As I was lying in the garden enjoying this exceptional weather we are having, I was contemplating whether I should finally move my winter woollies into their summer ‘vacation’ suitcase and replace them with clothes more suited to this heatwave. (normally the minute I do this it rains and gets cold again – what can I say!)

This routine happens in my home a couple of times a year as I simply haven’t got enough wardrobe space for both winter and summer clothes, so each main season the big switch happens. Procrastination over moving from my sun lounger got me wondering, what else switches with seasons? Does marketing have winter and summer vacations?

Well of course the marketing campaigns are going to be different with the seasons. If you’re a pest controller you’re not likely to spend money during the winter on marketing your wasp division, that really is a spring and summer special. Similarly if you sell sledges, talking about them in July probably won’t increase sales. So for some organisations there is a little bit of a winter and summer switch going on.

But back to my wardrobe, whilst the long sleeves and jumpers get packed away, there are some core pieces that remain all year round. That pair of jeans that fit nicely, T-shirts that can be worn standalone in the summer or under a woolie in the winter – so not everything can take a holiday.

The same should be true of your marketing there are some bits that can’t be on vacation, whilst campaigns will always be different there are some core brand elements that have to remain true and should be visible in all your campaigns regardless of the weather, they are

  1. Logo
  2. Tagline or Catchphrase
  3. Graphics and Shapes
  4. Colors
  5. Font Type

simple stuff you may think, but you’d be surprised at how many companies that we see get this stuff so wrong that the different marketing pieces they produce might have come from two different stables. This is very confusing to the customers, they are simply left thinking ‘ have I reached the right company?’

Then on top of that, each campaign should also follow your brand traits, assuming you know what your mission and purpose is (you do don’t you?) then you also need to pack in

  1. Consistency – we talk a lot about this but its so true, you have to be consistent…always with everything (think Mac Donalds!!)
  2. Authenticism – you need to be true to your mission and purpose..always
  3. Creation of an emotion or experience – that’s the real reason people will come to you

So whilst products and services can be packed away into their summer or winter resting place, you must always think of these 8 things as your core ‘must have always’ garments.

Now that doesn’t help my choice for today to move or not to move…. you’ll know my final decision if it rains tomorrow!!