5 BFCM Marketing Campaigns That Stood Out!

Did it ever strike you that more retailers are referring to Black Friday as Black November, Cyber Monday as Cyber Week, and The Holiday as The Holiday Season? 

When a Holiday turns into a “Holi-week”, a “Holi-month” or better yet a “Holi-season”, it becomes evident the opportunity is immense and can’t just be bounded by 2 or 3 one-day shopping events. 

Marketers spend 365 days of the year telling brand stories and persuading consumers to convert, but it’s a whole different narrative when consumers willingly have their wallets out and are ready to spend their bucks. Yes, we are referring to BFCM. This is the time of the year when clear communication of offerings and stepping out of the norm truly makes a difference.

We have put together some of our favorite BFCM Marketing Campaigns that have succeeded in the past in hopes to inspire you to make this year’s BFCM your best one yet. 

1. Walmart - Unwrap the Deal

The American multinational retailer, Walmart, leveraged the power of the rising social media trends by turning Black Friday sales into an engaging, sharable, and gamified experience. The Unwrap the deal campaign featured a Tiktok filter where customers visually unwrap the deal, repost it to their channel using the #unwrapthedeals hashtag and click through directly to the product page. 

Shareable, interactive content is always key to building engagement; the Walmart Black Friday Campaign exceeded industry benchmarks and achieved an 18.4% engagement rate and more than 6 Billion Views. 

2. Geeni - Nostalgic Cyber Monday Emails

Known for its wide range of smart home products, Geeni took a nostalgic approach to communicating its Cyber Monday Deals. There is nothing that hits the spot better than the good-old Windows popups. In a time where the audiences’ inbox is flooded with promotional emails, the Retention Marketing Team at Avex advised on tapping into consumers’ emotions and nostalgia through blasting creatively designed and carefully written emails, achieving +174% year-on-year revenue growth. 

3. Patagonia - Reversible Poem

Patagonia, a designer brand of outdoor clothing and gear for silent sports, is no stranger to social responsibility and environmental advocacy. As an extension of its wider “Buy Less, Demand More” anti-Black Friday campaign, Patagonia published a reversible poem that warns readers about the impending climate crisis;  read normally, the poem is a lament about the state of our world; read backward, it’s a call to action that invites the audience to make informed purchases.  

You must be wondering how come are we mentioning anti-black Friday initiatives in a Black Friday Marketing Blog?! Well, the answer is pretty simple. Patagonia is the perfect example of a brand that remains true to its values even during the busiest time of the year. By doing so, the Reversible Poem went viral across social media and was even featured in New York Times. With the right copy and the commitment to the brand’s core values, sales will undoubtedly increase among the brand’s most loyal consumers. 

4. Hugo Boss - Giving Tuesday

Luxury Fashion House, Hugo Boss, stressed Email Marketing not only to advertise discounts and deals but to communicate a higher cause; on Giving Tuesday, Hugo Boss worked with Avex to launch its “Shop for a Cause” Campaign, donating 15% of online and in-store sales to KABOOM and committing to build a BOSS multi-sport court in the tri-state area for kids. 

In times when brands are generating the most revenue, it's crucial to not forget about giving back to the community, not only to incentivize more transactions but to support the overall brand's social responsibility. 

5. Costco - Deal Leakage

If you are in eCommerce at all, you are probably aware that customers are becoming more inclined to shop earlier during the BFCM sale season. Costco, the wholesale retailer, “leaked” their Black Friday deal on social media and on local news well before the start of the season to keep their brand on top-of-consumer’s-mind in the days leading up to the big event. 

Cheeky? Yes. Drove interest? Yes. Increased Awareness? Yes. Built Anticipation? Also yes. 

When it comes to how brands and retailers market their promotions, boxes only exist to think outside of them. At this point, it is safe to say that Costco did just that.

The list can go on and on. But what we are aiming to portray in this blog is that whichever industry you are in, there is no right or wrong way to communicate your BFCM promotions. Whether a brand decides to test a new social channel or stick to what has proven successful in the past, communicate offers straightforwardly or creatively, focus on transactions, social responsibility or both, start early or on time, the goal is to ensure the right messages get to the right audience, at the right time, and at the right place. 

Every year, Avex helps numerous eCommerce businesses such as Geeni, Hugo Boss and Proleve stand out with BFCM Retention campaigns that support their overall business goals. From segmentation to A/B testing and implementation, our team is fixated on strategizing, optimizing, and capitalizing on opportunities that support your brand’s growth in the online space. Get in touch and let’s discuss how we can help you drive YoY Revenue Growth.