St Patrick's Day Marketing Trends & Strategies

St. Patrickʼs Day isnʼt just about shamrocks and beer - itʼs a golden opportunity for brands to captivate audiences with purpose-driven, occasion- based marketing. From festive recipes to creative decor ideas, tapping into consumer enthusiasm with relevant, engaging content can turn this holiday into a pot of marketing gold. So, collect your pot of gold with the right St. Patrickʼs Day marketing strategies! Here are some statistics, trends, examples and strategies to help you maximize this large consumer spending occasion!

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Key St. Patrick's Day Key Statistics

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in over 30 countries across the world with the US, UK and Ireland leading in celebration and spend.

• USA: $7.2Bn Total expenditure in 2024 (4.3% increase from 2023) with an average spend of $44 per person
• UK: £81.3M Sales in UK’s pubs, bars and restaurants (up from £78.9M in 2023) with an average spend £15.19 per transaction (up from £14.73 in 2023)

One of THE biggest days of the year for alcohol brands. See our post on alcohol marketing strategies.

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated across ages and interestingly 74% of consumers with children celebrate compared with 54% of consumers without children, presenting a larger audience for marketers across categories!

• 82% Wear Green
• 29% Make a Special Dinner
• 27% Decorate (Home / Office)
• 26% Attend a Party at a Bar / Restaurant
• 16% Attend a Private Party
• 15% Attend a Parade
• 12% Host a party

St Patrick's Day is more than just alcohol marketing. Consumers are spending on all things associated with the holiday including food, apparel & accessories, candy and make-up.

Top purchase categories include:

• Food 52%
• Beverages 44%
• Apparel / Accessories 32%
• Decorations 25%
• Candy 17%
• Greeting Cards 8%
• Gifts 5%

Where do they shop / spend?

• 39% Grocery Store
• 29% Discount Store
• 20% Department Store
• 20% Bar / Restaurant
• 15% Online
• 14% Speciality Store
• 11% Local / Small Business
• 6% DrugStore
• 2% Others

Snipp Tips

• Create engaging, in-person (parties, concerts, and parades) experiences.
• Donʼt neglect CPG/FMCG opportunities for promoting key line items.
• 45% Consumers research online for inspiration ahead of making in-store purchases. Step up your game with digital promotions that drive pre-purchase awareness and engagement.

Key St. Patrick's Day Trends to follow

GET OUT THERE!  

Many consumers will continue with in-person celebrations, whether at bars, restaurants, concerts, or parades. Consider an on-premise promotion where you reward consumers who buy a drink at certain establishments or take a selfie and share on social.

COMBINE FOOD & DRINK  

Alcohol spend is high on and around St. Patrick's Day, but pairing drink promotions with food will yield higher engagement. Creative food and drink pairings, themed menus, and special promotions can make your brand more appealing to patrons looking for a comprehensive St. Patrick's Day experience. CPG/ FMCG companies should not overlook opportunities to capitalize on  St. Patrick's Day. Consider promoting Irish-themed snacks, beverages, and party supplies. Brands can run promotions, discounts, or bundle deals on these items to encourage consumers to stock up for their in-home celebrations. Creative packaging and marketing can also attract attention on store shelves. 

BUILD BUZZ, NOT JUST SALES, ONLINE  

Online and social remains a valuable channel for engaging with your audience. In the digital realm, it's not just about making a sale; it's about creating buzz and excitement around your brand.  To stand out, create new digital experiences and twists on traditional themes to create excitement. Engaging online contests like instant win, sweepstakes and gamification, interactive social media challenges, and immersive storytelling can captivate your audience and make your brand an integral part of their St. Patrick's Day celebrations. For example, you can run interactive promotion activities like a St. Patrick's Day word search, a virtual St. Patrick's Day Scavenger Hunt and create and leverage user-generated by incentivizing consumers to share on social media - turning your online presence into a lively celebration hub. 

