• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, November 4, 2010

Lowe's began running a series of paid-search and display ads earlier this week to push consumers to its Facebook Fan page that just after midnight this Friday will provide a sneak peak of forthcoming specials on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which traditionally kicks off the holiday shopping season in stores.

The retailer also relied on an email campaign to create buzz. The idea to thank its loyal Facebook Fans with specials and perks will also give them a chance to purchase select items through this weekend at a mere pittance.

While Julie Yenichek, Lowe's spokesperson, declined to give ad and marketing campaign details, MediaPost learned the ads that launched Tuesday continue to push consumers to Lowe's Facebook Fan page and display ads in Facebook optimized on a cost-per-click basis (CPC). On average in the first 24 hours, the page gained two Fans per second. The search campaign running on Google, Bing and Yahoo includes bids on keywords like "black friday," "black friday deals," and "sneak peek."

Yenichek says consumers can share individual items from the ad with Facebook friends, but cannot share the entire advertisement.

Aside from giving Facebook Fans a preview of specials, the "real Black Friday Sneak Peek Party" on Nov. 5 at 2:01 Eastern kicks off by offering the first 100 an option to purchase a KitchenAid stand mixer at 90% off. The following 900 fans can purchase the appliance for 20% off.

Lowe's will make available more than 5,000 opportunities in 90% off coupons for more than 20 items during the party this weekend, Yenichek explains.

Coupon codes allow Fans to make the purchase, but not all had success during the pre-party specials to make sure things would go off without a hitch.

During a pre-party Lowe's Facebook Fan event earlier in the week, a few technical glitches frustrated consumers. Lowe's Facebook Fan Paula Hill Jones, for example, couldn't find an option to put the faucet in her cart, and the platform kept asking for a ZIP code, but Deb Davis Brazuk didn't have any issues.

Lowe's did post a comment on its Facebook Wall that confirmed hearing the concerns of Fans. It reassured them the technical glitches would be resolved in time for the Black Friday pre-party preview.