2007 Boston Globe Black Friday ad circulars fall from 2006

According to my count this year, we received 512 page-sized Black Friday ad circulars in today's Boston Globe (West edition), promoting the numerous sales being held on the day after Thanksgiving. That's down 19% from last year's 636 pages, but up 24% from 2005's 412.

Just for clarity, my count is of one-sided pages of approximately 8.5 x 11 size. So if someone prints a double-sided portrait layout that's 17 inches tall by 11 inches wide, that counts as four pages -- that is, two 8.5 x 11 pages on each side times two sides.

Department stores made up the bulk of these ads, with 250 pages, down from 322 last year. Electronics, on the other hand, went up to 132 from last year's 116. Hardware stores were again third with 42 pages, but sporting goods came in a surprising fourth with 36.

The big product that appeared in nearly every ad departmental ad circular? GPS navigation systems. They were everywhere. As in prior years, flat screen TVs, cell phones, and music players were also prominently featured. Video game systems were also noticeable.

My conclusion: advertising spending is down this year, as our January forecast indicated. Will holiday sales be down as well? We'll know in about six weeks or so, but I predict they will be flat to down as well.

Technorati Tags: Advertising, Black Friday