What can brands learn from the best Black Friday campaigns of 2023?

We’re fully into the swing of summer – and for many, colder nights and festivities might seem like a mere spec on the horizon

However, for marketers, we know that the calendar moves fast.

Brands will already be looking to get ahead and set themselves up for a successful Black Friday and Cyber Monday spending period.

In this blog, we’ll share three of our favourite Black Friday campaigns from 2023. We’ll look at why they were so successful, and give you top tips on how to build on the strengths of these campaigns.

What is Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM)?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest sales events of the year. Previously day-long affairs, BFCM has now become a week-long shopping holiday for those looking to save some serious pennies. 

For brands, it’s the perfect opportunity to generate sales, increase revenue, and create a sense of urgency.

Falling on the Friday after Thanksgiving, Black Friday is a popular time for consumers to snap up deals and get ahead with their Christmas shopping. Popular items that go on sale during this period include electronics, toys, home furnishings, and apparel. 

The eCommerce bang that follows, Cyber Monday, sees products continue to be boosted at a discounted rate. Traditionally, Black Friday was for in-person sales, whilst Cyber Monday was for digital deals. Nowadays, this spnding period is a blend of both online and offline.

When is Black Friday?

In 2024, Black Friday will fall on Friday the 29th of November.

When is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday, or the Cyber weekend, follows straight after. With deals lasting a full four days, this spending period will end on Cyber Monday, falling on 2 December 2024.

When do Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) offers start?

Drumroll - it depends! 

The main event takes place on the last weekend of November, however, we can safely predict most brands will be kicking off their Black Friday sales early. In 2023, the deals started rolling in more than a month before the big day.

Despite economic uncertainty, the numbers in 2023 were record-breaking. In fact, according to Adobe Analytics, last year's Black Friday sale was bigger than ever, with over 222.1 Billion dollars spent.

This was a massive 4.9% increase compared to 2022. 

We can predict Black Friday deals in 2024 taking place as early as October.

In part, this is due Amazon's 2nd Prime Day sale, which acts as a kick-off to the holiday shopping season. So, for consumers, it means you’ll get two months of impressive deals from retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, Target, Home Depot to name just a few.

For brands, it means the pressure is on. Get your marketing started early, and you’ll reap the rewards for months to come.

Where can you find the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals?

You’ll be able to secure bargains both in-store and online. For online deals specifically, Amazon is always a firm favourite.

Typically, Amazon will offer the most competitive prices and the widest range of products. 

Why is Black Friday and Cyber Monday so important for Gen Z?

Well, for today’s young consumers, times are tough and money is tight. In fact, 75% of Gen Zers in the UK (72% US) have made changes to their spending habits because of the rising cost-of-living. 

This doesn’t mean they want to stop spending entirely. Instead, they’ll be seeking out the best discounts on the market. 

How you can use student discounts to capture Gen Z...

Pion research has revealed that 89% of Gen Zers in the UK and 90% in the US want to see special offers and Black Friday promotions during this period. Stackable discounts are an absolute must this year.

If you’re unfamiliar with this term, we’ll break it down: a stackable discount is anything that comes in tandem with an already existing discount. Think a student discount coupled with free delivery, or a free gift.

Make sure that stackable offers have a prominent position on your brand’s homepage so that your target audience is immediately engaged upon their first site visit. And don’t forget about social and email promotion, in the build-up too. 

If you’re unsure where to start, get in touch with the Pion team today for more information and ideas on how you can turn browsers into repeat purchasers long after BFCM. 

Extra incentives 

Stackable discounts are great, but Gen Z are always looking for more.

This is an exciting time in the Gen Z calendar, and boosting engagement through additional offers will keep them hooked and encourage them to share your brand with friends.

What does the data tell us?

We asked Gen Z what type of offers would make them more likely to spend with a brand during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

• Student discounts (77% UK, 77% US) 
• Free delivery (68% UK, 66% US) 
• Discounts across the entire site/store (60% UK, 69% US) 
• Free gifts with purchase (57% UK, 52% US) 
• Stackable discounts (50% UK, 71% US) 
• Exclusive deals for subscribers (34% UK, 28% US) 
• Spin-to-win offers (29% UK, 18% US) 
• Extra loyalty points (27% UK, 27% US) 

What were the best Black Friday campaigns in 2023?

So, onto the good stuff.

What were some of the most standout campaigns of 2023, and why did they resonate so much with young consumers?

Walmart’s Mean Girls campaign

Mean Girls is having something of a moment. From the remake of the movie to the musical having its UK debut, Mean Girls is a cultural renaissance that just keeps on giving. The Walmart ad was a masterclass in nostalgia marketing.

‍

The series of ads featured five of the film’s original cast members reprising their roles (oh hey, Lindsay Lohan!).

Cleverly replacing the “burn book”, the Walmart ads are centred around a “deal book”, highlighting the discounts the retailer offered during the 2023 holiday season.

The timing of the ad campaign was everything. Dropping a week before the actual re-make hit cinemas, this was far from a coincidence, building hype in the lead-up and cementing Walmart’s place in the Black Friday hall of fame. 

Why did it work?

Young consumers just can't get enough of nostalgia. We would know – we wrote a whole report on it! The success of the campaign can be attributed to this: it tapped into the deep, enduring affection that fans have towards the movie and turned it into something fresh. We're already excited to see what 2024 has in store (Shrek 5 is coming soon, btw...).

Google’s Black Owned Friday

2023 was the fourth year of Google’s annual ‘Black Owned Friday’ event.

The program aims to help shine a light on Black-owned and operated businesses, and filter some of the Black Friday spending towards these companies.

‍

“Black-owned Friday, created by Google in partnership with the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., is all about celebrating Black-owned businesses and encouraging everyone to search, shop and support Black-owned.”

In 2023, the  program came with its own mini-site, as well as a new music video from actor Keke Palmer, who partnered with Google on a reimagining of the 90s pop classic “100% Pure Love” by Crystal Waters.

Utilizing the power of search, users were able to use a tool to help them find local businesses to support, along with a collection of tips and insights to help Black-owned brands maximize seasonal promotions.

Why did it work?

Black-owned Friday was a campaign that went beyond tokenism. So much so, it was nominated for Campaign Live’s ‘Most Purposeful Campaign of the Year’.

‍Redirecting the focus of Black Friday onto black-owned businesses (during the busiest shopping period of the year) was both impactful and culturally important. Equally, it bought more visibility to vendors and brands: the event encourages shoppers to support Black and local businesses year-round.

Jaded London

There’s no brand quite as cool as Jaded London. Young consumers are obsessed with this brand for its distinctive and edgy style – but with style, comes cost. The remedy to this? Discounts, of course.

Last year, Jaded London invested in on-platform media with Pion. They saw some incredible results.

Why did it work?

We highlighted earlier the importance of stackable discounts in capturing Gen Z spend – and Jaded London is a great case study of this.

They made their discounts stackable and highlighted these extra incentives during Cyber Week via their social presence and targeted campaigns.

As a result, sales soared across both the UK and the US. In the UK, they got an increase of 197% in orders (YoY). In the US, they increased revenue by 175% during this period. 

Mega stuff.  Go stackable or go home.

Want to learn how you can absolutely master your Black Friday & Cyber Monday marketing this year?

We've got the webinar for you.

Register now – or if you can’t make it, register anyway and we’ll send you the recording.