‘Tis the season: A short history of holiday branding

Now that the first of this season’s feasts is behind us, let’s take a look back at the origins of the frenzy that follows.

In 1939, FDR moved the official day of Thanksgiving from the last Thursday of the month to the fourth Thursday to boost holiday retail sales during the final years of the Great Depression. This change to the calendar was not without its contention — many refused to celebrate “Franksgiving.” By now, we’re all used to the timing of the Tryptophan, along with the fact that Turkey Day heralds the start of the shopping season.

Ah, the day after Thanksgiving, aptly named Black Friday. Cross culturally, this shade is typically reserved for tragedy and mourning — think Black Tuesday or the Black Plague. While marketing folks might try to convince you that the name celebrates the day retailers find themselves “in the black” — this is one of those retroactive definitions with little basis in reality. Its real roots reach back to angry mobs and retailer headaches in Philly at the start of the holiday season in 1961. It took a few decades for the term to catch on around the country, though of course now it’s used in other countries around the world. Year after year, the name takes on the added meaning of all the shit that goes down in retail stores around the country. Nothing says “Happy Holidays!” like brawling over discounts in the name of loved ones.

As for the e-commerce equivalent, I implore you to never, ever refer to anything that happens on the internet as Cyber anything. Thank you.