Let’s Taco 🌮 bout Cinco De Mayo

Cinco De Mayo

You do not have to be a Mexican restaurant to take part in the fun festivities of Cinco de Mayo. With a little creativity, you can turn your business into a lugar de moda (in English: hotspot) for Cinco de Mayo celebrations 🎉. If you do not speak Spanish, Cinco de Mayo translates to the fifth of May, which is today! This festivity is observed to commemorate smaller Mexican Army's victory against a large French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. Since that day, this event is indeed a morale boost for fellow Mexicans!

Like other holidays, Cinco de Mayo presents a vast number of marketing opportunities for all businesses. With a clever marketing strategy that joins in on the celebration, your business can generate extra publicity, increase brand awareness, and encourage loyalty among customers and even gain newer ones! While some business owners may believe restaurants 🍖, bars 🍸, and similar spots have the upperhand in marketing for this holiday, the truth is that any business can rely on Cinco de Mayo to drive sales and traffic 🚦, regardless of industry.

Here are a five ways you can leverage a holiday like Cinco de Mayo to reach your marketing objectives 👇

1️⃣ Start celebrating 🥳 early

Cinco de Mayo is only one ☝️ day a year, but there are no rules for starting early and finishing late. You can gain a headstart by offering discounts and product deals a few days early to entice customers to your company’s website. You can engage your customers by offering promotions throughout the day and even the entire week - we promise you will not be penalised for extending the holiday beyond one day. You also have the options of providing extensive discounts on May 5 or sending coupons via email 📧 that motivate customers to return and buy a product or service from your business.

2️⃣ Take advantage of the theme

Of course, you do not need to focus too much on the specific origins of Cinco de Mayo, especially since the holiday has long transformed into a day of Mexican pride. Whether it is about the Mexican Independence Day or an important battle, either piece of history, can present you with a few ideas 💡 for your marketing campaigns. For instance, you can leverage on a theme about triumph and rising above all odds to enhance the celebratory tone throughout campaigns across all platforms.

3️⃣ Add more options

If you own a restaurant business, your Cinco de Mayo promotion should definitely include some sort of special cocktail 🍹/ beer 🍺 menu. The obvious choices are Mojitos and Margaritas in addition to some specialty cervesas (beer) and since it is the holiday that falls on 5/5 - you may want to make your specialty cocktail menu a RM5 menu. This is a great price 🏷️ point for customers because they do not feel like they are paying that much and if you make those margaritas delicious 🤤 enough your customers will be inclined to have more 😍 than just one! Do not forget the non-drinkers, there are plenty of virgin cocktails with latin flair that you can add to the menu for added promotion. Encourage your staff to discuss the special cocktail and beer menu as part of their opening welcome to their seated guests.

4️⃣ Play on the number five 🖐️

Many businesses make use of Mexican culture, stories, and items to create content for their campaigns on Cinco de Mayo. It is not uncommon to see advertisements with Chihuahuas 🐶, sombreros , and typical Mexican cuisine 🌮 to promote products and service. While you certainly can use these images for your own marketing ideas, it is not the only way to cash in on this holiday. Another alternative you can use is to bring your entire focus on the number five while brainstorming marketing ideas. Some of the specials you can incorporate into your strategy include RM5 discounts on a specific price, RM5 off an item, and more!

5️⃣ Use Spanish to your advantage

Do not be afraid to incorporate a little Spanish into your marketing campaigns and other promotional items. You can use Spanish words as codes for discounts that you can promote on social media and on your website. Spanish words can also be implemented into advertisements, as long as they are appropriately themed. To create an atmosphere of fun and celebration, you can also play a Spanish-language music 🎶 playlist at your establishment, particularly popular Mexican singers.

Whether you own a restaurant, online business, or another type of establishment, you are always welcome to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. As with all other holidays, you must be able to diversify your ideas to separate your brand from the others while engaging your target audience. Remember to be original but be appropriate so that your marketing ideas are not too out-of-the-box 📦 for your own business. With Cinco de Mayo upon us, be sure to use the holiday to celebrate with others, and drive the sales numbers you are looking for 😎🤩!

References:
Bess Couture, Apr 29, 2016, Cinco Ideas to Drive Sales with a Cinco de Mayo Promotion
CreativeCore Group, 5 Marketing Ideas for Cinco de Mayo