The Dos and Don'ts of Father's Day
With Father’s Day just around the corner, it’s time to implement your marketing expertise, think outside the box and be strategic about what you offer your existing, and hopefully new, customers.
Don’t - forget about thoughtful marketing
Thoughtful marketing is the act of refining your content, promotions and messages, due to being considerate towards the individual circumstances of each customer. Back in March, we ran a survey and found that 1-in-5 consumers appreciated the choice to ‘opt out’ from mother’s day communications from hospitality brands.
KAM Media, Airship CRM and Toggle teamed up to understand consumer intentions for Mother's Day 2021 and found that, despite 71% of UK adults intending to celebrate the occasion, a significant percentage (19%) would appreciate being given the option from operators and brands to 'opt out' of Mother's day communications.
Fathers day is no different to this. Being considerate towards the 20% of your customers could be vital for retaining them, as well as earning their respect. Bloom & Wild caused a media storm back in 2019, when they led the trend of sensitive opt-out emails due to customer feedback from the previous year, with customers raving about receiving the email. Since, companies have followed suit and redefined the norm around email marketing.
Why is this important? Airship and Toggle CEO, Dan Brookman said, ‘“Brands need to be sensitive towards their customers across all marketing-heavy annual occasions if they really want to show personalisation and connection.”
Do - offer personalised gift choices
A great example of a company offering personalised gifts this Father’s Day is our very own Toggler, Brewhouse and Kitchen. Brewhouse is marketing their beer by targeting dads - genius! But what makes this promotion so special is that they have now provided the option to leave a personalised message on their 5L mini kegs. The option to do this takes their kegs into the realm of being ‘bespoke’ - allowing the consumer to customise the product. This simple change offers a variety which competitors may not have thought of.
Additionally, from the results of our March investigation, we found that 14% of people would consider getting a Mother's Day "take away" from a local pub/restaurant. Brewhouse has capitalised on the change ‘new normal’ here. Society has potentially altered forever due to the pandemic, introducing consumer habits which were non existence before. Some customers may still feel anxious around indoor dining so offering at-home packages, such as a ‘mini-keg’, widens inclusivity for all your potential customers.
Do - Collect the data.
Use both Airship and Toggle this Father’s Day. Collect customer data through your Toggle store sales as well as the in-venue sales. Why is this important?
It’ll help you track your customer journeys and experiences - providing clarity as to what’s working for your customers and business. On Toggle, you can collect marketing opt-ins, which will provide the opportunity to communicate with your warm leads, who have previously purchased your products and have an existing interest in your brand.
Using data from both Airship and Toggle, will help you observe which guests are most likely to purchase certain products. Was there a spike in sales that corresponded with an e-flyer send? Has a particular promotion reaped the most success? Using Airship and Toggle will streamline this communication to you and your team.
This data will also help with understanding what customer patterns have changed post-Covid - so catching this wave (poor choice of wording) may help you get a head start! All of this, can be useful in deciding what products you want to offer, and when, how, and to whom you communicate with.
Don’t - presume your audience
Your regular customer is potentially not the person buying your gift card or hamper for Father’s Day. It could be someone buying it for their loved one who loved your brand. You need to sell this product to them. Why should a son buy it for their father? Think about how you’re going to market to this latent audience.
Consider a blend of personalised gifts and ‘thoughtful marketing’. Offering gift packages at different prices is a way to extend a hand out to people who may not usually associate themselves with your brand due to price.
A great example of a Toggler diversifying its price range through their promotional packages is Camino. Camino, the home of Spanish Tapas in London, is offering two luxury hampers, one priced at £100 and another at £50. This move offers a gift choice to a broader base of customers. They offer their clientele options whilst also having several gift card price points to really hammer home the diverse opinions included in their Father’s Day promotions.
As doors reopen, sales ramp up and more data than ever floods into your business, you need partners that are going to cheer you, not charge you. So we're committed to charging a fair, flat fee across both Airship and Toggle. Everything is unlimited: database size, broadcast, support, users, sales, templates and integrations - we won’t charge you a penny more. Airship and Toggle are #BudgetProof. Get in touch to find out more.
