How to make the most of a major anniversary

Auto retail businesses, like many famous OEMs, have enormous heritage. Many have been around for decades, and such staying power gives reassurance to customers when faced with a never-ending array of upstart new alternatives.

Heritage is worth celebrating – and there’s no better opportunity to do this than when your business achieves a major landmark. But what is the best way to capitalise on it? Here are six ideas to make the most of that big date in the diary for your retailer.

Why celebrate a major anniversary?

A brand anniversary, says brand communications agency The Team, is a perfect moment to reflect on the company’s journey, celebrate its history and plan for the future. Anniversaries “tap into the sense of reassurance that constancy can bring consumers in a volatile world”.

Executive creative director David Recchia cites 2019 YouGov data, showing that brand anniversary campaigns positively help boost customer brand perception, with increases in both ‘buzz’ and ‘impression’ scores for the key brands surveyed.

He said it is important “not to see anniversaries as something just to be marked once and then forgotten, but a committed and actionable statement to engage customers and employees alike”.

Where to start with a major anniversary?

The History Factory, a brand heritage company, urges companies start early when celebrating an anniversary. “Significant anniversaries are a big deal because they don’t happen very often. Because of that, organisations often don’t have much practice in planning them – no lessons learned from last year, no internal playbook refined over time. And as if that wasn’t enough, that anniversary date is fixed and coming fast, no matter how much work you already have on your plate.”

It advises organisations begin at least two years in advance of the milestone.

The company, which runs a dedicated anniversary marketing summit, urges businesses to integrate the milestone into both existing and anticipated marketing, communications, events and partnerships. Specific anniversary-related success metrics and measurements should also be included, on top of existing ones.

An authentic theme should be developed, rather than simply defaulting to familiar tactics – and while the anniversary should be highlighted, businesses shouldn’t over-emphasise birthday and celebration elements. It should mean much more than simply reaching a milestone – what is the narrative and how does it connect with the rest of your business objectives?

Use your anniversary to tell stories

A major anniversary is a great opportunity for storytelling. Too often, companies simply restrict it to a series of facts or a list of bulletpoints, assuming simply reaching the landmark itself is the story. This is a wasted opportunity – after all, you have the entire heritage of the company to capitalise on.

Key stakeholders have a part to play here. They should share a clear vision from the outset, so the anniversary program can be aligned with this. Both current priorities and strategic priorities in the next few years should be considered, so the anniversary campaign can be used to advance them.

One surprisingly effective approach The History Factory suggests it to ask team members to imagine the anniversary has already been completed. This can help hone the way the company story is told, and identify any priority areas that need to be considered.

Remember to capitalise on anniversary quick wins

Employee engagement company Terryberry also acknowledges that putting together a company anniversary event can be daunting and time-consuming. There are some ‘quick wins’ that are easier to roll out, though.

These include visual timelines of important company milestones, playing music that was popular in the year your company was founded, creating a celebratory brand logo and adding taglines to employee emails.

Finding archive images to display is important, and helps underline the staying power of your brand. Businesses can also use these as part of a news release to local media. Ideally, this should be timed to coincide with any celebratory events you may be planning. Such quick-wins can be deployed during the anniversary year to complement existing initiatives. It is surprising just how creative your employees can be here in generating such ideas.

Guinness World Record anniversary celebration

For businesses who want to go even further, why not consider an official world record attempt? It may sound impossible, but Guinness World Records has a range of business solutions to help companies maximise PR, unite employees, engage customers and elevate their brand story.

“Our versatile record formats give you the chance to weave your brand values into the attempt,” it says. There are several types of record-breaking formats, it adds, including online records, company and product records, mass participation records, size-based records and timed records.

Those who succeed in a world record attempt are allowed to use trademarked Guinness World Records Official Attempt and Record Holder logos across all their communication channels to maximise outreach.

Sandicliffe celebrates 75 years with £75 deal

Sandicliffe was established in 1948, and is celebrating its 75^th anniversary with a number of events through the year – all flagged with a special ’75 years’ logo. It recently used the start of summer for a 75^th anniversary garden party weekend, running at all its retailers.

Customers who purchased a used vehicle over the weekend were able to buy a car package worth £750 for a fittingly-themed £75. It included the car’s next scheduled service, a year’s breakdown cover and a Diamondbrite paint and fabric treatment.

The retailer is also reminding customers about its 75 years of experience across social media channels – which includes going back through its archives and sharing heritage images. Many of them are generating warm comments from former employees and their families.