The average American spends over $1,000 on gifts during the holiday season.[1] Although holiday spending has been increasing (holiday spend increased by 4% between 2018 and 2019), COVID-19 could hinder this upward trend in 2020. At the very least, it will impact how consumers shop in Q4. This makes it more important than ever for brands to ensure they maximize their share-of-market for the holiday season. To stay ahead, brands will need to invest in a robust November marketing strategy that makes the most of big-spending holidays like Cyber Monday and Black Friday. Here’s how brands can use November’s energy moments to connect with consumers.
Movember has become a globally recognized movement to raise awareness (and funds) for men’s health and encourage men to live healthier lifestyles. A portmanteau of ‘mustache’ and “November,” men participating in this event grow their mustaches out for the entire month, no trimming allowed!
Software giant, Oracle, wanted to raise awareness of Movember as well as increase their brand awareness, so they created a social media giveaway called the “OracleMoContest.” The prize? AirPods Pro for 4 lucky followers. Over the span of a month, they encouraged followers of their social media channels to join the giveaway. Followers could enter the contest by posting a photo of their Movember mustache, tagging three friends and using the @OracleMoContest. The campaign was a success. Across all corporate @Oracle channels, the Movember campaign resulted in 1M+ impressions from 63 social media posts and 127K video views.[2]
On Veterans Day, Americans take a moment to appreciate those who have served in our armed forces. Many brands publicly thank veterans by posting on social media or sending out emails. A simple “thank you,” over social media can go a long way, especially in a month inundated with Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Athletic company Under Armour partnered with actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to show their appreciation for vets, posting the below picture to their Instagram page.
Thanksgiving is a great time of year to express thanks to your customers. In light of COVID-19, using this time to show your appreciation is more important than ever. Some of your customers are struggling with loss of loved ones, job loss, loneliness or the stress of working while juggling remote learning and childcare.
TD Bank created their #MakeTodayMatter campaign to say “thank you” to their audience. The bank gave $30,000 to 24 customers in the U.S. and Canada who could then use the funds to give back to their communities. The winners chose to give to causes such as feeding the homeless, installing ramps for people with disabilities, and more. Watch the video below to learn more about the causes and communities that benefited from TD Bank’s #MakeTodayMatter campaign.
American Express founded Small Business Saturday in 2010. The credit powerhouse wanted to find a way to give small businesses across the country a way to grab consumers’ attention during the shopping frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Many local communities team up with small businesses to help promote the day and keep cash circulating in the local economy.
G4 by Golpa, a dental office with locations across the U.S., teamed up with other dental implant companies on Small Business Saturday in order to maximize their brand exposure. Together, they organized a “#Milliondollarsmile” giveaway on Instagram. The requirements to enter were to follow all four participating dental companies, like their posts and tag four friends. The campaign paid off. “By the end of December, we were booked up to May and revenue increased 45 percent,” said Dr. Mike Golpa, director of G4 by Golpa. “I can safely say it worked for us.”[3]
Black Friday it the busiest day of the year for brick-and-mortar retailers. However, it might look a little different this year. Best known for its door-busting foot traffic, pandemic precautions are leading retailers to either cut back on Black Friday or move it online.
For Black Friday in 2019, subscription underwear service MeUndies threw a virtual party on Facebook, the “Black Friday Drawer Buster Event.”
The event was successful for MeUndies. Of the 300,000 followers they invited,13,000 attended the event and then went on to convert at a rate of 25%.[4] A virtual Black Friday event is a great way to promote your brand while keeping your customers safe.
With Black Friday restricted, retailers should shore up their eCommerce strategies in preparation of Cyber Monday. In 2019, Cyber Monday was the biggest shopping day of the year, and it will likely hit new levels of success in 2020.
All brands offer deals for Cyber Monday; sales, additional discounts on clearance items, free shipping, and BOGO are all popular. Beauty retailer Sephora offers extra gifts and rewards points for their loyalty rewards members. Other retailers will partner up with a different brand to stand out. For example, sock company Bombas teamed up with Sesame Street to create a limited run of themed socks that they released just in time for the holiday season.
Shoe brand Allbirds doesn’t offer discounts…ever. But they didn’t want to leave their customers flat-footed on the biggest shopping day of the year. They decided to offer something very exclusive to attract more shoppers on Cyber Monday. They released a limited-edition sneaker for the holidays, and it sold out almost immediately, proving that discounts aren’t the only way to attract Cyber Monday shoppers.
[1] https://www.alliantcreditunion.org/money-mentor/how-much-are-americans-spending-this-holiday-season
[2] https://shortyawards.com/12th/oraclemocontest-movember-campaign
[3] https://www.totallypromotional.com/blog/small-business-saturday-promotions/
[4] https://www.yotpo.com/blog/best-black-friday-cyber-monday-campaigns/
As Content Marketing Manager, Natasia is responsible for helping strategize, produce and execute Data Axle's content. With a passion for writing and an enthusiasm for data management and technology, Natasia creates content that is designed to deliver nuggets of wisdom to help brands and individuals elevate their data governance policies. A native New Yorker, when Natasia is not at work she can be found enjoying New York’s food scene, at one of NYC’s many museums, or at one of the city’s many parks with her two teacup yorkies.