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Cyber Monday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year, which makes it one of the most competitive days in digital advertising. If you want your ads to stand out, you have to find a way to cut through the noise. In the past, advertisers could rely on deep discounts, but they’re no longer enough: You need to blend discounts with other creative elements, including urgency, scarcity, celebrity endorsements, and good storytelling.
If you can extend the sales period beyond Cyber Monday by connecting the entire Cyber 5 period, you can drive your revenue even further. In this article, I’ll explore six standout Cyber Monday ads from previous years and explore what makes them so effective.
6 Cyber Monday Ads Advertisers Should Know About
1. Best Buy
Best Buy’s ad opens with a woman shopping on her laptop while a holographic Best Buy employee and an animated Santa chat nearby. Santa is hunting for holiday deals, prompting the employee to ask why he doesn’t make everything in his workshop. His response delivers the punchline: “You try making a 75-inch TV out of a block of wood.”
The humor connects directly to Best Buy’s products, while the reference to “specific wish lists” introduces a familiar shopping challenge. Both Santa and the woman need particular gifts, and Best Buy positions its deals as the answer.
The ad repeats its weekly schedule and closes with a Cyber Monday promotional screen, connecting the event to a broader series of offers. Shoppers have a reason to check back even after one shopping day has passed.
Key lesson: Keep entertainment tied to the offer. A short, product-related joke can introduce a clear promotion without requiring animated characters or elaborate effects.
2. Allbirds
Allbirds offers shoppers a free pair of socks when they spend $100 or more. The gift complements the brand’s footwear, making it a relevant addition to the purchase. The spending requirement, meanwhile, gives customers a clear target. Someone whose order is close to $100 may consider adding another useful item to qualify. Whether that generates more profitable sales depends on the gift’s cost and the additional spending it encourages.
The promotion also explains how to claim the gift, which matters, because shoppers need to know how to receive the advertised benefit, especially if redemption requires selecting an item or completing an extra step.
Key lesson: For advertisers, the takeaway is to make the benefit, qualifying spend, and redemption instructions easy to follow. Choose a gift customers can use, and make sure your checkout delivers what the creative promises.
3. Amazon
Amazon’s 15-second ad turns an everyday distraction into a humorous Cyber Monday message. A man goes into the pantry to find sugar, but gets sidetracked browsing gift deals on his phone. Twenty minutes later, his wife opens the door and catches him shopping instead of helping.
The scene puts mobile shopping at the center of the story. There’s no lengthy product explanation or complicated setup. The joke is that browsing deals can easily distract someone from what they were doing. The ad closes with a Cyber Monday discount message, giving the scene a clear promotional purpose. The phone hints at the shopping experience, while the closing screen introduces the offer.
Key lesson: A smaller brand could test this structure using an everyday scene followed by one clear promotion. Keep the setup brief enough that viewers have time to register your brand, offer, and next step.
4. Macy’s
Macy’s 2023 YouTube Short moves quickly through fashion and accessories while keeping its promotional text visible: “Cyber Monday Deal Ends 11/27” and “Don’t miss these specials.”
It doesn’t list prices or specific discounts. Instead, the changing products show viewers what they could shop for, while the fixed text reminds them when the sale ends. The deadline stays visible throughout the video. Viewers don’t have to wait for a final frame to understand the timing, and the message remains consistent as different products appear.
Key message: For performance advertisers, this is a useful approach to test when showcasing several items. Keep essential offer information readable while the products change. You could compare a deadline-focused version with one showing specific savings, to learn which generates more purchases at an acceptable acquisition cost.
5. Kohl’s
Actress Ellie Kemper opens Kohl’s ad with a playful twist on a familiar saying: “You miss 100% of the deals you don’t shop. Let that sink in.” A narrator then announces up to 50% off items during Kohl’s Cyber Days, Sunday through Monday.
Quick product shots, including LEGO and an air fryer, illustrate the range of gifts available. The phrase “gifts for everyone on your list” connects those different categories to a familiar goal: getting holiday shopping done.
