Photo credit: DCStudio
What defines a good ad for you? Is it the visuals, the copy, or the creative element? Or maybe it is how the ad made you feel. Everyone may have a different answer to this question.
A good ad connects with you emotionally while enticing you to buy whatever is sold. Some ads do better than others. I mean, how many times have you been on YouTube and been interested enough in an ad to watch all of it without skipping to the video? It takes a special element of creativity and an "It" factor to know what will work in your favor.
The competition is very stiff between brands and businesses today, and there is a lot of pressure to step it up in terms of advertising. Today, most companies use influencers to amplify their brands on social media through their audiences. The brilliant thing about social media influencers is they have already established a strong audience through their unique content. So brands piggyback off of their clout to advertise themselves to the masses. If you are lucky enough to work with someone who knows how to leverage their creativity to come up with something unique for your brand, then it can make a huge difference for your business.
Most companies typically have offers or promotions during the Black Friday period, and this year was no exception. The pandemic has also increased online shopping and at-home delivery rates the world over. Most businesses have been working overtime to get more clients through online purchases. This means they have had to up the ante in creative advertising. Several businesses offered Black Friday deals in November advertising through various media to get clients. However, only a few of them stood out this year.
Here are some of the best and most creative Black Friday ads we loved in 2021.
Jumia
Jumia is one of the biggest e-commerce platforms in Africa, and it partners with leading brands and vendors to provide all kinds of products at great prices. They usually offer amazing Black Friday deals every year during November. This includes awesome giveaways, free delivery, flash sales, and discount vouchers. Black Friday is their biggest annual event because people take advantage of the deals to buy as much as possible at slashed prices before the promotion ends.
This year, Jumia Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda launched their "Every day is Black FridayKikuubo " ad campaign in November. I am sure most of you have hesitated to click on the "skip ad" button on YouTube to watch the Jumia Black Friday ads to completion, myself included. Jumia had outrageous deals, including cows going for just KES 100. Unbelievable, right? Here is the best creative ad they ran for Black Friday in 2021.
Joy Kendi for The Junction Mall
Joy Kendi is definitely at the top of our list when we talk about social media influencers in Kenya. She is a fashion and lifestyle content creator primarily on Instagram and YouTube, with a social media following of almost 300,000 people. She has created amazing ads for various big brands such as Mastercard, Jumia, and EABL.
Here is one of the ads she did for The Junction Mall in Kenya for Black Friday this year. We loved how she did a great job in finding a subtle yet creative way to showcase the products and the brand.
Teacher Mpamire for Kikuubo Black November
The retail and wholesale platform, Kikuubo Online, also launched their #KikuuboBlackNovember promotion in Uganda which ran during the entire month of November this year. The platform collaborated with various brands like Britania and Coca-Cola to sell thousands of items at discounts. This was a welcome Black Friday promotion that allowed people to take advantage of the slashed prices before the festive season.
Teacher Mpamire, who is a renowned Ugandan comedian landed a brand ambassadorial role for the online shopping platform this year. His brand of comedy is what makes him popular among his audience and Kikuubo decided to tap into that. Here is one of the best creative Black Friday ads he did for #KikuuboBlack November that we loved this year. I am sure sports lovers will truly appreciate this one.
Kimanzi for Skygarden
Muthengi Kimanzi, popularly called Kimanzi, is a Kenyan content creator and social media influencer with a knack for developing the most creative content for brands. His signature style and seamless video transitions are his trademarks, and you will always have a good time watching his content. He has worked with brands like Guinness, Jambojet, and Skygarden mall. You may have seen him on a billboard somewhere in Nairobi or gracing your TV screens saying his famous "Don't go to Skygarden" line.
Here is one of the best creative Black Friday ads he did for Skygarden mall's Black Friday campaign this year.
Ebuka for Budweiser
Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, who is one of the biggest media personalities in Nigeria is more popularly known for hosting the popular reality show, Big Brother Naija. He has also been the brand ambassador for Budweiser since 2019 and has been creating content for them on his social media pages.
This particular post on Ebuka's Instagram caught our eye during this year's Black Friday season and we thought it should make the list as one of the best creative ads we've seen yet.
Esther Kazungu for Nivea EA
Esther Kazungu is another talented content creator whose videos satirizing African politicians have earned her a soft spot in our hearts. Having collaborated with brands like TCB and Safaricom, she always finds creative ways to inform and make us laugh with her campaign ads and content.
She is always showcasing her creativity through her brilliant content editing skills. This post she did for Nivea East Africa's Black Friday campaign this year is just a shining example.
Creativity in marketing employs engagement, storytelling, brand recognition, and personalization. This helps make an ad campaign so memorable to the audience. Social media influencers today have helped shape the world of advertising by creatively developing content in a way that addresses a niche for their audience while maintaining their brand image. Fortunately, more companies have realized this and adapted to this model to create the best and most creative ad campaigns.
At this rate, who knows what kind of ads we will be getting in five or even ten years? I, for one, am excited to find out.