Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner! Is your business ready? This week, we’re looking for Black Friday inspiration from the masters of promotion – Cards Against Humanity.
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to make a marketing splash. Nor do you need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, we can look to successful Black Friday campaigns from the past for inspiration. Few companies have made as big an impact on the holiday as Cards Against Humanity.
Cards Against Humanity and Black Friday
Cards Against Humanity are the first business I think of when it comes to Black Friday. Through well executed, cheeky campaigns, they have made themselves synonymous with the holiday.
In 2013, they made headlines by increasing the price of their card game over the weekend by $5. Not a great deal, I hear you say… However, it led to increased sales and inspired the team to go even further down the rabbit hole. Since then, they’ve sold literal poop in a box during the Black Friday weekend, and they even briefly started selling potato chips.
What Happened Last Year?
In 2018, CAH managed to raise the bar once more. Their in-house marketing team went big on garnering publicity with a campaign that was so ridiculous it went viral.
“We wanted to pull off a sale so stupid and irresponsible that no other business would ever attempt it,” said CAH Community Director, Jenn Bane.
“It was our attempt to break through the noise of Black Friday.”
Their campaign revolved around offering 99 per cent off on a range of products that had nothing to do with their core card game. The deals, posted on twitter, included highlights such as a $20 bill for 20 cents, a car worth $9,750 for $97.50, and an 85” Sony 4K television for $34.99 (reduced from $3,499).
The Outcome
CAH were successful in going viral once again. Their well thought out and executed campaign generated a huge response on social media as people reacted and shared their outrageous deals. The 99PercentOffSale.com website registered a whopping 50,000 simultaneous page views.
"All products were real - we sourced them online ourselves - and were shipped to delighted customers in the weeks following," Bane said.
Takeaways
While Cards Against Humanity’s approach isn’t a fit for every business, there are some valuable takeaways to consider from their campaign. Consumers are bombarded with cookie cutter sales each Black Friday. It’s hugely effective to try and find a unique angle or slant that will help your business stand out from the crowd.
How shareable are your deals? CAH were so successful because they convinced customers to do their marketing for them. If you can tap into this rich potential in your own business, your customers will become your marketing team, doing the work for you.
You don’t need to invest in expensive marketing. All that’s needed is a way to stand out from the crowd.
Ready to Help
Want to make sure your business is ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday? GD Commerce is standing by to help. Contact Us and find out how we can lessen the load.
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