Black Friday Ads: Recent Campaigns That Stole the Spotlight
The busiest shopping season of the year is just around the corner. Black Friday is coming. With competition fiercer than ever, your Black Friday ads need more than just discounts.
Shoppers are bombarded with Black Friday ads. So, if you need to cut through the digital noise, yours needs to be irresistible from the get-go.
So, how do you do that? How do you craft Black Friday ads that convert? To understand this, let’s draw inspiration from some recent campaigns from well-known brands, shall we?
But first, let’s take a look at some of the data captured in recent years and some trends anticipated for the year.
Emerging Trends Shaping Black Friday Ads in 2024
For starters, Black Friday is the first Friday after Thanksgiving. In 2024, Black Friday falls on 29th November.
One of the first facts to understand is that Black Friday continues to be the busiest shopping day during the whole Thanksgiving Weekend. The graph here from the National Retail Federation shows how this holiday dominates both online and offline realms. So, investing in Black Friday ads is a good idea indeed!
The total sales in the U.S. market during the BFCM (Black Friday-Cyber Monday) weekend is projected to reach about $75 billion. With so much spending expected, businesses are gearing up to woo their consumers with the best deals and stunning Black Friday ads to draw attention to these deals.
In addition to all these facts, one of the main reasons why businesses are willing to go big with their Black Friday ads and campaigns is because this season is known for its impressive conversion rate. Reportedly, Black Friday sees a conversion rate of about 4.3% while the annual average is estimated to be just around 2.5%. Therefore, clear and targeted promotions planned during the Black Friday season can turn out to be highly cost-effective for brands.
With the fundamentals laid out, let’s shift gears and talk about some actionable ideas. For this, let’s explore some Black Friday ads and campaigns from well-known brands from the past few years.
Recent Black Friday Ads & Campaigns + What to Learn From Them
1. Amazon’s “Lonely Yeti”
Amazon’s Lonely Yeti commercial is the perfect blend of fun + simplicity. The ad is straightforward and focuses on conveying that big deals are coming but how the ad communicates this idea is what makes it exciting.
Instead of traditional messaging tactics, this commercial features a lonely Yeti who becomes the show-stopper at a party thanks to the products grabbed during the Black Friday sales. This transformation is not only entertaining but also effective in reinforcing the idea that Amazon has something for everyone, no matter your style or needs.
Additionally, the engaging storytelling also means that instead of feeling like a traditional ad, it feels more like an entertaining short film. This approach keeps viewers engaged and prevents them from tuning out, which is crucial during the crowded holiday season.
Here’s another version of the commercial that features the Yeti but this time it focuses solely on his happy mood. This makes it fun and entertaining.
This ad shows how you can use Black Friday ads to not just promote the deals but also to capture the excitement that comes with finding the best deals on the products that have been on your wishlist for a long time.
KIMP Tip: Craft story-driven Black Friday ads – whether they are static images or video ads like the one from Amazon. A stand-out central character and a fun story make the concept more engaging.
2. Google’s Black-Owned Friday
Black-Owned Friday is Google’s ongoing campaign for Black Friday. Here’s the commercial from last year.
This campaign stands out by shifting the focus of Black Friday to support and celebrate Black-owned businesses. Instead of the typical discount-heavy messaging, Google encourages shoppers to spend their Black Friday dollars in support of Black entrepreneurs.
Every year, the brand launches a commercial to promote the idea and last year they collaborated with Keke Palmer. The catchy tune and the demonstration of how easy it is to find black-owned businesses using Google Search and Maps are the highlights of the ad.
In short, the campaign highlights the importance of shopping local and supporting minority-owned brands during the holiday season.
KIMP Tip: Focus on purpose-driven messaging. Everyone has deals. Everyone does holiday sales. Standout by showing how you do things differently. In this case, Google’s solidarity in supporting Black-owned businesses is the clear purpose of the campaign.
3. Bushfire Foundation’s Black Friday campaign
In 2023, The Bushfire Foundation, a non-profit focusing on bushfire awareness, took a different path and used Black Friday to deliver an important message.
When the Austrians were getting ready for the bushfire season, the Bushfire Foundation decided to shift perspectives. Instead of focusing on typical holiday sales and discounts, their ad focused on saving instead of spending.
The campaign successfully turned a day known for consumerism into one of community and compassion, showing that even Black Friday ads can be used for good. Bushfire Foundation’s ad also highlights the need for being mindful and considering the context when planning for Black Friday ads.
KIMP Tip: Consider investing in a multi-channel approach. In this case, the Bushfire Foundation used outdoor ads for local reach and TikTok posts to maximize reach and visibility.
4. DECIEM’s “Slowvember”
Talking about unique takes on Black Friday ads, DECIEM “Slowvember” campaign deserves a special mention. The purpose of the campaign was to encourage consumers to embrace a slower, more mindful approach to shopping.
While most Black Friday ads are about the rush and the shopping frenzy during the Black Friday season, this one chose to focus on quality over quantity by promoting thoughtful, intentional purchases.
“Slowvember” emphasized the importance of taking the time to make conscious decisions about what to buy, challenging the fast-paced consumerism typically associated with Black Friday.