St. Patrick’s Day Strategies and Promotion Examples to inspire you

When you think of St. Patrick’s Day promotions, most likely you’ll think of beer and whiskey. Here are some examples to inspire more brands to get creative and cash in on this holiday.

GAMIFY CONSUMER EXPERIENCES

Leverage gamification tactics (treasure hunt, spin the wheel, bingo) to enhance brand interaction, experience and boost sales - online and offline.

Lucky Charms invited families to hone their leprechaun-trapping skills. The cereal brandʼs mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun, went “missing” from packs of limited-edition Lucky Charms, and consumers were invited to help catch him via “leprechaun traps” on the back of the boxes. For added excitement, Lucky Charms dropped a leprechaun-trap installation on an ice-fishing lake in Minneapolis and in Miami, marked by “Lucky Was Here” signs and a few “magical” clues. The brand also partnered with Hasbro to develop the “Luckyʼs Leprechaun Trap” board game.

HARNESS FOMO!

Create limited edition products and limited time promotions (Combine the immediate gratification of an instant-win prize with the excitement of a sweepstake offering an exclusive reward) to create a sense of urgency and to boost seasonal sales.

Krispy Kreme created limited-time treats like the “Golden Cookies & Kreme Doughnut,” the “Hat OʼGold Doughnut,” the “Golden Sprinkle Doughnut” and the “Rainbow Kreme Filled Doughnut” for St. Patrickʼs Day. In addition, for 2 days only, customers who came in wearing green (either in-shop or drive-through) could get a free original glazed doughnut gone green.

COLLABORATE!

Partner with aligned brands - create products and run co-branded promotions to expand your customer base and create more value for consumers.

Guinness and Ancestry (family history tracker) teamed up enabling consumers to track their connections with the famous Guinness Storehouse through digitized records. The two brands unveiled over 1.6 million historical records from the Guinness Storehouse Archives, now accessible through Ancestryʼs family history platform. The digitized records provide an intimate glimpse into the lives of former employees of Guinnessʼs, spanning from 1799 to 1939, offering insights into Irish familial lineage.

CAPTURE THE SPIRIT!

Create new products and packaging and run themed promotions with different tactics and mechanics - instant wins and sweepstakes for increased engagement and participation.

Pandora, a premium jewelry manufacturer and retailer introduced a new four-leaf clover charm (an iconic symbol of luck) on St. Patrickʼs Day to encourage people to embrace the spirit of the holiday by adding some Irish charm to their customizable bracelets. The messaging intelligently connected the symbolism behind the lucky charm with the luck St. Patrickʼs day is associated with.

GET SOCIAL!

Promote user-generated content, run gamified promotions, leverage influencers and reward social sharing for deeper engagement.

Oreo invited consumers to go rainbow hunting for a chance to win the pot of gold ("Pot-o-OREO Frozen Treats") at the end of the rainbow, including samples of the newly launched OREO® Mint Frozen Treats. Consumers could snap a photo of a rainbow spotted in nature between March 15 and March 17 and post to social media tagging @oreo and using #OreoFrozenTreats and #Sweepstakes for a chance to win.

Looking to run a St. Patrickʼs Day promotion? Discover how our best-in-class promotions, contests and sweepstakes solutions can drive sales and engage your customers. Contact us to learn more.

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https://www.statista.com/statistics/1455222/st-patrick-s-day-celebration-plans-of-us-consumers/

https://www.eventmarketer.com/article/st-patricks-day-2024-experiential/

https://filestage.io/blog/st-patricks-day-marketing-ideas/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oreo-frozen-treats-extends-their-mint-line-up-just-in-time-for-saint-patricks-day-302086789.html

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2024/03/13/jameson-irish-whiskey-oreo-ancestry-raise-spirits-st-patrick-s-day-2024

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/st-patricks-day-freebies-and-deals-from-krispy-kreme-dunkin-applebees-and-more-98b7aacc