The car dealer marketing calendar for the US and Canada

Car buying follows the calendar. Tax refunds, long weekends, model-year changeovers and the first snowfall all change what shoppers are looking for. Planning your campaigns a few weeks ahead means your creative is ready the day shoppers start looking — not two days late.

January

• New Year sales event — a fresh start and year-end leftovers to clear.
• Winter driving tips and battery, tire and wiper service specials. More in service department marketing ideas.
• Canada: winter tires are still top of mind; in Quebec they’re required on passenger vehicles from December 1 to March 15.

February

• Tax refund season begins — “put your refund toward your next ride” and pre-approval posts. In the US, refunds start arriving in February; in Canada, the tax-filing season runs through the end of April.
• US: Presidents’ Day weekend sales (third Monday of February).
• Canada: Family Day long weekend in most provinces (third Monday of February).
• Valentine’s Day — a playful “find your perfect match” vehicle post.

March and April

• Spring sales event and the continuing tax-refund push.
• Spring service — tire changeovers, alignments and inspections after a hard winter.
• Easter long weekend greetings and events.
• Spring cleaning — detailing packages.

May

• Canada: Victoria Day long weekend (the Monday before May 25) — the unofficial start of summer.
• US: Memorial Day sales (last Monday of May) — one of the biggest car-buying weekends of the year. Keep the tone respectful.
• Mother’s Day community posts.
• Graduation — first car and grad program posts.

June

• Summer road trip campaigns: SUVs, minivans and pre-trip inspections.
• Father’s Day — trucks, accessories and gift cards.
• Half-year sales event to close out the first half.

July

• Canada: Canada Day (July 1) — community greetings and long-weekend events.
• US: Fourth of July sales and patriotic greetings.
• Summer clearance as new model years start to arrive.

August and September

• Back to school — safe, reliable vehicles for students and families, plus pre-school-year service checks.
• Model-year clearance — make room for the new model year as it lands.
• Labour Day / Labor Day long weekend sales (first Monday of September in both countries).
• New model arrivals — spotlight each redesigned model the week it arrives.

October

• Canada: Thanksgiving (second Monday of October) — a warm community post.
• Winter tire season — packages and booking reminders before the first snowfall. See winter marketing ideas.
• Fall sales event and Halloween themed posts.

November

• Remembrance Day / Veterans Day (November 11) — a respectful message only, never a sale.
• US: Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday) greetings, then Black Friday deals.
• Canada: Black Friday has grown into a major shopping event too. Plan it with Black Friday and year-end sales event ads.

December

• Year-end clearance — the classic last-chance event.
• Holiday gift ideas — accessories, remote starters and service gift cards.
• Canada: Boxing Day (December 26) sales.
• Holiday greetings and holiday hours.

Plan it once, post it everywhere

For each event, make one design and get it in every size: a feed post, a story, a homepage banner, an email header and a Google Business post. DealerAdGen’s campaign sets do that in one click, and seasonal looks for fall, winter, the holidays and patriotic events in either country are built in.