Black Friday, baby. And everyone goes crazy.

November is not a month. November is a state of emergency.
Everything flashes red in the Ads Manager, every third customer wants to „push something quickly“ and someone always calls out: "Can we make something out of this?

Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Christmas Prep.
And somewhere in between: overstretched budgets and too many PDFs with „last-minute action ideas“.

When should you start planning for Black Friday?

Ideally as early as August or September. The earlier you prepare budgets, creatives and target groups, the better you can cushion rising CPMs and falling conversion rates in November.

The Black Friday reflex: the main thing is loud, the main thing is cheap.

The classic:
20 % on everything - except what works.

The problem is not the sale. It's the reflex.
When 200 brands shout at the same time, it gets quiet.
And if you keep pulling the price down, you will eventually get lost in the sea of offers.

Is Black Friday marketing still worthwhile?

Yes - but not for every brand. Those who position themselves through price can benefit. Those who communicate via quality, design or attitude should use alternative strategies, such as pre- or post-Black Friday campaigns with real added value.

Performance in Q4 is not a sprint, but rather a chaotic half-marathon where someone is constantly changing the route.
CPMs go up, conversion rates go down, retargeting gets more expensive and organically... you can forget it anyway.

But!!! If you take a systematic approach, you can still perform really well - without slipping into discount hell.

Q4 - Do this and you can save yourself the rest...

1. focus on those who already know you.
Existing customers perform better than any cold target group in Q4.
Use CRM, e-mail and Custom Audiences, before you chase new leads that have long been in sale fever.

2. visibility with attitude instead of actionism.
You don't have to discount to stay relevant.
An honest statement like „No sale, but added value“ often attracts more than -30 % on something that you no longer like yourself.

3. testing instead of hitting.
Start early, test variants, let the data decide.
Whoever launches on Black Friday is playing marketing roulette - and the house always wins.

Which channels performed best in Q4?

Meta (Facebook & Instagram) remains strong, Google PMax is growing - but email and CRM automations are the most efficient. Existing customers respond much better than cold target groups during this time.

AI, automation & the myth of the self-runner

AI sounds like „everything is easy“, but it's like an electric car without a battery - sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Meta Advantage+, Google PMax, DPA - great tools, but without a clean database they are useless.

Q4 performance is generated in Q3.
If you're only structuring now, sorry but you're too late for the party. Automation, AI and all the cool new data models help, but they can't work miracles either, especially if you don't have a strategy. If you don't have a goal for your campaign at this point, then don't do it at all. #sorrynotsorry

What are common mistakes in Q4 campaigns?

Starting too late, testing too little and targeting too broadly. In addition: simply letting campaigns continue after Black Friday, even though the intention has completely changed.

Q4 is not chaos. It is a stress test.

Q4 shows you mercilessly whether your brand is wearing.
Whether your messaging is right.
Whether your funnel is working.

Anyone who gets through November without completely losing their identity has understood how performance and brand belong together.

How can I make my campaigns stand out from the crowd?

With relevance instead of discount. Say why you none sale, or link your campaign to a real purpose - e.g. donations, sustainability or exclusive advice instead of a discount.

Black Friday is not an event.
It's a reality check.