The upcoming FIFA World Cup presents a massive opportunity for local businesses to score big with targeted marketing strategies. With millions of fans expected to descend upon Houston and beyond, smart businesses leverage the excitement to boost visibility, engage with a wider audience, and drive revenue.
Create branded marketing materials tailored for the World Cup. Imagine producing custom flyers with match schedules, personalized discount vouchers, or even small gifts branded with your business and soccer-themed elements. This ensures your messaging resonates with the World Cup excitement, allowing you to focus on your core business. Signage and collateral printing are essential to ensure your business is visually prominent during peak World Cup activities and events, even with last-minute needs.
The World Cup also attracts a surge in corporate sponsorships and hospitality events, and this creates a unique opening for local businesses. Consider creating VIP, corporate kits, or using custom gift boxes.  Personalize event programs or brand with soccer themed tent cards. These curated materials can significantly enhance the guest experience positioning your business as a go-to location during the tournament.

The final days of the year represent a critical fundraising period for many nonprofits, with a significant portion of annual donations coming in the last three days of December. To maximize this opportune window, nonprofits can strategically leverage direct mail with short, personalized campaigns. The tactile nature of direct mail, such as a heartfelt letter or postcard, creates a personal connection that digital outreach often lacks, building trust and standing out in a crowded digital landscape.
Personalization is key to making direct mail fundraising successful. Instead of generic appeals, nonprofits should use data like past donations and event attendance to craft messages that resonate individually. Variable data printing can further enhance this personalization, tailoring content, images, and donation amounts based on recipient information. Studies show that personalized appeals can lead to a significant increase in revenue. By leveraging data-driven insights, nonprofits can deliver targeted messages that make donors feel valued and appreciated.
Short, impactful campaigns tied to the year-end giving season can be particularly effective. Nonprofits can invite donors to reflect on the season’s spirit and the joy of giving, while subtly reminding them of year-end tax benefits. Including a compelling story and clear calls to action, along with multiple ways to donate (online, mail, phone), can further boost response rates. By combining the personal touch of direct mail with strategic, data-driven personalization and compelling storytelling, nonprofits can effectively capitalize on the year-end giving surge and strengthen relationships with their donors.

Brands across the USA have unleashed their creativity with a variety of Halloween marketing campaigns to capture consumer attention and spark excitement. From interactive experiences to clever product variations, companies embrace the fun and fright of the holiday to connect with their audiences in memorable ways. These campaigns demonstrate the power of creativity and timely execution in engaging consumers during the Halloween season, ultimately boosting brand awareness and even sales.
One notable example is Skittles’ innovative “Zombie Skittles” campaign, a limited-edition product that blended Halloween-themed flavors with a repulsive “Zombie” flavor, playing on the “trick or treat” theme. This campaign, promoted through the #DareTheRainbow social media challenge, encouraged users to try the disgusting flavor and share their reactions, resulting in widespread engagement and viral content. Similarly, Burger King’s “Scary Clown Night” campaign offered free Whoppers to customers dressed as clowns, capitalizing on the timing of the “IT” movie release and creating a buzz-worthy social media event that garnered significant media attention and impressions.
These are just a few examples of the imaginative Halloween marketing campaigns that US brands have successfully executed. From companies like Heinz rebranding ketchup as “Tomato Blood” to LG’s “So Real it’s Scary” elevator prank highlighting their monitor quality, Halloween offers a unique platform for brands to showcase their playful side and create engaging content that resonates with consumers. By embracing the holiday spirit and tapping into popular culture, brands can create memorable experiences that leave a lasting impression on their target audiences.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is poised to bring an unprecedented influx of visitors to Houston, creating immense opportunities for local businesses. This means preparing not only for increased foot traffic and demand but also for connecting with a diverse global audience. Building a robust marketing strategy, especially one with a focus on bilingual communication, is crucial for engaging with international visitors and maximizing brand visibility during the tournament. This presents a chance to attract new customers, build brand loyalty, and showcase the unique character of local communities to the world.
Local businesses should leverage the excitement surrounding the World Cup by creating themed menus, hosting viewing parties, and decorating their establishments with vibrant soccer signage and wall covers. Implementing a strong digital marketing plan is also essential. This includes launching email campaigns to inform customers about specials and events, utilizing social media to promote offerings with engaging, soccer-themed content, and ensuring point-of-purchase displays are optimized to capture attention. Consider showcasing the local culture and community spirit of the host city in your campaigns.
Furthermore, being prepared for logistics is key. Local businesses should consider extending operating hours, particularly on game days, to accommodate visiting fans. Staying informed about transportation options and having sufficient inventory and staffing will also ensure smooth operations and enhance the customer experience. Investing in preparations now will set up your business for long-term success beyond the tournament’s immediate impact.

