We rarely hear about Thanksgiving marketing because it is often overshadowed by two other major shopping holidays: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. While these two holidays are extremely vital and should receive the most attention from the retail, shopping, and electronics industries, other industries should not overlook the potential of Thanksgiving marketing.
In this article, we discuss the main industries and types of companies that should consider launching Thanksgiving marketing campaigns. We will also include lots of interesting and valuable Thanksgiving statistics that can help you prepare these campaigns. Finally, we will provide Thanksgiving marketing ideas for each of these industries, including original and interactive concepts to help you stand out from competitors.
Industries where Thanksgiving marketing campaigns are essential
Did you know that over 96% of American families celebrate Thanksgiving with a hearty meal? This makes Thanksgiving marketing campaigns crucial for grocery stores, bulk warehouse clubs, and convenience stores. Liquor stores and wine shops also stand to benefit greatly.
The travel industry is another sector that should not ignore Thanksgiving marketing. In 2021, 34% of Americans planned to travel for Thanksgiving—that’s over a third of the population. Companies targeting travelers, whether by plane, car, or train, should consider investing in Thanksgiving marketing initiatives.
Additionally, of those traveling, 24% were on vacation, suggesting that hotels, hostels, B&Bs, and similar establishments should allocate a significant portion of their marketing budget to attract these travelers. Furthermore, many Americans plan to dine out over the Thanksgiving weekend, which means that restaurants and bars should also refine their Thanksgiving marketing strategies to stand out.
Finally, while the retail industry focuses heavily on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, they should not neglect Thanksgiving marketing.
11 Interactive Thanksgiving Marketing ideas to boost results!
For each industry, we gathered insightful Thanksgiving stats and marketing campaign ideas you could do.
You can bring any of the ideas in this blog post to life! With over 300 customizable templates at your disposal, you’re all set to craft a unique Thanksgiving campaign
Interactive Thanksgiving campaigns for the food industry
As mentioned in the previous section, 96% of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with a good meal. This meal costs Americans around $48,91 for a 10-person dinner, which is $4.89 per person.
In 2022, 44% of hosts were concerned about the rising prices, especially at the grocery shop (87%). This year, with the prices rising everywhere, food retailers are expecting shoppers to be even more cost savvy than in 2022. This means that your Thanksgiving Marketing initiatives should promote discounts, deals, and low costs.
Moreover, did you know that in 2020, 80% of people said they shopped for Thanksgiving Celebration in-store, 19% said online with delivery, and 15% said only with pickup? Plus, 67% of people said they would shop for their Thanksgiving Celebration in Grocery Stores, 58% in Superstores, and 26% in Wholesale Clubs.
Having these Thanksgiving statistics in mind, we gathered 4 examples of campaigns you can do.
1. Interactive Grocery List Generator
A Thanksgiving feast is not only about eating great food and sharing what you are thankful for. It is also about gathering family members around the same table. This is why 28% of Americans will have more than 12 people at their Thanksgiving table. The actual average number of people per table is 11 people.
It’s not every week that people are used to shopping for that many people, and it can be quite stressful. Will you have enough food? Will the food be as good as expected? Helping hosts with their duties can be a very good Thanksgiving marketing idea for online grocery shops.
An idea could be to create an Interactive Grocery List. So, your customers who come to your website can get help in finding everything they need and how much they would need.
The experience would look like the following:
- You would ask customers how many people will attend their Thanksgiving festivities.
- You will ask them what recipes they would like to do (e.g., turkey, rolls, mashed potatoes, corn, pumpkin pie, etc.)
- Then, knowing this, the Interactive Experience would generate a grocery list depending on their needs.
- You will encourage customers to modify the grocery list if needed (Add items, remove items, change quantities, etc.)
- The customers would then buy the items and decide on pick-up or delivery.
Pro Tip: If you are not offering delivery or pick up, you could simply let customers print their grocery list and bring it with them to the store.
2. Wine Recommender
Did you know that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the third biggest day for Liquor Stores in the U.S?
In every family, there is always a cousin or a brother that shows up to these family gatherings empty-handed – or worse, with a bottle of wine they bought at the convenience store at the corner of the street.
