Labour Day

Also known as International Worker’s Day, it falls on 1st May in all Europe and Asia, as well as South America, Africa and half of APAC. It is often a public holiday marked with parades, sports events, outdoor festivities, and concerts.

History

Traditions

Marketing Activities

History of Labour Day

International Labour or Workers’ Day has a slightly different meaning for each country that celebrates it. However, this holiday still has a universal meaning. Labour Day celebrates the working classes and their significant impact on the economy, development, and general welfare of the nation.

It all started in the late 19th century when labour movements and trade unions decided it’s time to have an official holiday to celebrate their hard work and contribution. Each country first had its own Labour Day but the fact that they all did have a holiday dedicated to one unified motive made a pan-national organization of socialist and communist political parties decide on a one specific day to celebrate the workers all over the world.

The first day of May was made a Labour Day to commemorate tragic events that happened in 1886 during the demonstration on the Haymarket Square in Chicago. This event is called Haymarket Affair and even though it happened in the USA, it still symbolizes the Labour Day and the importance of the working class internationally.

These days, the first of May is not only about recognizing the working class but also about spending time with your family and friends and just have a little rest from the hustle and bustle.

Please note that the United States and Canada celebrate Labour Day on the first Monday of September.

Traditions of Labour Day

International Labour Day takes place in spring and since it’s the first day of May, it’s also called May Day. In European countries, this holiday symbolizes warmth, because in May everything around is starting to bloom and turn green. May Day gives an opportunity to enjoy sunny days outside and spend time actively. Thus, there are some traditions, associated with this feast of life.

Family reunion: For most people, the family is the biggest treasure, so it’s no wonder that they seize the opportunity to get closer to their nearest and dearest and spend time together. May Day is probably one of these perfect holidays for a BBQ party, so people usually invite their family to have some special time together.

Outdoor activities: More often than not, people enjoy nice weather on Labour Day weekend. To make the most out of this day off, people choose outdoor activities. From camping and canoeing to cycling and kayaking, there are many ways to recognize the holiday and spend time actively. Moreover, there’s no need to leave the city as people can attend fairs or walk in the parks.

Traveling: There’s no better way to celebrate Labour Day than travel with your family. For example, Europeans tend to visit neighboring countries for a short three-day trip. In fact, the number of tourists all over the world significantly increases during the Labour Day weekend.

Marketing Activities for Labour Day

People around the globe love holidays and days off. Thus, the period of holidays is the perfect time for marketers to get in touch with the target audience and delight customers.

Use holiday-related hashtags: The idea of using hashtags on social media platforms isn’t new. It’s the easiest way to increase reach and it also helps to stay in trend. When it comes to Labour Day, you can upload posts with festive hashtags like #HappyLabourDay, #ThreeDayWeekend, and #LabourDay2020.

Change slogans in the bio section: If you haven’t planned to include Labour Day in your holiday marketing calendar but you want to recognize this holiday, consider changing your bio section. It doesn’t take much time or effort to change your bio, so it’s a great way to show your followers and visitors that you keep up with trending topics. Moreover, you can make up holiday-related slogans that represent your brand and the holiday.

Upload a festive logo: Adding holiday-related symbols to your logo is a simple yet effective way to show your social media followers that you remember about Labour Day and celebrate it within your community. Plus, it’s easy to change it back to your classic brand logo once the holiday is over, so consider this as one of the possible ideas.

Recognize the holiday: From your CEO’s greetings to popular holiday-related quotes, there are many proven ways to recognize Labour Day on social media. Since most people discuss this holiday on their profiles, it’s getting trendy very quickly which means your festive posts can reach your target audience with ease. After all, keeping up with trends is a must for both big and small businesses.

Share holiday-related deals: No matter what your business domain is, it’s more likely your customers are looking for deals and offers. If you work in the retail industry, you can launch a sale or discount campaign, dedicated to Labour Day. Working in the cafe and restaurant industry, you can offer specials to amp up your menu for Labour Day. And if you organize events, this holiday has a great variety of ways to delight your customers with deals and time-limited offers.

Run a photo contest: Who else loves gifts? Free stuff is irresistible, so people love social media contests and giveaways. Since most people spend Labour Day actively (picnics, barbecues, sports games), you can encourage them to send photos of their Labour Day. After organizing this type of contest, you can receive a solid number of photos from your customers that you can post on social media platforms as social proof in exchange for branded freebies or other prizes.

Livestream a festive event: Most marketers know that a picture is worth a thousand words, but live streaming is even better. Labour Day is associated with a great number of events like parades, picnics, and festivals. For your business, this is an opportunity to show that you’re celebrating the holiday and become closer to your target audience. Just go live and show your day. Not only does it help to be authentic, but going live is also a great way to capture funny moments that drive engagement and increase the number of shares.

Social media marketing is all about creativity. While planning your marketing activity for Labour Day, it’s important to choose the idea that meets your business goals, views, and beliefs. To inspire your next holiday marketing campaign, you can browse our collection of Labour Day templates.

Colors of Labour Day

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Social media campaigns are all about visual content, so you’d better create bright designs during a holiday to bring that festive mood in. Labour Day doesn’t have specific holiday-related colors but since it takes roots in the USA, its traditional colors are those of the American flag—red, blue, and white.

Images in red, blue, and white colors can create a strong patriotic mood around Labour Day. But if these colors don’t match your brand identity, you can find a color palette in red, blue, and white that fits your needs better.

Symbols of Labour Day

Fist with a hammer, wrench, construction helmet, and literally all tools that are somehow related to construction and hard work will do. Since it’s a Labor Day, it’s great to show how much you respect and care for those who are still working hard as well as for those who are already retired.