Today we’re going to have a conversation that I think is going to completely change how you think about the holiday season.
Because here’s the thing – we’re not just talking about Black Friday today. We’re talking about the entire period from October through December.
And I’m going to show you how purpose-driven brands can absolutely dominate this season without compromising their values, without manipulating their customers, and without training everyone to only buy on discount.
I’m calling it Green Friday to Green Christmas. And it’s about so much more than one day of deals.
What’s Happening In Ecommerce Right Now
It’s October, which means we’re about to be hit with the annual consumption tsunami. Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Then straight into Christmas panic-buying. And somewhere in all of this chaos, your customers – the ones who chose your brand because they care about quality, sustainability, conscious consumption – they’re feeling pressured.
Pressured to spend for the sake of getting a deal. Pressured to consume for the sake of consuming. It’s the whole disposable goods, instant-gratification, fast-food and fast-fashion mentality playing out in real time.
And here’s what really gets me: Is this the world we want to live in? Is this the world we want our kids to grow up in? Where everything is about faster, cheaper, more disposable? Where local boutiques disappear one by one while Amazon rules everything?
Generic Marketing = Commodity Pricing
I had a conversation recently with a brand owner in Sydney that really stuck with me. She makes beautiful kids bedding – not just pretty patterns, but products designed with purpose. Each design has educational elements woven in. Constellations on the doona cover that teach kids about astronomy. Maps that spark curiosity about geography. These aren’t just products – they’re tools for incidental learning.
And you know what several marketers told her? “Don’t focus your marketing on the education side. Just show the products. Show the fairies and the unicorns and sell the bedding.”
I was absolutely gobsmacked. Because that advice? That’s the fastest way to become a commodity. That’s the fastest way to end up competing on price with every other kids bedding brand out there. That’s the fastest way to attract customers who’ll only buy when you’re 50% off.
Think about it – if you just market fairy doona covers, you’re only reaching people who already know they want a fairy doona cover. And they’re probably comparing your fairy doona cover to ten other fairy doona covers based purely on price.
Purpose-Driven Marketing
But if you market the purpose – “Help your child learn while they sleep” – suddenly you’re attracting a completely different customer. One who shares your “why.” One who gets excited about the educational value. One who appreciates what you’re doing and is willing to pay full price for it. One who tells their friends about this amazing brand they discovered.
This is exactly what Simon Sinek talks about in “Start With Why.” People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. And if you can communicate your purpose clearly, you attract people who believe what you believe.
I’ve been working with eCommerce brands for years now, and I can’t tell you how many of my clients have come to me saying, “Cath, I want to opt out of Black Friday completely.”
And when I ask them why, it’s always the same story: “I built this brand to make the world better, not to manipulate people into panic-buying things they don’t need.”
These are brand owners who started their businesses with purpose. They’re making sustainable products, supporting artisans, creating quality goods that are meant to last. And then the holiday season rolls around and suddenly they feel like they have to participate in this culture of disposability that goes against everything they stand for.
The Data Confirms It…
But here’s what’s interesting – and this is where it gets really good – last year, we started noticing something in the data. Promotions that used the traditional names – Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Mother’s Day sales – they just weren’t performing like they used to.
Even the names themselves aren’t engaging audiences anymore. People see “Black Friday Sale” in their inbox and they’re just… over it.
And you know what that tells me? Your audience is literally asking for a better way. They’re exhausted by the pressure, the urgency, the manipulation.
Purpose-Driven Pricing
Now, I want to talk about something that’s really important to understand about discount-driven marketing, especially during the holiday season.
Yes, you can shift a bunch of stock with big Black Friday discounts. Yes, you might see a massive revenue spike. But here’s what most brands don’t track – what kind of customers are you actually attracting?
Let me share what happens when you lead with discounts during the holiday season:
First, you’re training customers to wait for sales. They see your brand, they like your products, but instead of buying, they think “I’ll wait until Black Friday when it’s cheaper.” You’ve just taught them that your regular prices aren’t worth paying.
Second, you’re attracting deal-seekers, not brand believers. These customers don’t care about your purpose, your story, or your values. They care about getting the best deal. And next year? They’ll buy from whoever has the better discount. Zero loyalty.
Third – and this is the kicker – discount customers tend not to stick around. We see this in the data all the time. The customer acquisition cost might look good during Black Friday, but when you look at 90-day or 12-month customer lifetime value? It’s dismal. These aren’t the customers who become advocates. They’re not the ones telling their friends about you. They’re definitely not the ones who come back and pay full price later.
So yes, you might have a great November. But you’ve just set yourself up for a really tough year ahead because you’ve attracted the wrong customers and trained your good customers to wait for discounts.
