The barrage of negative Black Friday public relations began almost as soon as stores opened the day after Thanksgiving. In fact, the reaction has become such a go-to rubber stamp for the media that satire site “The Onion” created a story of its own, lampooning both American consumerism and the media’s love of bleeding ledes.
And, while retailers make for easy targets this holiday season, there are countless untold Black Friday stories out there that retailers could be turning into tremendous PR opportunities. Think about it. Everyone who went out on Black Friday came home with at least one item they really wanted. Most also got a sweet score they never expected to find. Everyone. That’s literally millions of good Black Friday PR stories. Millions. And most of them go entirely unreported, except for the obligatory Facebook post with armloads of generic shopping bags.
According to 5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian, “Think about all the missed opportunities. Shopper after shopper, carrying branded bags in branded stores posting live on social media. It’s an opportunity that might be relatively new for most retailers, but it’s not something they can afford to ignore. For several reasons.”
First, Black Friday is no longer just Black Friday. Sales begin the week of Thanksgiving and often continue through the weekend and into the following week. That means consumers have the chance to shop, record their experiences and influence other consumers who might still be ready and willing to slide their credit cards.
Then, think about the assumption that, after Black Friday, all the “good stuff” will be gone. Savvy shoppers know that might apply to doorbusters but also that retailers restock over and over again during the run up to December. They’ve got stuff, and they want to sell it. But many otherwise willing consumers stay home, falsely believing all the good deals are gone. That’s a failing on the part of the retailer – and something they can easily overcome…if they leverage their social media PR properly.