While giving a hostess gift is not a tradition shared in every family, it is always a very nice gesture. Plus, lots of guests usually arrive with a bottle of wine. So, grocery shops, wine shops, and liquor stores might want to help their customers find the right wine for this type of meal. Take a look at the example below.
3. Interactive Cookbook
Thanksgiving is about food, a huge amount of delicious and feel-good food. In fact, 40 million turkeys are cooked and eaten on Thanksgiving. That’s around 1 turkey per 8 people! Moreover, 50 million pumpkin pies are eaten. That’s why creating an Interactive Cookbook can be the perfect Thanksgiving Marketing idea.
1.095 billion is the expected amount spent on turkeys for Thanksgiving this year. So, if by creating a great Interactive Cookbook with lovely Thanksgiving recipes, you succeed in getting potential customers to choose your shop over others to buy their turkey, you’ll be able to increase your sales considerably.
You might think that there is no value in giving recipes for turkeys, as lots of people use their traditional family recipes. But, remember that 79% of Americans value the leftovers even more than the Thanksgiving meal. Therefore, your Cookbook can also be about leftover recipes!
4. Meal Plan Recommender
Another idea, for both Meal Delivery services and caterers, would be to help customers find their perfect meal package. For example, you can ask them a few questions about what they would like to have for their Thanksgiving meal. Then, you can present them with a few different packages they can choose from.
So, with this Interactive Experience, you can empower customers to find the perfect meal for their needs – because yes not everyone has the time, nor the ability to find recipes, shop, cook, and so on.
Interactive Thanksgiving campaigns for the traveling industry
Over a third of Americans (34%) planned to travel in 2021. Now that the pandemic situation is getting better, we can expect this number to rise in 2023. Gen Z and Millennials are the generations that are likely to be traveling the most. Accordingly, 52% of Gen Z and 49% of Millennials planned to travel in 2021. 62% of travelers were driving to their destination, and 29% were flying. 65% of travelers visited family, while 24% went on vacation. The average length of the trips was 3 nights.
Knowing these Thanksgiving stats, we gathered 3 different ideas related to the Travelling Industry.
5. Marketing Games at pumping stations
Again, in 2022, 44% of hosts were concerned about the rising prices for Thanksgiving, especially at the gas pump (75%). So, keeping that in mind, gas stations can help travelers by giving them extra discounts this year! That would be a very good way of making sure that customers choose your gas station over others.
An idea could be to create a Marketing Game that could be available on the screens at the pumps or inside the stations on big interactive screens. The game should be Thanksgiving-themed, and participants could win discounts on gas or other related products such as coffees, croissants, bagels, and sandwiches.
Check out this example of a great Thanksgiving Marketing Game:
6. Marketing Games at the airport
29% of Thanksgiving travelers planned to fly to their destinations in 2021. That’s around 32.5 million Americans. So, creating Thanksgiving Marketing campaigns for Airports and airline companies is definitely a must.
Keep in mind that traveling during the holidays can be very difficult, there are lots of people traveling on the same days, airports are packed, flights are delayed, and stress levels are sky-high. So, creating fun Interactive Experiences available at the airport might actually have more than one benefit.
An idea could be to create a couple of Marketing Games that could be available on big screens in the airport. Or you could also create billboards where you share QR codes with participants, so they can participate on their phones instead.
7. CO2 Footprint Calculator
Did you know that nearly 80% of Americans consider sustainability as part of their purchase decision? This means that companies that promote sustainable ways of traveling, such as trains and buses, could think about doing a Thanksgiving Marketing campaign to promote sustainable trips.
An idea could be to create a CO2 Footprint calculator where potential customers can calculate the cost of their trip in terms of CO2. They could compare different alternatives such as driving, taking the bus, the train, or the plane.
Check out this CO2 Footprint calculator example:
Interactive Thanksgiving campaigns for the Hospitality Industry
You might be thinking that all the Americans that travel on Thanksgiving are doing it to visit families, but the facts are that 24% of Americans are traveling for a vacation. This means that hotels, B&Bs, chalets, and other types of rentals are in high demand on Thanksgiving. So are restaurants and bars. So, the hospitality industry can also think about creating successful Thanksgiving Marketing campaigns!