Every Brand Needs a Movement
Here’s something I want you to really think about: Every productpreneur needs a movement.
And I don’t mean that in some fluffy, woo-woo way. I mean it strategically.
Let me ask you – why did you start your business? What’s the purpose behind your brand?
Is it to inspire people in some way? Does using your product help people become healthier, save money, feel better about themselves, change habits, take positive action?
If you’re thinking “But Cath, I just sell products, I’m not leading a movement” – I get it. I used to think the same thing.
I used to scratch my head whenever business experts would pose these kinds of questions. My response was always: “I just want to run my business, create and sell products that I love. I’m not leading a movement here.”
Then one day it hit me like a bolt of lightning. I DID have a movement. I DID have a purpose-driven brand. With my baby products business, the purpose was to inspire parents to give their baby the best start in life possible. To become closer to their baby. To make it easy for parents to take care of their baby’s health and the environment too.
And here’s the truth: people don’t get excited about products. They get obsessed about movements. About purposes. About brands that stand for something.
So if people don’t get excited about products, and you want to sell a lot of products, what do you do?
You put the focus on the people, not the product.
Here’s the thing – in traditional marketing, we were taught to describe features and benefits. Tell customers what the product is, what it does, why they should buy it.
But customers don’t want to buy something because of what it is and what it does. They want to solve their own problem. They want to align with brands that share their values.
The more accurately you can describe the problem or desire of the person you’re selling to, the more automatically they’ll believe you have the solution.
And this is where brand storytelling comes in. It’s through telling stories that your audience can relate to your brand. Headlines capture attention, but stories capture imagination. Stories help customers see themselves in your brand.
Green Friday & Sustainable Christmas
I had a client – Felicia – who runs a gift business selling Australian products. When she started, she thought she should be selling high-end gourmet hampers. Beautiful, expensive, fancy.
But you know what her customers kept asking for? Tim Tams. Just Tim Tams and Caramellos and Milo. The comfort foods that reminded homesick Australians of home.
At first, she resisted. She thought “I’m building a premium brand, I can’t just sell Tim Tams.”
But then she listened. And she realised her purpose wasn’t about selling fancy gourmet products. It was about connecting people to home. About sparking joy and delight through gifts that celebrate Australia. About sending comfort and love across oceans.
Once she understood that purpose, everything changed. Her marketing became about the emotional connection, not the product features. And her business took off.
Here’s where Green Friday to Green Christmas comes in.
This isn’t just about one day. This is about reimagining the entire holiday season from October through December.
Green Friday to Green Christmas is about turning the holiday season green in three ways:
First – green for your profits. You can still have wildly successful campaigns without slashing your margins to compete with mass market brands.
Second – green for the planet. It’s about encouraging mindful, conscious consumption instead of mindless buying frenzies. It’s about quality gifts that last, not cheap stuff that ends up in landfill.
And third – green for how your customers feel. Instead of creating anxiety and buyer’s remorse, you create positive feelings of connection, pride, and joy.
Let me give you a concrete example of what this looks like.
Instead of: “FLASH SALE! 50% OFF EVERYTHING! ENDS MIDNIGHT!”
You might say: “Give gifts that create memories this Christmas. Free premium gift wrapping and a tree planted with every purchase.”
Can you feel the difference? One creates panic and scarcity. The other creates warmth and purpose.
Or instead of: “BLACK FRIDAY DOORBUSTER – 70% OFF!”
You might say: “Join our Give Thoughtfully movement. Receive our limited edition artisan gift with purchases this week, and we’ll donate to [cause your customers care about].”
The first approach trains customers to wait for discounts and devalues your products. The second approach adds value, maintains your margins, and makes customers feel good about choosing you.
Green Friday & Sustainable Christmas In Practice
Now I want to talk about how to actually execute this across the entire holiday season, because this is where a lot of brands get overwhelmed.
Let me share what worked brilliantly for Felicia’s Australian gift business. She created a Christmas campaign that ran from July through December – six full months – with one consistent theme.
The campaign was called “I Still Believe in Santa.” The concept was simple but powerful: Because of COVID, everyone needs something to believe in. And Santa isn’t the only one who can deliver gifts internationally this Christmas.
What made this campaign so successful was that it wasn’t just about quick sales. It was about brand awareness, emotional connection, and community building.
Felicia created a beautiful illustration of a koala looking up at the moon with Santa and his sleigh. Then she developed that into an animated video about a little koala named Christie writing a letter to Santa with gifts for her family.
The video wasn’t a hard sell. It was pure storytelling. It was about the magic of gift-giving, about connection, about believing in something wonderful.
And here’s the brilliant part – she created that story once, and then leveraged it across every channel for six months.
