In the middle of the Great Depression, when the American economy was barely breathing, a strange thing happened. Marketing changed a national holiday.

Since Abraham Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863, it had always been celebrated on the last Thursday of November. But in 1939, that long-standing tradition created a real problem for retailers.

The last Thursday fell unusually late, leaving only 24 shopping days until Christmas. In the middle of the Great Depression, when many Americans could barely afford essentials, those 24 days were the lifeline that kept countless businesses afloat.

So the largest department stores in the country, led by Fred Lazarus Jr. of Federated (the company behind Macy’s), pushed a bold idea. They asked President Franklin D. Roosevelt to move Thanksgiving up by one week. One simple change. One extra week of holiday shopping. One chance to inject life into an economy that was flatlining.

And Roosevelt agreed. He shrugged and said there was “nothing sacred” about the old date, then shifted Thanksgiving one week earlier.

Chaos followed.

The country split in half. Twenty-two states adopted the new date. Twenty-three refused and kept the original. Texas celebrated both. Calendar companies threw away millions of printed pages. Football teams scrambled to update schedules. A Massachusetts mayor protested by serving rabbit instead of turkey and calling it the “Frankfurter Thanksgiving.”

People joked about “Franksgiving,” but underneath the humor was something serious. This was one of the biggest examples in American history of marketing influence shaping everyday life.

Retailers had a problem, so collaborated and presented a solution. They rallied together with clarity and conviction. And they convinced the President of the United States to change a national tradition.

Even though the results were mixed, the idea worked well enough that by 1941 Congress stepped in and permanently set Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday of November. A tradition that endures today.

Here is the lesson that matters this week.

Great marketing is not manipulation. Great marketing is the art of making a better future easier to choose.

In 1939, retailers were not just trying to sell more sweaters and perfume. They were trying to keep people employed. They were trying to keep stores open. They were trying to keep communities alive.

And they were willing to push for a bold idea to make it happen.

Marketing at its best does the same thing today. It creates clarity where there is confusion. It opens possibilities when people feel stuck. It moves people toward something that helps them, not something that traps them.

When done right, marketing aligns economic good with human good. And sometimes, it reshapes traditions that last for generations.

This week, ask yourself a simple question: What is the bold, simple idea you have been avoiding because it feels too unconventional or too risky?

Maybe it is a change in your business model. Maybe it is a shift in your messaging. Maybe it is a leap into a new offer, a new system, a new way of serving your clients. Maybeit requires collaborating with competitors.

If a group of retailers could move Thanksgiving to solve a problem, then you can certainly make the strategic move you already know you need to make.

See you next Saturday.