Pumpkin spice up your brand: Pumpkin spice marketing

Here at ROI Media Works, we not only work in marketing, we love it too. That’s why we’re going to bring you a list of the best seasonal marketing campaigns we’ve seen every month. In this edition of Pumpkin Spice Up Your Brand, we’re going to take a look at how the phenomenon of pumpkin spice isn’t only for coffee shops and Thanksgiving tables.

There is little denying the social fortitude of pumpkin spice. Though the most notable examples of it are found in coffee cups, those pouring the beverages are not who should be applauded for pumpkin spice’s rise. As we wrote a couple months previous, it is actually marketers who should receive the praise.

For conversation’s sake, let’s call this pumpkin spice marketing. The term would relate to the principles surrounding pumpkin spice, rather than the “fall” flavours that create its physical makeup. Releasing the beverage at certain locations and certain times while keeping it an exclusively fall offering build expectation and excitement. This then couples with the product itself to create the notability we see in these beverages.

Where notability and seasonal release intersect we see pumpkin spice marketing. A professor from Old Dominion University notes that pumpkin spice marketing is also one type of a larger idea known as sensory marketing. This relates to the feeling consumers have when they engage with a product or service. Emotion influences purchasing decisions. Tapping into emotion, helps boost your bottom line. These feelings are ramped up by certain times of year, particularly the season of fall. Thus, pumpkin spice takes off.

So, we know you’re thinking “I’m not a food and beverage company, so how can I capitalize on this? You’ll recall that two factors work to establish pumpkin spice marketing: notability and a seasonal release. Both of these are achievable for any business.

To make your business notable in your marketing efforts, think about what you do differently or better than anyone else. Point of differentiation is key to long term success. Ensure this rises to the top and is clear on all channels. Then, maintain a remarkable level of customer service and boom, voilà, you’ve got a notable brand.

Then, work to establish seasonal marketing campaigns. Connecting your business with certain times of year, as food and beverage companies do with pumpkin spice, is a sure-fire way to connect with consumers. This type of pumpkin spice marketing will appeal to the emotions of your customer base and allow you to connect with them on a deeper level. Remember, emotion drives sales.

You can’t simply pepper pumpkin spice into every product or service. But, you can impact how people feel when they interact with your products and services. Inspired by what you read and want to create a seasonal marketing campaign for yourself? We can help! Drop us a line at hello@roimediaworks.com.