As Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) approach, businesses find themselves in a high-stakes competition for consumer attention. In this extremely competitive marketplace, standing out requires more than just deep discounts – it demands creativity, strategic insight and data-driven decision-making.
We recently sat down with Kyle Shurtz, VP of performance marketing at Avalaunch Media, to discuss how the role of BFCM is evolving, the creative trends shaping campaigns and the strategies needed to navigate the challenges of a saturated market.
Kyle Shurtz, VP of performance marketing for Avalanche Media
Learning from the past
Kyle emphasized the importance of looking beyond a single year’s performance when analyzing BFCM data. By comparing multiple years, marketers can better understand the larger trends and relationships in the data, identifying what worked and what didn’t.
“I like to cast a wide net to see how things trend over several years, especially in terms of pricing, inventory management and other key factors,” Kyle explained.
This broader approach helps businesses not only refine their strategy for the following year but also spot potential bottlenecks in areas like supply chain and marketing execution. Expert tip: Remember to include other factors within your year-to-year analysis. For example, these are typical points, among others, you should consider in your analysis:
- The extent of the discounts offered
- The pricing of products that had low sales
- Inventory issues such as out-of-stock situations and overstocking
- Any other areas for improvement for future reference
Breaking down silos and bottlenecks
One of the recurring challenges Kyle pointed out is the existence of silos within companies. Marketing, supply chain, pricing and other departments often operate in isolation, missing out on valuable cross-team insights.
Kyle stressed the need for collaboration across teams to ensure that data informs decisions at every level.
“I’ve worked with companies that are very siloed, and it makes it hard to identify the real issues. Breaking down those silos is crucial to running effective campaigns and keeping the business healthy,” Kyle noted.
Another important thing is to remove all potential bottlenecks, whatever they may be. For example, one possible issue could be your team struggling to produce enough content or ad creatives. In this scenario, you could consider hiring seasonal staff to ensure you have enough fresh marketing collateral during this time of year.
This example is just one among many, but it illustrates the need to preemptively anticipate all potential barriers. After all, BFCM is prime time for customers to buy, and many are excited to get the things they need or want during this period. So, try to make your operation run as smoothly as possible during this time to get the most out of it.
Balancing acquiring new versus serving existing
One question many businesses face during BFCM is whether to focus more on acquiring new customers or nurturing existing ones. According to Kyle, this decision often depends on the nature of the product or service being offered.
“If you’re selling a one-and-done product, it makes more sense to focus heavily on new customer acquisition. But if you have a repeatable or complementary product, you can strike more of a balance. Maybe 50/50 between new and existing customers,” Kyle explained.
He added that this approach helps maximize profitability during BFCM by tailoring the experience to different customer segments.
Kyle also pointed out that Black Friday is a great opportunity to introduce your brand or company to potential lifelong fans. You can use many strategies, such as gathering email addresses and phone numbers, to stay in touch with people. You can also do unique things like hosting in-person meetups or sending handwritten notes. These are unconventional approaches that many businesses overlook.
However, as Kyle likes to see it, acquiring new customers during Black Friday can help you build long-term relationships and grow your business over the months and years to come. In his opinion, if you think of creative and innovative ways to do it, it shouldn’t be an impossible task.
Measuring success beyond ROAS
One insightful takeaway from the conversation with Kyle was the emphasis on measuring success beyond standard metrics like return on ad spend (ROAS).
Naturally, the closer to profit they can get in terms of measurement, the better. Kyle emphasizes the importance of focusing on contribution margin, which represents the amount of revenue remaining after covering variable costs. This figure helps businesses optimize their profitability by understanding how much each sale contributes to covering fixed costs and profit.
Moreover, they utilize various platform analytics to gauge their impact. For instance, they consider ROAS as an indicator of how effective their ad campaigns or creatives are. Yet they also look at other leading indicators like the thumb-stop ratio (which shows how often people pause to look at their ads while scrolling).
A sample dashboard design showing ROAS and thumb stop ratio, among other metrics
“These indicators help us identify which strategies are working well before the actual profit is realized. By understanding these leading indicators, we can make informed decisions on when to scale our spending, which will lead to success during Black Friday,” said Kyle.
Full-funnel all the way
While many BFCM campaigns are lower funnel and conversion-driven, Avalaunch Media offers full-funnel services and campaigns at all times. Their goal is to understand the consumers' perspective and focus on why they would want to make a purchase. From awareness to consideration to conversion, it’s crucial to highlight what’s in it for the customer at each stage.
