👋, I’m Kimberly. I’ve been creating obsession-worthy brands for the past fifteen years. And now, I’m giving away my secrets every week in this newsletter.
It’s that time of year again. Your inbox, your newsfeed, and every corner of the world you look at scream at you in big giant letters SALE-SALE-SALE-SALE-SALE.
Yes, you must act now or never to take advantage of these amazing discounts!
It used to be that the saying “you snooze, you lose” quite literally applied to this very special Friday of the year—when those still bleary from a turkey coma would leave their houses in the wee hours of the morning to line up for unbeatable deals.
The frenzy was real, as customers would run inside as soon as those glass plated doors opened—and even those who maybe had not run in years laced up their shoes and scrambled to get the latest electronic gadget or the hot kid’s toy of the moment (remember to Tickle Me Elmo? I do.).
A few weeks ago in a newsletter about my Nope List, I asked brands to please put an end to the crazy early rush on these deals—calling out that I received my first Black Friday email in October.
OCTOBER, people.
It’s not even the same month.
The Anti-Black Friday Boom
As of late, it’s become a bit trendier for brands to take a stand against the holiday. REI has gotten years’ worth of traction over its Black Friday approach.
In 2015, the outdoor retailer sent shockwaves through the world by going MIA on Black Friday. Not only did they NOT have sales and discounts. They didn’t have employees.
REI closed its doors to purchases IRL and online—encouraging everyone to #OptOutside and spend their day exploring the great outdoors rather than fighting the crowds indoors.
Bonus: They were still paying all of their employees for the day.
The shuttering down got everyone hyped up: people couldn’t stop talking about what a genuine and caring company REI was. And it put tremendous focus on their brand values in a way that people connected with.
Years later, their CEO credits the now yearly closures with helping REI survive the retail apocalypse—during which over 200 big retailers have died. Others have copied the approach, but no one’s gotten people talking like REI. And the campaign has become part of their core alongside their values.
This year, beauty company Decium veered hard in the opposite direction as REI.
They declared that the entire month of November was, in effect, Black Friday.
Coining the term “Slovember,” Decium and its most successful brand The Ordinary gave customers 23% off for the entire month to encourage conscious consumption and considered purchases over a period that traditionally celebrates impulse purchasing.
DECIEM’s month-long discount offers a human approach to discounting. Consumers will be encouraged to partake in a month of soothing and relaxing experiences across all channels, via calm activations in-store, and across DECIEM’s online presence. Slowvember welcomes back DECIEM’s month-long discount period, allowing its audience to slow down and take the time to make educated purchasing decisions.
On a day traditionally known as Black Friday, DECIEM will celebrate connections over clicks with its website and tills closed across all stores. However, after a year of reduced human interaction DECIEM has decided to keep some of its global retail locations open but offer them as a place where shoppers can take a moment to relax and experience live music, local refreshments and take part in musical and artistic workshops. Customers will not be able to purchase products on Black Friday.
Way to Zag, You Guys
I’m fully on board with both of these companies having the chutzpah to try something different during the holidays, which honestly can be super scary for any retailer to do.
Having worked through two stressful holiday seasons when I was in-house at Sephora, I know how much of a business's bottom line could potentially be affected by any boat rocking in this area.
But when everyone is screaming SALE-SALE-SALE, it’s your big opportunity to do something different.
They zig, you zag—you win.
And, you don’t fall into the trap of giving bigger and bigger discounts.
So for next year, I challenge all of you with brands to try and do Black Friday a little bit differently.
And here are a few ways you could go about it—based on the principles of persuasion.
The First Principle of Persuasion Got Us Into This Black Friday Situation…
In the classic book, Influence, Dr. Robert Cialdini identifies Six Principles of Persuasion that are proven to help guide human behavior.
The first is scarcity: people want more of things that there are less of. You could say that Black Friday, the single day to get the best deals of the year, was founded on this principle.
Retailers realized that they didn’t need to wait until the actual day to start their deals—and they all tried to get the jump on each other earlier and earlier. And as consumers, our feeling of scarcity also began earlier and earlier, triggering mass anxiety and overwhelm.
But the Other Principles of Persuasion Could Get Us Out Of It…
Meet The Second Principle of Persuasion: Reciprocity
Dr. Cialdini’s second principle is reciprocity: people are obliged to give back to others if they have received something first. If you’re the first to give, people will want to give you something in return—especially if that gift is personalized and unexpected.
To apply this principle to your holiday marketing, think about what kind of gift you could offer your customer before Black Friday.
Maybe it’s something physical that you get in the mail: a travel-sized product or surprise sample or a fun piece of swag.
