I’ve seen a lot of articles how Black Friday sales are down around 11% YOY this year. The decrease has been attributed to moving  the sales forward earlier in the week or the increased importance of online sales.

What I haven’t seen is how social media “conversations” with brands might have changed purchasing patterns. Nothing at all about how those relationships with brands have moved our purchases to or from a particular retailer or brand.

As always, it’s all about saving a buck. We’ll keep our relationships to the things that really move us–friends, family or maybe cat videos. The next time a social media charlatan tries to get you to invest in a megabucks “relationship” campaign, boot them and invest the money in good old-fashioned advertising and promotion. Your bottom line will thank you.