too.

Your advertisers have a good chance at capturing these dollars. They just need your ideas to execute it well. Here are some ideas:

• Consider grouping advertisers into bundles for hair, makeup and other beauty services. This could be independent providers or a spa salon that offers them all.
• Talk to advertisers of big-ticket items like limos and dinner reservations about ads that target both teens and their parents, as the latter could be controlling the budget.
• Strategize with professional photographers to offer sessions in a central area, like a park, with time spots to maximize the number of customers for the day.
• Suggest referral programs for beauty treatments, flowers or any other must-haves by offering discounts to those who refer a friend.

When you’re considering where to run these ads, most of them will focus on teenagers, so social media should be a priority. You can also use mobile messaging for advertisers’ existing customers who fit the demographic. Retargeting display ads will be valuable when users don’t convert the first time.

Yes, there is an entire month dedicated to this hybrid meal. Brunch is much more than food. It’s a social occasion to gather friends and family, typically on the weekends. Research states that 40% of polled consumers view brunch as a time to socialize. Many choose brunch to do this because it’s less expensive than dinner, and many restaurants create specific promotions for it. Some even have entertainment and appealing deals for things like bottomless mimosas.

You can propose campaigns on social media and OTT/CTV to get local diners into the restaurant advertisers you support. Every demographic likes brunch, but millennials tend to be faithful to it. Another tip is to tie in loyalty programs if restaurants have them by offering more points for the meal.

April Fools’ Day (April 1)

Why not suggest advertisers take a different approach on April Fools’ Day with no jokes? Instead, the theme would be “there’s no fooling here.” Some local advertisers will appreciate this idea. There’s nothing wrong with humor in advertising. After all, we tend to remember things that make us laugh, just not at the expense of customers.

Talk to local retailers and restaurants about an April Fools’ campaign on social media and OTA that offers a great promotion — discounts, BOGO (buy one, get one) or a reward. The gist of the campaign is that the offer is sincere, and even April Fools’ pranksters can celebrate with a deal.

National Beer Day (April 7)

Beer is more than a beverage to the ardent aficionados. According to a Gallup poll, beer is the favorite adult beverage in the U.S.

Diving deeper into this day, men are the most prevalent beer drinkers. Those 18 to 54 prefer beer over wine or liquor. Thus, beer is a popular drink and somewhat of an American pastime. The rise of microbreweries and craft beer turned the industry into something unique.

In developing a beer day campaign, talk with local bars, especially those with their own brewery. Chat with them about how to raise their visibility for local customers. One idea is to promote a “beer club” if they have one. If they don’t, maybe they should consider it! They can also launch a day of promotion with beer specials. Since you know who prefers beer, set up targeted display and social media ads to reach those audiences.

Sending out SMS and email promotions to current customers is also a way to get more foot traffic into these establishments.

Tax Day (April 15)

Tax Day isn’t a holiday, but it marks something substantial. Your advertisers can have some fun with it. For those with a playful brand, suggest ways they can help taxpayers (their customers) say goodbye to the stress inherent with tax filings.

Bars and restaurants can offer $4.15 drink specials. Others may be looking to relax rather than party. Spas would benefit from promoting stress-free massages and treatments. Propose running these ads on social media, OTT/CTV and SMS marketing.

420 Day (April 20)

420 is a day to celebrate cannabis. For states where sales are legal, dispensaries will want to run promotions. It’s basically the industry’s Black Friday. You can submit digital campaigns for cannabis legally and compliantly through platforms, giving businesses a way to track performance, which is hard for them to do with OOH (out-of-home) advertising. The tactics available include static and video display with geofencing and retargeting.

National Administrative Professionals Day (April 26)

Administrative professionals do so much for the executives and employees they support. Many are the foundation for their company. As such, they deserve recognition. That often comes in the form of a gift, which could be flowers, candy, spa gift certificates or gift cards for a nice dinner.

In thinking about positioning these ads for your clients, consider who is making the decision. It may be the person’s boss. It could also be someone from HR. In most scenarios, the gift giver wants the process to be easy and convenient. They also want to know the costs up front.

Targeted display ads for the expected gift-buying demographic could be effective. Add some OTA spots for broad appeal and some SEM campaigns to display when someone searches (which could happen after they hear a radio ad or see a TV spot).

Beyond gifts, some of your corporate advertisers may be interested in other ad types. First, they may be looking to hire new admins, so recruitment ads could get extra glances around the day. Second, companies may want to spotlight their admins and give thanks to them. This type of brand awareness ad makes a business more human and creates goodwill. Pitch them these ideas for social, display or OTT/CTV.