Does Your Brand Celebrate Leap Year?

The rarity of February 29, also known as Leap Day causing the year to be referred to as a Leap Year, appears on the calendar every four years and has long inspired marketers to get creative.

But first, a little history about the day. According to PieceofCakeMarketing, "The tradition of adding an extra day to the calendar during leap years, specifically on February 29th, has its origins in Roman superstitions. It was considered an inauspicious day for many activities. Some Romans believed that it was a day of bad luck, which led to the tradition of avoiding major events, such as, marriages and business transactions on that day. Today, Leap Day serves the practical purpose of keeping our calendar in sync with the Earth’s orbit."

Here are some promotional themes for your brand to use on Leap Day:

(1) Leap Day happens once every four years, so use "once every four years" messaging

(2) February 29 is an "extra day" in the month, so customers can take advantage of "extra" savings

(3) Since Leap Day is the 29th day of February, promote a product or service at the $29 price point or offer $29 off a regular price; offer free shipping with a minimum of $29 spent; highlight products or services with "29" in their prices (e.g., $299, $2,900, etc.), or if appropriate, promote a "buy one and get two for $29"

(4) Add the concept of "leaping" into your brand messaging, e.g., "leap into" the spring fashion collection, garden accessories, etc.

(5) Because of the association between Leap Day and frogs (hence the term "leap"), incorporate a leaping frog into your marketing promotions

(6) Add a new hashtag to your marketing, e.g., #LeapDay2024

(7) Offer ridiculous promotions for your lucky customers with birthdays on February 29th - the chance of someone having this rare, once-every-four-years birthday is only 1 in 1,461

(8) Make a difference/Pay it forward: In some cultures, it is considered a tradition to perform acts of charity or kindness on Leap Day. People might make an extra effort to help those in need, donate to charity, or engage in random acts of kindness. Perhaps, your leadership team might close the office early ‌in order to do volunteer work.

Who are some brands with Leap Day promotions this year?

The Seattle Kraken hockey team will play the Pittsburgh Penguins in a special "Leap Year Night" presented by Pitchbook on February 29.

Jeremiah's Italian Ice, the premiere frozen dessert brand based in Orlando, Florida, is "hopping" back through time during February with its new Leap Back campaign, designed to celebrate the brand's journey over the past three decades by giving back to its guests. The brand's first-ever Leap Back campaign includes a full month of promotions for J-List loyalty members, culminating in a Leap Day celebration at all locations, with throwback pricing of $0.96 treats all day long for J-List members to honor the year it all began: 1996 (another Leap Year).

Home Run Inn, Chicago's very own thin crust pizza, announced a National Pizza Day offer for those with a Leap Year Birthday of February 29th. To mark the holiday, Home Run Inn will give away FREE pizza for a year, to the first 29 leap year babies whose birthday is on February 29. To redeem the offer, the first 29 customers must present a valid ID showing their birthdate as February 29 to Home Run Inn's Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/homeruninn/) by 11:59PM CST on February 29th to receive 12 frozen classic crust pizzas on the house. This offer is valid from February 9 through February 29, 2024.

Who could forget what Zappos did to celebrate Leap Day in 2016?

Zappos asked fans and customers to sign the petition to make Leap Day a national holiday. According to Digiday, Zappos gave "all of its employees a paid day off in hopes of inspiring employees and consumers to #TakeTheLeap and use it to do something they’ve always wanted to do."

And who could forget what Krispy Kreme did to celebrate Leap Day in 2020?

According to FoxNews, "Krispy Kreme announced its new nationwide delivery program to launch on February 29 with partner DoorDash to facilitate delivery from nearly all of its 350-plus U.S. locations, to folks within 10 miles of a doughnut shop. And because this promotion launches on Leap Day, Krispy Kreme is planning to send special deliveries to hospitals' maternity wards within the delivery range. To receive the doughnuts, families or staffers at those hospitals are required to share news of their Leap-Day deliveries, using hashtag #KrispyKremeSpecialDelivery and tagging @KrispyKreme on Twitter and Instagram."

Dave Skena, Chief Marketing Officer of Krispy Kreme, explained, "Krispy Kreme doughnut delivery is pretty sweet, and so are Leap Day babies. Using 2020’s extra day to make the leap to national delivery, while celebrating Leap Day babies, will be a fun moment for our brand and fans."

Some final words from PieceofCakeMarketing, "February 29th provides a golden opportunity to think creatively and connect your product or service with the spirit of leap day. With thoughtful planning and execution, your campaigns can earn valuable media coverage, drive user engagement, and foster brand loyalty."

So what will your brand do to leap apart from the competition on Leap Day?

SHARE THIS: February 29 provides a golden opportunity to think creatively and connect your product or service with the spirit of #LeapDay. ~@POCakeMarketing #DebbieLaskeysBlog


Image Credit: Home Run Inn and Jeremiah's Italian Ice.