Beyond the hype: What Black Friday can teach communicators about driving employee engagement

Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

Black Friday isn’t just another hyped up American tradition that slipped into our markets by accident. It’s a global economic event that kickstarts every festive shopping season, from Dubai to Durban and every smartphone in between. In 2024, Black Friday generated around R22bn in additional direct retail revenue in South Africa alone, and contributed around R88bn to the broader economy that month. That’s not a consumer fad, it’s a social movement driven by a clever strategy that knows how to relieve consumer pressure, make people feel rewarded, turn individuals into a community, and trigger action before motivation naturally appears.

And the most fascinating part? Black Friday succeeds by shaping human behaviour, not responding to it. It creates cultural momentum, identity, and action at scale – the very same levers internal communications teams struggle with daily. So what can Black Friday teach internal communications (IC) about igniting culture and driving employee engagement?

The Black Friday playbook for internal communications:

Define the moment, don’t chase it
Black Friday doesn’t join the festive season, it kicks it off, redirecting the consumer’s attention from “what’s coming” to “what’s happening now”.

Internal application: timing is everything. Most organisations launch internal drives and campaigns too late, when energy has already dipped and the moment has passed. Instead of reacting to conditions, become the catalyst for it to happen. Use countdowns, teasers and even early-access previews to signal that something important is coming and then make it worth its place on the social calendar.

Make participation a ritual
People don’t just shop, they perform Black Friday rituals for weeks before the big day – tracking deals that people talk about and plan for.

Internal application: create repeatable internal rituals (Recognition Fridays, Impact Day, etc) that give people something to look forward and then build hype and momentum around them.

Align to business and social cycles
The brilliance of Black Friday is not just the discounts. It’s the positioning in the calendar – late enough to feel urgent, early enough to shape the festive season and right on time for November payday.

Internal application: strategic timing is a lever most IC teams are not leveraging. Strong employee engagement campaigns practice calendar intelligence. They look at the public holidays and social calendar for the year ahead (sporting fixtures, big national events), they take into account seasonal cycles, pay cycles (including bonus payouts) and they leverage key internal events and opportunities.

Emotional + Practical = Power
Part of Black Friday’s success is that it combines bargain-joy with real financial relief. It feels good but also does good by giving consumers a financial break before the big year-end spend.

Internal application: where possible, tie internal messages to both emotional pride and practical benefits. So instead of just asking employees to “celebrate our success”, be sure to tie it to practical benefits like, “here’s how this helps your career/life.”

Give employees tools to be advocates
Black Friday shoppers share their wins (loudly and proudly) and advertise the brands for free.

Internal application: provide internal talking points and social-ready assets to turn employees into storytellers who have the tools and permission to share your successes, not just applauding them.

Drive micro-actions, not big commitments
Black Friday is built on small actions and seamless processes – quick clicks, not lengthy commitments.

Internal application: small actions compound culture. Make internal participation effortless and rewarding, eg: one click surveys, snackable learnings and micro-recognitions.

Leverage data to target and personalise
Retailers target deals based on data histories and preferences.

Internal application: different teams will resonate with different incentives, platforms and content. Use data to understand and segment employees so you can personalise your campaigns to their needs and preferences.

Make wins visible and fast
Black Friday is all about instant gratification and quick wins. You buy. You save. You feel good.

Internal application: celebrate real effort in real time with visual leader boards, surprise shout-outs and immediate recognition.

The reason Black Friday took hold in South Africa is because it offers something bigger than bargains – a moment of financial relief, retail excitement and shared belonging in an economy where every Rand is precious. And maybe that’s the real lesson here. Employee engagement isn’t about getting more out of people. It’s about creating moments people want to show up for the company they work for because it feels worth doing it, together. When you define the moment, you define the behaviour. And that has enormous cultural value.