Have you hugged your plumber today?

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We recently posted a blog on The Business Skinny entitled Celebrate Weird Holidays (Even Ones You Never Knew About). In this blog post, we talked about getting noticed – at no cost to you – by honoring these fun, kooky holidays.

Speaking of celebrations, did you know that today is National Hug Your Plumber Day?

Yes, it's true.  And Duluth Trading Company in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, is saying thanks to all of the American Plumbing Heroes that do our dirty work and keep us really happy a flush at a time.

Duluth sells clothing – business and rugged – for both men and women, power tools and accessories for the average hard worker.  Duluth has provided step-by-step instructions on how best to hug your plumber here.

Why would Duluth want to dedicate their resources to this cause?

Well, it's the exposure, of course.  And their results proved it.  Let's take a look at why this was a brilliantly executed strategy for a smaller company:

1.  Duluth first won the hearts of the public and generated a ton of energy when they launched their contest to find America's Greatest Plumbing Hero.

They offered a grand prize of a $250 Duluth Trading Gift Certificate and Lifetime Supply of Longtail Ts.  The Longtail T, according to Duluth, is the cure for (ahem) a well known plumber "wardrobe issue."

2.  People from all of the United States wrote in to nominate their favorite plumber, which created extra buzz and web traffic.

3.  They used a funny, 30-second video to promote their content, Longtail Ts and overall brand. Watch it here.

4.  They made us laugh!  Anytime you can "crack" a joke it helps people remember you and increases your likelihood of going viral.

We salute you Duluth Trading Company, for building a superb campaign.

This is dedicated to all of the plumbers out there who are "flush" with great skills.