Groundhog Day: The Next Marketing Frontier?

Sure, every other site on the Internet is talking about that sports ball game that happened yesterday and which commercials were the best (or worst). But I’m here to talk about the real big event of Feb. 2,  Groundhog Day.

It hit me as I was searching the cable channel guide the other night. I’ve recently been educating my sons about the man, the myth, the legend Bill Murray, and thought it was high time they watch one of his finest films. Surprisingly, “Groundhog Day” was only running once this weekend, late Sunday night. (I DVR’d it.)

This is a huge missed opportunity. Some cable network should be running this round the clock on Feb. 2 and promoting the heck out of doing so, the same way TBS always runs “A Christmas Story” 24/7 on Dec. 25. If any movie deserves to be repeated over and over and over….and over, it’s “Groundhog Day.”

And there’s the problem. For the most part, marketers are ignoring the potential of this holiday.

Of course, there are a few companies hitching their star to Punxsutawney Phil. GoldSilver.org used the results of his weather prognostication to decide which items to put on sale the next day. And Ryan’s Hometown Buffet and Old Country Buffet ran a special breakfast promotion, and gave away a $25 gift card for every vote cast predicting what the groundhog would do. The Hershey Bears wore special jerseys for their Groundhog Day game, which were later auctioned off for charity, and Lone Star Steakhouse offered discounts based on Phil’s predictions.

I’m not the only one who has noticed a void. Blogger Janelle Vreeland offers up some great promotional ideas. Did your brand try any Groundhog Day promotions? Share them in the comments below.