What Extremely Unnecessary Celebrations Can Teach B2B and Higher Ed Brands About Marketing
January is a strange month.
Everyone’s “refreshed,” but also exhausted. Budgets are finalized, but no one knows what they’re actually doing yet. The inbox is full, the coffee is weak, and optimism is being held together with Post-it notes and vibes.
Which makes January the perfect time to talk about branding, clarity, and strategy—using holidays that absolutely did not need to exist.
Because if you can’t learn something useful from National Rubber Ducky Day, are you even in marketing?
National Clean Your Computer Day (January 13)
On paper, this is about cybersecurity. In reality, it’s about crumbs, dust, and a keyboard that has seen a few things.
What this says about your brand
If your laptop needs cleaning, your website definitely does.
- Outdated program pages
- PDFs from 2017 still ranking in Google
- Navigation that only makes sense if you were in the meeting
In B2B and Higher Ed, we love to add. Rarely do we delete. And it shows.
🧼 Strategy takeaway: A messy backend leads to messy messaging. If your digital house is cluttered, prospects can feel it—even if they can’t articulate why.
National Rubber Ducky Day (January 13, again, chaos)
Yes, this is a real thing. Yes, it’s beloved by developers who explain problems to rubber ducks until clarity magically appears.
What this says about your brand
If you can’t explain what you do, who it’s for, and why it matters to a literal bath toy, your homepage copy doesn’t stand a chance.
This is especially painful in:
- Enterprise B2B
- Universities with 47 majors and no main point
- Organizations that confuse “complex” with “important”
🦆 Strategy takeaway: Clarity > cleverness. Every time. If your value proposition requires a paragraph, a diagram, and a follow-up meeting, it’s not done yet.
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Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day (Last Monday of January)
Universally loved. Deeply satisfying. Completely unnecessary.
What this says about your brand
Your content should feel like bubble wrap:
- Clear
- Frictionless
- Weirdly calming
Not:
- Dense
- Overwritten
- A 3,000-word PDF no one asked for
This is especially relevant for Higher Ed admissions flows and B2B lead gen forms that ask for everything except a blood sample.
📦 Strategy takeaway: Reduce friction everywhere. Yes, especially there.
National Puzzle Day (January 29)
A celebration of missing pieces and quiet frustration.
What this says about your brand
If prospects have to piece together:
- What you offer
- Who it’s for
- Why it’s different
They won’t.
They will bounce. They will ghost. They will choose the brand that explained things faster.
🧩 Strategy takeaway: Your brand story should not feel like a scavenger hunt. Say the obvious thing. Then say it again.
The Uncomfortable January Truth
January isn’t about bold reinvention. It’s about:
- Cleaning up what’s outdated
- Simplifying what’s overcomplicated
- Admitting what’s no longer working
For B2B brands and higher ed institutions alike, the biggest wins rarely come from “disruption.” They come from clarity, consistency, and restraint.
And if it takes National Rubber Ducky Day to finally explain that to stakeholders? Fine. Put the duck in the boardroom. At least it listens. 🐣
