If you’re a retail or e-commerce marketer, Q4 is your Super Bowl, and the clock is already ticking. Research shows that 60% of consumers begin holiday shopping before November.
Yet every year, too many brands wait too long to lock in their holiday CTV advertising strategy. Marketers tell themselves there’s more time to plan, other priorities come first, or budgets might shift.
That hesitation often results in lost revenue, wasted spend, and competitors winning market share. Not only is it harder to capture consumer attention in Q4, but rising CPMs and crowded media channels can cause brands to pay more for less impact if not planned and executed correctly.
If you want CTV ad campaigns to pay off in time for Black Friday and the holidays, you can’t afford to wait.
Why Every Week Counts For Marketers
Video is now the centerpiece of digital advertising: in Q4 2024, 64% of display ad spend went to video. CTV, in particular, is driving measurable outcomes—not just awareness—when brands use the channel strategically.
But CTV campaigns perform best with runway. The brands winning in Q4 are collecting performance signals early so they can optimize for conversion before Black Friday, not during it.
Waiting until late November to roll out CTV campaigns means starting from scratch while paying peak-season prices. Brands that move earlier can experiment with different audiences, figure out which messages stick, and double down on what’s working before the holiday rush hits.
Industry benchmarks show that marketers who add CTV to their media mix in late September to early October see substantially stronger results in Q4. In some cases, CTV conversion rates are 40% higher on average than digital-only strategies.
Beyond the performance lift, changing consumer behavior makes early action even more critical. Shoppers increasingly research products well before they buy, meaning brands that launch CTV campaigns early stay top-of-mind when that purchase intent converts.
On the contrary, brands that delay investment until peak season risk 30% lower conversion rates and 70% less incremental revenue than early movers.
That’s not just a performance gap—it’s the difference between hitting or missing year-end targets. Every week you delay your CTV campaigns, you leave efficient acquisition on the table and allow competitors to get ahead.
Test Now, Scale Smarter, Win Q4
The best way to build momentum before consumer urgency peaks is to launch CTV campaigns at least six weeks before Black Friday. This framework can make a big difference:
Mid-September to Early October:
- Experiment with audience segments and creative variations.
- Track metrics like incremental conversions, ROAS, and new-to-file buyers.
- Identify which segments respond best to your messaging, then refine for scale.
Mid-October through December:
- Leverage early performance data to maximize your spend against high-priority audiences.
- Coordinate CTV with search, social, and retargeting campaigns to amplify results.
- Adjust creative and messaging for peak holiday themes and consumer urgency.
Brands that follow this cadence gain first-mover advantage and avoid competing for scraps when CPMs skyrocket in November.
Whatever you do, don’t overlook measurement: use control groups and incrementality testing so you know exactly which campaigns and audience segments drive actual sales—and can justify investment in the channel.
The Bottom Line
We marketers are often guilty of pushing off tasks that don’t feel urgent. But delaying the launch of your CTV ads can result in underperforming campaigns, wasted budget, and missed opportunities.
Q4 success doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because you act before it feels urgent.
Get your CTV campaigns live now to maximize incremental revenue this holiday season. Establish a baseline for measuring actual lift before demand spikes. Then scale up investment to capitalize on higher consumer urgency using the performance data you’ve collected to optimize your spend against Q4 tentpoles.
While this advice is especially urgent for the holidays, the same principles apply year-round. Building a consistent CTV testing-and-optimization motion now will pay dividends during other key retail moments—like back-to-school, Mother’s Day, or new product launches—when speed and precision give brands a measurable edge.
Your competitors are already moving. The question is: will you be ahead of the rush or playing catch-up?
Reach out to discover how you can drive incremental outcomes this holiday season with PebblePost’s Performance CTV.
