Comment by brc | Hacker News Reader

Comment by brc | Hacker News Reader

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>Honestly, as a community of people in the startup ecosystem, we could stand to learn a thing or two here.

Yup. Bang on.

Apple does a line in 'oh, but you didn't get an Apple' better than anyone else (they aren't a startup but once were)

>I swear, De Beers has probably pulled off the greatest marketing stunt in the history of humanity

The Australian Meat & Livestock board came up with a marketing idea. On Australia Day, which falls in the middle of Summer, it's very popular to have a family barbecue.

About 8 or 9 years ago, they came up with the idea that it was an Australian tradition to put lamb chops on the barbecue for Australia day. Now, I've been around for a few Australia days myself, and I can tell you it's never been a tradition at all.

But they got a popular former football player to start running ads (in a humorous manner) to say it was 'unAustralian' not to have Lamb Chops on the Barbecue for Australia day. The actual tagline is 'Don't be unAustralian, serve Lamb on Australia day'.

It has been a big success, and now they release pop singles on YouTube and generally create a 'big suspense' to see what they will do this year.

Overall, it's been a massive success, and in just a short time, if you arrive at an Australia day barbecue, it would be surprising to not find Lamp Chops sizzling away. In another decade, it will just be one of those societal norms that will require very little advertising to keep it going.

http://www.mla.com.au/Marketing-red-meat/Domestic-marketing/...

So, these types of stunts find success when the right pieces fall together. Definitely a lot to learn for the budding startup.

Japan has this all over the place.

* What do you eat on Christmas Day? A (very specific style of) cake, and KFC.

* Valentines day is for girls to give guys chocolates. Guys give girls chocolates on White Day (March 12th)..

I think the best one is the temples - they sell what's known as a Shimekazari on new years (a kind of wreath). You have to destroy it and buy a new one each year, and it has to be a more expensive one than last years. Nice business if you can get it.

I thought White Day was the day when guys are coerced into giving girls a gift that is at least 3x the price of the chocolate bestowed upon him a month prior :P.

Unless I'm misremembering, I think there are lots of recently made up holidays that are basically just marketing ploys (Mother's Day and Father's Day).

Mothers' Day: 1870

Fathers' Day: 1972

Mother's Day in the US was originally conceived as a pacifist holiday for mothers to organize for disarmament.

Every holiday is made up.

Indeed. Even Christmas was controversial in early America because it was seen as a chiefly Catholic holiday that represented excess, decadence, and gluttony. Now it's the cornerstone of the entire retail industry.

And still represents excess, decadence, and gluttony.

You say that like its a bad thing. :-)

Eh, Christmas is basically just hijacked Winter Solstice. I would say that of all the holidays, the ones triggered by Astronomical events make the most sense since seasons have (or certainly had) very real importance to the cultures that celebrated them.

That is not to defend the actual traditions of Christmas though.

Summer/Winter Solstice?

Well, Australia Day isn't a made-up holiday -it's always been the 'National Day' (think 4th July). But it's just that the Meat + Livestock Board spotted a gap in the 'traditions' market and filled that gap in with some shrewd marketing.

Really? I've never really associated Australia Day with eating meat, but if we were going to organise something on that day a barbecue would be quite likely. But that's probably true of any day where we'd be organising a family gathering. It's certainly not like Christmas where you have to pre-order a turkey.

I do find it ironic though how barbecues are considered to be an Australian tradition. But then the most well known brand for barbecues, Weber is American.

Guinness has successfully started "Arthur's Day" in Ireland, the 29th of September when you're supposed to have a drink of Guinness to celebrate Arthur Guinness' birthday. (It's not like they need it, Diageo (the company that make guinness) have 50% of the Irish alcholic beverage market, but shrug)

In Denmark we have J-dag, where the christmas Tuborg beer is released. Its always on a Friday and you can be 100% sure that every bar, in every city is filled to the brim with people drinking the first christmas Tuborg of the season.

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