Oh, I missed Earth Day... or did I?

If you didn't know, Today is Earth Day. By the way, don't forget to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd. Huh.. what? Yeah, I know, two Earth Days!

Earth Day is a term that cannot be trademarked nor held by any one organization. So unfortunately (or fortunately if you're in the camp that every day is Earth day... only 363 more to claim), both days are valid. You can read up on the history at the Wikipedia entry.

So who cares and why do I bring this up? I thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss the value of brands and specifically, brand identity. We're not talking about a soft drink or a pair of shoes, it's a day, this shouldn't be remotely difficult to figure out. However, holidays are brands too, if you doubt me, I have one word for you "Valentines".

The fact that there are two Earth Days dilutes the value of each day. The goal of branding is to establish your brand and fight to keep it yours as hard as you can. Sometimes, you don't succeed. Look at how Ray's Pizza in New York or Tommy's Burgers in Los Angeles no longer hold any meaning. If this can happen to a Earth Day... well think of the possibilities.

Therefore, I am hereby establishing a second Valentine's Day, on August 11. It is traditional on this day to observe it by throwing rotten fruit at people in love. Let the dilution begin!

While I'm at it, there will be an additional Independence Day on May 5th. This day, however, can only be celebrated by Democrats during a Republican presidency and is observed by dreaming of independence. C'mon, we earned it. Don't worry, no Republicans read my blog or play video games.

Lastly, I declare that August 21st is your Birthday. Because I only want to remember one Birthday for everyone and it just so happens that I remember this one. No no, I don't want to hear it. I thought of the idea first so I get to pick the day.

I think my work is done here. Enjoy your special days!

(On a side note, it's interesting to see what brands do when they merge. Great article on that here, couple months old but still good.)