Oh, hello there, fall! It’s nice to see you again. It’s been a while. Some of us have been pretending it’s autumn since September 1st. Others of us like to wait until the official start of the season, which happens to be today. Whatever your preference, we can now all rejoice because all of those fall memes on Facebook are now actually relevant. Happy first day of fall, everybody!
In all actuality, autumn has become somewhat of a marketing strategy, and it seems like each year, it starts earlier and earlier than the previous year. Back in July, I remember talking into a Michaels’ craft store and seeing the displays of pumpkins, wreaths, and fall decor… in. July. Rather than standing in the shadows of the Christmas/holiday season, it has its own image now–most notably, all things pumpkin and/or apple.
Current mood ^
I challenge you to find a coffee shop, home decor store, or Bath & Body Works that doesn’t bombard you with their autumn selection as soon as you walk in the door. It’s a cyclical process, really. American consumers, generally speaking, love autumn. Therefore, businesses and corporations follow suit, and the more businesses buy into the madness, the more consumers do, too. Herein lies the cycle.
Credit: twitter.com/therealpsl
Companies such as Starbucks are notorious for their autumn campaigns. The pumpkin spice latte–or PSL, as its affectionately called–has its own Twitter account for crying out loud. Its job is to promote the annual PSL release and hype people up for the season, and all things considered, it’s incredibly effective. If you follow the account and remain updated, you’re privy to secret codes, early launches, and special contests that others are not. They also create various hashtag campaigns, such as #spotthespice, to keep track of their followers’ posts. In essence, it creates a sense of in-group membership, and many people revel in that feeling.
The autumn craze isn’t just limited to Starbucks, though. Companies and corporations of all industries cater to the madness. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, stores like Michaels’ and Hobby Lobby have had their autumn decorations out since the middle of July. While that may seem a little overzealous (and perhaps it is), it resonates with people. It gives their customers something to look forward to in the coming weeks. After all, a new season incites a desire for a fresh start. Who can’t appreciate a fresh start?
In a way, it’s nostalgic. As a autumn baby myself, I would be remiss if I didn’t admit my love for the season. My childhood was spent raking up leaves only to jump in the piles, undoing all of my hard work. I took numerous day trips to the mountains, picking apples in the orchards with my parents. When stores start to bring out their fall gear, I immediately taken back to those memories and instantly filled with a sense of nostalgia.
No matter what your feelings are about the season, it is quite obvious that the marketing strategies employed by businesses are effective, and the fall “brand” doesn’t look to be going anywhere any time soon. With all that said, I wish you a happy, healthy, and productive fall season.
What is YOUR favorite “sign” of fall? Let me know in the comments below!
-Morgan Garrett
IMC Hawks Blog 
Loved reading your article Morgan! I find it really interesting reading about the significance American places on the fall season, as in Australia it’s not really a big deal and so it’s not made a big deal in marketing either. This means I can definitely tell all the marketing emphasis and efforts that happens in America (and love it!).
The other day I was with my friend (another international from NZ) and we came across samples of spice pumpkin lattes from Starbucks and were so excited to try one as we knew the iconic and significance it has to America. So yes I definitely agree with you about marketing efforts being effective by businesses such as Starbucks, especially for American consumers.
I’m super excited to experience an American fall season and participate in things like dressing up for halloween, carving pumpkins and drinking pumpkin spice lattes.
As a lover of fall, I couldn’t help but click on this blog. I have admit that I am an avid consumer in the fall campaigns that many popular companies partake in. But what can I say? I love PSLs and Bean Boots. It’s definitely a genius way for companies to connect with the American public and our affinity to the autumn season. One thought that I had while reading over your blog is, when did fall become such a staple season for companies and advertising? We often hear people gripe about the Christmas season but I would argue that fall is on its way to overtake christmas with consumer participation. As for me, my favorite part of fall is that everything smells good. The outside, the coffee shops, the malls, everything begins to waft wonderful scents.
I love fall so this article really caught my eye. My favorite sign of fall would be when all the scarfs and sweater dresses start hitting the racks. Unfortunately it takes a lot longer here in Wilmington to be able to comfortably wear these things but I love the idea. I am from a small town in the foothills of NC so for me fall means warm clothes, football, and my birthday (which is probably why I’m so fond of it). Companies have started selling items for the next season months in advance which I think is putting a damper on the current season. We can’t get through October without starting to see Christmas items on shelves, everyone is ten steps ahead. If I could live somewhere where it felt like fall majority of the year, I’d move in a heart beat… after college of course! Great article!!
As a fan of Summer, I’m a bit dissapointed to see Fall come around because that means Winter is just around the corner. However, there are a lot of awesome things in the fall. For one, college football is back, and even being at Wilmington a tailgate is only a couple hours away. Also that warm breeze that sends a euphoric chill up your spine is always nice. But I think the biggest aspect of Fall from an advertising perspective is the pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. When they first came out, it was uggs, pumpkin spice latte, and a Taylor Swift song. Girls lived to that by a code. Now it’s pumpkin spice EVERYTHING. Pumpkin Spice Doritos, Pumpkin Spice butter, Pumpkin Spice T-shirts etc. It’s a trend that has developed into a craze. It’s my biggest signal to how I know it’s Fall. Anyways, great article, I enjoyed the read but I’ll still miss the Summer.
I really enjoyed reading your article Morgan! I love summer, but I can’t wait for a bit colder weather. Fall is definitely my favorite season because the weather tends to be cool, but not freezing. Companies always tend to start selling products ahead of time (most of times more than a month in advance), and it has always bothered me because I don’t feel as if we get to really enjoy the holiday or season we are in at that moment. Halloween is my favorite holiday without a doubt, so that is probably another reason as to why I love fall. I have never really been a fan of PSL or many other very popular fall items, but I do love the weather and holidays that fall brings.