What are your favorite fall activities?
After a weekend spent in Elijay, Georgia visiting a friend, I became aware of truly how popular fall activities can be. Known for their apple houses and beautiful mountainous views, Elijay attracts thousands of tourists every day seeking to create fall themed memories with their friends and families. Apple orchards, pumpkin patches, sunflower fields, petting zoos, corn mazes and much more attract visitors from all over to line the streets with their cars and the fields with their cameras.
If I'm being honest, I don't actually love these types of activities. I love being outside, and I love the mountains of North Georgia, but navigating through crowds of little children and stressed parents all to look at some fields of fruits and vegetable is not my idea of a fun time. However, every year I get suckered into visiting pumpkin patches and apple farms and corn mazes because these activities aren't available year round and so I can't miss this one opportunity.
This got me thinking how amazing of a marketing opportunity these fall activities are. With the product/service being seasonal, it's so easy to sucker people in by simply emphasizing the fact that they will only be able to enjoy the weather, the pumpkins, the apples, and of course, the fried oreos for a short period of time. Because of this sense of urgency, as a customer we forget that it's actually crazy to spend upwards of twenty dollars to look at some corn and pumpkins. Marketers have done such a good job of marketing the fall season that we feel as though it's our yearly task to visit at least one fall activity and share the picture online.
So what's your favorite fall activity? Would you still do it if it was available year round?
It is so true that many fall actives become overwhelming and crowded. I love fall activities and being outdoors during the season. I strategically, however, pick activities/locations/times that will be less chaotic. I love pumpkin patches! Instead of going to the most popular one intern, I will drive a little while to get to one that is out of the center of town and thus less people.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree! I used to live in Michigan, and my favorite fall activity would be to go to the cider mill. They have the best apple cider and donuts in this world. However, the lines are always crazy, especially on the weekends. When I go back to visit family now in Michigan, we always make a stop at the cider mill if it is fall! And even when the line is out the door, we find ourselves waiting patiently.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! This is an interesting time of year with activities that can definitely be used to elevate brands. My favorite fall activity is having bonfires. Even though this isn’t necessarily fall specific, the weather for them is perfect for fall! It’s really nice to sit around a hot fire, make s’mores and talk with friends.
ReplyDeleteI love Elijay. i think this post captures the fall scene there well. I think my favorite fall activity is simply sitting around a fire and drinking beer. It is a great time for fellowship and just getting to talk to friends. Plus sometimes throwing some smores in there. It is just an awesome time for everyone.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't normally enjoy big crowds and stressful events, one of my favorite activities is visiting "haunted" houses/trails. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays so I find these so fun. Although theses events are made to stress you out/scare you (and they come along with screaming crowds), they are a fun and thrilling event to attend during the Fall season.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an important article considering how vital tent pole events are for most companies. As Osbon's slides explained the tent pole event is a annual calendar event, where a company can take advantage and market themselves through the event. I love pumpkin pie, but I always end up coming home with a bunch of orange stuff I don't need!
ReplyDeleteI love fall because of all of the festivities and because it is football season. Not to mention the weather is pretty incredible too. My favorite thing is tailgating which is still festive because it is seasonal. Any excuse to wear some red and black and cheer on the dawgs is a good one, but also the way football unites people is something so surreal. Just like how a corn maze can unite a neighborhood outing. All depends on your perspective.
