Black Friday gets a lot of attention, but it’s more than just the crazy deals that will draw a consumer to a particular brand for the long haul. Content marketers can take advantage of the holiday cheer and create content that drives not only purchases, but also brand loyalty.
Here are some companies that are doing it right.
Patagonia and REI: Know Your Customer
Both retailers have a core audience—outdoor enthusiasts—and they’re encouraging brand loyalty instead of immediate sales by eschewing consumerism, particularly around the holidays.
Patagonia was out there first with the message. During the 2013 holiday season, they began their Worn Wear campaign to encourage people to repair their outdoor gear, rather than buy new items. Not only did it not affect sales, but the focus on the company’s values encouraged brand loyalty. Patagonia’s unconventional messages—from their “Don’t Buy This Jacket” ad after Black Friday 2011 to the “Worn Wear” effort, where they’ve traveled the nation in a bio-fueled camper fixing people’s worn Patagonia gear on the spot—have engendered the brand to this younger audience. And by the way, such efforts haven’t put a damper on the company’s growing sales figures.
Patagonia does a masterful job of content marketing overall, but with this effort tells a great brand story of how durable its goods are and highlights a sustainability message that you don’t have to continually buy new clothing and equipment. The company even offers tips for how to fix its products. That may seem counterintuitive if you’re trying to boost sales, but it resonates with Patagonia’s core customers. Their customers already treasure the environment, so it isn’t hard to see why a message of reducing wastefulness would resonate.
Patagonia also tells the personal stories of consumers in a compelling way. I dare you not to get sucked into this Worn Wear documentary, featuring stories of Patagonia loyalists and their well-used gear, with the product serving as a symbol of their lives outdoors.