Searching For Black Friday Deals

This Friday, millions of Americans will get up at the crack of dawn, preparing to find big deals and shop till they drop. It's a long-standing tradition, and in the past few years has been dubbed "Black Friday." I've never been a big fan of shopping the day after Thanksgiving - in my experience, it's crowded and frustrating. That said, I know plenty of people who live for this.

This year, I've noticed an interesting trend - Black Friday ads leaking out early online. In previous years, I remember a couple ads leaking out, but this year it's rampant. Deals are all over Twitter, Facebook, and the SERPs, as well as in PPC ads.

I'm glad to see PPC marketers on top of the trend. Here are some examples of great ads:

Also interesting is the fact that the second and third advertisers are both using "Black Friday 2009" in their display URL. It's brilliant - it adds relevance and urgency to the ads.

JCPenney has another PPC ad that I love. They're offering a free wake-up call on Black Friday:


I love it! If I were a really die-hard marketer, I'd sign up for the call just to see what type of promotions they may be working into the message. It's creative, and super-smart - I'd bet there will be a bigger-than-usual line at Penney's on Friday.

Despite the great PPC marketing, I will be sleeping blissfully on Friday morning. There will be plenty more deals to be had before the holidays.