Discussion: Black Friday and Cyber Monday

General Discussion Instructions

You are required to post to this discussion THREE TIMES, on THREE DIFFERENT DAYS. Please refer to the Discussion Grading Rubric for details regarding how your performance will be assessed. NOTE: Please be certain to read the entire discussion assignment since in some cases there is more than one question you need to discuss, respond to, or address. Be sure that you have answered the entire question!

Post 1: Initial Post

This posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph and a maximum of two paragraphs. Word totals for this post should be in the 100–200-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate.

Preparation

What started as a promotional strategy among several large U.S. retailers has grown into an annual, nationwide shopping event held the day after Thanksgiving: Black Friday. Every year, Black Friday sales get larger, the stores open earlier, the prices get lower, and, unfortunately, the even often includes angry crowds of shoppers, desperate to be the first ones to get a good deal. Black Friday has also given rise Cyber Monday, its online counterpart. There are even businesses that use an anti–Black Friday position as a marketing strategy! Black Friday has spread to Britain, and since 2015, citizens across the United Kingdom have also been able to share in the madness of this pseudo holiday.

For Discussion

From a marketing perspective, you need to make a decision about whether participating in Black Friday madness makes sense, given your target market and customers.

  1. Given this perspective, do you believe that ignoring Black Friday is a viable marketing decision? Why or why not?
  2. What segment of the market do Black Friday and Cyber Monday target? Discuss whether you believe that the targeted market segments are the same for all businesses.
  3. Finally, are you a Black Friday shopper? Why or why not?

Posts 2 and 3: Respond to Classmates’ Posts

Instructions

After you have created your initial post, look over the discussion posts of your classmates and give at least two thoughtful responses to two different classmates (one per classmate) as outlined in the Discussion Grading Rubric.

A response posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph. Word totals for these posts should be in the 75–100-word range. Whether you agree or disagree, explain why with supporting evidence and concepts from the readings or a related experience. Include a reference, link, or citation when appropriate. The goal of your response posts is to extend discussions already taking place or pose new possibilities or opinions not previously voiced. Your goal should be to motivate the group discussion and present a creative approach to the topic.