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On Monday, 15th January, a new chapter of one of the most awarded campaigns  #StopBlueMonday, set up by Promotur Turismo de Canarias three years ago, was in the limelight yet again to “put an end” to the myth of the third Monday of January being the saddest day of the year.

In this new edition, the action revolved around a video, published in 10 different languages, on social networks Facebook, YouTube and Instagram on Monday morning, and was also e-mailed to more than a million tourists part of the Turismo de Canarias database. 

The video makes reference to the concept of the colour blue, which in English is associated to feeling down, sad, depressed or blue. For this reason, Canary Islands wonders: “why blame blue for this”, and instead links blue to the colour of the sea, a clear blue sky, love, revitalising feelings, basically the elements behind a beautiful day. Because a blue day is everything but sad.

Cliff Arnal and the Blue Monday “formula”

The idea of the third Monday of January being the most depressing day of the year is based on a formula developed by researcher Cliff Arnal from Cardiff University, who in 2005 concluded that variables such as the weather, salary, debt, Christmas being over, not having started working on new year’s resolutions and the lack of motivation could determine the worst day of the year. This myth is widespread in Anglo-Saxon and northern European countries, although it is also becoming more and more popular in the south. From Turismo de Canarias we have taken the chance to tell the world that in the Canary Islands, where we have the best weather in the world, there is no  such thing as a Blue Monday. In doing so, the brand Canary Islands has become a champion of the #StopBlueMonday movement.

During the first campaign Turismo de Canarias held to demystify this pseudoscientific formula, it was Cliff Arnal himself, who, from the Islands took back his findings and became a good weather supporter, confirming that when there’s good weather, there is no Blue Monday. The second year around, the campaign focused on the media and they were invited to stop spreading such a wrongful message based on a day being the saddest day of the year. In order to do so, a cake was sent inviting them to “eat” their words.

The #StopBlueMonday campaign has received numerous and important national and international recognition such as the Golden Award of Effectiveness in Commercial Communication given by the Spanish Publishers Association; Gold to the best advert at the 9th Edition of the Oporto Art&Tur International Film Festival and another one for best spot in all categories in that same festival. In addition, it was also finalist at the Latin American Advertising Festival, FIAP 2016, held in Mexico.

*This event was 85% co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER).