Get yourself a diary and start making a note of key dates in 2024 so you can maximise every PR opportunity
From paying homage to the humble doughnut to praising the scrumptious apple pie, there’s a day, week, fortnight or even month for celebrating practically every food under the sun. And almost every one is a PR opportunity in the making.
You don’t have to be a marketing genius to get involved, just look at the food in question and if it’s relevant, shout about it. British Sandwich Week: champion the chip butty. National Tea Day: invite customers in for a cuppa. National Cheese Day: offer a discount on cheesy chips or suggest a cheese to deep fry. The possibilities are endless.
Some events you might want to make a bigger deal of. National Chip Week (20th-26th February), for example, is being revived by The Q Partnership again this year so get involved and offer a discount on chips, introduce a different topping each day – the most popular could be a keeper – or offer a free side with chips.
Shortly after you’ve got British Pie Week (March 6th) so why not run a different pie promotion each day, free chips with every pie, or buy one pie get another in the week half price? If you don’t want to discount your offering, simply promote the fact you sell pies and suggest customers stop in for lunch or dinner. To really stand out, you could create a signature pie specifically for the occasion or, better still, engage with your customers and ask them to suggest a recipe. The best could be added to the menu for a limited time.
National Fish & Chip Day on 6th June is the big one this year, but there are hundreds of other events to jump on board with whether it’s a promotion or a simple post on social media. World Oceans Day (8th June), Great British Pea Week (1st July), Sustainable Seafood Month (October), and UK Sausage Week (28th October) to name just a few.
If there isn’t a day for something, why not invent it yourself? Get in touch with your local media and tell them what you are doing and why. It’s how International Mushy Pea Day (8th November) started in 2017 when it was launched by Pete Fraser, owner of fish and chip restaurant Harbour Lights in Falmouth, Cornwall. Now it pretty much runs itself!
Don’t forget local events too that might be happening around you – school fetes, local football tournaments and food festivals. These are all events that present an opportunity to get your brand seen.
