Black Friday and Cyber Monday (2026): Should Food, Drink and Travel Brands Opt In?
Every November, the same question comes up in marketing meetings across food, drink and travel: do we join Black Friday and Cyber Monday, or sit it out?
Here's what we think, and how we'd approach the decision.
We're seeing something shift in how people approach Black Friday this year. It's not that they're skipping it. It's that they're being more careful about it. Budgets are tighter, so people are choosing where their attention goes rather than getting swept up in every deal that lands in their feed. That matters more than the discount itself, in our view. If people are being more selective, a brand's everyday content carries just as much weight as its Black Friday post, maybe more. So the real question isn't in or out. It's how.
The case for joining in, thoughtfully.
We don't think Black Friday has to mean a blanket discount that undercuts everything a brand stands for. If people are being choosier about what earns their attention, that's an opening. Brands who'd rather offer something useful than shout the loudest tend to do better here: a genuinely helpful gift guide, an honest "is this actually worth it" recommendation, or content that helps someone decide rather than just telling them to buy.
We're also seeing early movers do well. Starting the seasonal conversation well before the day itself, rather than saving everything for one loud push, tends to build more real intent to buy than a single big moment ever does.
For travel and hospitality brands especially, there's more room to be creative than pure retail allows. Adding value, an included breakfast, a bonus course, early access for loyal guests, often lands better than simply cutting the headline price. It still feels like a deal, but it protects how people see the brand.
The case for staying true to your line.
For brands where price has never been the story, an independent restaurant known for its craft, a boutique hotel, a travel brand built on trust, we think the safer move can be to not play the discount game at all. A Black Friday push built purely to drive volume can quietly eat into the higher-value business that brand would have won anyway. The "win" ends up costing more than it earns.
What this means for your brand.
There's no single right answer here, and that's the point worth raising with any brand weighing this up. This isn't really a question about whether to discount. It's a question about what the brand is known for, and whether a Black Friday offer reinforces that or quietly works against it.
The brands we think get this right aren't the loudest discounters. They're the ones treating Black Friday as one more chance to be deliberate: picking an offer, an audience and a message that still sounds like them, even with all the noise around them.
Sources:
Sprout Social Q3 2026 Pulse Survey (September 2026)
Sprout Social Q4 2025 Pulse Survey (November 2025)