• by Aaron Baar , May 31, 2013

It’s post-Memorial Day, which means that some workers may be enjoying that perk known as a “summer Friday,” wherein they only have to put in a partial day at the end of the summer work week.

Now, because of its ability to keep those people (and others who aspire to be like them) connected to their information away from the office, online storage company Carbonite has named itself the “sponsor of Summer Fridays.”

“Summer Fridays are a wonderful thing for those who have them,” Pete Lamson, Carbonite’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, tells Marketing Daily. “Carbonite allows them to happen.”

To kick off the (admittedly unofficial) sponsorship, Carbonite has launched a month-long “cubicle to cabana” through which people can enter to win a Google Nexus 10 tablet (plus three years of Carbonite backup), by telling the company (via its Facebook page) where they would use the product to enjoy a Summer Friday.

According to the company, only 12% of American workers actually have Summer Fridays. For those who don’t, Carbonite has also set up an online “mad lib” style letter (where people can enter keywords such as a specific work task, computer file or Internet activity) to use to petition their boss for the practice.

“I think it’s time for a ‘thirsty’ solution for how I can enjoy the sun this summer while still getting work done,” reads one sample letter in the gallery, with the inputs in single quotes. “And the answer is a tablet! With a tablet I can even remotely access my 'music' while soaking up the sun. And  I promise not to spend more time on ‘shopping’ than on work.”

Although all tongue in cheek, the campaign (which will include other promotions throughout the summer) is a way to inject some fun into a historically dry category, Lamson says. 

“Online backup is often viewed as an insurance policy,” he says. “We are continually looking for fun and unique ways of engaging our audience.”