April Fools and other gimmicky calendar dates

Unless you product or service has a very direct link to the calendar dates, I'd stay clear of using them. Not only will you message get lost in the consumer noise associated with these events, most B2B is based on a long term relationship and credibility not a day or two in the calendar. You risk looking like the B2B dad at the consumer disco if you try to use them. The B2B marketer should be aware of them to avoid mistakes (April 1st is bad day to push out new and “unbelievable messages”; you probably don’t want to do major B2B event July/August etc). The only exception would be if you knew your individual B2B decision makers well enough to send them something specific and seasonal – for example the right number and type of Easter eggs for their children for example. We should all strive to know as our B2B customers this well, but few of us do. There are enough exciting things in B2B marketing to mean that we don’t have to rely on consumer gimmicks

Stephen - I agree with your points - especially the one about B2B relationships being long-term so the opportunity to take advantage of one-off days in the calendar are unlikely. The only thing I'd add is that it's often said that the 'human' side of B2B marketing can sometimes get missed when we take ourselves too seriously or get too bogged down in a 'corporate' mindset. "After all - we're still people" is a phrase that is increasingly being coined by B2B marketers as they exploit the continuing blurring boundaries of home/work life. I think that the odd 'gimmick' in B2B does no harm if used in the right context - if nothing it reminds people that you're human too.

"The B2B dad at the consumer disco" Love it, Stephen. I agree there's a risk of this, but it doesn't hurt to join in with the April Fool's fun a little, does it? I guess the more you commit to it, the more you look stupid if you misjudge it – so as long as you don't build it up too much, I think you're fine. And Victoria - you're absolutely right that, even if it is just a one-off event, it's an indicator of a long-term and consistent brand personality.

Don’t get me wrong – I think the best B2B marketing is human. In fact I’d go as far a to say B2B marketing should be more individual than B2B as were dealing which much smaller numbers of market players. This is what my Easter egg example was trying to get across. And I think B2B marketers have to spend their limited budget on things that do positive good rather than merely not do any harm. We shouldn’t look to the consumer calendar – B2C have much bigger budgets and will just do it better. Rather, we should look at B2B specific activity and apply the right approach then. So rather than look at early April as April fool, we should look at the end of the tax year – and do “human campaigns around that. For example, “Sorry, we’ll make you pay more tax next year – because by selecting us you’ll make more profit/returns/bonus etc”.