Will Wal-Mart Black Friday Deals 2009 Force Hand of Competition Still Reeling from Dismal Christmas in July Promotions?

Wal-Mart Black Friday Ad Waiting for Eyes

BNET reports that Wal-Mart is ready to pull out all the stops when it comes to advertising its Black Friday deals, 2009. Quoting the company's chief marketing officer, the columnist suggests that the retailer is lavishing a lot of focus on reaching consumers with ads that really "talk" to them. It is anyone's guess what this means for the Wal-Mart Black Friday ad 2009, but it should herald an assault on potential consumers' eyes from alls sources.

This may translate into Black Friday ads, which stress the smart aspects of shopping at Wal-Mart, the brand name factor versus the generic product, and of course the family friendly side of shopping at the retail giant. It appears that this kind of marketing campaign is an equal attempt at salvaging a sagging reputation and getting the word out about Black Friday deals.

Black Friday Deals Are Getting Leaked ... the Better to Snag the Customer

Of course, if the retailer hopes that its Wal-Mart Black Friday ad will have consumers ready to beat down their doors, they had better leak it soon. The Business Insider reports that about 70% of consumers will start Christmas shopping well ahead of Black Friday, with only about 30% committing to not starting any earlier.

Wal-Mart Wants to Be Your Facebook Friend?

What better venue to reach eager consumers than Facebook? Unfortunately, if Wal-Mart does not ups its ante, only about 40,822 (as of 11-2-09) Wal-Mart fans will see any Wal-Mart Black Friday ad the company puts up. At this time, its posts are "thank you" notes from enthusiastic shoppers and workers. It is thus far unclear how the retailer hopes to capitalize on Black Friday 2009 without roping in the social media element.

Wal-Mart Black Friday Ad vs. Christmas in July Fiasco

Imagine Los Angeles in July (right around 95 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade) and your retailer is holding Christmas in July promotions. Christmas music fills the stores, fake white snow is on shelves, and employees are made to wear Santa hats. Needless to say, this promotion did not go so well, at least if consumer comments are any indication. The Wall Street Journal memorialized its lukewarm reception by consumers, while nevertheless reporting that a Sears' spokesperson referred to it as a positive experience.

Even though the competition hit the ground running (or limping) with its Christmas in July sales, the Wal-Mart Black Friday ad is still the gold standard when it comes to Black Friday deals, 2009. Black Friday deals of other retailers will have to follow suit, in order to compete - just ask Target. Then again, unless Wal-Mart gets moving on its social media savvy, the odds are good that there will be no over the top sales results from Black Friday deals and more social media savvy retailers clean up.

Sources
http://industry.bnet.com/
http://www.businessinsider.com/
http://online.wsj.com/