Unity Marketing urges marketers not to think of Father's Day as a 'Male Mother's Day'
May 31, 2012 Stevens, PA -- Poor ol' Dad. He has to wait for June to celebrate his day after the fanfare of Mother's Day in May. But word of warning to marketers: don't make those who give him gifts the target of a marketing approach that makes Father's Day the male version of Mother's Day. Instead, take the time to understand the gifts that are really in demand for this holiday.
"It is tempting to think of Mother's Day and Father's Day as bookends bracketing the beginning of the summer season, taking marketing approaches that work for one and using them for the other," say Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of The Gifting Report 2012: The Ultimate Guide to the Consumer Gift-Giving Market. "However, the two holidays are quite different, and the products featured for each should be different as well."
Father's Day is the fourth most popular gifting holiday on the calendar, but the profile of the holiday's gift recipients points to a different target customer. "While two thirds of gifters buy for a close family member - likely their own father, grandfather, or father-in-law - nearly half buy for a spouse or significant other," says Danziger. "It is reasonable to assume that many of these gifters are women who are hitting the stores or logging online to honor all of the men in their lives."