Who sets them and why are two questions we are asked on a regular basis. The answer is that they are created by major organisations or government(s) to mark a public health, ethical cause or to promote a commercial product or service.

There are international and national awareness days and there are many lists available online of ongoing ones, or you can register a new one of your own. Often these lists have been set up and are managed independently and are not necessarily a full and comprehensive list.

In marketing, these National Awareness Days can be useful when you are planning your own marketing activities by using it to promote your own related products and services. For example, this week it is:

Who could use this and why?

• World Nutella Day (5th February)
• Retailers that stock Nutella
• Bakers / cake makers that use Nutella in their recipe
• Safe Internet Day (6th February) 
• Schools and colleges to give advice and training for young people using social media and the dangers of Cyber Bullying and Trolling
• E-Commerce retailers and banks promoting the safety features of their websites for purchasing online
• National Toothache Day (9th February)
• Dentists and dental hygienists about the benefits of regular check-ups / don’t suffer in silence etc
• Manufacturers and retailers of toothpaste and mouth-wash (vouchers / offers)
• International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11th February) 
• Universities and colleges promoting courses and highlighting expertise of ex / current students
• Museums with relevant exhibitions commemorating female scientists and their successes and contributions

• Create a relevant event
• Produce posters, flyers or vouchers to generate interest
• Write content for your website news or blog section and social media posts
• Buy in additional stock or schedule adequate resource if you are expecting larger numbers than usual to visit your store
• Build in measures so you can monitor success of the campaign to make changes for future promotions i.e. how many vouchers are redeemed, number of hits to the website, increased sales, number of followers / retweets to a social media post.