The holiday season isn’t just busy—it’s a battleground. Ad spaces are crowded, CPMs are climbing faster than holiday shoppers at a flash sale, and your audience is being bombarded from all sides.
So how do you make your campaigns break through all the chaos?
Spoiler alert: It’s not by sticking to the same tired strategies.
This isn’t another article full of generic advice like “use product images” or “test lifestyle creatives.” You’ve heard that all before.
Instead, we’re sharing strategies that work—ones that will help your campaigns get noticed and deliver results when it matters most. Because in this season, every campaign matters. Let’s get into it.
You Should Already Be Prepared—Now It’s Time to Execute
It’s mid-November, your groundwork should be complete.
Your lead-warming campaigns are either running or wrapping up, and it’s time to shift gears. This phase is all about execution—delivering on the promises you’ve made to your audience and maximising the effectiveness of your holiday campaigns.
Example:
If you’ve been running early access sign-ups, now’s the time to send out those exclusive sale previews. Email subscribers and retargeted ads should emphasise urgency:
“Your early access starts now—shop before the crowd!”
“You’re on the list! Don’t miss out on your holiday favourites.”
For brands that launched wishlist campaigns, follow up with targeted ads or emails reminding customers about their saved items. Pair this with messaging like:
“Your wishlist is calling—grab these deals before they’re gone!”
“The items you loved are on sale! Act fast before they sell out.”
As we all know, by mid-November, your audience is warmed up and ready to shop. They’ve already interacted with your brand, whether through signing up for early access or working on their wishlists.
Now it’s your chance to grab those potential sales!
Leverage First-Party Data
With rising CPMs, showing your ads to the right audience is no longer optional—it’s a necessity if you want to protect your margins and make the most of every dollar spent.
Now is the time to lean into first-party data—email lists, past purchase data, and website visitors—to create segmented retargeting campaigns.
Example:
Instead of retargeting everyone who visited your site, create segments like:
Cart Abandoners: Show ads like “Your favourites are waiting for you—don’t miss our 20% off holiday deal!”
VIP Customers: Offer exclusive early access or bigger discounts to your high spenders. These are the customers who consistently bring in significant revenue, making them worth prioritising during the holiday season.
Seasonal Buyers: Focus on shoppers who typically return during the holidays by showcasing popular products or offers they’ve enjoyed in the past. Reinforce why your brand is their go-to choice for seasonal shopping.
Test Scarcity Messaging—But Keep It Credible
Scarcity works, and during the holidays, everyone is using it. To make your scarcity messaging effective, base it on genuine urgency and real-time availability to create a sense of immediacy.
Example:
If your best-selling item is low in stock, run ads like, “Only 25 left—get it before it’s gone!” Pair this with dynamic ad creatives that update stock levels in real-time to maintain credibility.
PRO TIP: Use countdown timers in your ads or landing pages to visually drive urgency, but avoid generic language like “limited time offer” unless you mean it.
Bundle High-AOV Products to Combat Rising CPMs
Higher CPMs mean you need higher average order values (AOV) to stay profitable. Instead of discounting everything, focus on bundling products that naturally go together.
Example:
A skincare brand could create a “Winter Skin Survival Kit” featuring a cleanser, moisturizer, and serum, offering a bundled discount instead of slashing prices across the board.
Bundles not only increase AOV but also help you manage inventory by pushing slower-moving items alongside best-sellers.
Experiment with Platform-Specific Holiday Features
Many platforms roll out holiday-specific ad tools—use them to your advantage. For example:
Meta Ads: Use Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns (ASC) to let AI dynamically serve your best-performing creatives to different audiences.
TikTok: Run TikTok Shop ads to capitalize on impulse purchases, especially for lower-AOV products. Highlight holiday gifting in your hooks, like “Perfect stocking stuffers for under $20!”
Google Ads: Use Performance Max campaigns to cover search, shopping, and display ads, keeping your brand highly visible to your audience.
Example:
A clothing retailer could use TikTok’s holiday templates to create “Gift Guides” featuring their top-selling items, while running Google’s Performance Max campaigns to capture high-intent searchers looking for “best gifts for moms.”
Don’t Neglect Post-Purchase Ads
Most brands focus on acquisition, but the holiday season is the perfect time to run post-purchase campaigns.
Why?
People are already in a buying mindset, and you can increase their lifetime value by offering complementary products or services.
Example:
After someone buys a smartwatch, retarget them with ads for matching bands or cases: “You’ve got the perfect gift—now complete it with these accessories.”
Test Creatives Rapidly and Pivot Fast
Holiday campaigns move at lightning speed. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. Use rapid creative testing to figure out what works with your audience.
Start with testing multiple ad angles:
Emotional: “Give the gift of memories this holiday season.”
Practical: “Holiday deals that won’t break the bank.”
Social Proof: “Over 10,000 customers love this—perfect for gifting.”
Monitor performance daily, kill underperforming ads, and scale the winners. The key is staying agile and ready to pivot.
Capitalise on Gift-Giving Personas
Not everyone is shopping for themselves during the holidays. Focus your ads on different gift-giving personas:
The Last-Minute Shopper: “Still need a gift? We’ve got you covered—free express shipping!”
The Planner: “Start your holiday shopping now and avoid the rush!”
The Thoughtful Giver: “Make this holiday unforgettable with gifts that show you care.”
Example:
Run carousel ads showcasing gifts by budget, like “Gifts under $50,” or “Luxury gifts under $300,”
Final Words
The holiday rush isn’t just about flashy discounts and pretty creatives—it’s about strategy.
Remember, the best campaigns don’t just sell—they connect. So this season, focus on building experiences that shoppers will remember long after the holiday lights come down. Now go make some magic happen!
SO, WHERE DO YOU FIND THIS PARTNER?
Well, aren’t we glad you asked! We at DigiCom are obsessive data-driven marketers pulling from multi-disciplinary strategies to unlock scale. We buy media across all platforms and placements and provide creative solutions alongside content creation, and conversion rate optimizations. We pride ourselves on your successes and will stop at nothing to help you grow.
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