Summer Marketing: The 5 Best Ideas

Effective marketing ideas for the summer are crucial, as online sales tend to decline due to vacations and the characteristics of the season. However, a competency-based approach to marketing can not only retain the interest of the audience in the summer but also attract new customers. That is what we will discuss in this article.

Importance of Summer Marketing Campaigns

Even though the global economy is unstable, purchasing power remains strong. According to a study conducted by Optimove in 2023, 78% of respondents will spend the same amount in the summer as in 2022 or even more. These statistics prove that companies that conduct effective summer marketing can significantly increase sales and attract new customers. Therefore, in 2025, businesses must maintain the bar and offer their customers profitable offers.

According to App Annie, app downloads in the summer of 2022 increased by 27% compared to other seasons, and this trend is expected to continue. Social media sharing increases by at least 26% during the summer months, making it an important platform for interacting with your audience.

Summer marketing is not just a tactic but a strategic imperative for any business striving to succeed in today's highly competitive environment. By investing time and resources in the careful planning and creative execution of summer campaigns, businesses can not only avoid the seasonal downturn but also elevate their operations to a whole new level.

Our proposed summer marketing ideas will allow you to stand out among competitors and attract the attention of potential customers. The key is to choose the right strategy that meets your business's specifics and the interests of your target audience.

5 Best Summer Marketing Ideas

Based on the successful cases of popular brands, let's look at five effective marketing ideas for summer that can help you get the most out of this season.

1. Hold a summer sale

Yes, the idea is banal but valid. 51% of shoppers consider a summer sale a big incentive to buy. Therefore, your hot deals and melting prices can motivate them to purchase from you and increase your revenue during the low season.

Here are some summer marketing campaign ideas for different business areas:

1. A clothing and footwear store. Offer discounts on the most relevant summer products: T-shirts, shorts, hats, and don't forget about accessories.
2. A hardware store. Summer is a time for barbecues. So offer discounts on electric grills, car refrigerators, picnic sets and related products.
3. Travel business. To reach as many people as possible, offer not only hot tours but also family or romantic vacations.
4. Restaurants and cafes. Make a discount on brunch and make an offer from the seasonal menu.
5. Fitness club. Launch a yoga or morning outdoor workout section with a discount. 

Remember that the promotion methods of your sale affect the success of your offer as much as your offer itself. So make sure your audience knows what great discounts you have in store for them. How do you do it? Consider the example of the H&M brand.

H&M uses email campaigns to promote its summer collection and related offers. The Chamaileon platform found that as part of the Summer Deal Days campaign, H&M subscribers were offered a 20% discount and free delivery when ordering through the mobile app. This approach boosted sales and contributed to the growth of app downloads, increasing customer engagement with the brand across multiple platforms.

Excellent result! However, it became possible primarily thanks to a broad base of contacts for sending their email campaigns. The logic is simple: the more people on your mailing list, the more people will know about your offer and take advantage of it. That's why H&M regularly expands its contact list via a pop-up on its website.

You can follow their example with Claspo. Our large library of ready-made templates and intuitive editor allows you to create a pop-up for collecting email addresses and phone numbers in a few minutes without design and programming skills. Integrate Claspo with your ESP or CRM to automatically transfer data and send your subscribers emails and SMS campaigns with hot offers.

Try this template

By the way, H&M uses widgets not only to collect contact data but also to promote the summer collection and discounts on its website. As you can see in the screenshot below, they use built-in widgets that attract attention and take visitors to the summer collection page.

This solution allows H&M to promote the summer collection and discounts to a wider audience, not just their email subscribers, which drives more sales. With Claspo, you can create pop-ups and embedded widgets for your websites to promote your summer offers on different website pages.

Try this template

The main rule is to make sure the announcement of your seasonal sales is timely because 56% of consumers start their summer shopping in May and early June. Early planning will increase the chances that they will buy from you. We at Claspo will help you plan your summer campaigns in advance. Our marketing calendar includes the big and small holidays of 2025 and tips on building your communication with your audience on different channels. Download it for free and stay ahead of the competition, like H&M, which starts promoting its summer offers in May.

2. Make helpful brand-oriented summer guides

Creating helpful summer guides is a great way to capture your audience's attention and increase brand loyalty. According to Forbes, branded content is twice as memorable as display advertising. In addition, it helps to increase interest in the brand, with 14% of consumers saying they intend to seek out more information about the brand in the future. 

For example, for Father's Day (the third Sunday in June), you can prepare a checklist for organizing an outdoor celebration, and for Beer Day (the first Friday in August), you can prepare beer cocktail recipes and tips on choosing a drink. 

Maybelline New York launched a video tutorial on how to create long-lasting makeup in the heat as part of its summer marketing campaign, which received 50 thousand views. This is an excellent example of how a beauty brand can offer its audience helpful summer content by organically integrating its products into it.

Want to follow their example and create a helpful video on your YouTube channel? Use Claspo widgets and stream it on your website, too! Your widget can play videos and encourage visitors to take specific actions, such as buying products from the video or leaving their email addresses to receive a discount.

