Tomorrow marks the start of Ocsober. As the lesser-known, pre-Christmas-detox cousin of Dry July, Ocsober encourages us to go without alcohol for 31 days in order to support Life Education Australia – more commonly known as the friendly folk with a huge van and a giraffe puppet who teach kids about making good choices.
While Team Liquidity probably won’t be signing up, we definitely respect anyone with the willpower to do so when it’s clearly already rosé season. Luckily, there are lots of ways to show your support those who are abstaining while putting in some goodwill and PR for your business. Read on for just a couple of suggestions of how you can make Ocsober work for you.
Back someone who’s taking part
Is one of your employees or a valued regular taking the pledge and going tipple-free for the month? Get your business behind their fundraising efforts. This could be as simple as some collateral and a donation tin near the cash register, volunteering all tips to the cause for a week (note: check with other employees first or things could get snarky) or donating a percentage of your profits (see 2.)
Give a percentage of the profits
Pick your generosity level and go from there. If you’re feeling extravagant donate a total percentage of your sales for the month to Ocsober and Life Education Australia, or if you’re more on the conservative side donate twenty cents from every coffee or two dollars from a particular special – whatever you’re happy to give.
For unlicensed venues
In the hospitality business but don’t sell grog? Ocsober is your time to shine! Use social media to appeal to those who are taking part, and remind them that there’s no risk of temptation at your venue. Or go all out with a special event to raise money for the charity – host a ticketed dinner, or have fun with the tradition of wine or beer tasting and source obscure and boutique soft drinks for a cocktail (sorry, mocktail) party.
For licensed venues
This may seem a little counter-intuitive if booze is where you make your bucks. But let’s face it – a move towards a less messy drinking culture is a win for everyone. Show solidarity for your increased population of designated drivers by offering a meal discount or free soft drink when they show their Ocsober fundraising page.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the ways you can incorporate Ocsober into your business. Remember the Guinness World Record for the largest mosaic made of Skittles? That was a PR move for Dry July.
Getting involved but don’t know how to maximise exposure? Liquidity can help with everything from public relations campaigns and coordinating even sponsors to social media marketing. Get in touch today.