Fall Marketing Calendar: 15 Newsworthy Events and Collections for Your Seasonal Campaigns

For marketers, each new season starts with a review of campaign plans and other activities. Unsurprisingly, seasonal holidays are the main attraction here, as there is no better opportunity to attract an audience and increase sales. But do you use every opportunity to communicate with your established and potential customers?

Of course, some brands miss popular events such as the First day of school, Black Friday, or Halloween. But there are many other fall holidays that can inspire a creative campaign and give you a chance to stand out from the competition. To help, we’ve gathered the most interesting events of the new season, as well as themed content collections dedicated to them. Check out this list and choose ideas that will appeal to your audience.

1. International Beauty Day (September 9)

This day was established in 1995 to honor everything beautiful. Usually, various beauty pageants were organized on this occasion. Over the decades, they have considerably evolved, as have most people’s visions of beauty standards. Today, in the era of diversity and inclusivity, people do not have to comply with any appearance standards to feel beautiful anymore. The main point is to accept and love yourself. Remind your clients that they are beautiful just the way they are. This is a great opportunity to give your audience pleasant emotions and strengthen your connection with them. Want more engagement? Arrange a poll asking your followers what is the embodiment of true beauty for them. Take a look at our themed collection for inspiration!

2. Smiley Face Emoticon’s Birthday (September 19)

September 19, 1982 is a truly historic day for the evolution of online communication. Back then, Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott Fahlman first used an emoticon consisting of a colon, hyphen, and bracket to convey a smiling face in a message. This is how emoticons were born; they are now an integral part of communication on social networks or messengers. And it is not only a universal language that allows you to easily express emotions, but also an effective tool of influence. The latter is eloquently proved by statistics: Facebook posts with emoticons receive 57% more likes, 33% more comments, and 33% more shares. To celebrate such a cheerful holiday, have some fun with your followers and ask them to write the name of their favorite movie, book, or song using emojis.

3. International Day of Peace (September 21)

Now, when a brutal war continues in the heart of Europe, it is hard to imagine a more relevant holiday than the International Day of Peace. By decision of the UN General Assembly, September 21 was designated the day of global ceasefire and non-violence. Unfortunately, even with the support of world leaders and the international community, peaceful life remains a dream for Ukrainians, and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian defenders are fighting for this right with lethal force. We urge you to spread the truth about the war in Ukraine. It is not over, so it’s as crucial as ever to speak up. For this purpose, we have created a special free collection so that everyone can freely cover this topic. Also, discover a selection of images showing protests against the war, as well as actions in support of Ukrainians around the world.

4. September Equinox (September 23)

Along with the calendar fall, there is also an astronomical fall, which begins on the Day of the September Equinox. As the name implies, on this day, the duration of daylight and night hours are equal, and after it, the nights in the Northern Hemisphere become longer and the days shorter. Along with the gradual drop in temperature, this motivates people to spend more time in cozy coffee shops or comfortable homes, wrap up in their favorite sweaters, and arrange long evening movie nights. If your product or service can help brighten up the arrival of fall, be sure to take advantage of this opportunity. To illustrate how interesting and diverse leisure can be in fall, use some atmospheric images from our seasonal collection.

5. World Tourism Day (September 27)

What can inspire and enrich more than fascinating journeys and exploring new countries? Many people share this hobby, so they can justifiably consider World Tourism Day their own holiday. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, international travel has long been unattainable. But this has only strengthened our eager desire for exciting adventures and encounters. Journeys usually leave the most vivid impressions, so you will definitely find a response among your audience if you ask about their dream trip. Scenic images and exciting videos from different parts of the world will help you attract attention.

6. International Day of Older Persons (October 1)

According to the World Health Organization’s classification, the elderly are people over 60 years old. To honor them and celebrate their contribution to societal development, the UN has established a special holiday. Celebrate the occasion by launching a targeted campaign for older people, offering discounts on goods or services that will help improve their health and well-being. Motivate them to lead an active lifestyle and continuously develop themselves. To make your communication more engaging, choose themed images of older people enjoying their favorite hobbies, mastering the latest technologies, or spending time with their families.

7. World Animal Day (October 4)

World Animal Day is celebrated in more than 60 countries. On this date, animal welfare societies hold various events intended to draw attention to the problems of animal extinction and cruelty. It is also a chance to remind people about the responsibilities of having a pet, which we all know are pretty much family members. If this is in line with your values, you can use it to arrange a charity for an animal protection organization. Or ask your followers to share photos and stories about their pets. High engagement is guaranteed, because pet owners love to share, and photos of cats and dogs get a lot of likes.

