Wednesday 11 November 2015
Well, are you?
If you suffer from Paraskevidekatriaphobia (a fear of Friday the 13th), then 2015 must have been a particularly bad year for you. However, with Friday the 13th happening thrice this year, you are not the only one feeling a little unlucky... And it's happening again this Friday!
Friday the 13th can evoke fear among the public, causing people to avoid doing things they would normally do. This includes big activities, like getting married, or more medial things, like going to work. This has an adverse effect on sales, especially for the travel and events industry. According to online statistics, business revenue in America can drop by as much as $900 million on this day.
Unless you’re in the film industry, or selling rabbit’s feet, Friday the 13th might not be a good day for your business.
How It All Started:
While history is a bit unclear about how the superstition started, we do know that it has been around for a while now. In fact, the number 13 has been considered cursed across the world for thousands of years. The number 12 is historically considered the number of completeness, while its older cousin, 13, has been seen as an outlier. There are 12 months of the year, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 hours of the clock, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles of Jesus, 12 Descendants of Muhammad Imams, among many incidences of the pattern historically.
Friday the 13th was also discussed in the popular 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code. In the book, a connection is drawn between the slaughtering of the Knights Templar by the Church and Friday the 13th. Historically, the arrest of Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, did occur on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307, however the association between Friday the 13th and bad luck is thought to be a modern interpretation of the event.
Even Wall Street has had a bit of bad luck on Friday the 13th. In Oct. 13, 1989, Wall Street saw, what was at the time, the second largest drop of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in history. The day was nicknamed the Friday-the-13th mini-crash.
These days, the number 13 can have a huge impact on regular life too: some buildings don’t have a 13th floor, while some cities don’t even sport a 13th street. Airports don’t have a 13th gate, and even the medical profession won’t stand for a Room 13.
Turning Your Luck Around:
Luckily, South Africans aren’t that concerned about the superstition, and it doesn’t impact on the economy too much. However, Decimal has a few ideas on how you can turn this day of bad luck into a massive marketing opportunity.
- Offer a lucky discount of 13% on all purchases instore
- Hide a lucky omen in your store, and publish clues on where to find it on Twitter and Facebook. The person who finds it, wins a lucky prize.
- Feature Friday the 13th related products on your Social Media sites. These can include items such as umbrellas, black clothing, etc.
- Donate 13% of your to a charity organisation - somebody will be feeling very lucky
- Feature an “unluckiest winner” contest online, where the person with the unluckiest day wins a grand prize.
- Have a lucky draw with 13 winners from different stores, or different clients.
- Offer a Baker’s Dozen special where the customer gets a 13th product free.
Of course, with Decimal you’ll never have to experience an unlucky day with your business. We use creativity, passion and knowledge to turn threats into opportunities, and bad luck days into the best day of the month.