To break away from the rush of the season, DECIEM announced an all-month discount – a nominal yet significant discount that allowed shoppers to take their time to find their picks. This was a stark contrast to the sharp price cuts and limited-time deals most brands are known to offer during the Black Friday season.
Furthermore, according to Google, about 1 in 3 purchases during holiday season are impulse purchases. Accordingly, DECIEM’s approach here tapped into the increasing number of consumers looking to minimize waste and prioritize sustainability, a growing concern during major sales events. This is a good example of creating consumer-aware Black Friday ads.
KIMP Tip: Ensure that your ideas for Black Friday ads and campaigns align with your brand values. In this case, DECIEM is known for their focus on sustainability and transparency. Therefore, a campaign that contradicsts extravagant spending patterns during holidays resonates with the brand’s values.
5. Walmart’s Mean Girls commercial
Walmart’s “Mean Girls” Black Friday campaign brought a fun and nostalgic twist to holiday advertising by featuring characters and scenes from the iconic 2004 film Mean Girls. This is proof that Black Friday ads do not have to be boring.
To tie back to the fandom of the movie, the ad featured protagonists like Cady Heron discussing Walmart deals instead of high-school drama. In addition to preserving the signature vibe of the movie, the ad also seamlessly showcased a few Black Friday deals and the benefits of Walmart+ Membership during the sale season.
Humor, nostalgia, and deal reveal – the ad had it all!
In this case, Walmart tapped into the cultural significance of Mean Girls to attract both longtime fans of the movie and a younger audience, while seamlessly integrating the message of unbeatable deals.
KIMP Tip: Use pop-culture references and tap into fandom to draw attention and resonate with your audience. Walmart’s pop culture reference in this case made the ad feel fresh and engaging. Moreover, the clever use of the Mean Girls theme also made this ad a viral hit on social media.
6. Samsung’s Reverse Auction
Samsung’s Reverse Auction campaign in Australia was yet another creative idea that addressed the overwhelming shopping scenario that exists during the Black Friday weekend.
The campaign was unique. Instead of prices going up with demand, as in a standard auction, Samsung flipped the script: the longer consumers waited, the lower the prices dropped. In short, the campaign carried a dynamic pricing model and it also had an immersive game-like element to it. Together this enhanced the shopping experience making Black Friday shopping more thrilling rather than stressful.
In addition to all these, this innovative campaign not only created buzz but also kept consumers actively checking back on Samsung’s website throughout Black Friday, increasing engagement and driving traffic.
The brand relied heavily on social media to spread the word and build momentum for the campaign and without a doubt, it was a hit. Reportedly, this idea led to Samsung making $1.34 million in sales which was a whopping 270% increase from the previous year and a 360% ROI. That’s proof enough to show that the idea worked! To show that creativity pays off during bustling shopping seasons like Black Friday.
KIMP Tip: Leverage FOMO and use gamified content and strategies to make shopping during holidays more fun and enjoyable to your customers. This sets your brand apart from other brands that make the shopping season feel more tiring.
7. Target’s Commercial
If you have a classic Black Friday sale and are looking to create something simple and not too fancy or expensive, then Target’s commercial from last year is a great source of inspiration. Despite not having any ground-breaking concept or perspective shifting narrative like the other campaigns we discussed so far, this ad does not fade away as just another ad.
The reason? It’s crisp, to the point and visually engaging!
The ad has no frills and does not beat around the bush. It gets straight to the points – the products in focus and the attractive discounts on them. But it’s how Walmart illustrates these deals that makes the ad unique.
Instead of using boring product photos, the ad shows the products in real-life settings. Therefore, the scenes appear authentic and easy to relate to. And the visuals also keep the emotional factor of the ad constantly at the top by portraying happy scenes and happy consumers enjoying their products or happy after buying their favorites at discounted prices.
In short, the ad communicates the joy of “saving” shifting the focus away from “spending”.
KIMP Tip: Use your brand elements like brand colors, fonts, brand mascot and others that your customers instantly recognize. This makes your ad stand out to your consumers among the overwhelming bunch of ads they come across. In the above ad from Target, the creative use of red does not just add to the visual intrigue of the ad but also effectively establishes the brand.
With these campaign ideas to explore, if you would like to equip yourself with some quick tips on the designs for Black Friday as well, then check out our blog here.
Create Visually Captivating Black Friday Ads With KIMP
The Black Friday ads we discussed today were mostly videos because video is the format that helps you set your brand apart in a cluttered space. And video works perfectly on social media as well. However, your Black Friday ads don’t end with just one video or one static image. You will need a mix of both and some print designs too depending on the nature of your Black Friday campaign. And depending on whom you are targeting.
Also, it’s not just about creating visually appealing designs for all these channels but also to ensure visual consistency. Because you need all these promotional graphics to tell the same story. And to lead your customers in the right direction down the sales funnel. That’s where working with a dedicated design team that comes as a part of an unlimited design subscription feels like a huge plus.
Want to elevate your holiday marketing this year by creating stunning graphics to promote your campaigns? Then sign up for a KIMP subscription today. Start by registering now for a free 7-day trial!