On the third Monday of January, we ‘celebrate’ – or perhaps, more fittingly, tolerate – Blue Monday. Described as the most depressing day of the calendar year, this is said to be the day which is feared by the most amount of people in Britain due to the weather, the time of year and their personal finances, a combination of factors which lead to overriding feelings of sadness and worry.
So, then, is it right and proper that brands look to exploit Blue Monday by challenging our mood and our vulnerability on this particular day? Or, in fact, is that actually in the true spirit of what Blue Monday is supposed to be, helping us to find ways to smile through the moment and push forward to brighter days ahead?
Where did Blue Monday come from?
Marking its 20th anniversary, the origins of Blue Monday in Britain take us back to 2004, when holiday firm Sky Travel created the marketing tool to create a buzz for customers to start looking forward to their summer holidays, booking their July fortnight when holiday prices were at an annual low, with the hook of cheap deposits enabling those who were still yearning for their long-awaited January payslips to arrive in their accounts to have something to cling to.
Over the past two decades, Blue Monday has evolved to focus less on the ‘beat the January blues’ slogans and more on the ‘look after yourself’ theme, linked directly to our mental health and how we are all managing to cope through January as the winter sets in and begins to bite.
Brands have been challenged to steer away from overt sales messages in favour of more subtle approaches to the day, and as is so often the case, this has come with varied levels of effectivity.
Charities and Blue Monday
Charities have, for many years now, understood the brief. Samaritans and their now-famous ‘Brew Monday’ campaign possibly perfect this best, using the playful twist on Blue Monday to create a sense of community, offer the idea of meeting up with friends or family for a cup of tea or coffee and planting the seed of togetherness for people to act accordingly and think of others, and themselves, to realise how important having an open line of communication on today of all days might be.
RSPCA have released a social media campaign around their “top animal rescues in 2023” to add some cheer to a gloomy January day. Another example of a charity showing empathy on social media with their audience while creating a canny campaign which offers an alternative message on Blue Monday.
How businesses approach Blue Monday
Employers have faced increasing pressure over recent years to show they are doing something to commemorate the day. It can be very difficult to know where the lines are being drawn between ‘tokenism’ and a legitimate gesture of goodwill by a business, and perhaps the size of that business also plays a factor in their decision making, too. From bonus days of annual leave, team lunches and ‘happy hour’ bake sales to mental health awareness meetings and team bonding days out, it has become an exercise in itself for bosses to know what the right thing to do today is.
Are retailers empathising on Blue Monday?
But what about retailers? How can they effectively cut through the noise and be seen on Blue Monday without looking exploitive? Perhaps “exclusive offers inside” push notifications on mobile apps which end up being “£1 off your food bill” doesn’t hit the mark, nor does incentives which state they’re being offered “every Monday in January” but only starting on Blue Monday, the third January of the month already. You know who you are, retail marketeers!
Then there’s those brands which do get it right. Travel companies – where the entire thing began – leaning on its annual low prices to entice customers to look for a positive on the bleakest of days, or coffee shops, local businesses and small, independent retailers who advertise on their sandwich boards “Blue Monday – free hot drink today” with a genuine 2-4-1 offer on its produce – thinking of their consumers and not about their financial gain (at least in the immediate future), acting in the true spirit of the occasion.
National conglomerate offers £1 off food, or local business gives out free coffee. Which of those two brands would you likely buy your next item from, based on their approach to Blue Monday? That’s the difference, and that’s how long-term relationships can be forged or scorned within a matter of moments, or words.
I’m not sure when New Order released ‘Blue Monday’ in 1983 that the words “But I’m quite sure that you’ll tell me, just how I should feel today” would carry such weight in 2024, linked to how brands position themselves on a perceived day of national sadness through marketing tactics. And yet, here we are.
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