If you’re older than 25, do you remember your 25th birthday and what you did to celebrate? The answer for most people is probably not—25 is seen as a less momentous occasion than turning 21 (the legal drinking age in the United States) or 30 when a person enters the next phase of life as a thirtysomething. Yet for companies, celebrating 25 years in business is a significant milestone, marking a quarter century of existence, a feat that only a minority of companies that start each year actually achieve.
At History Factory, it’s been our experience that by the time most companies hit their 25th business anniversary—especially larger organizations— there’s a sense that some of the entrepreneurial and disruptive spirits that guided their formative years may have subsided. By 25, many companies have focused on driving more efficiency and profitability, reducing risks, and encouraging scalability. Entrepreneurial founders in some instances might have been replaced by more management-driven leadership. A 25-year company anniversary commemoration can bridge what many would consider the “good old days” with a new, more buttoned-up culture focused on the future.
So how should a company mark 25 revolutions around the sun? The truth is, there are many ways, but the tactics are not significantly different from other milestone anniversaries. True, delivering a company history book for a 25-year-old organization might be easier than for one turning 100, but if a book makes sense as a tactic against specific objectives, that’s true whether the company is turning 25, 100, or 500.
Here’s a list of how some organizations have marked 25 years as well as some business celebration ideas. How might you adapt their ideas for your own organization?
Florida Marlins
Now called the Miami Marlins, the Major League Baseball team marked their 25-year company anniversary in 2018 with a variety of initiatives. Like many organizations reaching a milestone, the Marlins chose a date to act as a focal point for their celebrations. In the Marlins’ case, it was June 8–10, when they paid tribute to past players, handed out tchotchkes and other giveaways, encouraged selfies tagged with #Marlins25, offered throwback ticket prices, and more. Your organization might choose the day your founder opened the doors, the day of your first sale, the date your signature product was released, the day you were incorporated as an entity, or any or all of these as part of an anniversary celebration. Of course, in the current pandemic, organizing live events on a specific Founder’s Day or similar could be problematic. But you can still plan a variety of engaging activities over a date or weekend to be experienced virtually.
Discover Card
Compared to long-established brands such as American Express (1850), Visa (1958), and Mastercard (1966), Discover is a young upstart in the credit card world. By its 25th anniversary in 2010, the company still saw glimmers of its upstart mentality, having introduced the cash-back concept and survived a series of lawsuits by competitors. Yet Discover needed stories to fuel its 25-year company anniversary. Like many other 25-year-old organizations, it was fortunate to have many of its founders still around. History Factory commenced a thorough oral history program, speaking with representatives across levels within the organization—from call centers to sales to executive leadership. From these interviews and additional archival research, our team developed a variety of stories in both written and digital formats. Based on extensive employee surveys, the program was deemed a tremendous success, with 88 percent of survey respondents feeling that the anniversary recaptured Discover’s spirit from its early days. Creating 25th-anniversary plans to engage employees vs. external stakeholders and customers is not unusual. In our experience, enhancing employee motivation and engagement is at or near the top of the list of most objectives for organizations marking 25 years in business, not least because in many cases the founders of the organization remain with the company and want to thank those who helped them reach the milestone.
Eurostar
The train service between the United Kingdom and Continental Europe marked its 25th anniversary in November 2019 with a wide range of initiatives. The company, which initially operated Chunnel service between London and Paris but has expanded to many other European destinations, set up a digital storybook and photo compilation that captured 25 years of service. Eurostar sought passenger stories through a social program under #Eurostar25 with a prize offer to win 1 of 25 pairs of tickets on any of its services. To recognize employees, Eurostar hosted a gala event for 1,600 staff members in London, celebrating 25 years in business, transforming Camden Roundhouse into a miniature Europe for the two-day event. Eurostar also used the occasion to host journalists and executives on the first plastic-free train service, reinforcing the company’s commitment to responsible environmental practices and setting the tone for future initiatives in this area. Using a 25-year business anniversary celebration to announce major new initiatives or to reinforce and highlight future-focused activity is an excellent idea to garner media attention, amplifying the message through anniversary events and programs.
eBay
Who else has received @eBay #Ebay25 swag?? pic.twitter.com/EaUswYIPxz
— KickFlipThrifts (@KickFlipThrifts) September 18, 2020
It’s hard to believe that this online marketplace has been around for 25 years, but in 2020 the company hosted an online event featuring the sellers who’ve helped it become a multibillion-dollar enterprise. Called Sellerbration, the September 25 event showcased a host of eBay executive speakers, trivia contests, features about both the past and the future, and, of course, branded 25th-anniversary merchandise. Top sellers are also featured through a digital coupon offering 25 percent off the site’s top 25 brands. Sellers are encouraged to tag videos or photos of themselves opening swag boxes with #ebay25 to gain social traction. eBay is a good example for other brands facing the challenges of promoting a company anniversary during the pandemic, pivoting from the live events that characterized past anniversaries to a virtual event with a personal touch.
Happy Silver Anniversary
As the examples above demonstrate, if you’re wondering how to celebrate 25 years in business, you have many options for marking it in a memorable way, even if faced with a global pandemic. One thing that all successful 25th-anniversary programs have in common is a solid starting point and plan, usually developed two to three years ahead of the anniversary itself. By clearly articulating goals for the anniversary, specific objectives and metrics of success for each target audience, and other considerations in one document, organizations can lay the foundation for a plan to make a 25th company anniversary a successful celebration of the past and look to the future.
For more 25th-anniversary company ideas to mark your corporate anniversary, check out our comprehensive Guide to Celebrating Your Company Anniversary.