Employees Team Up to Create Annual Calendar

Now that a new year has arrived, your customers will need a calendar—why not offer them one your employees have created?

That’s what the staff of Friedman’s Home Improvement did. The retailer, which has four locations in California, asked the company’s team members to submit nature photos. From there, they created a “Seasons of the Northbay” calendar for 2016.

The calendars are on display at the checkout counters at each store, and customers can grab a free copy when their purchases are being rung up.

This isn’t the first year for the calendars. Tony Corsberg, vice president of merchandising, first thought of the idea in 2008.

“I saw it as a marketing opportunity, a way to communicate our local market position,” he says. “I thought it was kind of cool to have our team members capture the beauty of our local area.”

Each year, a small group works together to select an annual theme—the theme for 2016 was nature—and invites all team members to submit their favorite photos that fit that theme.

Themes from past years include Sonoma County scenes, flowers from around the county and holiday scenery.

“The small group selects the photos from nearly 100 submitted photos,” Corsberg says. “The selection process is harder than you would think.”

Staff in the marketing department designs the calendar, and it’s distributed to customers and employees starting in late November.

About 10,000 copies are printed.

“Over the years, the response has been tremendous,” says Corsberg.

“We are always asked when the calendars will be coming out,” he says. “We’re usually out of stock within a couple of weeks.”