Solved: Catalog On/Off for BFCM Sale Ads Performance?

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out!

That's a really common question that comes up around big sale periods like BFCM, and honestly, the answer isn't a simple 'on or off'. It's more about understanding what job each type of ad is meant to do. Toggling the catalog on or off changes the fundamental purpose of the ad, so you're not really comparing like for like. I'm happy to give you some of my thoughts on how we approach this for our eCommerce clients, especially in competitive spaces like menswear.

The short of it is, you need both. You use your high-impact static and video ads to shout about the sale from the rooftops to new people, and you use the catalog-powered dynamic ads to whisper a personalised reminder to the guys who are already close to buying. Trying to make one ad do both jobs is where a lot of brands go wrong and burn a lot of cash.

Let's debunk the 'on vs. off' debate...

The reason this question gets confusing is because people treat it like a technical setting, a little switch to flick that magically improves performance. But it's not a technical choice, it's a strategic one. When you toggle that switch, you're fundamentally changing the ad's DNA.

• Catalog OFF (Your Static/Video Ad): You are in complete controll. You choose the image, the video, the headline, the message. It's a broadcast. You're saying, "Hey everyone, we've got a massive 30% off sale for Black Friday!". It's powerful for grabbing attention and communicating a single, strong message to a wide audience who might not know you or your products yet. Its job is to make people aware and interested in the *event* itself.


• Catalog ON (Dynamic Product Ads or DPAs): You hand over a lot of the controll to Meta's algorithm. The ad becomes a personalised, automated system. It looks at a specific user's behaviour on your website and says, "Ah, John looked at that navy wool overcoat three times and even added it to his cart. I'm going to show him an ad with that exact overcoat, and maybe a few similar jackets he might also like". This is hyper-personal and incredibly effective, but only for people who have already given you a signal of what they're interested in. It's a one-to-one conversation, not a broadcast.

So, asking which is better is like asking if a billboard or a personal sales call is better. They do completely different jobs. During BFCM, you absolutly need both running at the same time, but aimed at very different groups of people.

You'll need a proper BFCM campaign structure, not just one ad...

The only way to win during BFCM is with a layered, full-funnel approach. The competition is fierce, and costs go through the roof, so you can't afford to be inefficient. Here’s how we'd typically structure things for a menswear brand. This isn't just theory; we've run this playbook for apparel clients and seen it work wonders. I remember one women's apparel campaign where this structure helped us get a 691% return.

Think of it as three seperate machines working together.

Campaign 1: Top of Funnel (ToFu) - The Announcement

• Objective: Sales. Yes, even for awareness. You want to tell Meta's algorithm to find people who are most likely to eventually buy, not just cheap clicks. This avoids the trap of paying to find non-customers.
• Audience: This is your broad reach.
  • -> Lookalike audiences based on your best customers (e.g., top 5% by lifetime value).
  • -> Broad interest targeting (e.g., interests in competing high-quality menswear brands, relevant publications like GQ or Esquire, high-end department stores). Don't just target "mens clothing". Be specific.
• Ad Creative & Format: This is EXACTLY where your static/video ad showing the deal belongs.
  • -> Catalog is firmly OFF. You don't want Meta showing a random product to someone who has never heard of you. You want to show them your best, most attention-grabbing campaign creative that screams "Black Friday Sale".
  • -> The creative should be high-energy, visually appealing, and clearly state the offer (e.g., "The Black Friday Event: Up to 40% Off Everything"). The goal is to stop the scroll and get them to click through to your main sale landing page.

Campaign 2: Middle of Funnel (MoFu) - The Reminder

• Objective: Sales.
• Audience: People who know you but haven't committed.
  • -> All website visitors (last 30-60 days).
  • -> People who have engaged with your Instagram or Facebook page (last 90 days).
  • -> People who watched a good chunk of your previous video ads.
  • -> IMPORTANT: Exclude people who have added to cart or purchased recently. They belong in the next campaign or shouldn't see ads at all.
• Ad Creative & Format: Here you can be a bit more product-focused, but still with the catalog OFF.
  • -> Catalog is still OFF. You're not retargeting specific products yet.
  • -> A Carousel Ad showcasing different categories on sale (e.g., "Shop Sale Coats," "Shop Sale Knitwear," "Shop Sale Trousers") works brilliantly here.
  • -> A Collection Ad can also be very effective, creating a mini-shop experience within the ad itself.
  • -> The message is about reminding them of your brand's quality and the breadth of the sale. "Your new winter wardrobe is waiting. Don't miss 40% off."

