Intelligent Interactions. Every Time....Key marketing trends for 2014 This calendar has been designed for marketing professionals throughout the UK. Although some businesses will more

Intelligent Interactions. Every Time.

The modern consumer is dynamic, empowered, and hyper-connected. They rely on a variety of devices and channels to stay connected. As a result, they expect seamless customer experiences from their favourite brands that are both meaningful and relevant. If they don’t receive the service and experience they expect, they will move on somewhere else, and probably tell their friends to do so as well. This means marketers need to maximise every communication and minimise distractions, whilst creating meaningful experiences. This is what it means to deliver intelligent interactions. Every time.

Seasonality of Demand Key to organisations responding quicker to their customers’ needs is understanding the seasonality of demand and how this changes over time. When do consumers want to buy your products and services?

Find out how to target your customers at the right time with the right message with this 2014 marketing calendar.

Key marketing trends for 2014

This calendar has been designed for marketing professionals throughout the UK. Although some businesses will more naturally align with certain events, the idea is that with the right marketing campaign and message, any brand could benefit from these seasonal events.

For example, Mother’s Day is clearly a huge opportunity for retailers of cards, flowers, chocolates and gifts but there is no reason why a travel company couldn’t use Mother’s Day as an excuse to send a relevant, timely email campaign promoting short weekend breaks for customers wanting to spoil their mum!

It’s important to note that this calendar is intended to compliment your existing marketing plans not replace them. Every brand is different and will have seasonal peaks and troughs of demand as well as strategic emphasis. We hope that the data-driven insight in this calendar will inspire you to try a new seasonal campaign and reach out to your customers with exciting marketing messages.

Using this calendar

Blue days

represent a day to send email campaigns

Red days

represent increases in search demand and should be targeted with compelling content and PPC campaigns

Purple days

are perfect for cross-channel campaigns both online and offline

Green days

highlight a particular event which may help with creating themes for content

Intelligent Interactions. Every Time.

January1 New Year’s Day

7 Finance campaign for insurance and savings

23 Post Christmas peak demand for balance transfer credit cards

8

22

2 Winter travel campaign ahead of peak demand

9

21

3 4

12 Online research for holidays

24

6 Increased demand for insurance

11

20 Finance campaign for credit cards

27 Blue Monday: send clients an offer to cheer them up

5

10

19

26

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

25

28 3029 31

18

Email Search

EventCross Channel

13 14 15 16 1713

Peak travel booking week online

Winter travel – Target consumers who take multiple holidays a year for winter breaks

Search term variations around mortgage calculators accounted for over a quarter of all UK mortgage searches in 2013

Did you know?

February

Find consumers in relationships that are time poor for Valentine’s Day

Poems are one of the most searched for subject areas around Valentine’s Day and are a great way to add relevant content to your campaigns which will resonate with consumers

Did you know?

10

17

4

11

18

3 Valentine’s Day campaign

5

19

6

13

20

12 Last minute Valentine’s reminder. Promote next day delivery

21

1

8

15

22

2

14 Valentine’s Day

16

23


Email Search EventCross Channel

7 9 Online research for Valentine’s Day

2524 2726 28

March

Understand which demographic groups are most likely to invest in ISAs over other savings products

Including “Mother’s Day” in the subject line of an email ahead of the event in 2012 saw a 61 per cent boost to transaction rates compared to regular emails

Did you know?

1 St David’s Day.14-reg number plates issued by DVLA

10

4 Finance savings campaign

11

18

3 Increased demand for ISAs

5

17 St Patrick’s Day

6

13

27 Mother’s Day final reminder campaign

2625 Peak of demand for flowers

7

19 Mother’s Day campaign

21

8

15

22

2

9

16

23



29 Clocks go forward

30 Mother’s Day

31 End of Financial Year

12 14

28 Last working day of the financial year. ISA promotions

24

20

April1 New tax year savings and mortgages campaign

15 16 Promote Bank Holiday store opening times

7 Easter campaigns

23 St George’s Day

29 30

8

14

22

2

9

18 Good Friday Bank Holiday

3

17

24

4

11 12

20 Easter Sunday

25

5 6

10

21 Easter Monday Bank Holiday

26


27

28

19

13 Online research for Easter eggs and gifts


Find chocoholics online who will be the perfect target for luxury easter eggs

There are 11 per cent more searches for finance savings products in April than in any other month of the year

Did you know?

May

New Homemakers will be looking to make improvements – target them effectively and reap the rewards

The average order value from travel emails in May is £1,400 – the third highest average spending month of the year behind June and July

Did you know?

