
09/09/2025
Why Holiday Ads Start in September (and Why Your Budget Should Too)
If you’ve ever wondered why ads seem to pop up earlier each year, here’s the reality: competition for eyeballs and dollars spikes right as we move into Q4. Budgets climb, impressions drop, and businesses with no plan end up paying more for less. According to Statista, global digital ad spend jumps nearly 30% between September and December each year, and Meta’s own benchmarks show CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) can double in peak season.
Here’s what to know:
- Start early. September campaigns often secure cheaper clicks and stronger visibility before the rush.
- Budget wisely. Whatever your budget has been, plan to double it during the winter holiday season. Big retailers dump tons of money into these bidding systems, and if you don’t have the budget to increase your spend, it’s better to pause your ads completely.
- Strategic pauses matter. Not every small business needs to play in the holiday ad frenzy. If your audience isn’t shopping for the season, sitting it out can be a smart move. For example, if you run a kids' summer camp business, you might save your budget for the 3 weeks before the winter holidays so you can push gift certificates, instead of keeping your campaigns live Sept-Dec.
- Factor in testing. Ads don’t work at full power right away. Give your campaigns time to learn what your audience responds to before the biggest traffic weeks hit. This is true 100% of the time, and why you shouldn’t run your first ad campaign in December!
The key to a successful holiday ad campaign? Be proactive. Whether you spend, pause, or pivot, make the call now, not in December—because waiting will always cost you more.