Source: "Make #SMUNDAY a National Holiday 2017", Heinz Ketchup
The consumer packaged goods giant, Kraft Heinz, doesn’t expect to get much out of its salaried workers on the Monday following the Super Bowl, so the company has decided to give them the day off. The company is also calling on others to join it in, asking Congress to make “Smunday” — Super Bowl Sunday and the Monday that follows — a national holiday.
According to a Change.org petition started by Heinz Ketchup, some 16 million people do not show up for work on the Monday following the Super Bowl. While not mentioned in the petition, it’s also likely true that too much fun on the day of the big game has many who do show up for work on Monday operating at less than optimum. The petition claims the U.S. has a productivity decline of $1 billion on the day after the Super Bowl.
While some may see Kraft Heinz’s announcements as nothing more than a publicity ploy, particularly since it did not buy any commercials on this year’s broadcast, the company insists it is serious. A commercial running on YouTube, which features actors wearing Heinz Ketchup and Mustard bottles making the case for the holiday, has attracted more than 334,000 views to date.
The petition on Change.org currently has over 46,000 supporters. It needs to reach 100,000 signatures before being sent to Congress.
Make #SMUNDAY a National Holiday 2017 – Heinz Ketchup/YouTube
“If we can make Big Game Sunday awesome, we can make the Monday after awesome too,” reads the petition. “Make that Monday more like Sunday. Make it a Smunday and have more Sunday on your Monday than any of us have ever had in our lives. Don’t settle. Sign it. For your sanity. For your family. For your country.”