Your client shopping on Black Friday

Shoppers are an attractive audience at any time of year, but out-of-home advertisers can maximize their exposure by targeting holiday shoppers over the busy Black Friday weekend.
 
While Black Friday shoppers may well be looking for bargains, that's not to say they are not in the mood to spend, or for that matter don't have the money to spend. Last year 35 percent of those who shopped on Black Friday had annual household incomes of $100,000 or more.
 
There are many possibilities for targeting Black Friday shoppers, including street teams, sidewalk stencils, mall campaigns and video projections.
 
To find out how to get your client in front of shoppers on Black Friday, read on.
 
This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
 
Fast Facts
 
What
Targeting shoppers over Black Friday weekend.
 
Who
Any agency with out-of-home, street team or guerrilla capabilities can do a campaign targeting shoppers on Black Friday.
 
How it works
Advertisers can target Black Friday shoppers in many different ways, but a good place to start is using street teams.
 
Street teams can interact with shoppers as they line up in front of stores in the early-morning hours, passing out free coffee or hot chocolate, branded stocking caps or hand warmers, or talking up a product or service.
 
Teams can also be placed in malls to help drive traffic to specific stores, and as always they can be armed with add-ons such as coupons, Segway scooters or iPads.
 
Another tactic that can be used on Black Friday is ads on the ground outdoors, such as stencils, vinyls or projections. Stencils and vinyls directing shoppers to stores work best during daylight hours, while projections are visible when it's dark.
 
Projections can also be used on the sides of buildings, either static ads or full video. They can be projected onto buildings from moving vehicles as well, which can be a surprising and eye-catching way to get the attention of shoppers going from store to store.
 
Flash mobs doing branded, surprise performances are also used on Black Friday. Some buyers think flash mobs have become overdone, but well-executed ones can still make a huge viral impact.
 
Finally, Black Friday marketers can customize trucks and park them in high-traffic areas, which offers advertisers flexibility. For example, a video game company could set up a truck with flat-screen TVs to allow passersby to try a new game. Or an advertiser might set up a branded truck offering tired shoppers a free 5- or 10-minute massage.
 
Markets
Black Friday campaigns can be executed in any market.
 
Numbers
Last year 226 million people visited stores and retail web sites over Black Friday weekend, according to the National Retail Federation, up from 212 million the previous year.
 
The average holiday shopper spent $398.62 that weekend, up from $365.34 in 2010.
 
How it is measured
Marketers can track how many items they distribute to estimate impressions. They can also track other things such as how many people signed up for a mailing list or how many viewed a TV or movie trailer.
 
What product categories work well
Recent or current Black Friday advertisers include retail, credit cards, travel, consumer packaged goods, beverages, video games, movies and entertainment.
 
Demographics
Among those who shopped on Black Friday last year, 35 percent had annual household incomes of $100,000 or more, according to NPD Group. Eighteen percent had incomes under $25,000 and 17 percent between $25,000 and $50,000.
 
The largest segment of Black Friday shoppers in terms of age were those age 55-64, at 20.4 percent, followed by 25-34s at 19.9 percent.
 
Making the buy
Lead time varies depending on the campaign, but it is typically anywhere from two to six weeks.
 
Pricing also varies based on the elements involved, ranging from $4,000 to $20,000 per market.
 
Who's already advertised on Black Friday
Current or recent brands that have advertised on Black Friday include Macy's, Gap, Old Navy, Papaya, H&M, Century 21, Michael Kors and Carnival Cruise Lines.
 
What they're saying
"It's a lot about interaction on Black Friday. It's also about the number of impressions you can get on that one day. It can be a bit more expensive, but it could be worth it because of the sheer amount of impressions you're able to gather." – Sasha Engel, chief operating officer and chief financial officer at GoGorilla Media
 
Web site info
 
GoGorilla Media
http://gogorillaadvertising.com
 
michael alan group
http://www.michael-alan.com
 
Brand Marketers
http://www.brandmarketers.com
 
Alt Terrain
http://www.altterrain.com
 
Attack! Marketing
www.attackmarketing.net
 
posterGIANT
http://www.postergiant.net
 
 

Tags: ads, advertising to black friday shoppers, black friday, black friday advertising, black friday shoppers, campaigns, holiday, impressions, operating officer, out of home, out of home advertising, retail, shopping, street teams, targeting black friday shoppers