International Day of Remembrance
International Day of Remembrance History
Need we say much about World War II? It’s the deadliest military conflict in history and 85 million people died during the period from 1939 to 1945. Both military and civilian people took part in this event and gave their lives for freedom and peace.
It’s no wonder that the International Day of Remembrance has become so important among different people around the globe. The history of this holiday dates back to 2004 when the General Assembly declared 8–9th of May as a time of remembrance and reconciliation for those who lost their lives during the Second World War.
Although this holiday isn’t a public day off in the majority of countries, it’s still a national event that grabs the attention of all generations.
International Day of Remembrance Traditions
Most companies never miss a chance to get in front of their customers and promote their products and services. At first blush, it makes sense, but the International Day of Remembrance isn’t the best event to promote your deals or launch new menu specials.
It’s better to put your target audience first and shift your focus from your brand to other people who lost their relatives during the Second World War. Since this day is very special for many people in many countries with different mentalities, be careful while doing a segmentation. Some customers mey respect that you remind everyone of this event but some, on the contrary, will be irritated or simply disappointed in such activities. Be very careful while planning marketing activities on all holidays that are not about having fun.
If you’ve decided to launch an International Day of Remembrance social media marketing campaign or send email newsletters to your subscribers, you can stick to the following marketing ideas. But again, think twice before launching anything.
– Redesign your logo for this occasion: The easiest way to recognize this holiday without speaking much about it is to add a black mourning band on your brand logo. It can show your respect to the fallen people. Obviously, this upgrade must be time-limited and you need to upload your normal logo after the holiday to avoid the failure. However, be careful. Not everyone wants to be reminded of something that doesn’t recall happiness, so this tactics may not work for a number of businesses.
– Publish patriotic slogans and quotes. This holiday is a memorial day, aimed at remembering the people who lost their lives during WWII. Although these people won’t read your greetings, sharing patriotic slogans and quotes is a great way to show your respect and show your potential and existing customers how important this event is for your business.
– Write messages that express condolences. The Second World War took the lives of many people and families lost their relatives in that battle, so brands can show respect and express condolences to their audiences. However, be sure to publish something unique, because speaking from your heart is always much better than posting overused quotes.
– Send greeting cards to veterans. The number of veterans is decreasing, but some of them are still alive, so it can be a good idea to find them in your city/country and send greeting cards. It doesn’t cost much, but it’s a great way to show your appreciation to people who risked their lives during WWII.
– Send gifts to veterans. The military people deserve our utmost respect and the International Day of Remembrance is a perfect time to show appreciation to them. For brands, this means a great opportunity to increase brand loyalty and trust as just a few of companies send gifts to military veterans.
– Bring history to life with photos. Not all people have great historical knowledge, but many of us are interested in the history of WWII, especially on this day. If you want to help your customers get a better understanding of the importance of this event, it’s a great idea to bring history to life with photos. However, don’t forget to use relevant hashtags to increase organic reach and build brand visibility.
– Sponsor a historical project or TV show. People are especially interested in the history of events like the International Day of Remembrance, so there’s a great number of historical projects on media. If you want to join this trend, you can sponsor a project to spread the word about your company without being pushy.
– Livestream a military parade. If you can attend the parade, that’s great. If you can help internet users join you, that’s even better. If you have a business profile on Facebook or Instagram, you can go live to show the military parade in real-time.
The bottom line? It’s isn’t the best period to focus on your product or service. Planning your brand promotion, it’s important to choose an activity that puts veterans first and pays tribute to the victims of the Second World War.
Marketing Activities for International Day of Remembrance
Most companies never miss a chance to get in front of their customers and promote their products and services. At first blush, it makes sense, but the International Day of Remembrance isn’t the best event to promote your deals or launch new menu specials.
It’s better to put your target audience first and shift your focus from your brand to other people who lost their relatives during the Second World War. Since this day is very special for many people in many countries with different mentalities, be careful while doing a segmentation. Some customers mey respect that you remind everyone of this event but some, on the contrary, will be irritated or simply disappointed in such activities. Be very careful while planning marketing activities on all holidays that are not about having fun.
If you’ve decided to launch an International Day of Remembrance social media marketing campaign or send email newsletters to your subscribers, you can stick to the following marketing ideas. But again, think twice before launching anything.
– Redesign your logo for this occasion: The easiest way to recognize this holiday without speaking much about it is to add a black mourning band on your brand logo. It can show your respect to the fallen people. Obviously, this upgrade must be time-limited and you need to upload your normal logo after the holiday to avoid the failure. However, be careful. Not everyone wants to be reminded of something that doesn’t recall happiness, so this tactics may not work for a number of businesses.
– Publish patriotic slogans and quotes. This holiday is a memorial day, aimed at remembering the people who lost their lives during WWII. Although these people won’t read your greetings, sharing patriotic slogans and quotes is a great way to show your respect and show your potential and existing customers how important this event is for your business.
– Write messages that express condolences. The Second World War took the lives of many people and families lost their relatives in that battle, so brands can show respect and express condolences to their audiences. However, be sure to publish something unique, because speaking from your heart is always much better than posting overused quotes.
– Send greeting cards to veterans. The number of veterans is decreasing, but some of them are still alive, so it can be a good idea to find them in your city/country and send greeting cards. It doesn’t cost much, but it’s a great way to show your appreciation to people who risked their lives during WWII.
– Send gifts to veterans. The military people deserve our utmost respect and the International Day of Remembrance is a perfect time to show appreciation to them. For brands, this means a great opportunity to increase brand loyalty and trust as just a few of companies send gifts to military veterans.
– Bring history to life with photos. Not all people have great historical knowledge, but many of us are interested in the history of WWII, especially on this day. If you want to help your customers get a better understanding of the importance of this event, it’s a great idea to bring history to life with photos. However, don’t forget to use relevant hashtags to increase organic reach and build brand visibility.
– Sponsor a historical project or TV show. People are especially interested in the history of events like the International Day of Remembrance, so there’s a great number of historical projects on media. If you want to join this trend, you can sponsor a project to spread the word about your company without being pushy.
– Livestream a military parade. If you can attend the parade, that’s great. If you can help internet users join you, that’s even better. If you have a business profile on Facebook or Instagram, you can go live to show the military parade in real-time.
The bottom line? It’s isn’t the best period to focus on your product or service. Planning your brand promotion, it’s important to choose an activity that puts veterans first and pays tribute to the victims of the Second World War.
Colors of Remembrance Day
Visual content matters. Whether you want to publish images to recognize the holiday on social media accounts or choose relevant pictures for your email marketing campaign, you should know the traditional colors of this holiday to keep your visual content relevant to the event.
– Black represents death and misfortune and it is associated with mourning.
– Red symbolizes blood and fire and it is also associated with war, danger, and power.
– White stands for purity and flawlessness and it means safety and hope.
Obviously, sticking to the above-mentioned colors can be difficult and in some cases they won’t match the brand’s UI-kit. However, you can check out dark palettes to boost color inspiration and choose a perfect scheme for your design.
Symbols of International Day of Remembrance
It’s no secret that symbols communicate more directly than words. We often have symbols associated with particular events or occasions, and International Day of Remembrance has its traditional symbols, too. According to the various sources of information, the common symbols are:
– Candle represents the light, hence hope during the dark times.
– Angel symbolizes faith, devotion, trust, and hope.
– Carnation flowers, especially red ones, represent admiration and respect.