Kohl’s gives shoppers an earlier starting point while keeping a clear Monday endpoint. Kemper supplies the opening hook, but the savings, products, and dates remain central to the promotion.
Key lesson: Give your spokesperson a clear role. Whether you feature a celebrity, creator, or someone from your team, their introduction should lead naturally into the offer. If your Cyber Monday sale starts early, make that timing explicit.
6. Adidas
Adidas gives its adiClub members early access to its sale and invites other shoppers to join. The promotion connects an immediate shopping benefit with a clear action: Become a member to get access before the wider public.
Existing members receive a reason to shop, while non-members receive a reason to sign up. That gives the creative two roles, supporting the sale and encouraging membership. The appeal comes from a specific benefit. A general invitation to join a loyalty program asks customers to consider its future value; early access gives them a reason to act now.
Key lesson: For advertisers, the takeaway is to explain what joining makes possible. Keep the signup process straightforward and make the promised access easy to find afterward. Measure both signups and subsequent purchases to assess whether the promotion attracts members who buy.
7. Epic Sports
Epic Sports, an online retailer selling sports equipment, uniforms, and apparel, took a straightforward approach in its 2024 Black Friday and Cyber Monday YouTube Short. Close-ups of sports balls move in the background while the promotional text stays fixed.
The offer provides two options: Save $10 on orders over $100 with CYBER10, or $15 on orders over $150 with CYBER15. Each saving is paired with its spending requirement and redemption code. The higher tier offers a larger dollar saving, although both represent roughly the same discount rate near their qualifying amounts. Shoppers approaching either requirement have a reason to consider adding another item.
Key lesson: This example shows how a simple creative can communicate a promotion without a storyline or spokesperson. If you test a similar offer, make the spending requirements and codes readable on a phone. Measure whether any increase in order value covers the discount and advertising costs.
Key Takeaways
These ads give shoppers different reasons to act: recurring deals, a free gift, convenient mobile shopping, a deadline, an expanded sale window, early access, and savings tied to order value.
The creative supports those messages in different ways. Best Buy and Amazon use humor, Kohl’s uses a recognizable actress, and Macy’s and Epic Sports keep offer information visible as the imagery changes. Allbirds and Adidas make the benefit of taking a specific action clear.
Choose an approach that fits your offer and audience, then test it. Attention and clicks are useful signals, but completed purchases, acquisition costs, and profit will tell you whether the promotion deserves more budget.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How can Cyber Monday ads convey urgency and scarcity?
Use genuine sale deadlines, limited availability, or clearly defined access windows. State when the offer ends and include the time zone where relevant. Urgency is about time, while scarcity is about availability. Avoid claiming that stock is limited unless that accurately reflects the products being promoted.
What visual elements help Cyber Monday ads stand out?
Readable text, strong contrast, relevant product images, and purposeful motion can make an ad easier to notice and understand. Keep the main benefit prominent, particularly on mobile. A simple creative with one clear message may be more useful than a crowded design containing several competing offers.
How can you personalize Cyber Monday ads for different audiences?
Start with relevant actions, such as product views, abandoned carts, previous purchases, or loyalty membership. Match the message to what the shopper already knows and may need next. For example, a product viewer might need more information, while a member could receive an early-access reminder. Avoid relying solely on demographic assumptions.
Should every Cyber Monday ad include a discount?
No. Early access, gifts with purchase, and other relevant benefits can give shoppers a reason to buy. If the promotion includes a spending requirement or membership condition, make that clear. Test the offer against your goals and margins, rather than assuming a larger discount will produce better results.
How do you measure whether a Cyber Monday ad is effective?
Measure completed purchases, conversion rate, cost per acquisition, and return on ad spend, along with profit after promotional and fulfillment costs. For signup campaigns, track how many new subscribers or members subsequently purchase. Compare creative variations under similar conditions, allowing enough time for conversions to be reported.
