Merchandising Wiz Bites #1: Black Friday and the Holiday Sprint!

As the holiday rush peaks, the battle for consumer attention is fiercer than ever. What if you could peek behind the curtain and uncover the strategies of major global brands? From leveraging nostalgia to crafting loyalty-driven campaigns, this is your chance to turn industry secrets into your competitive edge.

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What is in this post?

• What is the purpose of this blog?
• Key trends that shaped holiday season
• Campaigns businesses ran
• Takeaways from this season
• Recommendations about improving promotions

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At Baresquare, we do all the hard work, so you don't have to. We provide online market research across various brands and do autonomous deep-dive analysis on them by researching and scraping vast amounts of data. What kind of insights would you extract if you had access to the entire history of the Meta Ad Library? If you’d like to find out, join us in this interactive journey of discovery. 

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This is the kind of question we help with for why merchandiser leaders like Sony and Conde Nast who work with us to amplify their team productivity. Today, we are launching the Merchandising Wiz Bites series to bring insights from global brands to everyone.

What is this?

This is a series of blog posts brought to you by the Baresquare Merchandising Wiz. In every one of these posts, we will do bite-sized deep-dives into major global brands' merchandising strategies as they unfold weekly.

Where are the insights coming from?

Our team processes and analyzes campaigns run by major global brands from the Meta ad library. For transparency reasons, this dataset lists ads run on all Meta platforms. We extract, store, process, and analyze all this content, so you don't have to! The Baresquare Merchandising Wiz Team then uses their analysis to extract more digestible insights.

Why should I care?

Understanding how global brands like Vans, Nike, and Crocs craft their strategies during high-stakes seasons like Black Friday gives you the edge to innovate and outperform, whether you're looking to drive customer loyalty, maximize ROI, or uncover the untapped potential in your campaigns, these insights aren't just interesting—they're actionable!

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Ready to unlock the tactics and trends shaping the future of merchandising? Keep reading, and let’s take your strategy to the next level.

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How do I keep up?

Want to keep up with the latest insights? Follow this channel for more! Do you have a brand or product category you want to see featured? Comment below and let us know—your wish might inspire our next post!

Who do we start with?

This journey begins with a deep dive into footwear brands' strategies to stand out during the 2024 holiday season. We uncover the tactics in this competitive market by analyzing their campaigns across key shopping weeks—spanning Black Friday, Cyber Week, and the build-up to the end of the year.

Today, we highlight standout campaigns and overarching trends defining this pivotal holiday shopping period. From nostalgic brand narratives to cutting-edge innovations, these strategies provide a window into what the market competitors are doing this Holiday season.

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The Common Threads That Defined the Season 

As the busiest shopping weeks of the year unfolded, footwear brands showcased a diverse array of strategies to capture attention, drive sales, and foster loyalty. From leveraging emotional narratives to embracing digital innovation, brands pulled out all the stops to differentiate themselves in a competitive market. 

Heritage and Nostalgia: Brands like Vans and Reebok tapped into the power of iconic products and nostalgic campaigns to forge emotional connections and reinforce brand loyalty.

Exclusivity and FOMO: Limited-edition releases, such as PUMA's Squid Game collaboration, effectively created urgency and broadened audience appeal.

Holistic Lifestyle Branding: Adidas incorporated complementary product categories to present a cohesive lifestyle narrative, enhancing overall brand perception.

Digital Engagement: Tools like Asics' interactive shoe finder and Nike's app-centric holiday campaigns highlighted the growing importance of digital touchpoints in enriching the shopping experience.

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Campaigns That Stole the Spotlight in 2024

As the holiday shopping season unfolded, footwear brands demonstrated their ability to innovate, inspire, and connect with consumers on multiple levels. By building on key industry trends such as nostalgia-driven campaigns, exclusive releases, and digital engagement, each brand brought a unique perspective to its strategy. 

Below, we explore how standout campaign strategies exemplified how the season's broader trends could be brought to life through carefully crafted execution: 

Adidas

• Heritage Heroics: Highlighted classics like Copa Mundial and Kaiser 5 Liga boots, tapping into legacy appeal.
• Fragrance & Apparel Integration: Paired seasonal apparel promotions with the fragrance line Adidas Vibes, offering a holistic lifestyle package.
• Exclusive Perks: Offered a 15% discount for new members, driving urgency and expanding Adidas’ loyal base.

