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Inspiring ways to celebrate a company anniversary

Alright, so your business or organization has a birthday coming up. Before you up and order balloons and champagne, consider the many creative ways an anniversary celebration can be leveraged as a compelling campaign. From a good old fashioned re-brand and limited edition products to social media sweepstakes and art contests, there are a lot of different ways to go about it. Don’t panic, here are a few creative ideas for celebrating your company anniversary that will make everyone want to join in.



1. Starbucks marks 40 years around the sun with a fresh new look!

What better way to celebrate decades of world domination than a branding refresh? Starbucks’ visual identity has evolved a fair amount since their launch in 1971, but for their 40th anniversary the iconic two-tailed siren got a sharp new look. The emblem went full green and dropped the “Starbucks” word mark, simplifying overall and putting more emphasis on negative space. This Eco-friendly move cuts down on ink usage and aligns the design to the rather flat aesthetic of the early 2010's.


It goes without saying that updating branding makes a whole lot of sense when a company’s been around for almost half a century, but Starbucks didn’t stop there. They took the opportunity to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at Zürich Central, reopening the first Starbucks location in continental Europe after remodeling with entirely regional and up cycled materials. This was a great chance to position themselves as committed to local culture, rather than as a massive corporate operation.

While Starbucks is definitely in a league of their own, you can always take a big anniversary as an opportunity to have a think about the relevancy of your branding. If a re-brand is in order, that’s a perfect reason to stir up some hype with a party and new swag.

2. Zendesk turns 10 and shows off their creative chops

A winning entry from Zendesk’s 10 year anniversary art contest. Via Zendesk.

Not every company can or should mark an anniversary with a large scale rebrand or grand remodel, sometimes it’s a better call to celebrate the employees that contribute to your company’s culture. That’s exactly what SaaS-superstar Zendesk did as they celebrated 10 years of revolutionizing the customer support industry, hosting an art contest for their employees with the theme “10 pivotal moments in our company history.” This was the perfect opportunity to flex their team’s creative muscles and remind everyone that the startup space is still very much a human space, while also focusing on the story of their growth.

They also put together a gorgeous landing page with 10 lessons they’ve learned along the way. This gave them a chance to share more of their company values and experience visually, without the stodginess of corporate communications.


3. Coca-Cola commemorates the 100th anniversary of their iconic bottle

Ah, Coca-Cola. More than a household name, the legendary soft drink company compiled an interactive, chronological gallery showing off the evolution of their packaging designs in a push to commemorate the 100th anniversary of their trademarked contour bottle design. The timeline follows the journey of the Coca-Cola bottle from 1915 to 2015 and also includes one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by their unmistakable branding, from chairs made from recycled bottles to re purposed, custom glassware.

6. Happy Socks rounds off 10 years with a smile (and fresh prints)

Bold, bright, and beautiful limited edition packaging for Happy Socks anniversary collection. Via Highsnobiety.

What comes after 10 years of success? Expansion of course! If you sell a product, hitting 10 years is the perfect opportunity to release a special line, or to expand your product offering. Happy Socks did both, offering special ranges of socks, and expanding into other undergarments. Besides honoring legendary pop artist Keith Haring with a special collaboration, they’ve upped the ante with gorgeous and very on-trend packaging for the release of their anniversary collection.

Special events are always perfect excuses to show off your creative chops, so channel Happy Socks and bring originality, great design, and business acumen to your anniversary.

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