Intelligent Interactions. Every Time.

Key marketing trends for 2014

The modern consumer is dynamic, empowered, and hyper-connected. They rely on a variety of devices and channels to stay connected. As a result, they expect seamless customer experiences from their favourite brands that are both meaningful and relevant. If they dont receive the service and experience they expect, they will move on somewhere else, and probably tell their friends to do so as well. This means marketers need to maximise every communication and minimise distractions, whilst creating meaningful experiences. This is what it means to deliver intelligent interactions. Every time.

Seasonality of Demand
Key to organisations responding quicker to their customers needs is understanding the seasonality of demand and how this changes over time. When do consumers want to buy your products and services? Find out how to target your customers at the right time with the right message with this 2014 marketing calendar.

Using this calendar

This calendar has been designed for marketing professionals throughout the UK. Although some businesses will more naturally align with certain events, the idea is that with the right marketing campaign and message, any brand could benefit from these seasonal events. For example, Mothers Day is clearly a huge opportunity for retailers of cards, flowers, chocolates and gifts but there is no reason why a travel company couldnt use Mothers Day as an excuse to send a relevant, timely email campaign promoting short weekend breaks for customers wanting to spoil their mum! Its important to note that this calendar is intended to compliment your existing marketing plans not replace them. Every brand is different and will have seasonal peaks and troughs of demand as well as strategic emphasis. We hope that the data-driven insight in this calendar will inspire you to try a new seasonal campaign and reach out to your customers with exciting marketing messages.

Blue days represent a day to send email campaigns

Red days represent increases in search demand and should be targeted with compelling content and PPC campaigns

Purple days are perfect for cross-channel campaigns both online and offline

Green days highlight a particular event which may help with creating themes for content

Intelligent Interactions. Every Time.

January
Monday Tuesday 1 Wednesday
New Years Day

Thursday 2
Winter travel campaign ahead of peak demand

Friday 3 4

Saturday 5

Sunday

Increased demand for insurance

Finance campaign for insurance and savings

10

11

12

Online research for holidays

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Peak travel booking week online

20

Finance campaign for credit cards

21

22

23

Post Christmas peak demand for balance transfer credit cards

24

25

26

27

Blue Monday: send clients an offer to cheer them up

28

29

30

31

Email Cross Channel

Search Event

Winter travel Target consumers who take multiple holidays a year for winter breaks

Did you know?

Search term variations around mortgage calculators accounted for over a quarter of all UK mortgage searches in 2013

February
Monday Email 3 Tuesday Search 4 Wednesday Cross Channel 5 Thursday Event 6 7 8 9 Friday 1 Saturday 2 Sunday
Valentines Day campaign Online research for Valentines Day

10

11

12

Last minute Valentines reminder. Promote next day delivery

13

14

Valentines Day

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

Find consumers in relationships that are time poor for Valentines Day

Did you know?

Poems are one of the most searched for subject areas around Valentines Day and are a great way to add relevant content to your campaigns which will resonate with consumers

March
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 Saturday
St Davids Day. 14-reg number plates issued by DVLA

Sunday 2

Increased demand for ISAs

Finance savings campaign

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

St Patricks Day

18

19

Mothers Day campaign

20

21

22

23

24

25

Peak of demand for flowers

26

27

Mothers Day final reminder campaign

28

Last working day of the financial year. ISA promotions

29

Clocks go forward

30

Mothers Day

31

End of Financial Year

Email

Search

Cross Channel

Event

Understand which demographic groups are most likely to invest in ISAs over other savings products

Did you know?

Including Mothers Day in the subject line of an email ahead of the event in 2012 saw a 61 per cent boost to transaction rates compared to regular emails

April
Monday 1 Tuesday
New tax year savings and mortgages campaign

Wednesday 2 3

Thursday 4

Friday 5

Saturday 6

Sunday

Easter campaigns

10

11

12

13

Online research for Easter eggs and gifts

14

15

16

Promote Bank Holiday store opening times

17

18

Good Friday Bank Holiday

19

20

Easter Sunday

21

Easter Monday Bank Holiday

22

23

St Georges Day

24

25

26

27

28

29

30 Email Search Cross Channel Event

Find chocoholics online who will be the perfect target for luxury easter eggs

Did you know?