Below, you can find the most important destinations.
8. Marketing Game at the restaurant/bar
Drinksgiving, also known as Blackout Wednesday, is on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. On that day, because people are generally off on Thursday, lots of Americans visit their friends in their hometowns and go to restaurants and bars. The guest counts at restaurants on that day increased by 23% in 2018. The sales were also up by 23%
So, creating fun games available for Drinksgiving can be a fun way to entertain your clientele. For example, you could create a Marketing Game available via a QR code that can be found on the menu cards. Participants could win free drinks or shots. Creating these fun and memorable experiences can be a good way of building a relationship with your customers and making sure they choose your establishment every year.
9. User Generated Content for hotels and chalets
Another Thanksgiving marketing campaign idea could be to create a contest where people share a picture of their Thanksgiving vacation in your establishment. The winner could win a Christmas gift basket delivered to their place or a free 2-day stay at another time.
Another Thanksgiving marketing campaign idea could be to create a contest where people share a picture of their Thanksgiving vacation in your establishment. The winner could win a Christmas gift basket delivered to their place or a free 2-day stay at another time.
This is an amazing campaign because it leverages the fact that it is a busy season with lots of visitors, so having a WOM campaign can be beneficial for your business and attract lots of new potential customers.
10. Service Evaluation Survey
Another interesting Thanksgiving Marketing idea could be to prepare for Next Year’s advertising by getting new marketing Thanksgiving stats such as “90% of visitors would recommend our establishment for their Thanksgiving vacation”. Having these stats is a nice way to build trust and encourage decision-makers.
So, at the checkout of both hotels and restaurants, you could have a simple Interactive Experience with a single question “How likely would you recommend our establishment for Thanksgiving?”. Then, you can use the answers in your next year’s promotion tactics.
Interactive Thanksgiving campaign for the retail industry
Most Marketing campaigns during Thanksgiving are linked to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Thus, we rarely see Thanksgiving Shopping campaigns. Yet, it could be very beneficial as well.
11. Product Recommenders
A great Thanksgiving Marketing idea could be to promote your products before Thanksgiving. For example, you could create a Product Recommender where you help customers find the perfect outfit for their Thanksgiving dinner, or the perfect makeup style to impress their family.
Pro Tip: Create Thanksgiving posts on social media to promote your Product Recommenders!
Bonus: Thanksgiving marketing ideas for any industry
12. Thanksgiving popup
Are you ready to give your website a Thanksgiving makeover? Let’s explore another amazing idea for your upcoming promotions.
This Thanksgiving Popup makes any holiday campaign more festive and effective. This dynamic popup does more than just appear. It effortlessly integrates into your website, instantly grabbing the attention of your visitors and boosting your sales opportunities.
This template is a game-changer for any industry, designed to be incredibly user-friendly and adaptable. With it, creating engaging, eye-catching popups is straightforward, even if you’re not particularly tech-savvy or a design expert.
As visitors navigate your site, the Thanksgiving Popup springs into action, highlighting special offers and promotions that encourage immediate engagement. It’s all about creating an Interactive Experience that captivates and converts.
13. Thanksgiving Puzzle
This Thanksgiving Puzzle challenges participants to solve a puzzle within a set time, with the reward of scratching a card for a chance to win a prize upon completion.
Perfect for any industry, this template is streamlined for ease of use, allowing you to personalize and deploy it without needing extensive technical skills or design experience. As participants enjoy the challenge, they not only engage more deeply with your content but also provide valuable lead data as they register to claim their winnings.
You can adapt the puzzle image to match your brand and/ or Thanksgiving promotions.
Ready to create amazing Interactive Thanksgiving Marketing campaigns?
We really hope you found these ideas insightful and that you learned more about Thanksgiving Marketing with the Thanksgiving stats we included.
Thanksgiving is around the corner, so if you feel time pressured to create your campaigns, check out our marketplace to find 200+ templates ready to be customized. Get started on our 14-day free trial today and build your own Interactive Content that engages and converts!
