Black Friday & Cyber Monday Google Ads Playbook

Black Friday through Cyber Monday represents the most concentrated opportunity in retail advertising. Success requires preparation, intensity, and rapid decision-making.

The BFCM Window

Thursday (Thanksgiving in US):

• Sales often start Thursday evening
• Lower volume, early bird shoppers
• Test run for Black Friday

Friday (Black Friday):

• Highest single-day volume for many
• Doorbusters and main promotions
• All-day intensity

Saturday:

• Lower than Friday but significant
• Optimization opportunity
• Less competition for attention

Sunday:

• Transition day
• Cyber Monday preview
• Online focus increases

Monday (Cyber Monday):

• Online-only focus
• Often matches or exceeds Friday
• Evening is typically strongest

Success Requirements

1. Everything prepared in advance
2. Dedicated monitoring resources
3. Clear decision authority
4. Flexibility to scale
5. Contingency plans ready

This Playbook Provides:

• Hour-by-hour monitoring framework
• Real-time decision criteria
• Troubleshooting quick-reference
• Day-by-day optimization tactics

The week before BFCM is final preparation. No new experiments—only verification and readiness.

Monday Before BFCM

Campaigns:

• All BFCM campaigns created and paused
• All ads approved (submit by Tuesday latest)
• Budgets set correctly
• Bid strategies confirmed

Creative:

• All ad copy finalized
• Product titles/descriptions updated
• Promotional messaging ready
• Extension updates scheduled

Tracking:

• Complete test conversion
• Verify all pixels firing
• Confirm revenue tracking accurate
• Set up real-time dashboards

Tuesday Before BFCM

Technical checks:

• Website load tested
• Checkout tested
• Promotional codes working
• Inventory system connected

Team alignment:

• Monitoring schedule confirmed
• Decision authority documented
• Communication channels established
• Escalation path clear

Wednesday Before BFCM (Day Before Thanksgiving)

Final preparations:

• All ads approved and ready
• Enable BFCM campaigns (paused until go-live)
• Pre-flight budget check
• Final competitor review

Team prep:

• Rest (tomorrow is a long day)
• Emergency contacts confirmed
• Laptop/mobile access verified
• Monitoring rotation finalized

Go-Live Checklist

Before launching BFCM campaigns:

1. Site working correctly
2. Promotions applying properly
3. Tracking verified (fresh test)
4. Inventory confirmed
5. Team ready for monitoring
6. Budget unlocked
7. Stakeholders notified

Thursday sets the stage. Many retailers launch Thursday evening for the early shoppers.

Thursday Schedule

Morning (if sales don't start until evening):

• Normal operations
• Final verification checks
• Prepare for evening launch

Early Afternoon (2-4 PM):

• Launch BFCM campaigns if going live
• Monitor first impressions
• Verify ads showing correctly
• Check promotional messaging accurate

Evening (6 PM - Midnight):

• Peak early shopping period
• Monitor performance hourly
• First real data coming in
• Adjust only if major issues

Key Metrics to Monitor

Every hour:

• Spend vs. budget pacing
• Conversion rate trend
• ROAS direction
• Any ad disapprovals

Comparison points:

• vs. normal Thursday (if baseline exists)
• vs. last year BFCM Thursday
• vs. hourly targets

Thursday Decision Framework

If performing well:

• Let it run (don't over-optimize)
• Prepare to scale Friday
• Document what's working

If underperforming:

• Check: Are promotions live on site?
• Check: Are ads showing correctly?
• Check: Is tracking working?
• Don't panic—wait for Friday data

If major technical issues:

• Pause affected campaigns
• Fix immediately
• Re-enable once resolved
• Document for post-mortem

End of Day Thursday

Before signing off:

• Performance summary noted
• Any issues documented
• Friday adjustments planned
• Alarm set for Friday morning monitoring

Black Friday is the main event. Intensive monitoring and rapid decisions are essential.

Black Friday Schedule

Early Morning (6-9 AM):

• Review overnight performance
• First budget check
• Competitor ad check
• Ensure all campaigns active

Morning (9 AM - 12 PM):

• Peak shopping begins
• Hourly monitoring
• First optimization decisions
• Scale if performing

Afternoon (12-5 PM):

• Sustained high volume
• Continue hourly monitoring
• Budget pacing check
• Mid-day adjustments

Evening (5-10 PM):

• Often strongest period
• Ensure budget doesn't run out
• Monitor mobile vs. desktop
• Final push optimization

Late Night (10 PM - Midnight):

• Transition to Saturday
• Overnight budget check
• Prepare Saturday messaging

Hourly Monitoring Dashboard

Track every hour:

Time	Spend	Conversions	Revenue	ROAS	CVR	Notes
6 AM
7 AM
...

