Black Friday seems like an obvious opportunity to boost merchandise sales. Retailers everywhere, both traditional brick and mortar and online stores, clamor to offer the best deals and capture as much of the revenue from one of the biggest shopping days of the year as possible. However, Cards Against Humanity took a different approach.

In a stand against the Black Friday chaos, the party game company pulled all of their products from their website, replacing them with just 1 new offering: “Bullshit.” Even more shocking: they sold out in under 2 hours. Though they made what they were selling perfectly clear, some customers were surprised when they opened their packages over the past few weeks and discovered that they did in fact purchase cow manure.

Take a Stand with Your Brand

Though highly unconventional, Cards Against Humanity has taught us an important lesson: you don’t have to be like every other business. The company took a stand against the “spectacle” of Black Friday for the second year in a row – last year they raised all their prices by $5 – raised huge amounts of press, and supported a good cause to boot, as all of the proceeds from Black Friday went to Heifer International, an organization that provides livestock to developing communities to fight hunger and poverty.

Business owners don’t have to blindly follow trends just to make a quick buck – especially if they go against the business owners’ morals or better judgment. When you make it clear why you won’t be participating, you’d be surprised just how much support you can gather for going against the grain.

Stunts with Substance

That being said, stunts such as this must be considered very carefully. Anyone who’s played Cards Against Humanity knows that the game is wildly inappropriate (for those who haven’t, think a very R-rated version of Apples to Apples). Thus, their customers were likely to appreciate the humor in their ability to sell literal bullshit. As one can imagine, this tactic would not have gone over so swimmingly for almost any other business. If you’re considering using a stunt like this, ensure that it fits with your brand personality and your customers’ sense of humor. Partnering with a charity is just the icing on the cake!