Another example is the Greek brand Sun of a Beach, which published a guide on choosing a beach towel. 

A podcast on summer vacation, a series of videos with recipes for a farm, ideas for beach and fashion tips for summer parties — there are many options. You only need your ideas to reflect the brand's development vector and be helpful.

Content series can make even niche B2B topics interesting and attractive to a wide audience. By combining different formats and channels, you can build your brand and grow your business. 

Here are some marketing ideas for summer:

1. Offer ideas on how to keep employees engaged and motivated during the summer months. This could include organizing team-building activities, outdoor meetings or picnics and introducing flexible summer work schedules.
2. Provide companies with basic cybersecurity tips and best practices for protecting their data and systems during the summer season. Highlight common security threats that may occur during the summer, such as phishing attacks aimed at employees on vacation, and offer practical tips on how to mitigate risks.
3. Help companies optimize their supply chain operations during the summer season. Provide tips on managing inventory, forecasting demand fluctuations and ensuring flawless logistics during peak summer periods.
4. Offer guidance on human resources management, such as hiring seasonal employees, managing vacation requests and implementing flexible work schemes.
5. Provide businesses with effective strategies to drive sales and revenue growth during the summer season. This may include advice on launching seasonal promotions and targeting consumer behavior trends during the summer months.
6. Help businesses prepare for possible problems that may arise during the summer season, such as extreme weather events or logistics failures.

The main thing when creating guides is to start with your customer's real needs and pain points. Ask yourself:

1. What problems do they want to solve this summer?
2. How can your brand help them with this?

Answering these questions helps you create truly valuable content that can be an extremely effective strategy for engaging your audience and building a strong emotional connection with them. 

Such guides not only help customers but also unobtrusively introduce your products to them, driving sales. With Claspo, you can collect your customers' email addresses in exchange for guides, thereby expanding your mailing list. You can also use a widget to redirect the user to the same guide in your blog.

Try this template

3. Hold a summer-themed social media contest 

Holding themed contests on social media in the summer allows you to increase subscriber engagement and reach new audiences. According to Stackla’s research, user-generated content significantly impacts the purchasing decisions of 79% of consumers, while branded content significantly impacts only 13%.

Somersby, a Danish producer of low-alcohol beverages, implemented a summer marketing idea called "#friendsie," in which users shared photos of themselves with friends on Instagram and tagged the brand. Participants received prizes such as beer kits and souvenirs for the most creative photos.

The campaign reached more than 4.5 million people in 5 countries, most of them from Poland. There, #friendsie was a continuation of Somersby's previous campaign, in which the brand collaborated with bloggers. The results cited by BRAND24 in its research exceeded all expectations: in one month, Somersby Blackberry became the best-selling beer in Poland, and sales reached the annual plan in just 3 months.

The secret of Somersby's success is the right choice of marketing tools and prizes that were of real interest to the audience. Users had fun taking pictures with their friends, and the opportunity to receive gifts from their favorite brand was an additional incentive. At the same time, Somersby managed to organically integrate its product into an activity that many people are fond of in the summer anyway — taking photos with loved ones.

Here are some summer marketing ideas that will help businesses in various spheres engage their audience, increase brand awareness and drive sales during the summer months:

1. Pets photo contest. Invite participants to share photos of their pets enjoying the summer season. Offer prizes for the cutest, funniest or most creative photos.
2. Summer DIY contest. Invite participants to get creative and share their handcrafted creations on social media, whether it's making homemade ice cream, building a fort in the backyard, or creating outdoor decor.
3. Beachwear photo contest. Encourage customers to show off their beach style by sharing photos of themselves wearing your swimwear or accessories. The most stylish photo wins a beachwear set or a VIP shopping spree.
4. Vacation postcard. Encourage travelers to share photos or videos of their summer adventures. The most exciting post will win a travel voucher or a discounted excursion package for their next trip.
5. Summer recipe contest. Invite people to share their favorite summer recipes using your products as ingredients. The winning recipe can be featured on your menu or on your packaging, and the winner will receive a prize or a gift basket filled with your products.
6. Summer Adventure Challenge. Challenge participants to complete a series of outdoor or summer-themed activities and share their experiences on social media using a specific hashtag. This could be a walk on a scenic trail, kayaking on a river, or putting up a luau in the backyard. Offer prizes for completing the most tasks or for the most creative posts.
7. A sunset photo contest. Invite guests to share their best sunset photos taken at your resort or nearby attractions. The most captivating photo will win a free night or a dinner deposit at your onsite restaurant.

When launching a summer contest, think about what activities are natural and interesting for your audience during this period. Offer them a participation format and prizes that will entertain them and introduce them to your product. This way, you will get sincere, high-quality UGC and increase sales.

4. Team up with other brands 

Collaboration with other brands and influencers allows you to expand your audience reach, create additional excitement around your product and attract new customers. 

For example, the British tea brand Yorkshire Tea made a real boom with the release of the Pack Yer Bags track. Playing with the consumerist prejudice that tea is not about summer and parties but about the intelligentsia of London, the brand ironically attracted attention in the summer, when it would seem that lemonades and light alcoholic drinks rule the world. 

