If You Think Labor Day is Already Over, You Might Be A Retail Marketer

If you work in marketing for a retailer, you're always at least one holiday ahead of yourself. 4th of July happened before summer even really started. Back to school was last month. Labor Day just ended. On to Veterans Day and Columbus Day – Black Friday can't be far off! Makes the years seem to fly on by, always ahead of the rest of the world.

It's been that way for me for over 30 years now. Always working on the strategies, then the offers, then the creative for the next retail calendar watermark – one that's anywhere from one to three months away. Sometimes it gets a bit confusing. But it's never boring. Things move at a fast pace. No time celebrate the big wins or worry about what might have been. The next holiday is upon us and it's time to roll!

I've always loved the challenges that retail marketing hold. When I ran the creative for the retail side of a big automotive account. My team always took pride in the fact that we could do more with a couple weeks and a modest budget than what our national branding counterparts could do with 8 months lead time and millions of dollars more. To see what you can do within constraints is a challenge and you learn more that way.

Plus, you learn what works real quick when you're judged on the 10-day reports or weekend sales. You also get to work more closely with the clients instead of layers of bureaucrats. It's challenging. It's fast-paced. And you never really what time of year it is. But ask anyone who works in retail and they'll tell you… it's never boring!

Mike McClure. Getting my Christmas shopping done… or am I looking for a Halloween costume? I can't remember.