ReplyDeleteGreat Point. I think I definitely get wrapped up in the idea that I only have a short period of time to partake in these activities. Pumpkin patches are just so aesthetically pleasing ya know? I'd say that carving pumpkins even though they're just going to rot within the week is my favorite fall activity. It reminds me of being little and carving them with my dad and brother every season. I think that's an activity I will always like whether it's marketed or not.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to this post. I love being outside and going on long walks and hikes with my friends and my dog. But going to a pumpkin patch to get pumpkins is not on my list of priorities. My mom and my sisters would always go pick out pumpkins growing up as kids then take them home and carve them. We would spend a significant amount of time trying to find "the perfect pumpkin" in the whole patch. I have such great memories with my family doing that but now I feel like it is a waste of time and money. I hate to be pessimistic but I am a college kid on a budget, I need money for other necessities. My roommates love doing fun and creative things and have been dying to carve pumpkins. I think that having the sense of urgency is what makes it so fun because this "short pumpkin carving season" doesn't last long so it is key for marketers to really engage their audience and grab their attention during the month of October because this is the key time for pumpkin patch businesses to make the majority of their sales.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree, it is a GREAT marketing opportunity for companies to capitalize on and I have noticed that more and more firms are starting to take advantage of this. It seems like we are celebrating halloween a little bit earlier this year, and I hypothesize that this has to do with marketers pushing fall/Halloween related content on us.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Every season seems to be permeated with marketing schemes... but I love it. I love carving pumpkins, I love fall festivals, apple orchards, football games etc. I don't love haunted houses and scary stuff... but other than that the fall is a great time. The fall festivities are just so nostalgic and pure--makes me feel alive. lol I often think about my human desire to always have something to look forward to, and marketers have/are running with it in a successful way.
ReplyDeleteFall is my favorite time of year. It has the best weather and has the best activities. I think that going to a corn maze with friends is a lot more fun than any time spent in the pool over the summer. You get to dress in your fall clothes and spend time outside comfortably.
ReplyDeleteI haven't thought about this before, but I completely agree with you. Part of the appeal of seasonal activities and products is the sense of urgency associated with them. They've also created scents, colors, and flavors to be the mascots of each season, like pumpkin spice and apple pie for fall and gingerbread and pine for winter. If you don't indulge in seasonal products, you can't help but feel as if you've missed out on season traditions, especially as marketers use "bandwagon" marketing - take Starbucks' PSL social media accounts' content for example. To answer your question, my favorite fall activity is hiking and going to the pumpkin patch - and hopefully roasting marshmallows after!
ReplyDeleteYou make a really good point that i hadn't ever thought about. I thought I loved fall related activities because of the activity itself, but now I think I really like them because of how they are marketed. I get so excited about going to get pumpkins but I never would want to do that in the summer. Seasonal marketing is very interesting and it also will be interesting to see what new kinds of holiday marketing we will see this year.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I do not like watching kids and hear them whine about not getting the pumpkin they want or that it is time to go and no you can not have that Ben because is has to much sugar! I do love fall and I do still out myself through it because there is nothing like going to events and getting homemade local products! It is my favorite time of the the year and my goal is to go to that drive in theater in Atlanta somewhere one night and snuggle up in the back of my boyfriends truck!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree how fall has become an incredible time for marketers to attract consumers in a different way, as they have the ability to make you feel like you have to buy something or else you'll be missing out on the season. It's pretty crazy how some retailers have dragged out the season to be more profitable, like Starbucks with its Pumpkin Spice Latte's being sold right after labor days. But if we're talking activities, my favorite fall things to do would be going to carnivals and buying fall-scented candles.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great read! Fall activities can get very crowded and is why I avoid them most of the time. I never really thought about the marketing side of it but it is a great opportunity for marketers to step up their game. I am from VA and love going up to a place called Carter's mountain for their homemade apple cider and donuts, it's become a tradition. I would definitely not do it all year round, I feel like I would get tired of it. Overall, great read and cool perspective!
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to many of the other commenters, I never really thought about the marketing side of this industry either! I love to go pumpkin and apple picking, but there really is a spike in the cost from traditional products you could easily pick up at the grocery store, than doing it yourself. You pay for the experience! I think having these traditions just in the fall time is wonderful. Likewise with having winter traditions exclusively in the winter time! Great post.
ReplyDeleteTaking a subject and making it interesting isn't always easy to do. I think you have provided great insight into an area not really thought of by others. For this I applaud you. Thanks for posting and sharing the information. You narrowed down the content and made it understandable to your point of view. Good job and post.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right! Ever since the rise of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (and thus pumpkin everything else) the fall has become a great season for Marketers and Advertisers to capitalize on. People also get really excited about cooler weather and it inspires them to shop more.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite fall activities are backing pumpkin goodies at home with family and friends, visiting a pumpkin patch, sweater weather and, of course pumpkin spice everything! I never really thought of "fall" as something that could be marketed until after I read this blogpost. It is a great point and is something that any business could profit from.
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