Discover how brands like Nike, Gucci, and Dunkin’ leverage creative strategies—gaming, influencer collaborations, and AI personalization—to go beyond Black Friday discounts and build year-round customer loyalty.
131M Black Friday Shoppers, 72M on Cyber Monday
The holiday season often brings a big sales boost, with companies scrambling in the last months of the year to hit their targets. Many businesses rely on Black Friday sales or other discounts to drive massive volume and recover from slow periods earlier in the year.
But depending too much on this strategy can create challenges. Customers are now trained to save and spend mainly in mid-November through December, leaving other parts of the year less profitable.
The real question is whether you need Black Friday sales to succeed or if there are smarter ways to maintain customer interest. Offering creative options like giveaways or fun challenges can help capture attention alongside discounts.
Shoppers have many choices, competing with retail giants like Walmart, Amazon, and Target. To stand out, brands must offer value in a way that connects deeply with their audience.
With over 131 million shoppers expected on Black Friday and 72 million on Cyber Monday, the stakes are high. Many retailers have already started early savings events to make the most of the short holiday shopping window.
To stay competitive, businesses must think beyond one-off sales and focus on building lasting relationships with their customers. By keeping them engaged and offering meaningful value, you can keep the momentum going long after the holiday rush.
Why Social Media Spending is Slipping: Lessons from Dunkin’, Lego, and Retail Media’s Rise
Social media spending by marketers has fallen to its lowest point in seven years, dropping from 17% of budgets in 2023 to just 11% in 2024 (Moorman & Pauwels, 2024). One issue is that social platforms are too crowded, making it hard for ads to stand out.
For example, Meta’s ad revenue surged from $39.9 billion in 2017 to $113.6 billion in 2022, illustrating how the competition for attention has grown overwhelming (Moorman & Pauwels, 2024).
Companies also struggle to measure how well social media drives sales. For instance, one-third of marketing leaders admitted they can’t show how social media impacts their business, while the rest reported only limited results (Moorman & Pauwels, 2024).
Meanwhile, platforms like Amazon are pulling ad dollars toward retail media, which made $125.7 billion in 2023 by targeting shoppers directly (Moorman & Pauwels, 2024).
Charlie D’Amillieo CC: creativecommons.org
Even with these challenges, there are successful examples of social media done right. Dunkin’ partnered with TikTok star Charli D’Amelio to create “The Charli” drink, leading to 400,000 sales within days and a 57% boost in app downloads
Similarly, Lego cleverly responded to Tesla’s Cybertruck mishap with a witty tweet about its “shatterproof” toy truck, gaining massive engagement. These examples show that creative and timely campaigns can still make a big impact on social media.
How Brands Like Gucci, Nike, and Lego Are Winning with Gaming: A Guide to Reaching New Audiences and Building Loyalty
Games are becoming an exciting way for brands to reach people, especially younger audiences who are hard to engage through traditional ads. For example, Balenciaga created a virtual world called “Afterworld” to showcase its fashion collection, while L’Oréal made in-game beauty products for avatars on platforms like Roblox (Harvard Business Review, Runge & van Dreunen, 2024).
Even smaller brands like e.l.f. Beauty has found success on Roblox, with their immersive games bringing in millions of new users (Harvard Business Review, Runge & van Dreunen, 2024).
Games also help brands build loyalty by offering fun, interactive experiences. Lego’s collaborations with Fortnite and PlayStation let players use branded Lego pieces to create virtual worlds, keeping fans connected to the brand in a playful way.
Similarly, the New York Times integrated Wordle into its ecosystem, using games to increase engagement and boost subscriptions by 300,000 in a single quarter (Harvard Business Review, Runge & van Dreunen, 2024).
Luxury brands are finding new opportunities in gaming too. Gucci sold a virtual handbag on Roblox that resold for more than its real-life version, showing the value of digital goods (Harvard Business Review, Runge & van Dreunen, 2024).
Nike also succeeded with virtual sneakers in Fortnite, engaging Gen Z and exploring the growing market for digital products (Harvard Business Review, Runge & van Dreunen, 2024). These examples show how games can help brands connect with people in creative and meaningful ways
3 Action Items I Recommend
- Use games to engage customers and build loyalty:
Start small by using in-game data to personalize experiences and develop strategies for future campaigns. Games can complement traditional marketing, offering fresh ways to connect with customers. Think of Nike’s success in Fortnite or L’Oréal’s innovative virtual experiences.
- Collaborate with well-known influencers, strategically:
Leverage viral challenge strategies to reach new audiences and foster authentic connections.
- Personalize using AI:
Use each customer interaction to strengthen loyalty, deliver value, and sustain the momentum generated during the holiday season.