The US holiday season offers a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with consumers and drive sales. Over the years, countless brands have launched memorable campaigns, leveraging emotional storytelling, nostalgic themes, and interactive experiences to capture the spirit of the season. These campaigns go beyond simple product promotion, often becoming cultural touchstones that families anticipate and cherish, year after year. The most successful campaigns understand that holiday marketing is about more than just selling products; it’s about weaving a brand into the fabric of cherished traditions and shared experiences.
Coca-Cola’s image of Santa Claus is one of the most iconic examples of successful holiday marketing. Coca-Cola’s advertising in the 1930s largely shaped the modern image of Santa. This campaign transformed Santa’s image into the jolly, red-suited figure known today, associating Coca-Cola with holiday cheer and generating increased sales. The Starbucks Red Cup campaign, which began in 1997, is another enduring success. These seasonal cups, with changing designs, signal the start of the holiday season, driving anticipation and boosting sales. “Red Cup Day,” which offers a free reusable cup with a purchase, further increases foot traffic and customer engagement.
More recently, brands such as REI with the #OptOutside campaign have found success by aligning with consumer values. By closing stores on Black Friday and encouraging people to enjoy nature, REI challenged the traditional holiday shopping frenzy, garnering positive media attention and brand loyalty.
Amazon’s “Joy is shared” campaign in 2023 and Disney’s “The Boy and the Octopus” are more recent examples of brands utilizing emotional storytelling to connect with audiences and drive holiday sales. These campaigns highlight the importance of human connection and relatable narratives to create impactful holiday marketing. The most successful holiday marketing campaigns in the US capture the emotional heart of the season, creating memorable moments and fostering meaningful connections with consumers.

During event seasons, promotional products play a vital role in elevating brand visibility and cultivating connections. These tangible giveaways serve as a powerful tool to attract attendees to your booth, increasing the likelihood of engaging conversations and lead generation. Branded merchandise extends your reach beyond the event itself, as people use and carry the items, effectively becoming walking advertisements for your business. This continued exposure boosts brand recognition and keeps your company top-of-mind long after the event concludes.
Beyond simple brand exposure, promotional products create a sense of goodwill and foster customer loyalty. A thoughtful, high-quality promotional item is often seen as a sign of appreciation and can leave a lasting positive impression, making customers more inclined to choose your brand in the future. Additionally, promotional products can be strategically integrated into your marketing strategy, such as using unique codes on items to track conversions or incentivizing social media engagement with branded merchandise as prizes. This integration creates a cohesive and impactful brand experience that resonates with your target audience.
Ultimately, promotional products, when selected strategically and implemented creatively, offer a cost-effective way to enhance your business’s marketing efforts during event seasons. By choosing relevant and useful items, businesses can forge meaningful connections with attendees, build positive brand associations, and inspire potential customers to take action. From attracting foot traffic to generating leads and building lasting loyalty, promotional products contribute significantly to overall marketing success and deliver a strong return on investment.

By analyzing their characteristics, behaviors, and preferences, you can identify patterns that reveal what makes them successful customers and then use this knowledge to find more like them. This involves gathering data, segmenting your customer base, and developing targeted marketing strategies to attract similar individuals.
The first step is to collect data on your existing high-value customers. This can be done through various methods like customer surveys, purchase history analysis, website activity tracking, and social media engagement. Look for common traits such as demographics, purchase frequency, preferred products, and communication channels. For example, you might discover that your best customers are young professionals who frequently purchase a specific product category and prefer email communication.
Once you have a clear picture of your ideal customer, you can segment your customer base accordingly. This involves grouping customers with similar characteristics into distinct segments. Then, you can tailor your marketing efforts to each segment. For instance, you could create targeted advertising campaigns, personalized email sequences, or exclusive offers for customers who fit the profile of your high-value customers. By focusing your resources on attracting more of these high-potential customers, you can maximize your marketing ROI and drive sustainable business growth.

In a world drowning in digital notifications, a recently published report sheds light on a refreshing truth: direct mail is experiencing a resurgence, especially with younger generations. Based on a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, the report highlights the growing consumer fatigue with overwhelming digital messaging and the renewed appreciation for tangible, personalized mail. Interestingly, 85% of Gen Z and Millennials engage with direct mail, with a significant portion taking action, demonstrating that physical mail can cut through the noise and drive tangible results. This signals a key opportunity for brands to leverage direct mail as a powerful channel for building trust and authentic connections with consumers.
The report’s findings paint a clear picture of why direct mail resonates with consumers today. Factors like digital burnout, with 58% of consumers feeling overwhelmed by digital brand messages, contribute to this shift. In contrast, Direct mail fosters a sense of trust and authenticity, with nearly half of consumers viewing brands that utilize it as more credible. Importantly, 84% of consumers read direct mail immediately or the same day it arrives, demonstrating a high level of engagement compared to often-ignored digital ads.
However, the report also emphasizes that irrelevance remains a significant deterrent, with 72% of consumers discarding mail that doesn’t feel personalized. This underscores the importance of smarter targeting and personalization in direct mail campaigns, extending beyond simply using a recipient’s name to encompass relevant offers, timing, and tone. Companies achieving high ROI with direct mail are more likely to leverage advanced data, automation, and integrated strategies, indicating that direct mail is evolving from a standalone tactic into a crucial component of a well-rounded omnichannel marketing approach. By strategically integrating direct mail with digital efforts and focusing on personalization, brands can maximize impact and capitalize on the channel’s growing appeal.

*Statistics from LOB 2025 State of Direct Mail 2025 Consumer Insights Edition