The illustration appeared on her website homepage. The video ran on Facebook ads. The characters showed up on postcards that went in every package. She created catalog covers with the imagery. She used frames from the video in her email campaigns.
One strong theme, executed consistently across all channels, for an extended period.
And it worked. Despite losing a huge portion of her market due to COVID – all the corporate gifting, all the tourism, all the business travel – she was still 50% up compared to the previous year.
Why? Because she wasn’t just selling products. She was selling the magic of connection. She was tapping into what people needed emotionally during a difficult year.
How To Implement a Green Friday Campaign
Okay, so how do you actually do this for your brand?
First, you need to get crystal clear on your purpose. Not your product features – your purpose. Why does your brand exist? What change are you trying to create in the world?
That Sydney bedding brand? Her purpose is making learning joyful and accessible for kids. That’s so much more powerful than “we sell kids bedding.”
My Australian gift client? Her purpose is connecting people to the joy and wonder of Australia. That’s more powerful than “we sell Australian souvenirs.”
What’s yours?
Second, create one strong campaign theme that ties to your purpose and runs through the entire holiday season. Not a different promotion every week. One consistent story.
For Green Friday to Green Christmas, your theme should connect your purpose to the season. How does your brand make the holidays more meaningful? How do your products create connection, joy, learning, sustainability – whatever your purpose is?
Third, think about offers that add value rather than discounting.
This could be:
- Gift with purchase (something meaningful that ties to your purpose)
- Planting a tree with every purchase
- Donating to causes your customers care about
- Premium services like personalization or gift wrapping
- Educational content or experiences
- Building community through exclusive access
Fourth, create campaign assets you can use across all channels:
- One hero image or illustration
- A short video or animation if you can
- Email templates with consistent branding
- Social content that tells your story
- Website banners that reflect your theme
- Packaging inserts that continue the experience
Fifth, measure success differently. Yes, track revenue. But also track:
- Customer satisfaction and feedback
- Social sharing and word-of-mouth
- Customer lifetime value, not just immediate sales
- Brand sentiment and engagement
- Repeat purchase rates
The Customers’ Perspective On Green Friday
Let’s talk about what this actually looks like from your customer’s perspective, because this is everything.
Imagine your ideal customer during traditional Black Friday season:
They wake up to 47 emails all screaming urgency. Countdown timers. LAST CHANCE. DON’T MISS OUT. ENDS IN 6 HOURS.
They feel anxious. Pressured. Overwhelmed. Even if they buy something, they feel guilty about spending money or worried they made the wrong choice. They experience buyer’s remorse.
Now imagine your ideal customer during Green Friday to Green Christmas:
They receive an email from your brand that tells a story. Maybe it’s about the artisan who made the product. Maybe it’s about how their purchase supports a cause they care about. Maybe it’s about creating meaningful moments with family.
There’s no countdown timer creating anxiety. There’s anticipation and warmth instead. There’s an offer that adds value – a beautiful gift with purchase, or a donation to something they believe in, or premium service that makes them feel special.
When they buy, they feel proud. Proud of supporting a brand that aligns with their values. Excited to give a gift that has meaning behind it. Connected to something bigger than just a transaction.
Which customer do you think becomes a loyal advocate? Which one tells their friends? Which one comes back and buys again at full price?
Your customers didn’t choose you to be manipulated by you. They chose you because you represent something they believe in. Your holiday marketing should reinforce that, not undermine it.
Here’s what I really want you to think about as we wrap up.
Every time you choose purpose-driven marketing over manipulative marketing, every time you choose conscious consumption over mindless buying frenzies, every time you choose community building over discount chasing – you’re not just making a business decision.
You’re making a cultural statement.
You’re saying that commerce can be about more than extracting as much money as possible from customers. You’re saying that businesses can be a force for good. You’re saying that the relationship between brands and customers can be built on trust and shared values, not manipulation and pressure.
And honestly? I think that’s the kind of business world our kids deserve to inherit.
My Challenge To You…
So here’s my challenge for you: What if this holiday season, instead of following the same old playbook that makes everyone feel terrible, you tried something completely different?
What if you created campaigns that made your customers proud to support you? What if you built community instead of creating chaos? What if you showed other brands that there’s a better way to do this?
What if you turned your purpose into a movement that people want to be part of?
That’s what Green Friday to Green Christmas is all about.
Look, you didn’t start your business to manipulate people into buying things. You started it to make a difference, to create something meaningful, to build a brand that reflects your values.
Your holiday season marketing should do the same thing.
Remember – sustainable, purpose-driven brands are growing 64% faster than alternatives. Your customers want to buy from brands that share their values. This isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s good business.
So let’s make this holiday season about more than just transactions. Let’s make it about connection, purpose, and creating the kind of commerce we want to see in the world.
Here’s to changing the game.
