In a world where trends change in the blink of an eye, relevance often feels like some sort of rat race. That is where tentpole events come in: these are key dates and milestones with cultural or industry importance that manage to grab people’s attention, be it the FIFA World Cup, the Winter Olympics, Valentine’s Day, or even niche happenings like Paris Fashion Week. By anchoring your campaigns around these tentpole moments, you can leverage the momentum of public interest to amplify your visibility and connect with people in ways that feel both organic and timely.

At Silverpush, we know the value of being in the right context at the right time. With our cutting-edge contextual intelligence solutions, we help you harness the power of these events to make sure your ads don’t just show up, they stand out. As you plan your advertising calendar for 2026, keep these events in mind. They’re not just dates-they’re opportunities to connect, engage, and grow your brand.

Calendar of Pivotal Tentpole Events for Advertisers in 2026

Here’s a comprehensive tentpole calendar for 2026 to plan campaigns that align with moments people are already excited about.

Holidays & Events in Q1 2026 (January, February, March)

The start of 2026 sets the pace for an intense year ahead. Q1 blends cultural observances, award season buzz, global fashion weeks, and major sporting events into a tightly packed quarter. With the Winter Olympics, cricket’s biggest tournament, and Ramadan beginning towards the end of the quarter, early-year campaign planning will be critical. This is the moment to establish brand presence, build momentum, and align with audiences as routines and attention patterns reset.

Holidays & Events in Q2 2026 (April, May, June)

Q2 brings renewed energy and marks the transition from cultural moments into one of the biggest sporting periods in recent history. With the FIFA World Cup 2026 kicking off in June, alongside spring festivals, family-led celebrations, and Pride Month, this phase of the 2026 advertising calendar offers a powerful mix of emotional storytelling and mass-reach opportunities. For brands thinking seriously about tentpole marketing, Q2 is where a well-timed tentpole strategy can help scale visibility while staying firmly rooted in cultural relevance.

Holidays & Events in Q3 2026 (July, August, September)

Summer gives ample leeway to connect with your audience, even in those moments when the season is seemingly slow. From Prime Day deal sprees, the excitement of Independence Day, and down to back-to-school shopping, Q3 is rich in tentpole events that drive engagement. Q3 is also a key period for meaningful tentpole campaigns because it hosts cultural milestones like Hispanic Heritage Month and the worldwide popularity of the English Premier League.

Holidays & Events in Q4 2026 (October, November, December)

Q4 is the crown jewel for your tentpole marketing effort. It is a time when the events around Halloween, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday light it all up for shoppers: anything from holiday shopping, including Diwali across various cultures, to New Year’s Eve. Your advertising calendar will be filled in fully, so make all these moments an opportunity to round up your year with flying colors in the last quarter of the year 2026.

Wrapping Up

Of the moving sands of tentpole marketing, flexibility, authenticity, and audience-focused approaches probably hold the largest potential for success. Monitor the real-time feedback of your audience’s participation and metrics to keep your campaigns relevant and impactful. By pointing your efforts toward 2026 tentpole events that echo values of greatest importance to them, trust is nurtured, and real connections are made.

And don’t forget to give equal time to analyzing and optimizing your campaigns by tracking those performance metrics, such as engagement rates and ROI. That way, you’ll be sure you’re not just part of the conversation but leading it. With a well-thought-out tentpole strategy, you’ll be able to make any event an opportunity to grow, connect, and inspire.

Let 2026 be the year your brand shines at moments that matter!

This week, the Silverpush team spoke with Moka Goto, Digital Marketing Strategist at Dentsu Digital, to discuss how YouTube advertising is evolving towards 2026. From shifting planning mindsets away from pure scale towards context and moments to rethinking how performance is evaluated, Moka shared how Dentsu Digital is exploring more intentional, insight-led YouTube strategies powered by contextual intelligence.

1. Tell us about your role and Dentsu Digital. What makes your approach stand out?

I joined Dentsu Digital as a new graduate and have been responsible for developing digital marketing strategies for global clients. More recently, starting in 2025, I have also been involved in driving strategic partnerships with media platforms, both within Japan and globally.

