• by Aaron Baar , November 11, 2014

’Tis the season for trying to find the perfect gift, and Barnes & Noble is going all out to help. 

Kicking off its holiday initiatives next week, the retailer will begin with an expansion of its “Discovery Friday” event from last year with a “Discovery Weekend,” Nov. 21 - 23. The weekend will include games, crafts, family-friendly book readings and more than 100 author appearances throughout the country. 

“It’s meant to be a great time for people to come in and take advantage of some interesting offers and activities,” Jaime Carey, chief merchandising officer for B&N, tells Marketing Daily. “It’s a fantastic driver one weekend before Black Friday to create excitement in the stores.”

Beyond the kickoff weekend, Barnes & Noble will be using its Twitter feed as a personalized gift-advice service, answering queries from people who use the hashtag #BNGiftTip. A customer, for instance, could note his nephew is a 10-year-old superhero lover and get a detailed response about what books and other gifts could be found in the store or online.

“When you come into a Barnes & Noble, one of the things we do best is help people discover great books,” Carey says. “We really wanted to expand on this notion of expert recommendations.”

The retailer is also highlighting the ability of books to please with a new holiday television commercial showcasing books as the best gifts for recipients of all ages. The spot, from Roberts + Langer DDB, shows different people engrossed in books in different settings: at home, on a train platform, out-and-about. “Give a journey,” says a voiceover provided by Sigourney Weaver. “Give a new perspective. Give a little joy. A book is a gift like no other.” The imagery shifts to inside a Barnes & Noble store, where customers find books (including, the voiceover notes, “the new Nook, by Samsung, now a full-feature tablet), before concluding, “A book is the gift they’ll remember long after the holidays are over.”

“The television ad is meant to remind folks about how great a gift a book is and show that Barnes & Noble is the best place in the world to discover a great book,” Carey says.