Black Friday, a sales trend originating in the US on the day following thanksgiving, has become a seasonal staple in the UK. With it now being one of the biggest global sales days of the year, UK retailers and advertisers are now fully invested in the shopping event. In fact, it’s seldom a one-day or weekend-long affair either, with many promotions beginning earlier or lasting longer, giving savvy shoppers extra time to hunt down those pre-Christmas bargains.
This year’s big day falls on Friday 24th November. With a couple of months to go, it’s time to consider your Black Friday ads and make sure that they’ll be in shape for a smooth clearance. To help with this our Copy Manager, Nicola Wynter, gives us her top 6 tips for getting those Black Friday TV ads right the first time.
1. As with any price reduction or offer messages, you will need to upload the completed Retail Substantiation Form alongside the ad script. This should be filled out by the Advertiser. You can find all our template forms here
2. Any products featured in the advert should be included in the event.
3. If the promotion is already an existing one, you cannot name it a “Black Friday” Sale.
4. Most Black Friday promotions last longer than just one day, which isn’t usually a problem if this is made clear to viewers. There should be no implication or indication that the promotion lasts for just one day, by including “Only on Black Friday” audio for example.
5. If the promotion doesn’t include discounted items, but instead features offers such as “free installation” then you cannot call it a “sale,” but you can call it an “event”.
6. If the promotion or event doesn’t have a set end date, but instead lasts until the products are no longer in stock, then you will need to add the super “while stock lasts,” or similar. Otherwise, if the ad is on air within two weeks of the promotion ending, the end date will need to appear in the ad.
A bonus tip for you, because it’s a time for generosity after all, if you’ve got some last minute Black Friday ads remember we have a Fast Track service. They guarantee feedback in 24 hours, and can even approve clocked ads in 2 hours flat if they match up to approved rough cuts. Oh, and if it’s out of hours we can help with that too. You won’t find a better deal than that!
If you have any questions about your Black Friday ads, then please talk to your Clearcast Copy Executive.
