Guide
Thanksgiving marketing
Thanksgiving advertising ideas for 2024 that customers will gobble up
Thanksgiving weekend is one of the busiest shopping periods of the year—providing brands a unique opportunity to grow their businesses and engage customers. Learn tips and best practices from several successful global marketing campaigns to help maximize your advertising impact both in the U.S. and internationally.
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November marks the official start of the holiday season—and for many consumers, shopping is as much of a tradition as turkey and pumpkin pie. In fact, more than three-quarters of U.S. consumers said they shopped over Thanksgiving weekend in 2022, up from 70% the prior year, according to the National Retail Federation.1 Increasingly, customers outside of the U.S. are also shopping on Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) weekend—including in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Spain, and the U.K., which are all predicted to be coming up on one of their top five busiest shopping periods of the year.2
So what should brands be keeping in mind as they develop their Thanksgiving advertising plans? Read on for marketing ideas, best practices, and practical tips, based on stories from advertisers around the world.
3 Thanksgiving marketing ideas and tips
Case Study
SharkNinja, a housewares brand based in Needham, Massachusetts, sought to develop a seasonal marketing strategy that would capture incremental sales while also increasing brand awareness. Working with the marketing agency Marketplace Strategy, they leveraged the full suite of Amazon Ads products to reach customers at every stage of the buying journey. In particular, they used Sponsored Brands to help them get their products in front of new shoppers. They also focused on crafting Sponsored Brands page headlines and product detail pages that clearly articulated the exact savings being offered and the full benefits of their products, while using measurement tools to help ensure they were reaching relevant audiences.
The campaign was credited with a significant performance lift—including 250% more impressions, 200% more clicks, and a 17% increase on return on ad spend.
Related tip: If using Sponsored Brands, consider specifying the savings amount in the headline copy to capture the attention of shoppers seeking deals and special promotions.
Case Study
Nissen, a fashion wholesaler based in Japan, significantly increased ad sales leading up to and during the November 2022 shopping season by building a step-by-step full-funnel marketing strategy across a range of ads products and solutions. As a first step, Nissen was able to secure budget and plan inventory appropriately by launching products for the season and identifying trending items a month in advance of BCFM. The company then used Sponsored Products to pique interest in their key products.
During the actual BFCM event, Nissen showcased key products prominently with Sponsored Brands video ad campaigns. And finally, leading out of BCFM, Nissen helped convert missed opportunities by remarketing with Sponsored Display. Nissen’s thoughtfully executed strategy was a clear success—with ad-attributed sales growing by 120% during BFCM, compared to the previous year.
Related tip: Brands can use multiple ad types together during the Thanksgiving holiday season—including both Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands—to help drive brand growth.
Research
A German beauty brand sought to improve various aspects of their ad campaign performance leading up to, during, and after Thanksgiving weekend, including their detail page views, purchase rate, and new-to-brand purchase rate. Based on these objectives, the company worked with Amazon Ads to run an A/B test to determine the effect of advertising two weeks in advance of BFCM, versus advertising only during the actual event. The analysis found that activating a lead-up Amazon Ads campaign ahead of BFCM drives greater consideration and conversion during the event period, based on all three of the metrics being analyzed.
Related tip: Advertisers can generate customized insight by testing with their actual campaigns, helping inform their marketing strategies.
Additional resources
Retail holidays and events can help brands engage shoppers and drive product sales all year round—anywhere and everywhere. Check out this global retail holiday calendar to search for key sales opportunities by country or event.
Learn more about how brands can build out effective seasonal marketing strategies around the world using this guide.
Consider these beginner courses for advertisers who want to start planning for the holiday season.
Find out how brands can make the most of major shopping events like Prime Day and BCFM to strengthen their marketing strategy, based on market research.
If you have limited experience, contact us to request services managed by Amazon Ads. Budget minimums apply.
FAQs
American Thanksgiving takes place annually on the fourth Thursday of November. In 2024, it will occur on Thursday, November 28. Similar holidays take place around the world at around this time—including in Canada (which celebrates Canadian Thanksgiving every year on the second Monday of October), Germany (which celebrates Erntedankfest annually on the first Sunday of October), and Japan (which celebrates Labor Thanksgiving Day every year on November 23).