8. World Mental Health Day (October 10)

The world had hardly recovered from the coronavirus pandemic with its severe restrictions, before it faced new challenges, including war and an economic crisis. All this predictably has a negative impact on people’s mental health. As estimated by the World Health Organization, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in eight people in the world had a mental disorder. Obviously, the global events of recent years have only worsened the situation. Draw your audience’s attention to the importance of taking care of mental health. Share simple ways to calm anxiety and maintain emotional balance. You can also tell them about the slow living concept, which is about living a conscious, meaningful life without fuss and unnecessary stress.

9. Defenders of Ukraine Day (October 14)

Despite its young age (Defenders Day was established after the Russian attack in 2014), this holiday has deep historical roots, as there is a long tradition of honoring the Ukrainian army on the Intercession of the Theotokos. Last year, the holiday received a new name – Defenders and Defendresses of Ukraine Day. This way, the Ukrainian government recognized the equal contribution of men and women to the protection of the country. According to polls, the Armed Forces of Ukraine currently gained 97% of the population’s trust. Needless to say, Ukrainian people are tremendously grateful to the army that defends their freedom. It would be a great idea to launch a gratitude campaign on October 14, inviting your audience to express their most sincere words to the defenders.

10. Halloween (October 31)

In countries such as the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Ireland, Halloween is among the top most popular holidays. For people from other countries, it is rather an occasion to organize fun parties with bright costumes and amusements. And for brands, it is an opportunity to attract customers by launching thematic promotions or “spooky” campaigns in line with the holiday spirit. Since the competition for audience attention is quite high at this time, you should do your best to find an authentic idea. Check out examples in our themed article and discover a large collection of atmospheric photos, illustrations, and videos.

11. World Quality Day (November 10)

The quality of our life consists of both spiritual and material aspects, and the latter is directly related to the quality of goods and services we consume. Each one of us has most likely been in a situation where the quality of a purchased product was frankly disappointing. Unfortunately, the problem of unscrupulous manufacturers still appears relevant. World Quality Day is aimed to draw attention to consumer rights and the importance of quality control. This holiday is a great chance to tell the audience that your brand takes compliance with industry requirements and standards very seriously. For example, if you are in the baking business and only work with the best ingredients, or if you manufacture shoes and offer special warranty terms, be sure to tell your customers about it so that your products gain additional value in their eyes.

12. World Kindness Day (November 13)

The Day of Kindness originated from the same-name volunteer movement, which appeared in Japan in 1997. In just a few years, the holiday received official status and, nowadays, it is celebrated in over thirty countries around the world. Of course, you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to do good, but on this day, you can arrange something really special. It can be a large-scale charity event to raise funds, or collect clothes or food for people who really need it. Try to unite people around a noble goal and prove that goodness can really change the world for the better. For your holiday communication, opt for images of happy people enjoying life.

13. World Hello Day (November 21)

The history of this holiday is quite interesting. It was established by two American brothers Michael and Brian McCormack in 1973, when there was some serious tension between different countries. The McCormacks sent letters with greetings around the world, asking the recipients to do the same, and to send greetings to at least ten people. The effect was quite unexpected, because the brothers’ idea found its support in more than 180 countries. Today, it’s a good opportunity to share positive emotions and put a smile on someone’s face. For example, you can send personalized greeting cards to your customers thanking them for choosing you. Such a fine gesture will definitely not go unnoticed. You can find more card options and templates for this and other holidays in our themed collection.

14. Black Friday (November 25)

For many, Black Friday is a long-awaited day. For marketers, it is the hottest time to increase sales multi-fold. For example, last year, online stores earned $8.9 billion on Black Friday while the average cost of orders increased by 9%. And for customers, on the other hand, it is a great chance to save money because Black Friday promotions can save about 24%. It is not surprising that buyers tend to create their wish lists in advance. As it is the main sale of the year, all brands start fighting for customer attention. Our advice: start preparing your campaigns in advance and choose appealing visual content that will allow you to outdo your competitors.

15. Cyber Monday (November 28)

If Black Friday is associated more with offline shopping, Cyber Monday is all about online sales. It is gradually overtaking Black Friday in popularity due to the increasing expansion of e-commerce and the Covid-19 restrictions from previous years. Contrary to popular belief, Cyber Monday is not a day of top online sales, but still, it attracts a lot of consumers, so do not ignore it. Try to arrange an extended sale – for example, a week of discounts instead of one day. This way, you will give your customers the opportunity and time to make up their mind, thus increasing your chances of sales.

To sum up

The fall season is a busy time in regards to marketing; it includes both the most important holidays and sales, and serves as a preparation period for Christmas and New Year campaigns. It’s best to choose events that are most relevant to your audience and reflect your brand values. This will allow you to focus on key elements and create holiday campaigns that will help you achieve your marketing goals. We wish you a successful fall season!

Find more seasonal marketing ideas in our articles:

Cheerful Ways to Get Ready for Halloween in 2021

How to Sell More with Black Friday Music

Get Ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Marketing Checklist to Drive Sales

Black Friday and Cyber Monday Survival Kit 2020