As every savvy marketer knows, you want to put yourself in your customers' shoes by highlighting the benefits for them and addressing any concerns they may have about buying. The key challenge here is creating a cohesive marketing campaign that speaks to the customer at whatever touchpoint or stage they are in. Avalaunch Media strives for that consistency.
“Throughout our campaign, whether it be videos, web pages, landing pages, text messages, or emails, we need to convey a consistent message about what's in it for them. We also need to address any reasons why they might hesitate to buy, using testimonials, customer reviews, or other messaging to push them over the edge to buy,” said Kyle.
Work with the data you’ve got
When asked how societal factors, such as recession fears or shifts in consumer spending behavior, influence Avalaunch Media’s BFCM strategy, Kyle has an extremely pragmatic approach
“You’ve got to work with the data you’ve got. Don't worry too much about external factors. Set your goals and go after them,” he said reassuringly.
According to him, one mistake marketers can make is sticking to a strategy for too long when other indicators are telling them to pivot. It's important to be nimble, especially during a recession, as none of us know what's going to happen for sure.
“Black Friday Cyber Monday has been quite successful for most of my clients because we've been nimble and acted when we saw the data telling us what to do and what not to do. You can't just have a set-it-and-forget-it plan. You need to be willing to take risks and make nimble decisions based on what you see,” Kyle said.
Trendy trends
Kyle believes that content and creativity are the most important aspects of their work. Whenever they run a campaign, their main focus is on being creative and producing quality content. This is especially crucial for advertising, where you pay top dollar to get your target audience to see your ads. So in this situation, you must get it right.
He said that they prioritize creative output and production, even if it means spending less on ads. However, they monitor metrics to ensure that the creative content is performing well. They look at metrics such as revenue per session, thumb-stop ratio (which is the 3-second video view divided by an impression) and link-click-to-landing-page rate as an indication of what could be accidental clicks or actual web visits.
When asked about emerging creative trends, Kyle highlighted the dominance of vertical video, largely driven by platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Quick, digestible content is key to capturing attention, but diversity in creative formats is just as important.
Examples of vertically formatted influencer-style videos on TikTok
“Vertical video is everything right now. The quicker and simpler you can explain your product or service, the better. But it’s also important to diversify your creative. Some people respond better to polished videos, while others prefer raw, in-the-moment content,” Kyle said.
This flexibility in content creation helps brands appeal to a broader audience.
Is BFCM still worth it?
According to Kyle, many clients aim to maintain profitability throughout the year. However, BFCM is the time when businesses make extra efforts to strengthen their bottom line and build up a financial cushion for future experimentation, new initiatives and company growth.
In the past, some companies could operate at a loss, hoping that Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) sales would help them recover. However, the mindset has shifted, and companies now strive to be consistently profitable year-round, with BFCM serving as a significant boost to their earnings. This change in mindset is likely a response to the economy, as businesses have become more conscientious about their spending and budgeting.
As competition increases and advertising costs rise during BFCM, some businesses are questioning whether it’s still worth it. Kyle acknowledged that while some brands are wary of participating in BFCM, it’s still a vital opportunity to boost the bottom line. However, there are creative ways to run a campaign without relying solely on steep discounts.
Kyle also cautioned against the potential long-term impact of excessive discounting.
“It’s important to be cautious with discounting, as it can train your audience to expect discounts year-round, potentially devaluing your brand. If you do decide to discount, stick to your planned BFCM sale and avoid extending sales, as this can lead customers to expect future discounts,” he advised.
Some brands don’t want to give big discounts, and that’s fine. You can get creative by bundling products or offering limited-edition items to create urgency. It’s all about striking the right balance.
Overcome the saturation
As BFCM continues to evolve, so too must the strategies and creativity that businesses bring to the table.
Kyle’s insights offer a fresh perspective on how to navigate the challenges of a crowded market, emphasizing the importance of data-driven decisions, breaking down silos, leveraging creative trends to stand out and implementing sustainable pricing.
In an increasingly saturated marketplace, those who adapt and remain nimble will thrive. If you’re not participating in BFCM this year, or worse, operating on autopilot, you could be missing out. After all, BFCM is still the time of year to generate the big bucks.