How to adapt your creative strategy during economic uncertainty

Advertise during economic uncertainty by targeting specific personas through creative, framing purchases as practical gifts rather than impulse buys, and providing stronger value justification beyond discounts. When wallets tighten, ads must work harder to prove purchases are worth it.

Comparing this year's early BFCM 2025 ads to last year's BFCM ads, you can see this in action:

• More gifting
• More personas
• More justification

Let's take a look at why these strategies work.

Understanding consumer behavior during economic downturns

Consumers don't just spend less when the economy is down, they spend differently.

Research from Harvard Business Review identifies four distinct consumer segments that emerge during economic uncertainty:

Slam-on-the-brakes consumers feel the hardest hit financially and reduce all types of spending by eliminating, postponing, or substituting purchases. This segment cuts deepest and fastest.

Pained-but-patient consumers constitute the largest segment and economize in all areas, though less aggressively than slam-on-the-brakes shoppers. They remain optimistic about riding out uncertainty but worry about maintaining their standard of living in the shorter term.

Comfortably well-off consumers maintain near-normal consumption levels but become more selective and less conspicuous about purchases. This segment, typically the top 5% of income brackets plus those with stable savings, feels secure about weathering economic storms.

Live-for-today consumers are typically younger and urban, responding to downturns mainly by extending purchase timelines for major items. They prioritize experiences over possessions and generally continue spending with minimal changes.

For most brands, most of your audience sits in the pained-but-patient category. They haven't stopped buying but need stronger reasons to say yes, and that should inform your creative strategy.

Why traditional BFCM tactics fall short this year

Last year, we highlighted ads from the 2024 BFCM collection. The three main patterns we found were:

• Highlight the deal
• Reuse winning ads/assets
• Lean into urgency and FOMO

The first two remain important, but consumers may not be as receptive to urgency this time around.

External factors are reshaping consumer psychology. Tariffs, layoffs, and economic uncertainty are making the average consumer thriftier. People feel more pressure to make purchases worth it, which makes them less prone to the impulse shopping that typically drives BFCM.

As Dara Denney points out:

As Dara says, you can't blame all your performance woes on the economy, but you may need to change your strategy.

The pre-BFCM 2025 ads we've found look a little different this year, and the new patterns match what Dara is talking about.

Three advertising strategies that work during economic uncertainty

Strategy 1: Target personas, not just demographics

Everyone knows you don't need net new creative for BFCM, you can reuse your existing assets and winning ads, just add your offer.

Smart advertisers are adding another element: persona targeting.

These ads from Bylt Basics use the same format and offer, but appeal to two different personas:

Why this works: Targeting is almost entirely reliant on creative now, at least on Meta. Generic sale assets won't reach as broad an audience as they used to.

Keep your offer the same, but use the rest of the ad to speak to different segments. One creative speaks to the style-conscious buyer, the other to gymgoers.

During economic uncertainty, precision targeting through creative becomes non-negotiable. Think about which of the four consumer segments your audience is in and use that to shape the way you speak to them.

Strategy 2: Frame purchases as gifts, not treats

Gifting angles have always been part of BFCM, but they're taking center stage this year. In our analysis, we saw more ads mention gifting than Black Friday itself.

The psychology behind this shift: The average consumer is cutting back on "nice to have" purchases. Gifts prove more resilient because Gen Z and Millennial shoppers increasingly see BFCM as a way to stretch their gift budgets further.

For example, this Simple Modern ad:

The message is clear: "You'll save money and you're buying a practical gift."

It speaks directly to price-conscious shoppers — an increasingly common segment right now.

Given current macroeconomic conditions, expect to see more ads framing gifts as practical investments and fewer "treat yourself" angles this year. Purchase justification matters more than aspiration when consumers feel financially uncertain.

Strategy 3: Sell harder by providing more proof of value

When the economy is uncertain, decision cycles get longer.

According to a Stanford study, Americans spent roughly 67% more time researching purchases during the 2008 recession.

What this means for your ads: They need to work harder. Impulse buys happen less frequently. People really want to make sure their purchases are worth it.

You should still lead with your offer, but give your audience reasons to buy beyond the discount. Remind them this isn't just a good deal — it's also a good product.

This HexClad ad demonstrates the approach:

How to use creative analytics to navigate economic uncertainty

The key to making these strategies work is understanding which creative elements resonate with price-conscious consumers. That's where creative analytics come in.

During periods of economic uncertainty, you need to know:

• Which persona-specific angles are driving performance
• Whether gifting messaging outperforms self-purchase positioning
• Which value proof elements (testimonials, features, use cases) convert best

Motion's creative reporting shows you exactly which elements (hooks, themes, messaging angles, product features, etc.) drive results across your campaigns.

For economic uncertainty specifically, this means:

Identify which value propositions resonate. See whether practical benefits outperform aspirational messaging in your current campaigns. Understand which purchase justifications (quality, longevity, versatility) convert best for your audience segments.

Track persona performance. Compare how different audience segments respond to the same offer. Determine which personas are still converting during the downturn and which have moved into slam-on-the-brakes mode.

Optimize gifting angles. Test whether self-gifting, partner gifts, or family gifts perform best for your brand. Measure how "practical gift" messaging compares to traditional holiday creative.

Reduce waste on underperforming creative. When budgets tighten, you can't afford to keep running ads that aren't working. Creative analytics shows you exactly which variations to kill and which to scale.

Economic uncertainty demands precision. You need to know what's working and why — not three weeks from now during your monthly review, but in real time as market conditions shift.

Key takeaways: Advertising through economic uncertainty

BFCM is going to look different this year. The consumer landscape has shifted, and your advertising strategy needs to move with it.

The fundamentals:

• Understand your consumer segments. Most of your audience sits in pained-but-patient territory: they're still buying, but they need stronger reasons to convert.
• Target personas through creative. Generic sale messaging won't cut through. Speak to specific segments with tailored value propositions.
• Frame purchases as practical gifts. Gifting angles prove more resilient during economic uncertainty than aspirational self-purchase messaging.
• Provide clear value proof. Beyond highlighting discounts, remind audiences why your product is worth buying; quality, features, social proof, use cases.
• Use creative analytics to optimize in real time. Track which elements (personas, angles, value props) actually drive performance so you can adapt as conditions change.

Your ads will need to work a little harder this year, and so will you. Anything you can do to prove the value of your product will help.

You've got this.