November 27th Campaign highlights

Our top picks for inspiration, impact & insights

27 NOVEMBER 2025

Right, let's dive in! Black Friday isn't just a day anymore, it's a full-on marathon. This past week has seen brands go all out, battling the noise with brilliant strategies, brave ideas, and some seriously cheeky marketing. Grab a cuppa; here's our quick look at the campaigns and key insights you need from the peak of the 'Golden Quarter'!

McDonald's UK x The Grinch: Getting "Grinched"

McDonald's and agency Leo Burnett are trying to "sabotage" Christmas with a Grinch-themed campaign. This includes OOH assets "Grinched" with claw marks, a limited-edition "Grinch Meal," and in-app price-lowering promotions led by the character.

This is a brilliant example of creative subversion. Instead of traditional festive cheer, they've used a popular IP to inject energy, humour, and a sense of limited-edition fun into their Christmas launch, transitioning perfectly from Black Friday retail noise. Take a look here

Walkers Shortbread x Andy Murray: The Festive Jumper

Scottish shortbread manufacturer Walkers launched its integrated festive campaign this week, featuring tennis champion Andy Murray in a custom woolly shortbread Christmas jumper. The campaign, handled by Weber Shandwick (PR) and New Commercial Arts (Advert), spans TV, OOH, and a charitable auction for the jumper. Check out here

A textbook example of purpose-driven, integrated storytelling. It cleverly uses a national personality and a mix of experiential and large-scale OOH media to anchor a genuine charitable initiative during the holiday shopping rush.

The Insiders & Refundee Anti-Meta Billboard Blocker

The campaign, developed by creative agency Insiders and supported by fraud recovery experts Refundee, launched this week to call out Instagram's poor support for users who have been scammed. The campaign gained massive PR when media buyers allegedly refused to run the OOH element. Read more here.

This is the definition of a campaign becoming a story. The refusal to run the OOH component only amplified the campaign's core message, demonstrating the power of controversy and transparency in securing earned media.

Insiders' #IgnoredByInsta campaign

🛒 Black Friday Strategy & Insight

The "Lowest Price Ever" Trust Campaign
The campaign is the aggressive, proactive PR strategy used by major retailers like Currys, Amazon, and Argos this week. The campaign explicitly anchors deals with the verified claim of being the "lowest price ever" for that specific item, backed by price guarantees (like Currys' refund promise).

This is a crucial trust-building campaign designed to combat discount fatigue. By pre-empting consumer skepticism that "deals aren't real," retailers use transparency and price guarantees to pull customer demand forward.
More insight here.

Black Friday is a Season, Not a Single Day

Analysis reveals that Black Friday's importance as a single day has decreased significantly. The strategic shift involves extending the focus across the entire Golden Quarter, with October and December now outperforming November in sales. Customers are prioritizing experiences (like travel) and value-led purchases (like resale and value-driven retailers).

Marketers must shift from a tactical one-day approach to a strategic season-long campaign. Success now hinges on using data to anticipate needs and building loyalty across channels.

More insight here

Agency Insight: Pixelbuilders’ In-The-Moment Marketing

Rachael Hand, Head of Strategy and Performance at Pixelbuilders, shared a video this week discussing Black Friday's most effective campaigns. She emphasizes the power of in-the-moment marketing, stressing the importance of timeliness, resonance, and emotional touch (citing memorable campaigns like Currys and Canva).

With consumer expectations so high, brands must avoid pitfalls by prioritising integrity, transparency and a flawless user experience during the purchase journey, proving that strategic emotion and execution beat generic deals.

Watch the video

Share Your Finds!

Seen a marketing campaign that caught your eye? Whether it’s a clever promotion, a bold activation, or just something that made you stop and think, we want to hear about it!

Send your newsworthy picks, insight or content to [email protected] or using the link below ⬇️