Will Your Brand Survive the Black Friday Noise?
Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become full-blown digital battlefields, with ad costs soaring, inboxes flooded, and shoppers bombarded with offers.
The challenge? Making your brand the one they actually click.
Why Black Friday Still Matters
Forget “Black Friday fatigue”. The numbers say otherwise.
In 2023, shoppers spent $70.9 billion online globally, up 8% year on year, while U.S. sales climbed 9% to $16.4 billion. Across Cyber Week, spending surged to an eye-watering $298 billion worldwide, proving consumers are still buying, just more deliberately¹.
Cyber Monday held onto its crown as the biggest shopping day, hitting $13.3 billion, up 7.3% from previous years². Behind the scenes, brands went harder than ever, email sends jumped 22%, with 365 million messages delivered on Black Friday alone².
The truth? Black Friday isn’t dying, it’s evolving. The brands that thrive are the ones that adapt, not the ones that shout the loudest.
The Secret to Standing Out
Standing out isn’t about throwing bigger discounts or shouting louder; it’s about precision.
As one recent report notes, the brands that win Black Friday are the ones that plan early, know their audience, and keep messaging consistent across every touchpoint³.
That process starts weeks before the sale. The best-performing brands use early November to build awareness and gather data, testing creatives, refining audiences, and expanding retargeting lists.
Understanding your audience means analysing that data to see what actually drives action, whether it’s urgency, social proof, or a strong value message.
By the time Black Friday hits, every ad, email, and landing page should work together to tell one clear story: what’s on offer, why it matters, and why they should buy now.
And that is where precision turns into performance. Once your strategy is built, the next step is optimising how it shows up across platforms, from Meta to Google to TikTok, each demanding a slightly different approach.
How to Optimise Your Paid Ads (and Actually Convert)
Meta: Warm up early, sell fast
Use early November to run engagement and video view ads that build awareness and feed your retargeting lists⁴.
Then, as Black Friday approaches, shift your campaign goal to drive sales, targeting people who have already interacted with your brand. These “warm audiences” include anyone who’s watched your videos, visited your site, or engaged with your posts in the last few weeks.
Your creative should make the offer impossible to miss: clear discount, product focus, and a fast call to action. On Meta, clarity always wins over cleverness; attention is short, and if your offer isn’t visible in the first two seconds, they’ll scroll right past.
Google: Be there when they search
When shoppers are actively searching, timing and relevance matter most³.
Start by polishing your product feeds and setting up Merchant Promotions, so your discounted prices and offers display directly in Google Shopping results.
Next, make sure your ad copy, pricing, and landing pages all tell the same story. Nothing loses a shopper faster than clicking on a 40% off ad and landing on a generic homepage.
According to HawkSEM (2024), adding small details like “Free Shipping” or “Ends midnight” to your search ads can increase click-through rates by up to 15%⁵.
These cues build urgency and help your ad stand out in a crowded search page.
TikTok: Stop the scroll!
TikTok is built on authenticity, not polish, and that is exactly why it works⁶.
Create short, UGC-style videos that look like real content, not ads. Show the product in use, highlight the discount on-screen, and use captions or countdown overlays to build urgency.
Your first two seconds are everything. Start with movement, emotion, or a hook that instantly draws attention. For example: “This Black Friday deal is insane...” or “I can’t believe this is 50% off.”
The goal is simple: make your ad blend into the feed just long enough for the viewer to realise it’s something they actually want.
Let’s Talk Creative! How to Drive Sales This Black Friday / Cyber Monday
The most successful brands combine smart media planning with irresistible offers that convert.
Here are some proven creative strategies to help your brand stand out:
- Offer Early Access to Your Deals
Create a sense of exclusivity by rewarding your most loyal customers or email subscribers with early access. This builds anticipation and gives you a ready-to-buy audience when the sale officially begins. Offering early access in exchange for sign-ups can also help you grow your database ahead of time⁸. - Create Product Bundles
Encourage larger purchases by bundling bestsellers with new launches or complementary items. Emphasise the total savings and position bundles as “complete gift sets” to increase average order value and perceived value⁹. - Launch Flash Sales and Use Countdown Timers
Nothing drives urgency like limited time. Run short flash sales or display countdown timers on your site to trigger fast decision-making. Pair this with free shipping thresholds to push customers to add more to their cart¹⁰. - Run a Social Media Giveaway
Boost engagement and awareness by asking followers to like, share, or tag a friend for a chance to win. It’s a simple, low-cost way to increase reach and keep your brand front of mind during the busiest shopping weekend of the year¹¹. - Offer Limited Editions or Free Gifts with Purchase
Limited drops and exclusive gifts make your brand feel premium and desirable, without deep discounting. Highlight the rarity of the offer to spark urgency and encourage impulse buys¹². - Optimise the Mobile Experience
With most Black Friday traffic coming from mobile, your site needs to load fast and be easy to navigate. Streamline checkout, simplify menus, and remove friction points¹³. - Offer Buy Now, Pay Later Options
Flexible payment options like BNPL can help customers justify bigger purchases and reduce hesitation at checkout, particularly effective for higher-value products¹³.
At Bravada, we help brands cut through the Black Friday chaos with data-driven, creative-led paid media across Meta, Google, and TikTok.
We turn ad clutter into clicks and clicks into conversions.
Want your BFCM campaigns to actually perform this year?
Drop us a message at hello@bravada-uk.com and let’s make your brand the one that stands out in the noise.
Sources
- Queue-it. Black Friday Statistics (2024). https://queue-it.com/blog/black-friday-statistics
- Dotdigital. Black Friday and Cyber Monday Stats (2024). https://dotdigital.com/blog/black-friday-cyber-monday-stats
- Embryo. Optimising Paid Media for Black Friday (2024).
- Cake Agency. Meta Ad Best Practices for Peak Season (2024).
- HawkSEM. Expert Tips for BFCM Marketing Success (2024).
- Gelato. Black Friday and Cyber Monday Marketing Insights (2024).
- Jon Loomer. Preparing for Black Friday with Meta Ads (2024).
- Shopify. Black Friday Marketing Strategies for Early Access (2024).
- Klaviyo. How Bundling Increases Average Order Value (2024).
- HubSpot. Creating Urgency in Holiday Campaigns (2024).
- Later. Holiday Giveaway Ideas to Boost Engagement (2024).
- Forbes. Black Friday Psychology: Why Limited Editions Work (2024).
- Adobe Commerce. Mobile Optimisation and BNPL Trends for Cyber Week (2024).