The Marketing Origins of Friendsgiving

No, the TV show Friends didn’t invent the term “Friendsgiving.”

The sitcom and plenty of others have had iconic Thanksgiving episodes, but the term “Friendsgiving” was never used on the show.

Merriam Webster has a deep dive into the origins for the term.

Not surprisingly, it was a brand campaign that pushed Friendsgiving into the mainstream.

In 2011, Bailey’s Irish Cream used the phrase in an ad. It was also featured in an episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Other brands have since followed suit with Friendsgiving campaigns, typically centered on traditional Thanksgiving themes like hosting tips and giving back.

Green Giant hosted beloved mascots for a Friendsgiving to benefit No Kid Hungry. Butterball partnered with Bumble for Friends to help users plan Friendsgiving gatherings. This year, Taco Bell released the Mountain Dew Baja Blast Pie with a release heavy on Friendsgiving messaging.

A Seat at the Table

There are plenty of cultural reasons Friendsgiving has caught on in recent years. It’s good for students and young professionals living far from home to be with “chosen family.” It offers more flexibility around timing, menus and traditions.

For brands looking to reach younger, urban audiences or folks eager to host multiple Thanksgiving-season events, Friendsgiving campaigns make a lot of sense.

But there’s a broader lesson around looking beyond conventional holidays and dates that matter to your audiences. Whether it’s Thanksgiving or your industry’s annual conference, there’s going to be a lot of competition to get your message out there. Finding a unique angle or putting a clever spin on a recognized day can help make your message stick.

Of course, friends have been gathering around Thanksgiving for centuries. But it took a catchy name to cement the concept in a broader cultural context.