Summer Campaigns: Our 8 Favorite Marketing Ideas for You to Try

Even though customers lower their screen time, this doesn’t mean you should stop marketing activities during sunny days. According to statistics, retail and food sales in the US brought $682.8 billion in July 2022, while the clothing and accessories brought about $25.9 billion.

The numbers show that it’s worth planning summer campaigns and businesses that stay active during summertime reap the benefits.

It’s never too early to start planning, which is why we’ve prepared our favorite marketing ideas for this season. In this article, we’ll go over the best summer marketing campaigns you can try and give you examples.

8 marketing strategies for your summer campaigns

As the temperatures rise and the days get longer, shopping might be the last thing on a customer’s mind. You can change that with a summer campaign that turns heads. Whether you’re a business owner or a marketing professional, you’ll find a summer marketing strategy that works for you below.

But first, here is a list of important summer occasions to mark in your calendar:

• June 21: World Music Day
• July 1: Canada Day
• July 1-23: Tour de France
• July 3-16: Wimbledon
• July 4: Independence Day
• July 14: Bastille Day (French National Holiday)
• July 17: Emoji Day 
• July 20: FIFA Women’s World Cup
• August 4: International Beer Day
• August 13: International Left-Handers Day
• August 19: World Photography Day
• August 25: FIBA Basketball World Cup

1. Branded summer games

Summer months are great for fun and relaxation. Hosting branded summer games using platforms like Adact gets your business on customers’ radar. You can increase engagement and drive sales by incorporating branded summer games into your own summer marketing campaigns. For instance, you can launch:

• Puzzles
• Personality tests
• Wheel of fortune

Adact can help you with that. We offer a platform that generates excitement and interest through branded gamification. You can launch a trivia, puzzle, drop or many other game types with Adact. Interactive marketing campaigns with minigames catch the audience’s attention and keep them hooked.

Puzzles

You can create a summer-themed puzzle for customers like the one we created with Adact. Some holidays you can target for your international audiences are:

• US Independence Day (July 4)
• French Bastille Day (July 14)
• Canada Day (July 1)

These are non-working holidays in the two countries. Invite them to solve a puzzle and give them a discount code.

Personality tests

International Beer Day (August 4) and World Music Day (June 21) are two dates you can use for your summer campaigns. Mark them on your marketing calendar and create special personality quizzes for consumers.

For instance, one test can be “What Type of Beer Are You?”. You can help your audience determine which beer fits their unique personality. For June 21, you can come up with “What Your Music Taste Says About You.”

Wheel of fortune

Invite consumers to spin the wheel. We suggest making this activity worth their while. With Adact, you can add a prize to each field. For instance, you can include discounts, free products or anything else. Such a game can increase customer engagement.

Related: How to make a wheel of fortune

Are you in the retail business? Check out how you can use gamification in retail.

2. Photo summer contest for user-generated content

86% of brands leverage user-generated content in their marketing strategies. Another summer campaign idea would be to use this medium to build trust and loyalty. Which events can you leverage?

We suggest the following:

• Tour de France (July 1)
• Wimbledon (July 3)
• FIFA Women’s World Cup (July 20)
• FIBA Basketball World Cup (August 25)

For instance, you can ask your social media followers to take a photo with your products at these events. They can capture a tennis match and put your item in focus. Remember to create a hashtag to find the content easily.

Check out our guide for more holiday campaign ideas.

3. Summer digital calendar

During the summer holidays, you can create and distribute a digital calendar. You don’t want consumers to forget about your brand during their vacation. Gift them a digital calendar that highlights important dates. For instance, you can include product launches, planned events or sales.

You can promote the calendar on a series of social media posts or on your website.

Check out our article for Father’s day campaign ideas.

4. Cause sponsorship

Your summer marketing campaign can raise awareness and funds for the chosen cause. During summer, the whole world marks Pride Month (June 1) and Neurodiversity Pride Day (June 6). Voice your support of these occasions by organizing educational panels and holding inclusion workshops.

For instance, Beauty Bakerie revealed they would celebrate Juneteenth in 2020. The brand hosted a festival that featured sales, giveaways, prizes and guest speaker panels. The support of the cause generated more sales for the business.

On your side, you can support causes like:

• Pride Month (June 1)
• Neurodiversity Pride Day (June 6)
• World Oceans Day (June 8)
• World Refugee Day (June 20)

5. Local event sponsorship

You can sponsor events that bring you closer to the local audience. For instance, you can sponsor a community festival, gardening days, cook-offs or other events. This increases brand awareness and changes the public’s perception of your brand.

As an example, Coca-Cola sponsors Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a breast cancer organization.

6. Email summer campaigns

The summer season doesn’t slow down brands. They still have a new collection to promote or a seasonal sale to launch. If you’re one of those businesses, you can leverage email campaigns to get the word out.

In your summer email campaigns, you can:

• Offer special promotions
• Put a spotlight on summer products or services
• Promote exclusive summer events

Brands like L’Occitane can give you some summer marketing campaign ideas. In one of its email campaigns, L’Occitane promotes its products in an engaging way. It invites customers to try out the items to get into a “sunny state of mind.”

Be prepared for spring as well! Check out our article on spring marketing ideas.

7. Helpful brand-specific summer guides

Your summer marketing campaigns can feature helpful guides for existing and new customers. You can create a guide for Father’s Day (June 18) and World Photography Day (August 19). The former can include a checklist of things your customers can do to surprise their parents. The latter can provide tips on how to capture the perfect photo.

Take a cue from Maybelline New York whose summer marketing campaign included a makeup tutorial. The brand taught consumers how to create a heat-proof look, which earned it 50k views.

8. Special summer offers

Don’t underestimate the power of a good deal. Although last on our list of summer marketing campaign ideas, this strategy is effective like the rest of them. You can launch the following summer promotions:

• Summer bundles – the package should include products that are popular during summertime
• Checkout gifts – give a small gift like sunglasses or a beach towel to customers who order something online. You can promote this with social media campaigns.
• Giveaways – add a giveaway to your summer marketing campaign. This is a great idea if you want to attract new and maintain the existing customer base.
• Discounts – provide discounts on summer products during the summertime

Bookmark our September promotion ideas – you’ll need them soon!

Conclusion

Your business can continue to thrive during summer. You just need to change your approach and improve your summer marketing campaigns. The ideas we mentioned are a good basis and can inspire your next strategy.

The best way to engage your audience is through games. Sign up today to Adact and launch games that captivate your consumers. The games are customizable and don’t require any coding skills. Start your journey today!

Summer campaigns: FAQs