At Dentsu Digital, we focus heavily on strategic design. We think not just about how to deliver ads, but why, where, and in what moment they should appear. Rather than relying on a single method, we aim to design flexible media plans that combine proven approaches with newer perspectives, depending on the client’s objectives and KPIs. This mindset allows us to continuously expand our planning options and adapt to changes in user behaviour and platforms.

2. What led you to explore contextual targeting as part of your YouTube strategy?

In Japan, YouTube advertising is already widely adopted, and standard targeting methods and automated optimisation are well established. However, we have increasingly seen advertisers ask deeper questions, such as what kind of content environments ads are appearing in and whether those environments truly align with the brand.

I do not see contextual targeting as something that replaces existing targeting methods. Instead, it is a complementary approach that becomes particularly valuable when we want to get closer to user intent and timing. Since early 2025, I have had more opportunities to explore its potential, especially in cases where the target audience is clearly defined but still quite broad.

3. Can you share an example of a campaign where this approach made a difference?

One campaign that stands out was focused on SME business owners. While this audience is clearly defined, it can become quite abstract when handled purely through platform-based targeting. For this campaign, our KPI framework centred on whether we were reaching decision-makers at the right moment.

We broke the audience down into multiple personas based on factors like industry, company size, and decision-making process. From there, we mapped their information consumption moments and refined that into specific types of content they were likely to watch. Together with Silverpush, we translated this thinking into a concrete contextual list that could be activated at scale on YouTube.

This allowed us to move beyond broad delivery and focus on moments where users were actively consuming relevant information, such as tax-related content, making the ad experience far more intentional.

4. How did Silverpush support the execution and optimisation of this campaign?

Silverpush played a key role in translating our strategic framework into execution. They extracted a custom-built contextual list tailored to the campaign objective and handled much of the contextual delivery and optimisation.

In day-to-day operations, we still needed to manage reporting, budget adjustments, and changes such as video length. These tasks can be time-consuming, but Silverpush responded extremely quickly. Beyond just numerical reporting, they proactively advised on which variables should be adjusted and how, which gave us a strong sense of confidence throughout the campaign.

This collaborative approach made it much easier to run PDCA cycles efficiently and focus our energy on strategic actions.

5. What insights did you gain from running a context-driven YouTube campaign?

Two insights stood out clearly.

The first was placement quality and brand suitability at the individual video level. By executing contextual delivery focused on highly thematic content, we were able to ensure ads appeared in environments with strong brand fit at the exact moment users were consuming relevant information.

The second was visibility. Being able to visualise performance at the video level and organise results by persona gave us a much clearer understanding of how different audiences responded. This level of insight is extremely valuable for future planning and creative alignment.

6. How did you evaluate performance beyond standard KPIs?

During the campaign, we used standard KPIs such as reach and view-through rate. However, when reviewing results afterwards, we wanted to evaluate not just performance, but how efficiently delivery aligned with our intended context.

That is when we were introduced to QCPM, or Qualified CPM. QCPM evaluates CPM based only on impressions delivered within placements that meet the defined contextual and brand suitability criteria.

I do not see QCPM as a replacement for existing KPIs, but rather as a complementary metric. It gave us a clearer, more confident perspective when reviewing cost efficiency and helped us better understand the true value of contextual delivery.

7. How do you see YouTube advertising evolving towards 2026?

At the moment, contextual targeting on YouTube is still used by a relatively limited number of advertisers. That is precisely why starting small and testing it can be so powerful. Once advertisers experience its value, their planning perspective expands significantly.

Looking ahead, I am particularly interested in moment-based delivery design, even for broader targeting approaches. Users at different stages of consideration consume different types of content, and contextual targeting allows us to align creative, timing, and intent much more effectively.

Toward 2026, I believe designing YouTube advertising with a clear awareness of context and moments will gradually become a standard part of strategy in the Japanese market and a key way for brands to deliver more meaningful and relevant experiences.

The 2025 holiday rush is starting earlier and moving faster. Shoppers are more digital than ever, and your competition is not just other brands. You are also competing with feeds, creators, and endless choice.

