July Marketing Calendar | How can brand marketing capitalize on the summer heat?

This article has planned a brand marketing calendar for July. By analyzing a series of creative and timely holiday marketing cases, it provides marketing inspiration and ideas to help brands seize the golden marketing opportunity of summer, better plan July’s marketing activities, and stand out in the fierce market marketing competition.

The summer sun is shining all over the earth, July is quietly approaching, and we are welcoming the warmest and most energetic season of the year.

From the solemnity of celebrating the Party’s Founding Day to the joy and freedom of summer vacation, a series of special festivals and solar terms provide rich inspiration and opportunities for brand marketing. Each node can become a bridge for brands to establish connections with consumers.

Welcome to July, a marketing season full of infinite possibilities. Let the marketing calendar become a scorching boost to brand growth.

1. National Festival

1. July 1st is the Party's Founding Day

(1) Leverage elements and directions

Elements: red, gold, party emblem, national flag, historical images, iconic buildings, holiday greetings, modern development achievements,

direction:

• Use relevant red cultural elements for design display.
• Focus on development history, revolutionary spirit, heroic deeds, and important milestones.
• Emphasize the importance of unity and collaboration, and showcase the progress and achievements made under key leadership.
• Demonstrate the social responsibility of the company or brand and convey positive energy.

(2) Points to note when leveraging momentum

• Ensure that marketing activities are consistent with the brand image, maintain the brand's own characteristics, and avoid bluntly leveraging the brand to cause resentment.
• Focus on emotional resonance and naturally integrate brand information through real stories, character interviews, etc.
• Ensure that all marketing content respects history, is positive, does not exaggerate or mislead, and avoids any remarks that may cause controversy or misunderstanding
• Emphasize the social value of the event and demonstrate the brand's contribution to promoting social harmony, cultural heritage, etc.

(3) Reference cases

Himalaya released h5 "Voice of the Times", which focuses on the characteristics of Himalaya audio and makes full use of product features - communicating with users through voice, broadcasting major events of each era through radios of different eras (styles), and simulating radio FM tuning. Users can freely operate the FM year to review historical nodes.

Three Squirrels released a related promotional poster, combining the lively brand image with the Great Wall, blue sky and white clouds, and flying pigeons in the background, conveying a feeling of joy, celebration and pride.

This emotion is in line with the theme of the Party's Founding Day, which resonates and identifies with the audience and demonstrates the brand's attention and respect for the Party's Founding Day.

The overall design of the poster is creative and unique, combining cartoon elements with the theme of the Party Founding Day, which not only shows the youthful vitality of the brand, but also conveys a solemn and commemorative atmosphere. The design with bright colors and lively composition is also in line with the brand's consistent visual style, enhancing the brand's recognition.

Arrow Bathroom released a promotional poster, using dark red as the main poster color design, cleverly integrating the product appearance with the background and using color differences to highlight the theme.

2. July 11 is China Maritime Day

(1) Leverage elements and directions

Elements: blue, nautical icons, ship images, marine elements, route maps, explorer images, ports

direction:

• Carry out, publicize and promote social responsibility projects to enhance brand image.
• Explore the commonalities between the brand and maritime culture, ocean protection, and spirit of adventure, tell the brand story, showcase the brand spirit, and strengthen the brand image.

(2) Points to note when leveraging momentum

• Respect and correctly present maritime culture and history, avoiding cultural misuse or inappropriate metaphors.
• When using national symbols and geographical indications, comply with relevant laws and regulations and strictly follow the regulations.
• When using the Maritime Day logo, slogan or in connection with official events, make sure to obtain the necessary authorizations and follow official guidance to avoid infringements.

(3) Reference cases

Lincoln China released a related short film with the theme of "roll", which reinterpreted the positive meaning of this word in maritime culture.

By showing sailing scenes and telling personal stories and sailing experiences, it aroused the audience's emotional resonance and conveyed Lincoln's new definition of the word "volume" - a positive, energetic and innovative spirit.

This spirit is not only in line with the maritime culture, but also highly consistent with the brand image of Lincoln.

Buick released a promotional poster with a very bold visual design, which brought considerable visual impact. The red car driving in the rough sea forms a sharp contrast with the white cruise ship, making the whole picture very eye-catching.

The car's actions of riding the wind and waves and following the cruise ship also demonstrate the car's stability in adverse weather conditions.

The entire scene design is dynamic and adventurous, highlighting the powerful power performance and courageous spirit of Buick cars. This expression not only fits the theme of Sailing Day, but also well reflects the concept of the Buick brand.

Tissot released a promotional poster with the overall color tone of blue and black as the main color, which is coordinated with the color of the ocean and the watch, creating a deep and mysterious atmosphere, which is in line with the theme of sailing adventure and the brand tone.

The slogan "New Maritime Silk Road, Wrist Chip Leading China" is concise and powerful. It cleverly combines the historical concept of the "Maritime Silk Road" with the brand's products.