Example: Pins and stickers have been trending for a few years now.
Or perhaps it’s something digital: a holiday playlist, a photo filter, or a code to redeem for an IRL treat that’s somehow tied into your company.
Example: A code for a free juice at a local shop, perfect for after a workout if you’re, say, a spin studio.
Getting a little something unexpected/personalized/special in the days leading up to Black Friday instead of yet another sale preview email will make your customers happier and help them associate that happiness with you once it’s time to shop for the holiday—whether you’re running a mega sale or not.
Meet The Third Principle of Persuasion: Authority
According to Dr. Cialdini’s research, another way to persuade your audience is to establish yourself as the voice of authority in a given field — because people follow the lead of credible and knowledgeable experts.
This may seem like a tricky one to incorporate into your pre-holiday marketing. When companies are yelling “sale!” and covering their marketing in glitter, how do you become an authority?
Well… you could think about the voices of authority that people trust most during the holidays.
Every blog/magazine/publication has a gift guide these days. It’s a no-brainer to try and get on as many of these as possible. Do that—then let people know.
Don’t just try and get on these Gift Guides. Send out messages highlighting all of the top gift guides you appear on and really flaunt the credentials of those associated with them.
Example: The #1 cooking blog named our cast iron pot the Top Gift of 2021
Show off how much those in the know are recommending you and let their authority prop you up throughout the season.
Meet the Fourth Principle of Persuasion: Consistency
Once people commit to something, they want to follow through, even if it costs them.
And as Dr. Cialdini points out, people like to be consistent with things they’ve previously said or done.
In your holiday marketing, you could remind people of something they previously said or did with your brand that was positive.
Example: Did they shop with you last year during the holidays? What did they get?
Sending out a targeted message reminding people of the great gift they got for someone special (or from themselves!) from you last year could prime them to shop with you again this year — especially if they think about who they gave the gift to and the joy that brought them.
Meet the Fifth Principle of Persuasion: Liking
Dr. Cialdini’s fifth principle has to do with liking.
People prefer to say yes to people who they like. We like people who are similar to us, people who give us compliments and work towards shared goals.
One approach here is perfect for any company with a strong mission. If you’ve built your brand the right way, the values of your company should align in many ways with the values of your customers.
Example: If your company values sustainability, that’s likely a value of your customers too.
In your holiday messaging, play up these shared values as much as possible in your content.
Show how much you are like your consumer by showing them what you’re doing to further the causes you have in common—many of which will be top of mind during the season of giving and generosity.
Even if you are running a sales message, see what happens if you add in messages about your shared values.
Example: Black Friday Deals on the Most Ethically Made Cashmere in the World
A second approach would be to go hard on recommendations and referrals.
Most companies now have some sort of a code to pass along for a discount. Black Friday would be a prime time to push this and give people extra incentives to spread the word or perhaps even “invite” them personally to a Black Friday event.
In the sea of Black Friday marketing, people are much more likely to pay attention to something coming from a friend with the recommendation that this is a great gift.
Example: “I gave this to my mom last year and she loved it!”
Meet the Sixth Principle of Persuasion: Consensus
Last but not least, Dr. Cialdini’s sixth principle has to do with consensus: the idea that people will look to the actions and behaviors of others to determine their own.
People will emulate each other—and showing social proof is extremely powerful.
But how can you get a consensus on Black Friday? Again, it’s all about what you’re highlighting in your messaging and how you decide to structure it.
You may be offering a Black Friday sale — but in the days leading up to the sale and even when you reveal the sale, try talking about the number of people who have already bought your product or the percentage of people who love it.
You can make this type of messaging product-specific
Black Friday Deals from the #1 Fragrance Brand at Sephora
Another way to infuse consensus into your messaging would be to show how many people have signed up for your Black Friday sale already.
Example: 1M People Can’t Wait to See Our Sale
Or you could show how many people took advantage of your sale last year.
Example: 1M People Found the Perfect Holiday Gift — And Saved.
Now, Prepare to Be a Disco Pineapple in a Sea of Same-Same
You don’t need to be like everyone else and rely on scarcity when it ’tis the season.
As you’re planning for your next Black Friday (which obviously begins on November 24 because it’s already holiday 2022 and you can’t afford to lose a second), think about how you could incorporate the other five principles of persuasion into your marketing.
And get into a groovy new groove.
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About Me
I help early stage founders create the kind of brands that get customers so obsessed, they’ll do your advertising for you.
Based on my experience founding my own consumer brand, I developed The Branding Sprint—a uniquely collaborative, streamlined, and agile approach to brand creation.
Click here to learn more about The Branding Sprint, or schedule a call with me.