Case Study: Supporting This Pet Food Brand’s Alternative Black Friday Campaign With Meta Ads

Many ecommerce brands are shifting away from traditional Black Friday discounting, instead embracing more meaningful initiatives that create positive social impact.

Heavy discounting can undermine brand value and long-term growth, and is typically associated with overconsumption and waste.

Alternative Black Friday campaigns on the other hand – such as ‘one for one’ charitable donations and sustainability commitments – align with the growing consumer demand for ethical and sustainable shopping, whilst helping foster stronger emotional relationships with customers. A more considered, responsible approach to Black Friday also helps brands to differentiate themselves in a saturated marketplace.

Following on from a successful charitable initiative in November 2023, the team at leading raw pet food retailer Nutriment were passionate about running another Black Friday campaign with a difference in 2024. The company pledged to donate a meal to an animal rescue charity for every 10kg of food purchased throughout the month of November.

This case study will explore how we used Meta Ads to support Nutriment’s ‘You Buy, We Donate’ Black Friday campaign.

Objectives

Our primary objective was to help Nutriment surpass the 23,353 meals donated to rescue animals in their 2023 charity campaign. We would help the brand achieve this target by driving awareness of the campaign on Meta and encouraging engagement with such a worthy cause.

As well as increasing year-on-year sales for November, we also hoped that our Meta campaign would result in an increase in the number of new customers shopping with Nutriment that month.

Target audience

Our Meta Ads campaign focused on two key audience groups:

• Pet owners passionate about animal welfare: Individuals who care deeply about their pets and are likely to support initiatives that benefit rescue animals.

• Broader charitable audiences: Consumers motivated by purposeful causes and eager to make purchases that contribute to meaningful social impact.

Meta Ads strategy

Two-pronged approach

To engage these audiences effectively and achieve our objectives, we implemented a two-pronged strategy:

1. Broad audience acquisition (top-of-funnel)

Using Meta’s Advantage+ campaigns, we reached new audiences with no prior interaction with Nutriment. These campaigns leveraged Meta’s advanced, AI-powered optimisation to target pet owners and animal-lovers at scale, ensuring we maximised reach and engagement.

2. Re-engagement and conversion (middle-of-funnel)

We implemented focused campaigns targeted at website visitors, social media engagers, and previous customers. By retargeting warm audiences, we increased the likelihood of conversions and reinforced the campaign’s emotional message to those familiar with Nutriment.

Creatives

Throughout the campaign, we focused on crafting an emotionally resonant experience for the audience. We leveraged digital creatives to showcase the significance of the cause, whilst motivating customers to take immediate action.

• Visual assets were designed to evoke an emotional connection with the audience. Featuring heartwarming imagery of rescue animals not only humanised the cause but also amplified the sense of responsibility to act.

• Statistics related to the impact of each purchase, such as the number of meals donated per unit sold, were strategically incorporated within creatives to highlight the direct results of customer participation and persuade the audience to get involved.

• Ad copy was centred around driving empathy, with emotion-driven messaging such as “Your purchase saves lives”. This not only encouraged customers to see themselves as part of a collective effort but also reinforced Nutriment’s commitment to making a positive social impact.

• Clear, direct calls to action (such as “Support rescue animals with every purchase”) provided an actionable next step that made customers feel empowered to participate.

Examples of the single ad creatives leveraged during this campaign.

Whilst maintaining emotional appeal and communicating the importance of the cause was important, we were careful to stay within the constraints of Nutriment’s visual identity and avoid causing emotional overwhelm or guilt amongst the audience.

Ad formats & placements

We leveraged Meta’s platform to run a mix of single ads, carousel ads and video content to capture attention across multiple touchpoints. Using a combination of these formats allowed us to cater to different audience preferences and increase engagement.

An example of the creatives leveraged for a carousel ad on Meta. 

Results of Nutriment’s alternative Black Friday campaign

Our Meta Ads campaign generated 783 purchases, with a return on ad spend of 3,108%.

Overall, Nutriment’s 2024 ‘You Buy, We Donate’ Black Friday campaign resulted in 25,852 meals being donated to rescue charities. This surpassed the previous year’s donations by 10.7%.

Nutriment saw a 3.8% increase in new customer acquisition in November, compared to the monthly average for previous months in 2024.

Meanwhile, overall sales in November 2024 saw a year-on-year increase of 4.3%.

Evaluation

We’re extremely proud to have supported Nutriment’s charitable initiative with this successful paid social ads campaign. By combining advanced targeting techniques with purposeful storytelling, inspiring imagery and persuasive copy, the campaign captured attention and spurred meaningful action.

This is a powerful example of how doing something other than discounting products for Black Friday can have a significant commercial and social impact. More than simply selling pet food, this was about fostering a sense of collective responsibility and empowering customers to become part of a larger movement.

Reflecting on the campaign, Ryan Winwright, Head of UK Marketing Operations at Nutriment, commented:

“During the Black Friday period, we are constantly targeted with discounts – and in many cases for products we don’t need. That’s why we chose a different path: to raise awareness for the amazing work charities do every day, while providing meal donations for animals in need.

“After a successful campaign in 2023, we set our sights even higher for 2024, determined to reach more pet owners and make a bigger impact. This required a strong targeting strategy, teamed with creatives that resonate with pet owners – and we are so pleased with the results.”

Discuss Black Friday alternatives with our ecommerce digital marketing experts

If you’re interested in creating meaningful social impact with an alternative Black Friday campaign this year, our team of ecommerce digital marketing experts can help you increase visibility, drive awareness and maximise results.

Our international Shopify specialists work with brands across a range of verticals, including petcare, food and drink, health and wellness, beauty and cosmetics, and jewellery – powering digital growth with long-term, data-driven strategies.

Contact us today to learn more.