Happy College Colors Day! If you are unaware of this special day, the Friday before the first full weekend of the college football season is designated as College Colors Day. People are encouraged to don the colors of their favorite college sports team as football fans revel in the beginning of a new season. Why not – your favorite team is undefeated! An interesting side note – College Colors Day is orchestrated by Collegiate Licensing Company, the market leader in officially licensed products for colleges and universities. Creating a “holiday” around your business is savvy marketing!
The passion for college football and fans’ desire to show their affinity for their favorite team by wearing t-shirts and jerseys led me to wonder how a “Brand Colors Day” might play out. Would I be willing to go with an outfit featuring the red, black, and silver of Diet Coke? Could I find a Chipotle cap to wear that day? More importantly, what would it take for me to feel so strongly about a brand that I would lead me to identify with it by wearing its colors?
Although a Brand Colors Day may not become part of our popular culture, maybe businesses can benefit from thinking that there is such a day. Would customers wear your colors? Do they have a compelling reason to identify with you? Social media provides a virtual means of wearing colors by liking or following brands that matter to us. But, we have to bring people to the point that they are willing to wear our colors.
If your brand is not relevant or little more than a commodity, do not expect to be represented heavily on Brand Colors Day. Great value and memorable experiences forge brand relationships. We are inclined to tell others about brands that matter to us. It is up to marketers to make it happen – give a reason why people should be passionate about your brand.
Happy College Colors Day! Enjoy the pageantry of college football.
