May 2019 PR Calendar Cheat Sheet – Mother’s Day, Start of Ramadan and Computex
To optimize businesses’ earned media coverage from press releases, it is essential to plan ahead to launch the right campaigns at the right time when the media is looking out for certain types of stories. Let us take stock of May’s PR Calendar and share why May goes beyond Labour Day and Mother’s Day.
When we think about the festivals for the month of May, Labour Day and Mother’s Day tend to crop up first in our mind. Let us take stock of May’s PR Calendar and share why May offers far more than these two festivals. To recap, this monthly calendar feature seeks to help businesses plan ahead to launch the right campaigns at the right time when the media is looking out for certain types of stories.
May’s Key Festivals and Exhibitions
- 1：Labour Day
- 3：World Press Freedom Day
- 6：Start of Ramadan
- 7：World Asthma Day
- 8：World Red Cross Day
- 12：Mother’s Day, Buddha’s Birthday (Hong Kong)
- 15: International Day of Families
- 20：Vesak Day (Singapore and Malaysia)
- 28：Computex Taipei 2019
- 31：Non-Smoking Day, 2019 Asia Pacific Stevie Awards
Recommended (ranked in order of relevancy)
Mother’s Day（12th May）（⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐）
The second Sunday of May marks Mother’s Day in many countries around the world. Mother’s Day is a time of commemoration and celebration for mothers, a time of breakfast in bed, family gatherings, and scribbled notes written by appreciative children and spouses.
Our team took a peek at what insights Google Trends offered about “Mother’s Day” for global searches made within the past 30 days. It turns out that since the middle of April, there was a sharp spike in searches for this keyword.
Such a seasonal spike was often seen in previous years as well. With strong online interest, many brands, especially flowers, cosmetics, chocolate, and jewelry brands, often offer special products and promotions during this period. But there’s quite a difference between telling a story that resonates versus a product promotion. Here’s a couple of our favorites from industries that may surprise you:
| Industry Vertical | Activities and Topics | Case Studies |
| Mobile Applications | Special features to encourage users to put their own spin on Mother’s Day and share on social media. | Meitu, the photo enhancement app, has rolled out new AR effects, frames and magic pen features for Mother’s Day. |
| Property Development | Organize fun activities for families while giving them a chance to interact with diverse groups of people. | Over 100 Sino Club and Hong Kong Single Parents Association members gathered for a fun day of children opera performances, green workshops and eco-activities. |
| Healthcare | Host a unique charity event to raise awareness of breast cancer. | The Kinnet, a wellness center dedicated to active aging, hosted an event for participants to pledge money to walk, jog or run for up to 3.5 km. All proceeds will benefit the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation. |
Source: Meitu
Start of Ramadan（6th May）（⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐）
Ramadan takes place between May 06 and June 05, 2019. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which is spent by Muslims fasting from dawn to sunset, and marked with additional prayers. Although energy during the day may be low, Ramadan is a festive time in Asia with night bazaars, family gatherings, games, and special treats. At the end of Ramadan, there is a celebration. This celebration is known as Hari Raya Idulfitri or “Day of Celebration” in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
In Indonesia, the month of Ramadan is the most popular time to shop online, with an increase in click-rate by 26 percent when compared to the previous month and increase of transaction value by as much as 16 percent. Therefore, it is an opportune time to launch Ramadan-related e-commerce and digital content campaigns if your company is targeting Asian countries with Muslim populations.
Start of Computex Taipei 2019（28th May）
Computex Taipei 2019 is a leading ICT trade show that takes place from May 28 – Jun 01, 2019. Main themes comprise AI & IoT, 5G, Blockchain, Innovations & Startups, and Gaming & XR. This show involves 1,685 exhibitors with 5,508 booths and has welcomed over 42,000 visitors in 2018.
At trade shows, it is common to see exhibitors launch new products and position themselves as innovative brands. But how can exhibitors successfully position themselves as innovative brands? Let’s take a look at three communication strategies employed by Asian brands at exhibitions:
- Promotion of First-Mover Advantage, e.g. ASPEED launching the world’s first 360-degree spherical image processor.
- Promotion of New Technology Use Cases, e.g. how Datavan intelligent kiosk terminals enhance the customer experience in various businesses ranging from hospitality, retail, and healthcare.
- Announcement of Strategic Cooperation, e.g. TYAN showcasing products that feature Intel Xeon processor
There are more than 200 festivals and important exhibitions in 2019. If you want to find out additional details, please click on the picture to view our public relations calendar for 2019.
PRNA Marketing 