Not all days are created equal in the marketing world. Some days, like Super Bowl Sunday and Black Friday, have the power to create ripples in culture and consumption across the nation.

From newspaper inserts and social media marketing to multi-million dollar advertising budgets, companies are often trying to push the envelope and test the limits in order to stand out and make a memorable impression on the nation.

As marketing budgets for technology, social media, and influencers increases, some companies stick to advertising with a good old fashioned parade--and not the kind that marches down main street in your hometown. (...Unless your hometown is New York City.)

This year marks the 95th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade--a hallmark of American holiday tradition--with between 2-3 million people attending in person, and over 50 million people tuning in from home. As you might expect, the price tag for getting in front of so many eyeballs isn’t cheap.

• The cost of constructing a float: $30,000 - $100,000 (which takes between 4-9 months to create, from sketch to completion.)

• The cost of building and submitting a new balloon: $200,000 (although you’ll save some money if you already have a balloon--returning balloons have a much lower fee of $90,000. Way to save!)

So now you have a float and a custom, eye-catching balloon! Think you’re ready to join the parade? Hold on…

Helium isn’t free. And a 5-story tall balloon needs a lot of it--between 300,000 - 700,000 cubic feet. Assuming you can assemble a group of 50 or more volunteers to help out, you’re looking at a helium price tag north of $500,000. All of the sudden filling up your gas tank doesn’t sound too bad.

Once your float is assembled and decorated, and your balloon is inflated, it’s time to check the weather. If wind gusts exceed 35 mph, the balloons are grounded. This hasn’t happened since 1971, but in 1997, several floats were damaged and had to leave the parade early.

Smooth sailing? You’re in luck!

Your float will be in pretty good company in this parade, so even a custom, extravagant float and helium balloon may not be quite enough to stand out. Everyone else is pulling out all the stops. Altogether, this includes:

• $2 million worth of costumes

• 200 pounds of confetti

• 300 pounds of glitter

• 4,500 volunteers

• 50,000+ hours of labor

Having a successful float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade isn’t as straightforward as setting a budget for Facebook ad spend. But, done right, it may be more fun, more memorable, and more historic than anything else you could do with your marketing budget. 

This morning, Meta Quest put on a VR Star Wars display different from anything we’ve ever seen. Moral of the story? If you’re going to get a float on the biggest stage in the world, make sure to put a unique twist on or your brand will get lost in this sea of confetti.