In this episode of The Ad Project podcast, Joe Shelerud and Maarja Hewitt explore distinctive trends observed during the recent holiday season, comparing them to previous years. A significant focus is placed on the extension of holiday deals, as major retailers like Walmart and Amazon initiated Black Friday promotions as early as November. This departure from the conventional concentrated shopping period posed challenges for both consumers and advertisers.

Key Discussions:

Extended Holiday Deals: Joe and Maarja emphasize the shift towards a more prolonged holiday shopping season, highlighting major retailers extending Black Friday deals throughout November. The elongation of promotional periods introduces uncertainty for consumers, impacting their decision-making on the optimal time for purchases and challenging traditional peak shopping days.

Advertising Strategies and Consumer Behavior: The episode underscores the significance of adapting advertising strategies to align with evolving consumer behaviors. Joe and Maarja discuss the impact of early deals on the effectiveness of traditional peak shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Additionally, they stress the need for advertisers to stay informed about seasonal trends, enabling them to proactively adjust bidding strategies and campaigns.

This episode emphasizes the importance of staying attuned to these evolving trends to optimize advertising strategies for future holiday seasons.