Whether you’re a crêpe or American pancake fan, companies love the opportunity to reach out and engage with potential customers over any national holiday. You better flippin’ believe they won’t miss out on pancake day! What is there not to like about the million calorie snacks that we binge on once a year, and then go completely incognito unless you visit a brash American diner. We’ll leave that to our neighbours on the other side of the Atlantic, because for us, pancake day is a another of our one-off days of marketing madness.
For the past few of years, as brands have become a little more tongue in cheek when it comes to their marketing, pancake day has taken a turn for the better. Whether it’s the hearty campaigns that appeal to the masses or the absolutely ridiculous that appeal to everyone, companies just keep producing the flour power.
As #PancakeDay has become a genuine trend, let’s recap on some of the brilliant ways brands have got involved and caused social media meltdowns. Starting with whoever got #PancakeDay trending a week early this year, admittedly some of us may have thought it was on the 18th… The fact that the trend took off actually caused mass-hysteria, but when the day arrives on the 25th we’ll see what campaigns come to the surface from the top companies on social media.
Do you remember the cartoon pancakes that were all the rage a few years ago? Squeezed from a bottle by some kind of pancake sorcerer, who would draw all kinds of incredible art in the pan? They took over social media, every marketeers aim over any holiday. During this time, Paddy power took advantage of the trend, tweeting a pancake of the face of arsenal legend Kolo Toure. We didn’t get it either, but it was hilarious.
On this Pancake Tuesday, let’s admire Kolo Toure in a pancake. pic.twitter.com/jxF0uditJv
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) February 28, 2017
#PancakeDay is obviously a brilliant marketing opportunity for products that fit directly into the demographic. For example, Huel offered us a healthy serving of pancakes made with their own mixture in place of flour. What better opportunity to highlight that you can use your product as a wheat alternative.
It’s inevitable that the big supermarkets will be throwing in their two pence and recipes into the mix. Asda, Aldi, Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury’s and many more will all claim to have the best pancake recipe, but hey, we get to look at loads of pictures and tasty recipes, so make the most of it.
The true beauty of pancake day is that irrelevance will be just as common, companies that sell tyres will be in the trending hashtags. The key to social media marketing is bridging the gap between your business and the potential customers out there. So why not take inspiration from the circular goodies and increase your reach and potentially your profits.
Think outside the box, regardless of your product or business; start engaging in conversation. Why not give something away to the best looking pancake stack? The possibilities are flipping endless…
Ready to discuss your marketing and get your company out there this year? Get in touch, we’re happy to help!
