Marketing News of the Week: Pi Day, Equal Pay Day, and More

This week, there were many news stories that demonstrated impressive marketing campaigns and memorable brand storytelling.

HARRIET TUBMAN MONUMENT
While the Harriet Tubman $20 bill is on track to debut to the public in 2030, this past week, the abolitionist and social activist finally got long-due recognition. A 25-foot monument was unveiled in Newark, New Jersey in a ceremony attended by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Newark-born entertainer Queen Latifah. According to Huffington Post, "While Tubman was born in Maryland, she shepherded runaway slaves through a church in Newark when she was active in the Underground Railroad, an network of abolitionist allies and secret infrastructure that helped lead enslaved people to the North."

Tubman's great-great-great-grandniece Michele Jones Galvin spoke at the unveiling, "In the spirit of Harriet Tubman, the monument will memorialize her heroism, will inspire future generations to take action when they see injustice, and will instill the value of service to the most vulnerable in our society."

Mayor Baraka also spoke, "In a country where the overwhelming majority of monuments are testaments to white males, Newark has chosen to erect a monument to a Black woman who was barely five feet tall, but had the visage and power of a giant."

According to NPR, "A Christopher Columbus statue, that Tubman's monument replaced, was removed in June 2020 during that summer's racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The city of Newark took down the Columbus statue to avoid people toppling or taking it down during protests, Mayor Baraka explained in a June 2020 tweet. The racial protests prompted for the removal or renaming of several controversial monuments and statues across the country."

PI DAY
Did your brand celebrate Pi Day? Celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159. Pi Day is an annual opportunity for math enthusiasts to recite the infinite digits of Pi, talk to their friends about math, and eat pie.

According to PiDay.org, "Pi has been calculated to over 50 trillion digits beyond its decimal point. As an irrational and transcendental number, it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations, Pi’s infinite nature makes it a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits."

Some brands that celebrated the day included California Pizza Kitchen, Papa Johns, Whole Foods, Sbarro, Palermo's, doughnut brands, and more.

EQUAL PAY DAY
In addition to Pi Day, March 14 also marked Equal Pay Day, which in 1996, was originally called "National Pay Inequity Awareness Day." Unfortunately, it marked the continuing disparity between men's and women's salaries. In 2023, women earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by white men, according to data from the US Census Bureau.

DEATH OF PAT SCHROEDER
Known as a pioneer for women's and family rights in Congress for 24 years, former US Representative Pat Schroeder passed away this week. According to current US Representative Nita Lowey from New York, "Pat Schroeder blazed the trail. Every woman in this house is walking in her footsteps."

According to Politico, "Asked by one congressman how she could be a mother of two small children and a member of Congress at the same time, she replied, 'I have a brain and a uterus, and I use both.'"

SHOULD RBG'S BIRTHDAY BE A HOLIDAY?
What did you do on March 15? Did you celebrate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's birthday? Let's not forget what RBG said when she was asked how many women on the Supreme Court would be enough: "When there are nine. Women should be the norm - not the exception - in all places where decisions are made." By celebrating RBG each year, gender equality may be more attainable.

CISA AND GIRL SCOUTS
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) announced a collaboration between the two organizations in their pursuit to bridge the gender gap in cybersecurity. According to a report by Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) and Cybersecurity Ventures, only 25 percent of the global cybersecurity workforce is currently comprised of women, yet women comprise up to 51 percent of the population.

"CISA and GSUSA already have a history of working together. In 2017, CISA provided thought collaboration and helped steer the creation of GSUSA's 18 cybersecurity badges. In less than five years, more than 315,000 cybersecurity badges have been earned by Girl Scouts."

RED LOBSTER
Restaurant chain Red Lobster announced that it would offer bottomless portions of its namesake menu item on March 28 at its Times Square location in New York City. If you're in the Big Apple and interested, hurry because reservations will go fast. Interesting marketing campaign.

COORS LIGHT POPSICLE
Beer brand Coors Light announced that it will release a beer-flavored popsicle to coincide with March Madness called "Coors-icles." These limited edition treats are non-alcoholic. The Coors-icles will be available throughout the NCAA college basketball tournament and sold at more than 800 bars throughout the USA. They can also be ordered through Coors' online shop. Odd product line extension.

THE END OF DUNKIN'S DUNKACCINO
Dunkin has retired its Dunkaccino. The drink known for its mixture of coffee and hot chocolate has been a fan favorite for more than two decades. A company spokesperson explained, "As we focus on innovation and finding new ways to delight guests, we continually evolve our menu in an effort to deliver a fast, frictionless experience. The Dunkaccino is retired for now, but there's always the chance for its return in the future." Is it a good idea to retire products that fans love? Only time will tell.

On another note, did you hear that Notre Dame Cathedral is set to reopen in Paris in December 2024? If you recall the terrifying fire on April 15,2019, this is good news for Parisians, France, and Francophiles around the world (this blogger included). The iconic spire, which collapsed during the blaze, will gradually start reappearing above the monument this year in a powerful signal of its revival. Good news, indeed!

What other marketing news stood out to you this week?

What will be the marketing buzz next week? Tune in to read all about it.

Image Credits: Dunkin/Today and California Pizza Kitchen.