This track was made in collaboration with Ninja Tune, an independent British label with electronic artists such as Bonobo, Modeselektor, Cinematic Orchestra, Young Fathers and many others. This approach works both ways:

• Those who like Ninja Tune artists will see what they have done for the tea brand. 
• Those who like the track will be able to get to know the label. 

Here are some examples of collaborations for the B2C segment:

1. Fashion and beverage collaboration. Collaborate with a local fashion boutique and a trendy beverage brand to organize a summer fashion show and cocktail party. The boutique can showcase its latest collection, and the beverage brand can offer refreshing summer drinks. Promote the event on social media and offer exclusive discounts to visitors.

2. Collaboration in the field of fitness and nutrition. Offer a discount on a gym membership to customers who buy a certain amount of products from a health food store. Provide nutritional advice and workout plans through joint seminars and online content.

3. Collaboration in the travel and hotel industry. Offer a summer "accommodation package". A travel agency can organize day trips and excursions, and a hotel can provide accommodation. Create a joint marketing campaign emphasizing the benefits of exploring your city in the summer.

Try this template

4. Cooperation in the field of education and recreation. Hold a "Summer Reading Club". Create a list of recommended summer reading for different age groups and offer incentives for completing the task, such as free passes to a recreation center. Collaborate on themed events such as author presentations and book club meetings.

Here are some summer marketing campaign ideas for B2B businesses:

1. Collaboration in software and consulting. Offer a joint webinar series on industry topics. The software developer can present how their solution solves common problems, while the consulting company provides expert opinion. Jointly promote webinars on the networks of both companies and offer exclusive discounts for participants.

Try this template

2. Collaboration between a marketing agency and a printing company. Offer a "Summer Brand Renewal Package". The marketing agency can provide strategic branding advice and design services, while the printing company offers discounts on branded promotional materials such as business cards, flyer templates, and banners. Offer this package as a turnkey solution for businesses looking to refresh their brand for the summer season.

3. IT services and cybersecurity cooperation. Offer a "Summer Security Checkup". An IT service provider can assess clients' IT infrastructure, and a cybersecurity firm can perform vulnerability scans and offer recommendations for improving security. Produce educational content, such as whitepapers and blog posts about summer security risks and mitigation strategies.

4. Legal services and compliance cooperation. Offer a "Summer Compliance Review". A legal services company can provide counsel and develop compliance policies and procedures, while a consulting firm can offer regulatory compliance assessments and training. Develop checklists and industry-specific guides for navigating summer regulatory changes.

5. HR solutions and employee training collaboration. Offer a "Summer Skills Program." An HP agency can provide HR consulting and talent management solutions, and a training company can provide customized training workshops on topics such as leadership and communication skills. Develop eBooks and video tutorials on summer hiring trends and employee retention strategies.

Try this template

Integration of well-known companies into a brand's marketing strategy can increase all key metrics, from product awareness to conversions and customer loyalty. The key is to find the right partners and be creative in shaping the messages of the campaign.

5. Gamify your communication with your audience

Play with your audience. Puzzles, quizzes, wheels of fortune, tests, interactive maps — there are many options. Well-designed gamification increases user engagement and promotes customer retention, which is especially useful during the low season. 

To really engage and interest your visitors with your summer campaign, give them a banner with discounts and an opportunity to win or increase the discount. A customer has fun, saves on the order, and loses nothing. 

According to statistics, 89% of people will spend more time on an app with gamification elements. And according to Gartner Research, more than 70% of Global 2000 companies have implemented gamification. 

A striking example is the Starbucks brand, which annually launches a game on its website, starbuckssummergame.com. Users play twice a day and have the opportunity to win drinks and exclusive merchandise. This increases the existing audience's interest and, thanks to gamification, attracts new ones.

Here are some gamification ideas for summer developed for different industries:

1. Summer vacation bingo. Create a bingo card with activities and amenities available at your hotel or resort, such as poolside cocktails, beach volleyball, sunset yoga and more. Guests can earn stamps or points for each activity they complete, with prizes for completion.
2. Traveling Quiz. Create a fun travel game with questions about popular destinations, attractions and cultural facts. Players can complete this quiz individually or in teams, earning points for correct answers. The best results are awarded with travel vouchers or discounts for future bookings.
3. Health bingo. Create a bingo card with various self-care and wellness activities, such as meditation, outdoor yoga or healthy cooking. Participants receive stamps or points for completing each activity and rewards for completing a row or blackout.
4. Treasure hunt. Hide virtual fashion items or accessories on your website or social media and challenge your followers to find them. Participants who find all the hidden treasures can get special discounts or prizes.
5. Advent calendar with offers (for any industry). Provide your website visitors with a new summer marketing deal every day and pre-announce the launch of this advent calendar on all available communication channels. This way, users will visit the website daily, hoping to grab the best for themselves. And since you run different promotions, there is a high probability that most visitors will choose the one they like.

This idea is easily realized with Claspo. Create pop-ups with promotions and specify a start and end date for each. Thus, the pop-ups will replace each other automatically every day. Cool, huh?