Turning Holiday Buzz Into Real Results

Q5: Turning Holiday Buzz into Real Results.

The period from now through Black Friday, into the extended post-holiday window often called Q5, presents both opportunities and challenges for brands seeking visibility, engagement and most importantly SALES. This Q5 window (post-Christmas, New Year, and early January promotions) has become increasingly important for advertisers. Many brands’ entire sales for the year depends on this period. Here are 3 things to consider in order to maximize ROI during this period.

1. Budget Flexibility: Planning ahead for Q5 allows advertisers to adapt media spend between linear and CTV channels, depending on performance insights from earlier campaigns.
2. Extended Consumer Engagement: Shoppers continue making purchases, exchanging gifts, and redeeming gift cards after the main holiday period, making Q5 a key revenue opportunity. How do you maximize awareness and generate sales during this period? Consider new promotions. Also, take advantage of programs and networks that you might not regularly run in. We often see hugely discounted rates and inventory on shows that typically don’t clear at a reduction.
3. Creative Adaptation: Messaging in Q5 should pivot from holiday cheer to post-holiday offers, clearance, and New Year positioning, with linear focusing on awareness and CTV on targeted conversions.

Linear TV continues to be a foundation for reaching broad audiences during high-impact seasonal moments. With families spending more time at home during evenings and weekends, linear TV provides unmatched reach. Key events such as Thanksgiving specials, holiday-themed programming, and live sports remain prime opportunities for campaigns. Holiday programming ensures brand-safe environments that align well with seasonal messaging. Ads during family-friendly shows or major sports events are highly effective for brand storytelling. Securing inventory early, especially for prime holiday programming, allows brands to secure favorable CPMs and critical inventory to drive sales.

From now through Black Friday, the holidays, and into Q5, a combined linear TV and CTV strategy offers the best path for balancing scale, awareness and responsiveness. Linear TV continues to anchor campaigns with mass reach and premium content, while CTV provides the targeting and flexibility that brands thrive on. By planning in phases, aligning creative, and leveraging cross-channel insights, brands can capture both immediate and extended-season opportunities effectively.

To maximize the end-of-year impact, consider these best practices:

Phase Campaigns Strategically:

• Early Build (Now–Mid-Nov): Focus on awareness with linear TV, establishing broad visibility and brand presence. Begin to build frequency.
• Peak Holiday (Mid-Nov–Dec 24): Mix linear for reach and CTV for targeted engagement, maximizing both brand and performance outcomes.
• Q5 (Dec 26–Early Jan): Capitalize on fire-sale opportunities, particularly on linear. Some of the most advantageous rates of the year are found in the last weeks of December into early January. Prioritize CTV agility for conversions and tactical offers, using residual linear placements for high-frequency reach.

Align Creative Across Channels:

• Ensure consistent branding while adapting formats for each platform—linear for storytelling, CTV for interactive elements.

Monitor and Optimize:

• Track reach, frequency, engagement, and conversions across both linear and CTV. Use learnings from early campaigns to adjust Q5 strategies in real time.