Cyber Week, the five-day stretch from Thanksgiving including Black Friday (28th November) and Cyber Monday (1st December), is one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year. With record-breaking sales and millions of shoppers in buying mode, brands that show up on the right platforms at the right time can see a huge return on investment. One of the most powerful channels to tap into? YouTube.
Shoppers don’t just search for deals during this time, they research them. Nearly 40% of Gen Z shoppers are in “reconnaissance mode” up to a month before Black Friday, actively watching product reviews, unboxings, and recommendations. YouTube is a go-to platform for this discovery, giving brands an opportunity to influence buying decisions well before the cart is full.
YouTube delivers 23% higher ROI for retail brands compared to other social channels and an impressive 109% higher ROI than linear TV. The time surrounding Black Friday and Cyber Monday provides a key opportunity to turn YOuTube’s ROI into real results for your brand.
Key stats to know for the upcoming season:
Leverage the early researchers and shoppers:
In 2024, 57% of spending during this period came from mobile devices. Today’s shoppers are browsing on the go, making mobile-friendly YouTube ads an ideal way to capture their attention and drive impact for your brand. Plant the seed early in customers’ minds and extend the longevity of your campaign.
Capture peak engagement with contextual targeting:
Contextual advertising enables brands to connect with high intent audiences ready to buy. With Precise TV’s machine learning and natural language processing, ads can appear alongside the most relevant content, channels and categories that shoppers are most interested in.
Create ads specifically designed to perform on YouTube:
During this period of heightened viewership and engagement, standout YouTube ads are driven by strong creative. It's essential to understand the power of the heartbeat narrative structure for your ads. This structure starts with a dramatic moment and continues to deliver multiple peaks and brand cues throughout the ad. Different from traditional TV advertising, the emerging story arc needed for YouTube starts off with impact and features unexpected shifts to keep viewers engaged throughout.
Try using this ABCD guide for creating impactful YouTube ads:
Taking it a step further, think about how you can leverage the content you know your audiences already love by involving influencers and creators who align with your brand and messaging.
Get Ahead of the Holiday Rush
With a large share of shoppers relying on video content to guide their decisions during Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the days that come before and after - YouTube isn’t just another advertising channel. It’s where discovery and intent meet, especially for Gen Z and mobile-first consumers.
This holiday season, the brands that win on YouTube will be the ones who show up early, create mobile-friendly campaigns, and use video to turn browsing into buying. Get in touch now to see how Precise TV can support you in developing winning YouTube ad campaigns.