8 Campaign Ideas to Turn August From Meh to Magnificent

Summer is in full swing, and with August right around the corner, some of the hottest days of the year are yet to come. For most Americans, August is a transition month. A time to eke out as much summer fun and vacation time as possible before getting back to the grind.I wouldn’t say that August is a “marketer’s dream.” Consumer spending is nowhere near the heights of some other months - such as November and December - but it’s certainly not a write-off. However, you do need to think outside the box with your marketing strategy. Here are eight August campaign ideas to get the creative juices flowing.

#1. Embrace Romance

Even though Valentine’s day is in February, August owns the rights to “Romance Awareness Month.” This celebration is about couples and how they can improve their relationships all year round. I'm sure anyone in a long-term relationship can appreciate the need to spice things up once in a while and devote time to sustaining the bond you have created. If you’re looking for marketing ideas to embrace romance in August, why not steal some of Valentine’s Day's winners and adapt them? Billions of dollars are invested into V-Day marketing from brands of all sizes, so there are some fantastic concepts to draw inspiration from. For example, underwear brand, MeUndies created a hashtag contest on Instagram encouraging couples to share photos wearing matching undies. They used the custom hashtag #MatchMeUndies and captured tons of user-generated content that were perfectly on-brand, like this:

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#2. Raise Welfare Awareness

Several days in August raise awareness for animal and human welfare initiatives.The 12th of August is World Elephant Day - these beautiful giants are loved in cultures around the world but are at risk of becoming extinct due to unethical practices in Asia and Africa. The 19th is both International Orangutan Day and World Humanitarian Day. Orangutans are unique animals that are victims of the palm oil industry - this day is dedicated to preserving the species. World Humanitarian Day is a more general event to raise awareness, gain global support for human welfare initiatives, and honor people in our community who have contributed to these important causes. How does this relate to your marketing efforts? You could, for example, run a charity drive to raise money for one of the many organizations in this space. Or, perhaps you’d like to take your team out into the community to get their hands dirty and share the experience on social media.The UN created an official hashtag for World Humanitarian Day that you can piggyback - #RealLifeHeroes - to pay tribute to people who have dedicated their lives to human welfare causes. Getting involved could be as simple as showing your support on social media, like Staples Center has here:

What will work for you? It depends on how your brand is positioned in the market and whether or not you feel an association with human or animal welfare initiatives is appropriate. Still, there are certainly opportunities to get involved.

#3. Have a Night Out

The first Tuesday of August is all about community and neighborhood safety against crime. Residents across America leave porch lights on and sit outside their properties to symbolize a safe and crime-free local community. It's called the National Night Out. As a brand, you could have a bit of fun with this concept while also supporting a good cause. Have your team participate in the event, sit on their porch, turn on the lights, and share it on social media with a branded hashtag. Fittingly, the home security camera company, Ring, partnered with National Night Out and created an entire marketing campaign about it - including a paid partnership with Shaquille O' Neal!

#4. Get Thrifty

The 17th of August is National Thrift Shop Day - an opportunity to support local thrift shops and aid vulnerable communities around the country. Perhaps you could gather together pre-loved clothes, furniture, and other knick-knacks from your team and donate them to a local thrift shop. Or, you could go even bigger by bringing your customers into the charitable drive on social media. If you sell a physical product, create a hashtag contest and have participants submit photos using your product while doing something thrifty. Maybe it’s a thrifty style of fashion, thrifty home decor, or any number of other scenarios.

#5. Celebrate Companions

Whether your customers are cat or dog people (or both), August has a day you can celebrate their favorite companions. The 8th of August is International Cat Day, and the 26th is International Dog Day.People go nuts for their furry little friends, and you can use this passion to your advantage with a marketing campaign. Not many things create more laughter and excitement than an owner-pet look-alike photo contest or a doggie day spa giveaway.In Australia, August is PAWGUST - a fundraiser encouraging people and their dogs to walk as much as possible in the month to support a Guide Dogs charity. You can even get a PAWdometer to track all your dog’s steps. Something like this is a fun and meaningful way to engage with your dog-loving audience in August:

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#6. Be Adventurous

Is your audience packed full of adventurers? Then August is the month for you!Not only is August National Fishing Month, but the 1st of the month is Mountain Climbing Day, and you can even round it out with Toasted Marshmallow Day on the 30th.These events encourage outdoor adventures, family escapes, and peaceful journeys in the wilderness. Naturally, if you sell equipment for this type of getaways, such as tents, rods, and hiking apparel, it’s a no-brainer. However, you can also leverage your customer’s love for the outdoors in just about any industry with some creative thinking.

#7. Invest in Youth

Today’s youths are tomorrow’s leaders and International Youth Day on the 12th of August is the perfect time to celebrate society’s up and comers.One of the best places to connect with the younger generation is on TikTok, with over 60% of users aged 10-29.

TikTok User Stats   A cool thing about TikTok is it presents numerous unique ways of marketing your brand. From running TikTok ads to working influencers, or hosting a TikTok contest, engaging with the younger generation on this social network is a lot of fun.ShortStack’s TikTok Contest Template allows you to collect leads as well as TikTok videos:

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#8. Fire Up the Grill and Take it Easy

As one of the hottest months of the year, August is a great time to gather with friends and family and fire up the grill. Of course, there are also events to make this more meaningful.August 6th is International Beer Day, National Mustard Day is on the first Saturday, and Relaxation Day is on the 15th. What a great combination, mustard, beer, and relaxing!You may like to run a team-building event with local craft beers, types of mustard, and some fun relaxing activities. Alternatively, partner with a local brewery or mustard provider to launch a social media campaign. Whatever suits your brand’s style!

Conclusion

There you have it, eight themed marketing ideas to inspire your campaigns in August.While many of your competitors focus on the big consumer spending months, there is an opportunity to get a captive audience in August while they have their summer blinders on.Enjoy a little romance, support an important cause, get outdoors, or relax around the grill with your customers. But whatever you do, don't let August sneak by without a sound!

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