August “National Day” Campaign Ideas for Local Advertisers

National Dog Month

Did you know that U.S. consumers spent over $152 billion on pets in 2024? Additionally, more than 68 million households in the U.S. are home to at least one dog.

These furry friends are part of the family and provide opportunities for various advertisers to leverage. There are traditional options like local vets that could offer discounts for new clients. Local pet supply stores could create specific promotions as well. Dog spas and daycares may want to develop specials or branded ads featuring pictures of their very happy customers.

Beyond these advertisers, pitch ideas to:

• Photographers: Urge them to promote photo shoots with dogs.
• Restaurants: Many offer dog-friendly treats or allow them to dine outside. It’s a good time for them to remind customers of this.
• Travel brands that include dog-friendly adventures: August is an excellent month to get this messaging in front of dog moms and dads.

Most of these ad ideas are visual in nature, which works great for over-the-top (OTT), social media and email. You can also recommend radio ads to expand the messaging.

National Golf Month

According to the National Golf Foundation, there are 138 million golfers in the U.S. Additionally, 47.2 million Americans over age 6 played on courses in 2024. That’s a broad audience that includes all demographics.

Month-long campaigns to celebrate the world of golf would be great for retailers, as well as public courses and pros that offer lessons. Advertisers can capture new golfers with promos for first-time purchases. They can also target existing customers with attractive promotions.

Since golf is a visual activity, OTT/CTV ads are a great option, as are video display ads. Advertisers can use email and mobile messaging to disperse offers to those in their databases. They can complement these digital ad campaigns with radio spots.

Family Fun Month

Appealing to families can mean different things. The traditional family model isn’t the only one that exists, so go to your advertisers with messages about what it means to be a family and the opportunities to have fun.

Which advertisers make sense for family fun?

• Restaurants
• Activity-related venues (e.g., trampoline parks, escape rooms, amusement parks, arcades, skating rinks, etc.)
• Movie theaters
• Parks and recreation

Family bundles, days dedicated to family fun and other promotions can work with this theme. For any activity or outdoor-related advertisers, encourage them to use video because they are selling the experience. Other options include targeting locals through geofencing, as well as video and radio ads.

National Wellness Month

The themes of National Wellness Month include self-care, managing stress and promoting healthy lifestyles. The wellness industry in the U.S. continues to grow, with a current value of $2 trillion, the largest of any nation by far.

This category includes several different products and services, all great targets for a wellness campaign, including:

• Fitness: Gyms, yoga studios, personal trainers and at-home equipment
• Nutrition: Diet programs, subscription meals, juice cleanses and vitamins/supplements
• Appearance: Dermatologists, salon services and beauty products
• Mindfulness: Therapy, meditation studios and alternative medicines like acupuncture

Some suggestions for tactics and ad ideas for these local businesses include:

• Video and/or OTT/CTV ads that highlight customer testimonials and before-and-after examples
• Social media ads that target consumers with interests in these categories and include a special promotion for new customers
• Display ads that use contextual targeting to appear on websites that wellness-minded individuals would frequent

The key to these ads will be visuals, as consumers want to see the results before they commit. Keep messaging simple and focused on the benefits of self-care and healthy lifestyles.

National Immunization Awareness Month

Along with wellness comes preventive health, which includes immunizations. It’s an ideal time for many health care stakeholders to elevate messaging about the importance and safety of vaccines. They could run campaigns for flu and pneumonia as well as vaccines for things like shingles.

Flu and pneumonia vaccines apply to a large part of the population, so those could be reach-focused campaigns with radio and display ads. Shingles vaccines are for adults 50 or older, so targeting those groups specifically via OTT/CTV would be a good option.

National Sandwich Month

Sandwiches are staples of American cuisine. Americans, on average, eat six sandwiches a week, making up about 30% of diets.

The many different types mean there’s a reason to celebrate. Delis, restaurants and food trucks may all have signature offerings worthy of campaign hype.

Ad tactics to recommend for these include social, OTT/CTV and video geofencing. A great-looking sandwich, paired with a promotion, could increase sales and foot traffic.

National IPA Day (August 7) and International Beer Day (August 1): Bars, restaurants, grocery stores and specialty beverage stores can offer great deals on IPAs and international beers. Since it’s alcohol, you’ll need a compliant digital advertising system to execute ads. Complement those with radio spots in the morning so people can plan for a happy hour.

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (August 4): Chocolate chip cookies are one of the most popular types and have a place on menus across the restaurant industry. Do a quick review of these menus, and then create a list based on who has them. Pitch them the idea of a free cookie with purchase. Everyone loves free, and it’s an opportunity for them to generate other revenue.

Channels for this include display ads and video. Expand it through a social media campaign with appealing pictures of those cookies!

National Pickleball Day (August 8): Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., with an estimated 3 million players. The number of courts available has been growing to meet this demand, and there are likely players and locations in your market. This would be a great day for a campaign to get new players interested. Geofencing areas where people work out or play tennis could be a savvy approach. Social media and video ads would also be options to get others excited about this sport.

National CBD Day (August 8): CBD sales could grow to $4.23 billion by 2026. Consumers using it as part of their routine continues to grow, as many find it useful as an alternative to traditional medicine. Keep in mind that restrictions remain in place for CBD ad content. Highlighting products is okay, but no health claims are allowed. Work with CBD retailers to target specific groups for their products via programmatic ad types, including display and geofencing.

National Book Lovers Day (August 9): This day is one that avid readers will want to commemorate. It’s also a way for advertisers to create a conversation on social media by simply asking what everyone’s reading. In addition, bookstores, libraries and nonprofits can create a message around the power of reading. Being overly promotional won’t be as compelling as talking about how important books are to our lives.

It could also be a chance for other brands to partner with literacy programs to donate. Your advertisers could advise customers that on August 9, they’ll give a portion of their profits to a local charity.

Besides social media, you can suggest streaming audio and radio spots — all executed ahead of the national day.

National Bowling Day (August 9): Bowling is a fun activity that crosses demographics. It’s both family-friendly and a great place for dates. Thus, your audience is wide open. Creating a campaign around this isn’t exclusive to bowling alleys in your metro area.

It may be an opportunity to bundle and cross-promote with family fun campaigns. Additionally, bowling alleys could partner with other advertisers like restaurants for a special package that includes dinner and bowling.

Some great clips of bowling would work well on OTT or other video ad channels.

National Nonprofit Day (August 17): This is a day to give back to the community. Almost every advertiser you work with, regardless of industry, has a connection to a nonprofit. Many small businesses make this a cornerstone of their values. It’s time to shine a light on this for your advertisers. It speaks volumes about the brand and offers a chance for them to give back a portion of sales for that day.

You’ll want to get ahead of this by starting promotions at least a week in advance so consumers can make plans to shop or dine at those places. Social media should be a primary channel, along with radio and streaming audio.

National Radio Day (August 20): We’re throwing this one in there as an option to celebrate radio with your advertisers. You might want to offer special pricing for airtime play on this day. You could also propose that they include a message about the importance of radio, its evolution, and its role in the community.

Additionally, take this opportunity to honor the history of radio with segments on popular shows and social media.

National Senior Citizens Day (August 21): This day marks an opportunity to market directly to those over 55, and Facebook ads and radio are a great combo to get their attention. Retail and restaurants can offer special discounts for this demographic to capture new customers.

National Secondhand Wardrobe Day (August 25): The secondhand market grew 14% in 2024 and could reach $40 billion by 2029. Experts expect tariffs to accelerate this industry. Other trends boosting are concerns about the environmental impact of “fast fashion.” Consignment stores should be celebrating this day. They can do so with display, video and social media ads.