Have you ever wondered how all those “National ‘So and So’ Days” we hear about all the time, get started?
Well, CKDM’s René Hübener knows exactly how, because 41 years ago today, he started one, by proclaiming the last Thursday of every April as International Yellow T-Shirt Day!
"At first it was just a fun idea to make up a National day, let the media know about it, and see what happens. I had no idea that five years later, I’d be interviewed by over 1000 radio, TV and newspaper outlets around the world!”
Hübener, a career radio advertising and marketing professional, says his experiment in using the media to spread a message, even one as frivolous as suggesting people wear a Yellow T-Shirt, has helped him appreciate the importance of messaging responsibly.
“The fact is that deep down, people still trust what they hear and see and read in the media, which means the media has a responsibility to always message with integrity. A lot of people in the industry forget that people are listening to what’s being said or written, whether it’s in a news story, or a commercial, or an announcer break, and that everything they say needs to be said with the understanding that it’ll actually affect the listener.”
René keeps International Yellow T-Shirt Day alive these days by promoting it through Facebook and a few radio interviews each year. If you’d like to join in, just wear Yellow today, and post a picture of yourself on the International Yellow T-Shirt Day page on Facebook.