Black Friday Decision Matrix

Budget running out by 3 PM:

• Increase budget immediately (50-100%)
• Focus on highest ROAS campaigns if limited
• Cut poorest performers to redistribute

ROAS above target by 20%+:

• Scale budget aggressively
• Consider lowering targets to capture more
• This is the opportunity

ROAS below target by 20%+:

• Investigate before cutting
• Check: Are high-value campaigns dragging average?
• Check: Is conversion delay hiding performance?
• Reduce spend on clear losers only

Conversion rate dropping:

• Check site speed/availability
• Check checkout functionality
• Check inventory on promoted items
• Could indicate site issues

Black Friday Optimization Priorities

1. Ensure budget doesn't run out
2. Scale winning campaigns
3. Pause obvious failures
4. Let working campaigns work
5. Document for Saturday optimization

Saturday is optimization day. Sunday is the bridge to Cyber Monday.

Saturday Strategy

Morning (9-11 AM):

• Full Black Friday analysis
• Identify clear winners/losers
• Plan Saturday adjustments

Optimization priorities:

1. Reallocate budget from losers to winners
2. Adjust bid targets based on Friday data
3. Refresh ad copy if fatigue appearing
4. Prepare Cyber Monday transition

Saturday is typically:

• 40-60% of Friday volume
• Lower CPCs (less competition)
• Good for optimization tests
• Time to catch breath

Saturday Adjustments

Budget reallocation:

• Cut budget from campaigns that underperformed Friday
• Add budget to campaigns that exceeded targets
• Test moderate increases on average performers

Bid adjustments:

• Lower targets on underperformers (or pause)
• Raise targets slightly on winners (get more volume)
• Consider device/time adjustments based on Friday

Sunday Strategy

Sunday focus:

• Cyber Monday preparation
• Messaging transition
• Final optimization before Monday peak

Sunday morning:

• Review Saturday performance
• Begin transitioning messaging
• "Cyber Monday starts tomorrow" angle

Sunday afternoon/evening:

• Consider launching Cyber Monday deals early
• Many do "Cyber Monday Preview"
• Test engagement with new messaging

Sunday night:

• All Cyber Monday messaging live
• Budget set for Monday
• Final checks complete
• Team ready for Monday morning

Weekend Messaging Transition

Time	Messaging Focus
Friday	Black Friday deals
Saturday early	Black Friday continues
Saturday late	"Black Friday Extended" or "Weekend Sale"
Sunday morning	Weekend sale / Cyber Monday preview
Sunday evening	Cyber Monday starts soon
Monday	Cyber Monday deals

Cyber Monday is the second peak. Often equals or exceeds Black Friday for online-focused businesses.

Cyber Monday Characteristics

Key differences from Friday:

• More online-focused shoppers
• Evening hours often strongest (after work)
• Mobile shopping increases
• Often higher intent (less browsing)

Cyber Monday Schedule

Early Morning (6-9 AM):

• Campaigns active with CM messaging
• Review overnight performance
• First pacing check

Morning (9 AM - 12 PM):

• Lower volume than afternoon typically
• Office workers browsing
• Steady monitoring

Afternoon (12-5 PM):

• Volume increases
• Lunch break shopping
• Budget pacing critical

Evening (5-10 PM):

• Often the peak period
• Post-work shopping
• Ensure budget for evening
• Last-chance messaging

Late Night (10 PM - Midnight):

• "Last hours" messaging
• Monitor until close
• Decide on extension

Cyber Monday Specifics

Messaging adjustments:

• Online-only focus
• "Today only" urgency
• Tech/electronics often peak
• Work-from-home audience

Budget pacing:

• Save budget for evening peak
• Don't exhaust by 3 PM
• Evening often 40%+ of day's conversions

Mobile consideration:

• Higher mobile traffic than Friday
• Ensure mobile experience perfect
• Consider mobile bid adjustments

Cyber Monday Decisions

Extension decision (by 6 PM): Decide whether to:

• End as planned at midnight
• Extend through Tuesday ("Cyber Week")
• Transition to different sale

Factors to consider:

• Inventory levels
• Performance vs. targets
• Competitor actions
• Team fatigue

If extending:

• Prepare "Extended" messaging
• Adjust budget for Tuesday
• Communicate to team

If ending:

• Prepare "Final hours" push
• Transition messaging ready for post-sale
• Clear end time communicated

End of Cyber Monday

Midnight tasks:

• Pause or transition BFCM campaigns
• Enable post-BFCM messaging
• Reduce budgets for Tuesday
• Send performance summary

Quick reference for common issues during BFCM.

