Star Wars Day: How “Hashtag Holiday” Benefit Food & Beverage Marketing

May the 4th be with you!

Also known as Star Wars Day, the faux pop culture holiday evolved from a simple pun and is now a full-blown cultural phenomenon.

May 4th is definitely a favorite day amongst many here at Firebelly Marketing. Not only does it acknowledge one of the biggest fandoms in the world (46 years and counting), where devoted jedis geek out over their favorite movies and characters, but it’s also an important day for social media marketing as well.

Fun “Hashtag Holidays”, like Star Wars Day, are an easy way for businesses to leverage the power of a specific happening to connect with their audiences, boost their brand presence, and partake in trending conversations.

According to Google Trends, the search interest for “May the 4th” has gone off the chain in the new decade. Feeds are replete with themed content and event schedules for themed happenings and parties. Since introduced in 2012, Star Wars Day's growth is astronomical, with a 5,500% growth year-over-year. Obviously, this means increased engagement rates across the board.

So, you’re probably asking yourself a few questions: what does this have to do with food and beverage marketing? Do these made-up holidays really have that much impact on our social media marketing results? Are these the droids I’m looking for?

Origins

“Hashtag Holidays”, which range from National Cider Day to the more extreme National Nude Day, may be pretty stunty. However, that doesn’t stop food and beverage brands from leaning into the gimmick. To be fair, the made-up holidays have long been utilized by lifestyle writers desperate for ways to differentiate print ads, but it wasn’t until the advent of social media marketing that brand interest in holidays catapulted to a new level of popularity.

Just blame Marlo Anderson. His name doesn’t have household recognition. He’s a web developer in Mandan, North Dakota. Secretly, Anderson created the complex National Day Calendar for over a decade now. Initially, the project began as a way to track the origins of lesser-known holidays people could be interested in. Now, the National Day Calendar earns social media attention for its listed nonsense holiday dates. Currently, there are more than 1,500 celebrations tracked on the calendar, including National Sausage Pizza Day (Oct. 11), National Peanut Butter Fudge Day (Nov. 20), and National Buttermilk Biscuit Day (May 14 th ).

Most of the holidays have uncertain origins; some are created by a brand or associations representing them, including National Cinnamon Day (McCormick & Co., Nov. 1), National Fried Rice Day (Benihana, Sept. 20), and National Fajita Day (On the Border, Aug. 18).

The site fields about 30,000 holiday requests per year.

“Hashtag Holidays”

Log into any social media platform, and there’s usually a “Trending” section. Although the United States only recognizes 10 national holidays, big brands have extended their reach beyond a dozen posts, basing their food or beverage content around “hashtag holidays.”

Brands usually exceed their averages by leaning into these fake holidays, differentiating from competitors, and to keep top-of-mind with consumers. Overall, a brand could see increases in engagement, sales, and their social media presence.

Tips for incorporating the right “Hashtag Holidays” into your brand

According to Sprout Social, 70% of consumers are more likely to share a social media post if it is related to a holiday. Additionally, 57% of consumers said they are more likely to purchase a product if they see it on a holiday-themed post. To participate in a “hashtag holiday,” brands should check off the following steps in order to maximize their post.

1. Choose the right holidays for your brand

Sure, Star Wars Day is universal across the board, but why would you acknowledge National Peanut Butter Fudge Day if you were a cider company? It’s important to choose the right ones that align with your brand’s values and personality. Make sure that they relate to your food and beverage brand, or at least, come up with a plan to spin it to reflect your product.

2. Get creative with it

A quick Google search reveals Star Wars cocktails, inspired recipes, and compelling visuals from a galaxy, far, far away. Star Wars communicated visually in the movie theaters, and so do successful social media posts.

3. Strategic hashtags

They’re called “Holiday Hashtags” for a reason. Incorporating appropriate hashtags to acknowledge the celebratory occasion, if positioned properly, can create a great opportunity for your business to reach a new, different, or specific audience.

4. Plan ahead

Nothing is worse than a procrastinator when it comes to celebrating a make-believe holiday. By having ample time, a brand can come up with creative ideas, create content, and schedule posts that maximize the potentiality of these holidays.

5. Incorporate real messaging

While hashtags holidays are a fun way to engage with your audience, it’s important not to lose sight of the real message behind the holiday. Whether it’s raising awareness for an important cause or celebrating wookies, jawas, and ewoks, make sure your messaging aligns with the holiday’s true purpose.

Examples of successful Hashtag Holiday campaigns

Obviously, the proof of the success is in the pudding. Or in this case, the coffee, doughnuts, and other consumable themed offerings.

Starbucks and National Coffee Day

For National Coffee Day, Starbucks created a campaign centered around the hashtag #NationalCoffeeDay, encouraging their followers to share their favorite coffee moments on social media. The campaign was a huge success, generating over 36,000 posts on Instagram and increasing engagement on the platform last year.

Krispy Kreme and National Doughnut Day

On National Doughnut Day, Krispy Kreme created a campaign centered around the hashtag #NationalDoughnutDay, offering a free doughnut to every customer and $1 for a dozen. The campaign was a massive success, went viral, made national news, resulted in increased foot traffic to their stores and significant social media engagement. Clearly, folks “donut” want to miss a sweet saving. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

(And of course) National Star Wars Day

It’s arguably the most popular with a ridiculous amount of food and beverage marketing campaigns jumping on the bandwagon. Starbucks released a limited edition “May the 4th Frappuccino.” Disney Parks pushes Yoda Soda, giving the beverage a collectible cup for visitors to take home. Pizza Hut and Oreos change their packaging. FB mktg writes a blog about it. If you want to learn more about how to marry your social media marketing campaign with the wide range of made-up holidays cluttering the calendar, contact us today.

Social Media MarketingFirebelly Marketing TeamMay 3, 20231 Comment