Asics

• Pre-Launch Energy: Built anticipation for the NOVABLAST 5 with performance testimonials and countdowns.
• Interactive Tools: Introduced an interactive tennis shoe finder, blending engagement with guided shopping decisions

Converse

• Celebrity Collaborations: Continued the Charli XCX partnership while introducing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, maintaining dual influencer narratives.
• Avant-Garde Design: Released bold designs like platform knee-high Chucks, appealing to style-forward consumers.

Crocs 

• Layered Discounts & Personalization: Combined up to 60% off discounts with promo codes and customizable options like Jibbitz™ charms, increasing repeat purchases.
• Winter Comfort Collection: Highlighted lined styles blending practicality and holiday comfort.

Dr. Martens

• Cyber Sale Pivot: Shifted from brand-first messaging to a 40% off Cyber Sale in Week 49, showing adaptability during peak shopping periods.

New Balance

• Legacy Narratives: Promoted the T500 tennis shoe, tying holiday messaging to heritage and athlete endorsements.
• Performance Products: Showcased performance-driven offerings, creating an emotional connection with gift-focused consumers.

Nike

• Digital App Engagement: Pushed app downloads with promises of exclusive benefits and products, building a long-term retention channel.
• Iconic Gifting: Positioned products like Air Force 1 ’07 and Blazer Mid ’77 as perfect holiday gifts, emphasizing versatility.

Puma

• Cultural Collaborations: Celebrated One Piece’s 25th Anniversary with limited-edition releases.
• Early Access Deals: Offered app users exclusive holiday deals, leveraging urgency and differentiation.

Reebok

• Multi-Channel Collaborations: Launched partnerships like Sonic, OBEY, and Hunter x Hunter, appealing to diverse audiences.
• Flexible Payments: Promoted pay-later options such as Klarna to reduce friction at checkout.

Vans

• Heritage and Nostalgia: Celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Skate Rowley, tapping into loyal fans’ nostalgia.
• No-Discount Strategy: Focused on gifting messaging and accessible price points instead of deep discounts, reinforcing its brand-first approach.

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Takeaways and Recommendations

These strategies showcase not just the footwear industry's creativity but also a roadmap for navigating a rapidly evolving retail landscape. The question now is: How can these insights be transformed into opportunities for your business? 

From harnessing nostalgia to leveraging digital-first strategies, the following steps can unlock the potential of these trends to captivate customers and stay ahead of the curve.

Here are some findings validated by comparing campaigns run by footwear brands above this holiday season. These key takeaways can help guide your next strategic campaign:

• Leverage Emotional Resonance: Tap into nostalgia and heritage to build strong emotional connections, as seen in campaigns by Adidas and Reebok.
• Utilize Limited Editions: Exclusive releases like PUMA’s Squid Game collaboration effectively drive urgency and broaden audience appeal.‍
• Optimize Time-Sensitive Campaigns: Short flash sales (24-48 hours) can boost traffic and conversions. Communicate urgency to maximize results.

Actionable Insights

Refine Holiday Narratives

• Emphasize practicality and emotional value in messaging, inspired by Nike’s “Give Sport” campaign.
• Use holiday-themed landing pages or gift guides to streamline product discovery and enhance conversion rates.

Prioritize Membership Growth

• Offer exclusive discounts or early access to promotions for members.
• Incentivize sign-ups during checkout or holiday campaigns to grow your loyal base.

Enhance Digital Engagement

• Create personalized features like Asics’ shoe finder to guide the shopping journey.
• Leverage apps for exclusive deals and content, driving downloads and long-term retention.

Balance Legacy and Innovation

• As Crocs did with updated silhouettes, refresh iconic items to appeal to new audiences.
• Link product updates to cultural moments or events for added excitement and relevance.

Optimize Ad Spend ROI

• Monitor CPCs and ROI in real-time, adjusting budgets and creatives to align with performance.
• Focus spending on high-performing products or customer segments to achieve better returns.

By experimenting with these strategies and aligning them with your unique goals, you can push the boundaries of merchandising and stay ahead of the curve. Stay tuned for our next post to explore how apparel and collectibles brands crafted their holiday playbooks.

-The Baresquare Merchandising Wiz Team

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