1

12

19 20

2 Promote Bank Holiday store opening times

13

23 Promote Bank Holiday store opening times

43

7

14

21

26 Bank Holiday

15

22

5 Bank Holiday

98

16

10 11

17

24

18

25


27 28

6 Travel campaign to attract holiday early bookers

29 30 31

Email Search

EventCross Channel

June

30

12 FIFA World Cup Brazil starts

2 Father’s Day campaign

9 Sporting Summer campaign

3

17

1 Online research for music festivals

4 5 6

20

7

14

21

8

22


11 13

1918

10 Father’s Day reminder campaign

16 Travel campaigns with cross-sell to boost average order value

15 Father’s Day

23 Wimbledon begins

24


Travel email campaigns have a higher order value in June than in any other month of the year, even though peak summer demand is in July

2 minutes of every hour spent online in the UK will be on a sports website in June

Did you know?

26 27 25 28 29Glastonbury

Do you know which of your customers will be buying wellies for Glastonbury and which will be buying car hire for Florida?

The UK will make 20 million visits a day to travel websites during the peak booking week in July

Did you know?

1 Special offer promotions ahead of Independence Day

7

21

28

2 3

22

29

9

23

30 31

4 US Independence Day

10

24

5

12 Browsing for last minute holidays

25

6 Wimbledon final

13 FIFA World Cup Brazil ends

19

26

11

20

27


8 Travel campaign last minute holidays

Email Search

EventCross Channel

July

14 15 16 17 18

Peak travel booking week online

August

4

18

5 Early Back to School campaign

12

19

6

13

20 Leeds Festival

7

14 A level results day

21 GCSE results day

28

1

8

15

22Promote Bank Holiday store opening times

29

2

9

16

23

30

3

10

17 Increased demand for student current accounts

24

31



25 Bank Holiday

26 27

11Targeted student campaign

Reach out to ‘Young Essential’ consumers who are looking for a new current account

Searches for student current accounts increased by 125 per cent in August 2013 compared to July 2013

Did you know?

September

Back to school – find busy parents with limited time to shop for back to school products

Online visits to the Automotive industry increase by 5 per cent in months when new registration number plates are released compared to the average month

Did you know?

1 64-reg number plates issued by DVLA

8 Kids go Back to School

22 University enrolment

15

23

29

9

16

30

32 Last minute Back to school campaign

17

24

11

4 Bestival Music Festival

5

12 13

19

6

20

2725

7

14

21

2826



10 Student promotions campaigns

18 Special student promotions offer

October1 Increased demand for Halloween

13

8 Halloween campaign

14

20 Increased demand for Utilities pricing and switching

26 Clocks go back

15

22 23

976

16

32 4

17

24

11 12

21 Seasonal nights are getting colder campaign

27 Last days before Halloween campaign

5

10

19


25

28 3029

18

Email Search

EventCross Channel

31 Halloween

Halloween – Target the trick or treaters with kids costumes that will make them the envy of the street

In the last week of October, 1 in every 10,000 searches online concerns the clocks going back and is an underused date for building seasonal campaigns

Did you know?

November

Early Xmas – Find the organised individuals that will have Christmas all sewn up by December

UK demand for Black Friday discounts were up 350 per cent year-on-year in 2013 showing this is no longer just an American retail day

Did you know?

14

17

43

11

18 19

6

1312

20

10 Early Christmas and Cyber Monday campaigns

21

1

8

15

22

29

2

5 Bonfire Night

9 Remembrance Sunday

30 St Andrew’s Day

16

23


7

2524 27 Thanksgiving Day

26 Ready for Cyber Monday campaign

28 Black Friday campaign

Email Search

EventCross Channel

December1 Cyber Monday biggest pre- Christmas retail day online

8

15

22

29

2

9

16

23 Promote click and collect services for last minute shopping

30

3

10 Christmas retail campaign

17

31

4 Increased demand for vouchers

11

18

25 Christmas Day

24 Christmas Eve

5

12

19

26 Biggest retail day of the year online

6

13 Increased demand for winter sales

20

27

7

14

21

28



Tis the season for spending – identify bargain hunters looking for vouchers, fashion conscious Christmas party goers and sales hungry shoppers

There are 40 per cent more online searches for store opening times in December than any other month of the year

Did you know?

To find out more about Experian Marketing Services call 0845 234 0391 or visit

www.experian.co.uk/marketingservices

Use of this research report is at your own and sole risk. Experian Marketing Services disclaims any and all warranties or representations in respect of the accuracy or usefulness of information, or any observations that may be derived from such information, obtained from Experian Hitwise. © Experian 2013. All rights reserved.

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Intelligent Interactions. Every Time....Key marketing trends for 2014 This calendar has been designed for marketing professionals throughout the UK. Although some businesses will more