13 Dec Create the ultimate promotional calendar for 2022
Use our ultimate promotional calendar for 2022 to plan your marketing themes and dates for the year. We have all been there, when suddenly it’s Chinese New Year and you haven’t developed a special offer for your customers. Or created a social tile to acknowledge Remembrance Day. Or identified when it’s International Coffee Day as a hook to sell more lattes in your cafe!
Keep in mind there are more than the standard celebrations, holidays and observances we celebrate in Australia. Such as Easter, Father’s Day, and New Year’s Eve. There are other commemorations, broader religious holidays, Indigenous observances, seasons/time-related dates, education festivities, sporting and environmental events, International days, weeks and years.
Be selective
There is no need to overdo your yearly promotional calendar. As with all of your branding and marketing, your messages and reason for supporting, promoting or celebrating a day or event needs to be genuine, not tokenistic. There are many fun and silly celebrations, and they will only work well for some brands and not for others.
So the message here is to find celebrations and commemorations relevant to your business and that will resonate with your customers. For example, this calendar of mental health and wellbeing events and days would be useful for a business supporting mental wellbeing.
Below we provide you with a range of ideas for developing your promotional calendar for 2022. We encourage you to think outside the box and research further opportunities. Google is a great resource to research themes you are interested in exploring. However, as with any internet research, ensure the information is reputable and verify dates if you need to.
International days, weeks and years
The United Nations observes designated days, weeks, years and even decades, each with a theme or topic. These special observances help promote international awareness and action on these issues. Find out all of these for 2022 on the United Nations website.
2022 International Year
In 2022 we celebrate three international years:
- International Year of Glass
- International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture
- International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development
National holidays and observances, Australia
National public holidays 2022
- New Year’s Day: 1 January
- New Years Holiday: 3 January
- Australia Day: 26 January*
- Good Friday: 15 April
- Easter Sunday: 17 April
- Easter Monday: 18 April
- ANZAC Day: 25 April
- Christmas Day: 25 December
- Boxing Day: 26 December
- Christmas Holiday: 27 December
- Boxing Day Holiday: 28 December
* 26 January marks the anniversary of the First Fleet’s arrival in Sydney, and to many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it represents the beginning of the loss of their land, people and culture. It is important to be aware of this if planning promotions around Australia Day.
Common celebrations and commemorations
- Chinese New Year: 1 February, Year of the Tiger
- Valentine’s Day: 14 February
- Harmony Day: 21 March
- Mother’s Day: Sunday 8 May
- Father’s Day: Sunday 5 September
- Remembrance Day: 11 November
- New Year’s Eve: 31 December
- National Volunteer Week: May
- International Women’s Week: March
Indigenous observances
Some key observances related to our indigenous people include:
- National Sorry Day: 26 May
- National Reconciliation Week: 27 May–3 June
- Reconciliation Day: 31 May
- NAIDOC Week: First day 3 July
Seasons and time
Other than promotions tied to our four seasons, there are other dates you may like to promote around.
- March equinox: 21 March
- Daylight savings ends: 3 April
- Winter solstice: 21 June
- September equinox: 23 September
- Daylight savings begins: 2 October
Education
School terms and school holidays can be useful hooks for promoting some businesses. The dates vary in each state. Use this link to find out dates for each state. Some other dates include:
- Book Week: 20–26 August, theme – ‘Eyes wide open’
- National Science Week: 13–21 August
- Ride2School Day: 25 March
Religious holidays
There are many different religious holidays recognised by Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and other religions. Passover, Easter, Rosh Hashana, Ramadan and Christmas to name a few.
Sporting events
There are many sporting events to tie your promotions to. Starting with tennis and cricket across the summer, AFL and NRL football across the winter, basketball year-round. As well as horse racing (Melbourne Cup is Tuesday 1 November). There are also World Cup events, as well as local community sports events. The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England will be held from 28 July.
Environmental events
There are many events in the calendar related to the environment. Some key dates are:
- Clean Up Australia Day: 6 March
- Earth Hour: Friday 22 March
- World Environment Day: 5 June
- Keep Australia Beautiful Week: 4–6 March
- National Wattle Day: 1 September
- National Recycling Week: 8–14 November
The key to creating your own ultimate promotional calendar for 2022 is to ensure the events you choose to comment on/celebrate are relevant to your business and your target customers.
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