There are 11 per cent more searches for finance savings products in April than in any other month of the year

May
Monday Email Cross Channel 5
Bank Holiday

Tuesday Search Event 6

Travel campaign to attract holiday early bookers

Wednesday 1

Thursday 2

Friday
Promote Bank Holiday store opening times

Saturday 3 4

Sunday

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

Promote Bank Holiday store opening times

24

25

26

Bank Holiday

27

28

29

30

31

New Homemakers will be looking to make improvements target them effectively and reap the rewards

Did you know?

The average order value from travel emails in May is 1,400 the third highest average spending month of the year behind June and July

June
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Sunday
Online research for music festivals

Fathers Day campaign

Sporting Summer campaign

10

Fathers Day reminder campaign

11

12

FIFA World Cup Brazil starts

13

14

15

Fathers Day

16

Travel campaigns with cross-sell to boost average order value

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

Wimbledon begins

24

25

26

27
Glastonbury

28

29

30 Email Search

Cross Channel

Event

Travel email campaigns have a higher order value in June than in any other month of the year, even though peak summer demand is in July

Did you know?

2 minutes of every hour spent online in the UK will be on a sports website in June

July
Monday 1 Tuesday
Special offer promotions ahead of Independence Day

Wednesday 2 3

Thursday 4

Friday
US Independence Day

Saturday 5 6

Sunday
Wimbledon final

Travel campaign last minute holidays

10

11

12

Browsing for last minute holidays

13

FIFA World Cup Brazil ends

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Peak travel booking week online

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

Email Cross Channel

Search Event

Do you know which of your customers will be buying wellies for Glastonbury and which will be buying car hire for Florida?

Did you know?

The UK will make 20 million visits a day to travel websites during the peak booking week in July

August
Monday Email 4 Tuesday Search 5 Wednesday Cross Channel 6 Thursday 1 Event 7 8 9 10 Friday 2 Saturday 3 Sunday
Early Back to School campaign

11

Targeted student campaign

12

13

14

A level results day

15

16

17

Increased demand for student current accounts

18

19

20

Leeds Festival

21

GCSE results day

22

Promote Bank Holiday store opening times

23

24

25

Bank Holiday

26

27

28

29

30

31

Reach out to Young Essential consumers who are looking for a new current account

Did you know?

Searches for student current accounts increased by 125 per cent in August 2013 compared to July 2013

September
Monday 1
64-reg number plates issued by DVLA

Tuesday 2
Last minute Back to school campaign

Wednesday 3 4

Thursday
Bestival Music Festival

Friday 5 6

Saturday 7

Sunday

Kids go Back to School

10

Student promotions campaigns

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

Special student promotions offer

19

20

21

22

University enrolment

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30 Email Search Cross Channel Event

Back to school nd busy parents with limited time to shop for back to school products

Did you know?

Online visits to the Automotive industry increase by 5 per cent in months when new registration number plates are released compared to the average month

October
Monday Tuesday 1 Wednesday
Increased demand for Halloween

Thursday 2 3

Friday 4

Saturday 5

Sunday

Halloween campaign

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Increased demand for Utilities pricing and switching

21

Seasonal nights are getting colder campaign

22

23

24

25

26

Clocks go back

27

Last days before Halloween campaign

28

29

30

31

Halloween

Email Cross Channel

Search Event

Halloween Target the trick or treaters with kids costumes that will make them the envy of the street

Did you know?

In the last week of October, 1 in every 10,000 searches online concerns the clocks going back and is an underused date for building seasonal campaigns

November
Monday Email Cross Channel 3 4 Tuesday Search Event 5
Bonfire Night

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday 1

Saturday 2

Sunday

Remembrance Sunday

10

Early Christmas and Cyber Monday campaigns

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Ready for Cyber Monday campaign

27

Thanksgiving Day

28

Black Friday campaign

29

30

St Andrews Day

Early Xmas Find the organised individuals that will have Christmas all sewn up by December

Did you know?

UK demand for Black Friday discounts were up 350 per cent year-on-year in 2013 showing this is no longer just an American retail day

December
Monday 1
Cyber Monday biggest preChristmas retail day online

Tuesday 2 3

Wednesday 4

Thursday
Increased demand for vouchers

Friday 5 6

Saturday 7

Sunday

10

Christmas retail campaign

11

12

13

Increased demand for winter sales

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

Promote click and collect services for last minute shopping

24

Christmas Eve

25

Christmas Day

26

Biggest retail day of the year online

27

28

29

30

31 Email Search Cross Channel Event

Tis the season for spending identify bargain hunters looking for vouchers, fashion conscious Christmas party goers and sales hungry shoppers

Did you know?

There are 40 per cent more online searches for store opening times in December than any other month of the year

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