Issue: Ads Not Showing

Check:

1. Budget not exhausted?
2. Ads approved?
3. Campaign enabled?
4. Bid competitive enough?
5. No payment issues?

Fix:

• Increase budget if exhausted
• Check ad review status
• Enable if paused
• Raise bids if losing auction
• Update payment method

Issue: Budget Running Out Early

Check:

1. Daily budget vs. actual spend
2. Which campaigns consuming most
3. Current ROAS of high-spend campaigns

Fix:

• Increase budget if ROAS acceptable
• Reduce bids on low-ROAS campaigns
• Pause lowest performers to redistribute

Issue: Conversions Not Tracking

Check:

1. Complete test conversion
2. Tag Assistant verification
3. Real-time analytics view
4. Conversion delay settings

Fix:

• If tracking broken, document for later
• Use platform analytics as backup
• Don't pause performing campaigns
• Fix tracking post-peak if necessary

Issue: ROAS Dropping Rapidly

Check:

1. Site functioning correctly?
2. Inventory issues?
3. Competitor undercutting?
4. Traffic quality changing?

Fix:

• Verify site/checkout working
• Pause products that sold out
• Hold steady—don't panic cut
• Check search terms for quality

Issue: CPCs Spiking

Cause: Competition intensifying

Options:

1. Accept higher CPCs (expected during peak)
2. Focus budget on lower-competition terms
3. Increase bids on best performers only
4. Shift to Shopping/PMax if Search too expensive

Issue: Website Slow/Down

Immediate actions:

1. Reduce ad spend temporarily
2. Alert technical team
3. Pause highest-volume campaigns
4. Re-enable as site stabilizes

Never: Continue full spending into broken site

Issue: Promotional Code Not Working

Customer impact: Cart abandonment

Fix:

1. Alert ecommerce team immediately
2. Consider pausing ads with that offer
3. Update ad copy if extended outage
4. Document for post-mortem

Immediate actions after Cyber Monday ends.

Tuesday Morning (Day After)

Performance summary:

• Total BFCM spend
• Total BFCM revenue
• Overall ROAS achieved
• Comparison to targets
• Comparison to last year

Campaign status:

• Transition all BFCM campaigns to post-sale
• Reduce budgets to December normal
• Update all messaging
• Remove urgency that's no longer valid

Wednesday-Friday

Analysis:

• Deep-dive by day/campaign/product
• Identify biggest wins
• Identify biggest misses
• Document learnings

Optimization:

• Apply learnings to December campaigns
• Reallocate budgets based on performance
• Update audiences based on BFCM data

Team debrief:

• What worked well?
• What was challenging?
• What should change next year?
• Document while fresh

Stakeholder Reporting

Prepare:

• Executive summary
• Key metrics dashboard
• Year-over-year comparison
• Top performers highlight
• Recommendations for December

New Customer Analysis

From BFCM buyers:

• Acquisition cost
• Average order value
• Product categories purchased
• Email opt-in rate

For December:

• Welcome sequence timing
• Remarketing for repeat purchase
• Upsell opportunities

December Transition

Budget adjustments:

• Return to sustainable levels
• Save capacity for December peaks
• Plan for Dec 15-23 surge

Messaging transition:

• Holiday gift focus
• Shipping deadlines
• Gift card promotion
• Year-end positioning

How to structure your team for BFCM success.

Monitoring Rotation

For full coverage:

• Multiple team members
• Defined shifts
• Clear handoff procedures
• Backup contacts

Sample rotation:

Time	Primary	Backup
6 AM - 12 PM	Person A	Person B
12 PM - 6 PM	Person B	Person C
6 PM - 12 AM	Person C	Person A

Communication Plan

Channels:

• Primary: Slack/Teams channel
• Backup: Group text
• Emergency: Phone calls

Regular updates:

• Every 2 hours to team
• Every 4 hours to stakeholders
• Immediately for major issues

Decision Authority Matrix

Decision	Who Can Decide
Increase budget <20%	Any team member
Increase budget 20-50%	Team lead
Increase budget >50%	Director approval
Pause campaign	Any team member
Change bid strategy	Team lead
Launch new campaign	Director approval

Escalation Path

Level 1: Team member on duty

• Minor adjustments
• Expected issues
• Routine optimization

Level 2: Team lead

• Significant performance issues
• Budget decisions >20%
• Technical problems

Level 3: Director/Executive

• Major strategy changes
• Emergency budget requests
• Site-wide issues

Self-Care During BFCM

Team wellness:

• Mandatory breaks
• Meals provided or scheduled
• No one works all 5 days straight
• Post-BFCM recovery time

Individual tips:

• Prepare meals in advance
• Stay hydrated
• Step away every 2 hours
• Get sleep between shifts

BFCM is a marathon, not a sprint—pace accordingly.