Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the noisiest days for brands on the social web. To cut through the clutter, brands need to deliver something valuable – either an amazing deal or content that’s entertaining and fun.
Marketing had the social media and content technology firm Antelope crunch the numbers to see what worked this year. Antelope — which tracks the way consumers interact with brands for the likes of Shoppers Drug Mart and McDonald’s and agencies like Sid Lee and Publicis — found the most popular posts among Canadians, as determined by the number of consumers liking, sharing and responding to the content.
Here’s a look at the most popular posts.
Subway Canada
Total engagements: 6,712
The deals don’t have to be huge to attract a lot of attention. Subway Canada offered up a free six inch sandwich on large orders (over $25), and that was enough to earn more than 6,000 likes and an extended audience thanks to the 204 Facebook users who shared the post.
WestJet
Total engagements: 6,253
Here’s a bigger ticket sale that drew tons of attention, too. WestJet offered Black Friday pricing on flights and vacation packages, wisely selecting a low-end fare to be featured. The $79.83 ticket price and simple photo likely helped this post reach its massive 1,993 shares.
Volkswagen Canada
Total engagements: 2,149
Instead of offering a deal, Volkswagen created a topical ad about the shopping festivities. The automaker wisely connected the ritual of holiday shopping with one of its key features: a spacious trunk.
Forever 21
#CyberMonday got me like pic.twitter.com/kAnmOm9EoC
— Forever 21 (@Forever21) December 1, 2014
Total engagements: 1,708 Here’s a post from the U.S. that had huge reach in Canada. Like Volkswagen’s Facebook post, this tweet comments on Cyber Monday rather than offering a straight sell or promotion. The well-chosen GIF is also perfect for the retailer’s young demographic.
Leon’s Furniture
RT for your chance to win this 58′ Smart TV! #LeonsBlackFriday pic.twitter.com/ebV2FabLv6 — Leon’s Furniture (@LeonsFurniture) November 26, 2014
Total engagements: 1,215
RT to win may be the oldest trick in the Twitter book, but it still works. This post, a contest tweet for the chance to win a TV, earned over 1,200 engagements.
Forever 21
On my way to shop #BlackFriday deals like pic.twitter.com/7dFez0X5Tf
— Forever 21 (@Forever21) November 28, 2014
Total engagements: 866
The third most popular tweet was also from Forever 21. Again, it’s a GIF, except this time it’s nostalgic-baiting Full House‘s Michelle Tanner, a staple from the youth of Forever 21 shoppers. And that’s the reason it gained so much traction: the brand is speaking in the language of its followers.
YouTube
Future Shop Canada
Views: 90,019
The most popular Black Friday or Cyber Monday ad was actually a pre-Black Friday ad. This Future Shop Canada spot debuted on November 24, giving it time to gain traction before other brands had released their Black Friday marketing.
Leon’s Furniture
Views: 79,938
This Leon’s ad is simple and deal-driven. It’s likely many of these views are the result of paid media, giving the retailer’s deals across categories a far reach.
Walmart Canada
Views: 74,987
Walmart Canada’s Cyber Monday ad was as to the point as advertising gets. The 15-second spot functions like a moving flyer, which is sometimes what works in environments like the news feed, in which consumers may only pause on a single post for a micro-second.
