I have the gigantic responsibility of writing a Freestyle blog this month. I believe that this November has been the pinnacle of digital advertising in 2016, and as thought leaders in this industry, it is our duty to cover some pretty major campaigns leading up to this month: the presidential election, Black Friday, and, of course, Gilmore Girls (no spoilers).
First order of business: the obligatory discussion about the political campaigns. Just kidding. Here are some of the cool #Election2016 Snapchat filters instead. You’re welcome.
And how about those petty Biden-Obama memes? Can’t stop, won’t stop.
Next, Black Friday. I’ve chosen to discuss my favorite, because once again, REI is blowing me away with their bold and beautiful #OptOutside campaign. Lots of companies have traditionally closed on Thanksgiving because they value family, which is admirable, but I must tip my hat to REI for being so true to their outdoor brand.
It still amazes me that the one time of the year when retail stores are finally “in the black” on their sales charts, this brand forgoes the chaos and revenue, closes its doors, pays its employees and spends money on marketing that sends people to the outdoors. The campaign has been a huge success. The hashtag appeared more than 37,000 times of the last six days, with the majority of mentions coming from Twitter.
Also, dogs. This year, REI partnered with a whole bunch of organizations to push this message even harder—including one of my other favorite brands: Subaru. Together, they invited “pet lovers everywhere to #OptOutside with their four-legged friends on Black Friday.” They even helped out shelter dogs in New York. Love. I hope they expand this to Oklahoma next year.
Finally, GILMORE GIRLS. Let’s review the incredibly successful ramp up for this revival series that has Gilmore fans, old and new, raving:
- Details about the revival were slowly released over the past year, which included on-set photos, mild spoilers, returning cast members (Remember when we weren’t sure if Melissa McCarthy would make an appearance as Sookie?), etcetera.
- Everyone was making fun of Alexis Bledel in the seasonal posters, because it seems that the Yale graduate doesn’t know how to hold everyday objects.
- Freestyle already covered the 200 local coffee shops across the country that transformed into Luke’s Diner in a previous blog post.
- I was heartbroken the day I learned about the Gilmore Girls Fan Festival that was already sold out.
- Netflix even created an official website for the town of Stars Hollow. WHAT.
Engagement marketing at its finest. That is as flawless as it gets, folks.
As you can see, this has been an exciting month in the life of a marketing professional. Thank you for letting me obsess about it. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @ARayTram
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