National Doughnut Day is celebrated every year on the first Friday in June. Many of you may think that this holiday was created to commercialize the doughnut industry but there is history behind this holiday.  The first National Doughnut Day was celebrated in Chicago in 1938, as a way to celebrate and honor the Salvation Army “Doughnut Lassies” or “Doughnut Girls” and raise money for the Salvation Army’s efforts during the Great Depression. These women volunteered to help feed the soldiers in France during World War I. 

According the Salvation Army website, these women “served countless treats to grateful soldiers, traversing through the trenches to bring the men doughnuts and coffee. More than just filling an empty stomach, these doughnuts and the joyful presence of the women who worked so hard to make them provided the soldiers with the boost their spirits needed during an extraordinarily difficult time. The doughnuts became an instant hit that was brought back to America by returning doughboys”.

Now that you have learned the history behind National Doughnut Day, let’s take a look at this holiday from a local store marketing standpoint. As we have learned from previous blogs like Local Marketing Ideas- Are Giveaways Good or Bad? on the Balihoo website, discounts, promotions, and giveaways are a great way to boost short term sales and store traffic. On the other hand using discounts, promotions, and giveaways too frequently can have a negative impact on how consumers view the brand’s image.  To guarantee a successful promotion, you must make sure your offer is significant in helping your brand build awareness, create interest, provide information or stimulate demand.  

An article, Creating Powerful Promotional Marketing by Darrell Zahorsky , explains the different types of promotional marketing and outlines a list of questions that small businesses should answer before they launch a local advertising  promotional campaign.  I found the article very helpful in outlining the incentives and objectives of a promotional campaign.

Don't forget to celebrate National Doughnut Day by visiting your favorite doughnut shop today!