3. July 17th Food Festival

(1) Leverage elements and directions

Elements: colorful designs and patterns, food, ingredients, cooking tools, personalized illustrations, scenes of enjoying food, health concepts, environmental protection information

direction:

• Cooperate with other brands to launch joint products or packages.
• Tell warm, nostalgic or interesting stories between consumers, brands and food to create emotional resonance.
• Combining traditional Chinese food culture, it tells the stories behind the origins of ingredients and production techniques.
• Promote healthy and nutritionally balanced eating concepts.
• Emphasis on food safety and hygiene standards.

(2) Points to note when leveraging momentum

• The content needs to be novel and interesting, avoid homogeneity and exaggeration.
• Ensure marketing campaigns respect different cultures and dietary practices
• It advocates that while enjoying delicious food, we should pay attention to rational consumption and healthy eating concepts.
• Comply with relevant laws and regulations, especially advertising laws and food safety regulations.

(3) Reference cases

Wens Food released a short film - Selling the most "local" chicken in the most fashionable way. It deeply explored the traditional Chinese chicken-eating culture, combined with dishes, poems and cultural allusions related to local chickens, and "resurrected" five famous foodies and taste keepers in ancient times through AI technology, forming a "chicken-eating strategy that spans thousands of years", bringing a novel and interesting chicken-eating cultural experience.

Yili Palace Ruo released a short film, the cross-border cooperation between Yili Palace Ruo and Tang Palace Night Banquet perfectly combines tradition and modernity, food and culture.

As a dance work with strong cultural characteristics, Tang Palace Night Banquet, with its profound cultural heritage and unique artistic expression, has injected cultural value and historical sense into the brand image of Yili Palace Cheese.

A large number of Chinese style elements are used, such as background colors such as Chinese red and elegant green, as well as visual elements such as golden Chinese characters, which show the heritage of Chinese culture. It not only conforms to the brand tone of Yili Gong Cheese, but also conforms to the current young people's pursuit and love of national trend culture.

Ele.me released a short film - Good luck to those who know how to eat. The activity focuses on Wuhan and is held during the lobster season, which is the peak consumption period of crayfish, an important production area and consumer market. It is in line with users' eating habits and seasonal needs, and has extremely high brand association and user awareness.

Ele.me cooperated with Wuhan Sports Lottery to introduce Wuhan's breakfast culture and late-night food through the cute words of Dangdangjiang, the Internet son, combining food with lottery to provide users with a new consumption experience. This cross-border cooperation method not only increased the fun of the event, but also improved the brand's exposure and user participation.

4. July 28th is World Hepatitis Day

(1) Leverage elements and directions

Elements: theme color - yellow, liver icon, health information, medical elements, healthy lifestyle, healthy character image,

direction:

• Demonstrate the brand's social responsibility and contribution in hepatitis prevention and treatment and enhance the brand image.
• Carry out publicity and education activities on hepatitis prevention and control, and promote hepatitis prevention and control information.

(2) Points to note when leveraging momentum

• Ensure that all information communicated is transparent, clear, accurate and science-based, and avoids misleading information.
• Respect the feelings of patients and affected groups and avoid using stigmatizing or discriminatory language.
• Avoid excessive commercialization, avoid misleading consumers, and avoid causing public disgust.

(3) Reference cases

Chunyu Doctor released a poster.

The poster does not directly mention the brand name of Chunyu Doctor, but through its unique visual design and information communication method, it is in line with the promotional atmosphere of World Hepatitis Day and the brand's consistent affinity and professionalism. The audience can feel that this is a poster released by a professional medical brand.

This indirect brand promotion method can increase brand awareness and favorability without causing audience disgust.

Migu released a series of posters that used strong color contrast, using red and orange, which was visually appealing and related to the theme of hepatitis. The world map design made the posters more international and inclusive.

2. Topical Festivals

1. Summer vacation & graduation season: early July

(1) Leverage elements and directions

Elements: bright and lively colors, summer elements, school supplies, travel themes, youthful and energetic young people, graduation ceremonies, growth and change, time elements, campus scenes, friendship and memories, future prospects

direction:

• Tell stories of growth, friendship and dreams to strengthen the brand's connection with young consumers.
• Provide assistance to future new employees in taking their first step into society.

(2) Points to note when leveraging momentum

• Identify your target audience and tailor your marketing strategy to their needs and preferences.
• Respect the achievements and experiences of our students and graduates.
• Use creative marketing techniques to ensure that campaigns are consistent with your brand image and values.

(3) Reference cases

Nayuki’s Tea released a short film - Graduation Without Confusion. The short film shows the various suggestions and pressures that graduates face during graduation season, closely follows the confusion, anxiety and expectations of young people, and arouses empathy from the audience.

Nayuki's Tea proposed the idea of ​​"lack of relaxation" and used suggestions such as "don't be complacent and don't be maverick" as a turning point to introduce the brand concept of Nayuki's Tea, encouraging graduates to be people who are not restricted by standards, listen to their inner voices, throw away anxiety and guilt, and bravely pursue their dreams. It successfully established an emotional connection with young consumers and conveyed the brand concept and values.

Mango TV released a promotional video, which covered many aspects of the graduates, such as wish collection, youth yearbook, virtual venue, etc. The diverse forms triggered the audience's resonance with graduation emotions.

