We are going through a time change this weekend. On Sunday, our clocks will "fall back” one hour, meaning that my dogs, who normally sleep until 6:00 a.m. will awaken me at 5:00 a.m. to go outside. We have been observing the current version of Daylight Saving Time since last March 12 – a total of 238 of our 365 days in the year. It all comes to an end on Sunday.

Does Daylight Saving Time – or in this case – the end of it, have any sway over marketing? Anything that has an impact on the mood of the market has an effect on marketing. Fall Back Sunday sends a message that will be reinforced next week and beyond: we are in a different part of the year. The time change means most folks will be coming home in the dark. That signals more than just a change in seasons, it changes people’s disposition. It could signal the coming holiday season. It could also signal the end of outside events, the reduced amount of sunshine they encounter and a shift in their activities. Whatever happens, if you are in charge of marketing for your company, you need to be aware of the modification that is taking place with your customers. Their mood has a big impact on their buying habits and your marketing needs to adjust with the mood change.

How should you alter your marketing? First, any time there is something new happening, it is an opportunity to roll out a new marketing campaign. The environment is changing, so why not embrace that change with your marketing? Give your brand a seasonal new look. Introduce a new offer to buy your brand. Catch people’s attention while they are adjusting to the new times.

Second, I mentioned before that many consumers will turn their attention to the upcoming holidays, particularly Christmas. Do you have a holiday marketing plan? You may not be in a retail enterprise, but there are still things you can do to ride along in the merriment of the season. For instance, this may be the time for you to focus on your charitable causes and use that in your marketing. It is no secret that not-for-profits take in most of their donations during this time of the year. People are attracted to generosity in benevolence. Your reputation as a good corporate citizen is important. However, promoting your goodwill need not be only a highly thought of gesture, you can also involve your customers as well. Asking them to join you in a charitable cause can bring a kinship that builds brand loyalty. Many corporations might ask you to round up your purchase to give to a cause. For years, McDonald’s has sponsored Ronald McDonald Houses for the families of sick children to have a place to stay while their kids are in the hospital. There is a change box at the base of every drive-through window in their restaurants for this purpose. In their case, they have successfully merged their recognized brand name with kindness and they remind their customers of it every time they pay for their food. Another example is Toms Shoes. They had a policy of donating a pair of shoes to a kid in need for every pair of shoes that was purchased – a unique charitable twist to a buy-one-get-one offer. Toms did something ingenuous: their product and the charitable gift were one and the same.

Let me warn you about one thing if you want to go the charitable route: not every social cause is going to catch on with your target market. This is where you need to know the mood of the people who are buying your products and services very well. There have been a whole host of corporations that have tried to give to highly controversial causes. It is never a good idea to alienate your customers by what you support. It should always be the other way around.

A shift is coming this weekend. Are you using it to your marketing advantage?