Global forecasts point to more than two billion shoppers this season. Around 64% of people start buying before Halloween, and close to 82% of gifts are now purchased online. At the same time, video is doing most of the heavy lifting in discovery. About 93% of YouTube viewers say the platform helps them make purchase decisions. That means a lot of people move directly from watching content to adding items to their carts.

Inside this shift, six clear holiday shopper types stand out. Each one has a different mindset, media pattern, and trigger. When you understand who you are talking to, you can shape the creative, context, and timing in a way that actually matches how they shop.

The six holiday shoppers you need to know

You will see pieces of all six in your audience, but a few will likely dominate your category. Here is what drives each of them and how you can meet them where they are.

1. The Bargain Hunters (Deal-driven early planners)

According to the Silverpush holiday advertising 2025 playbook, bargain hunters make up about 36% of holiday shoppers. They chase early discounts, bundle offers, and savings across channels. On YouTube alone, they drive around 57 billion views on haul content and deal-hunting videos. They are the people who know the sale calendar better than most retailers.

To reach them, you need to be present in sales-heavy moments and content. Think early-season promotions, Black Friday coverage, and limited-time sale videos where creators compare prices and value. Contextual intelligence solutions like Mirrors can place your ads next to these deal-focused videos. Creative platforms such as Crafters can then help you showcase bundles, clear savings, and simple offers at the exact time they are looking.

2. The Luxury Seekers (Aspirational experience shoppers)

Luxury seekers represent roughly 13 percent of shoppers. They are not just buying a product; they are buying a feeling. They watch unboxings, premium product reviews, and content that shows a lifestyle they want to move toward. They account for about 32 billion views on luxury-focused videos.

Here, you win with story and detail. You can work with premium aligned creators and use interactive video through Crafters to slow the scroll and show the full experience. Your media should appear in and around content where quality, design, and status are already part of the conversation.

3. The Research Mavens (Informed decision makers)

Research Mavens are the second largest group, at around 32%. They check everything. They watch tutorials, deep product comparisons, and long-form reviews. They are responsible for about 52 billion views of how-to content and side-by-side breakdowns.

You can support them by pairing contextual placement with smart assistance. Mirrors can help you appear next to review and tutorial content for your category. A conversational AI agent like Zimmer can then pick up questions on product fit, warranty, delivery, and use cases, so they do not have to leave the journey to search elsewhere.

4. The Impulse Buyers (Quick-converting explorers)

Impulse buyers make up only about 7% of holiday shoppers, but they can drive a big share of quick wins. They respond to excitement, social proof, and a feeling that they have discovered something timely and smart. They help generate around 64 billion views on videos like “Best Gifts Under Fifty Dollars” and viral recommendation lists.

For this group, speed and simplicity matter. Interactive and shoppable creative through Crafters lets them move from interest to checkout with very few steps. Moment marketing platforms such as Parallels can trigger your campaign ads when certain gift lists or trends spike, so you catch the impulse right at the moment it forms.

5. The Brand Loyalists (Consistent connectors)

Brand loyalists are a smaller segment, around 4%, but they are powerful. They already trust you. They watch brand-specific guides, look at new collection videos, and follow collaborations. They are behind an impressive 109 billion views on brand-owned and brand-focused content.

Your goal with them is to deepen and extend the relationship. Use contextual intelligence from Mirrors to show up across relevant content throughout the season, not only during peak sale days. Then use Zimmer to deliver post-purchase support, recommendations, and loyalty messages. That way, holiday campaigns become part of a longer relationship instead of a one-time push.

6. The Swayable Shoppers (Influence-Driven Converters)

Swayable Shoppers make up roughly 3% of shoppers. They are the most dependent on creators and community signals. They hesitate until they see enough proof from people they trust. They are linked to about 1.9 million videos and around 64 billion views that are both influenced by creator recommendations.

You reach them through real social proof. Work with genuine creators and place your media around their content. Parallels can help sync your ads with live or trending moments over social platforms like Meta and TikTok. Crafters can add interactive layers so viewers can explore or buy while they are still in that recommendation moment.

How these six shoppers shape your funnel

These six shoppers do not move through the funnel in the same way.