Campaign 3: Bottom of Funnel (BoFu) - The Closer

• Objective: Catalog Sales. This time, you specificaly choose the objective that uses the catalog.
• Audience: Your hottest prospects. The money makers.
  • -> Viewed Content / Viewed Product (last 7-14 days).
  • -> Added to Cart (last 7-14 days).
  • -> Initiated Checkout (last 7-14 days).
• Ad Creative & Format: This is where the magic happens.
  • -> Catalog is absolutely ON. This campaign should be set up as a Dynamic Product Ad (DPA). If you turn the catalog off here, you're throwing away your biggest advantage.
  • -> Meta will automatically show the person the *exact* products they were looking at. You can use dynamic overlays on the images to add things like "30% Off!" or "Price Drop!".
  • -> The copy should be direct and create urgency. "Still thinking it over? The items in your cart are on sale now." or "Don't let it sell out. Get your [Product Name] before it's gone."
  • -> This is where you'll likely see your highest Return On Ad Spend (ROAS). For instance, I remember a campaign we ran for a subscription box client that hit a 1000% return on ad spend, and another for a brand selling maps that generated an 8x return—both were heavily driven by these kinds of hyper-relevant dynamic ads.

I'd say you need to understand your numbers first...

Before you even spend a single pound on BFCM ads, you have to know what a customer is actually worth to you. Most brands just look at the profit from the first sale. That's a mistake, especially in a competitive market like menswear where you want to build loyalty.

The real question isn't "how low can my cost per purchase be?" but "how much can I *afford* to spend to acquire a customer and still be profitable in the long run?". The answer is in the Lifetime Value (LTV). If you know a new customer will spend £500 with you over the next two years, you'd be happy to spend £100 to get them during BFCM, right? But if you only look at the first £80 sale, that £100 acquisition cost looks like a disaster.

Here's the basic maths for it:

1. Average Order Value (AOV): What's the average checkout total? Let's say it's £90 for your brand.
2. Purchase Frequency (F): How many times does a customer buy from you per year? Maybe it's 2.5.
3. Gross Margin % (GM): What's your profit margin after cost of goods? Let's say it's 60% (0.6).
4. Customer Lifetime (T): How many years does a customer typically stay with you? Let's say 2 years.

LTV = AOV * F * GM * T

LTV = £90 * 2.5 * 0.6 * 2 = £270

This means, on average, each new customer you acquire is worth £270 in pure profit to your business over their lifetime. Now you have your North Star. A common rule of thumb is to aim for a 3:1 LTV to Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ratio. This means you can comfortably afford to spend up to £90 (270 / 3) to acquire a brand new customer during your BFCM sale. Suddenly, seeing a £50 cost per purchase on your ToFu campaign doesn't feel so scary, does it? It feels like an investment.

Use the calculator below to get a feel for your own numbers. It can be quite an eye-opener.

We'll need to look at a message they can't ignore...

Once you have the structure and the numbers, you need the right message. During BFCM, everyone is shouting "SALE!". You have to cut through the noise by talking about the customer's problem, not just your discount. We use a simple framework for this called Before-After-Bridge.

• Before: Describe their current, frustrating reality.
• After: Paint a picture of their ideal future state, made possible by your products.
• Bridge: Position your brand and your BFCM offer as the simple way to get from Before to After.

For a menswear brand, it could look like this:

(ToFu Ad Copy - For Cold Audiences)

Headline: Your Wardrobe Upgrade Starts Now.

Body: (Before) Tired of staring into a closet full of clothes that don't fit right and feel cheap? (After) Imagine effortless style and confidence, in pieces built to last for seasons, not just selfies. (Bridge) The Black Friday Event is on. Get up to 40% off timeless menswear and build the wardrobe you deserve. Shop now.

(BoFu DPA Ad Copy - For Cart Abandoners)

Headline: The [Product Name] You Wanted is on Sale.

Body: Don't miss out. The items you were looking at are selling fast and are now at their best price of the year. Complete your order before it's too late. Free shipping ends tonight.

See the difference? The first is about emotion and transformation, perfect for someone new. The second is all about urgency and logic, perfect for someone who's already decided they want something specific.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

To pull this all together, here is an actionable table that summarises the entire strategy. This is the blueprint you can use to build out your BFCM campaigns in Ads Manager. No more guessing whether the catalog should be on or off; just follow the logic for each stage of the funnel.

Running a successful BFCM campaign is complex. The stakes are high, ad costs are inflated, and every one of your competitors is fighting for the same eyeballs. It's very easy to spend a lot of money very quickly with little to show for it if the structure, targeting, and messaging aren't perfectly aligned. This is where expertise can make a massive difference, turning a potentially loss-making period into your most profitable quarter of the year.

We do this stuff day in, day out for our clients. If you'd like to have a chat and get a second pair of eyes on your specific plans, we offer a free, no-obligation strategy session where we can go through your ad account and give you some tailored advice.

Hope that helps!

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh