By George Anderson
Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group, has it nailed. "If you forget Mother's Day, you're dead," he told The Associated Press.
On the other hand, according to Mr. Cohen and others, forgetting to buy Dad a gift on Father's Day is really no big deal.
Well, retailers are out to change that.
Sears, for example, is looking to give Father's Day a "Christmas-like status," according to Corinne Gudovic, a company spokeswoman. To that end, Sears has caroling males singing holiday tunes with new lyrics such as "O' Plasma Screen" at malls in the New York and Chicagoland areas.
Home Depot, a favorite destination for manly gifts, has stepped up its Father's Day marketing efforts with advertising that goes beyond simple circulars to include television and online.
Mike Boylson, chief marketing officer at J.C. Penney, said the department store chain is expanding hours as well as its assortment of gifts to help family members see the retailer as a Dad's Day destination.
NPG Group's Cohen said this Father's Day is different from the past.
"This year, Father's Day is very important and very opportunistic. But with that comes greater risk. You have to spend more to market and you have to risk more with greater inventory," he said.
Many, it seems, believe it is a risk worth taking.
According to the National Retail Federation, consumers plan to spend $9 billion for this year's holiday, compared to $8.2 billion last year.
For sure, expenditures for Father's Day still remain miniscule when compared to Mother's Day, but the "glass half full" crowd see this as representing a greater upside potential.
Moderator's Comment: Do you see a marked difference in how retailers are promoting this year's Father's Day compared to holidays in the past? What do you believe are the keys to successfully promoting the holiday from a retail perspective and are there any businesses that meet your criteria? - George Anderson - Moderator