Did you know that November 10 has been set aside for celebrating vanilla cupcakes?  Seems kind of silly, right?  I mean, who comes up with this stuff?  And how creative could a celebration of vanilla cupcakes really be?

And yet, there might be a few marketing lessons to learn from this and other seemingly trivial commemorative “holidays.”

1. Even if you don’t care, apparently someone does, so get into your clients’ heads and figure out what’s important to them.  Don’t judge, because your challenge is to find common ground with every customer, even if you can’t relate.
2. Acknowledge what the majority wants, rather than what you think they should want..  Vanilla remains the most popular flavor of ice cream, and when in doubt, you can’t go wrong buying the white cake rather than the chocolate.
3. Less can often be truly more. Sure, “vanilla” has the connotation of being bland, unoriginal, and boring.  But it’s also familiar, comforting and predictable.  People know what to expect with vanilla.  They can always jazz it up with toppings, but the foundation remains the same.  Keep the message simple, and people will keep coming back.  Definitely jazz it up occasionally, but keep the foundation consistent.

Finally, simply the act of celebration might infuse some excitement into your marketing message.  What creative “holiday” could you find to celebrate that might be unique your business?  How could you encourage others to have fun participating in that celebration with you?   Some ideas:

• Ask for personal stories that relate to whatever you’re celebrating
• Post goofy photos of people at your company celebrating (even if they’re pretending)
• Tie a special offer or giveaway to the celebration
• Post updates (like a “live feed”) of the day’s activities, even if they’re not real
• Offer resources or advice connected to the “holiday” that offer real value and demonstrate expertise
• Post an interactive quiz and relay the results at the end of the “holiday”

So while it might be too late for you to celebrate National Vanilla Cupcake Day, there are plenty of other crazy holidays for you to consider.   And, if you don’t see what you want, go ahead and make one up.  Somebody has to start it, right?