The entire film incorporates Mango TV's brand concept - "no limits". By showing the graduates' infinite possibilities and future, it emphasizes Mango TV's support and encouragement for young people, highlights the brand concept, and enhances the audience's awareness and favorability of the Mango TV brand.

Meituan Medicine released a set of posters about "Newcomers to the Workplace", which have insight into the pain points of newcomers to the workplace and point out possible health problems such as injuries, eczema, insomnia, heat stroke, etc., and provide solutions to protect the health of newcomers to the workplace.

3. Solar terms and festivals

1. July 6th: Minor Heat

(1) Leverage elements

Elements: summer elements, cool and refreshing items, green plants, traditional Chinese art elements, summer activities, common animals in summer, farming activities, traditional customs, natural landscapes

(2) Direction of leveraging momentum

• Create a summer living scene.
• Provide health tips for the Lesser Heat season, such as proper diet, heatstroke prevention and cooling down, etc.
• Encourage users to share beautiful moments related to Lesser Heat to enhance user interaction and brand exposure.
• Emphasize the environmentally friendly lifestyle in summer and convey the brand's sense of social responsibility.

(3) Reference cases

All Cotton Times released a promotional poster, combining the brand with the Lesser Heat solar term through cartoon-style images and brief text, showing a comfortable and refreshing attitude towards summer life.

As a brand focusing on cotton daily necessities, choosing to release posters during the Lesser Heat season not only demonstrates the brand's sensitivity to seasonal changes, but also conveys the cool and comfortable feeling that the brand brings to consumers.

Hongqi Automobile released a promotional poster with blue as the main color and pink lotus as the embellishment, creating a fresh and peaceful summer atmosphere.

The green electric car in the center of the picture not only forms a sharp contrast with the background color, but also highlights the environmental protection and low-carbon concept of Hongqi new energy vehicles.

Arrow Bathroom released a promotional poster. The cartoon character sitting in the bathtub, as well as the surrounding elements such as the bathtub and lotus leaves, are closely related to Arrow Bathroom's brand positioning, demonstrating the brand's professionalism in summer bathroom products. It also creates a relaxed and pleasant scene to make consumers feel good about the brand.

2. July 22, Great Heat

(1) Leverage elements

Elements: patterns that symbolize high temperatures (flames, heat waves), cooling items, summer fruits, water elements, green plants

(2) Direction of leveraging momentum

• Share summer health knowledge and emphasize healthy eating in summer.
• Launch limited products or experience activities related to traditional customs.
• Use social media platforms to launch summer-related topic challenges.
• Emphasize environmentally friendly products and green consumption.

(3) Reference cases

McDonald's released a short film - I am Shushu of noble blood. "Dashu" is homophonic with "Dashu", and McDonald's uses this homophonic pun to closely combine its products with the solar term, creating an interesting and easy-to-remember marketing theme.

The short film takes "Potatoes of Noble Blood" as its theme, giving ordinary French fries a noble and special identity. By showing in detail the production process, material selection standards, dipping sauce techniques, etc. of French fries, the audience can understand the rigor and refinement behind McDonald's French fries, further strengthening the theme of "noble blood" and enhancing the brand image and product value.

The short film has a fresh and bright style with harmonious color matching. It uses a lot of animation effects and lively and interesting sound effects design, which is in line with the young and fashionable image of McDonald’s brand.

Oriental Leaves released a short film - Grandfather and grandson enjoy the cool evening by drinking tea together. The short film is closely related to the solar term of Great Heat, showing the heat of summer and the ways people seek to cool off.

The short film presents a simple and real summer life scene of "grandfather and grandson enjoying the cool evening and drinking tea together", conveying a cool and peaceful summer atmosphere, highlighting the cool feeling of tea in summer and its unique value in the hot summer.

And by showing the affection between the grandfather and grandson and their love for green tea, it successfully aroused the audience's emotional resonance and strengthened the emotional connection of the brand.

Coca-Cola released a promotional poster with red and white as the main colors. Red symbolizes enthusiasm, vitality and joy, which complements the warm atmosphere of summer; white gives people a refreshing and pure feeling, which echoes the attributes of cold drinks.

The unique design and interesting elements of the poster also show the vitality and creativity of the brand. The huge Coca-Cola bottle model is the focus of the poster, and the temperature scale marked on the bottle forms an interesting visual contrast, cleverly combining the opposing elements of cold and hot, which not only conforms to the characteristics of the Great Heat solar term, but also highlights the cool attribute of cold drink products.

IV. Summary

July is not only a time for seasonal changes, but also a great time to rejuvenate brand marketing campaigns.

The focus of festival marketing should always be on the core values ​​of the brand, ensuring that marketing activities respect and integrate into the festival culture, ensuring that each activity can effectively convey the brand concept, and grasping the opportunity to convey corporate social responsibility and positive values.

Prepare activity plans early and deploy diversified strategies to bring fresh, interesting and valuable experiences to consumers. I hope you can stand out in the fierce marketing competition!

Author: Zhang Mulan;

Official account: Operation Party (ID: yunyingpai666)