You tend to see bargain hunters and luxury seekers at the top, as they use festive content and early-season videos to set up their list. Research Mavens and Swayable Shoppers are strongest in the middle, where reviews and creator content help them build confidence. Impulse buyers dominate in peak moments when urgency is high, stock is moving, and offers are clear. Brand loyalists close the loop after purchase, and into the new year, especially if you use remarketing and loyalty-driven creative that respects their history with you.

When you plan with these patterns in mind, you can decide which shoppers matter most to your brand and where to put your effort.

This season, know your shopper to win the moment

Holiday success in 2025 is not only about bigger budgets. It is about matching your message and tools to how people really shop.

AI can help you do this in a practical way. Contextual intelligence can place your ads in the right videos for each persona. Conversational agents can answer questions without slowing down the experience. Creative and moment platforms can adjust your message as trends, prices, and moods shift through the season.

If you understand these six shopper types and build for them, you move from generic holiday noise to specific, useful experiences.

You can download the Silverpush Holiday Shopping 2025 Playbook to explore detailed insights and activation strategies for each shopper type.

Tet is still the cultural heartbeat of Vietnam. Streets fill with lights, families travel home, and households invest in food, gifts, and rituals that matter. For years, you could rely on the same formula. Run a sentimental family reunion story, wrap products in red and gold, and wait for sales to rise.

Vietnam Tet 2026 is not that simple.

New United States tariffs are putting pressure on the wider economy. At the same time, household spending in Vietnam is still projected to reach around VND 3.85 quadrillion by 2026. Consumer confidence, however, has slipped from 67% to 63% in recent reporting. People still plan to spend during Tet. They are just far more careful about how and where they spend. That shift means your old Tet playbook will not be enough.

Discover Vietnam’s Tet 2026 Consumer Trends

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The Economic Reality Behind Tet 2026

The new tariff structure, with standard rates around 20% and higher levels on some transshipped goods, is changing how Vietnamese businesses plan. Consumers feel that pressure. They have not walked away from Tet. They have adapted.

Recent research shows five broad segments in the market. Thrivers, about 20%, have built up savings and feel secure. Unchanged households, around 22%, are keeping the same patterns as before. Cautious consumers, about 15%, still spend but want stronger value proof. Rebounders, around 18%, feel more optimistic about the future. Strugglers, about 16%, are looking for affordable, simple solutions.

You are not talking to one Tet shopper anymore. You are talking to several mindsets at once. People are changing their strategy more than their total commitment. That is reshaping how you should think about budget allocation and creative decisions for the Tet festival 2026.

What Tet 2025 Already Told You

Tet 2025 made a few things very clear.

First, utility won. Premium gift boxes that looked good but did not feel useful lost ground. Shoppers moved toward home appliances, cookware, personal care, and food. Surveys showed that about 26% of consumers cut overall spending, while 63% focused on necessities, 52% on new clothes, and 48% on health-related products. In practice, that means value-led gifts beat decorative items.

Second, shopping started earlier. Around 17% of shoppers began Tet buying at the end of December. If you still launch your main push two weeks before Tet, you are showing up late in the game. People plan earlier, research longer, and touch more platforms before they commit.

Third, the digital landscape is fractured and busy. TikTok has more than 70 million users in Vietnam. Facebook usage covers about 94% of internet users. Zalo is close behind, and YouTube reaches tens of millions. Social commerce is the real shift. With tools like Facebook Shops, Instagram Shopping, and TikTok Shop, people can discover, compare, and purchase without leaving the app. That is now a central part of Vietnam marketing trends for 2026.

How Tet Shopping Behavior Is Changing?

The Tet journey has stretched and now runs across more formats.

The core shopping window is about three weeks, and it moves through a mix of online marketplaces, modern retail, and fast delivery services for last-minute needs. People are more intentional. They look at price, utility, and timing together.

Generational behavior is also splitting more clearly. Gen Z and younger millennials spend more time on TikTok and YouTube. They watch creators, join trends, and respond strongly to short videos and live content. Gen X and Boomers still lean on Facebook and Zalo for information, community, and updates. If you treat all of them the same, your media plan will miss key moments.

Four Strategies for Tet 2026 Campaigns

To keep Vietnam Tet 2026 campaigns relevant, you need a balance of emotion, value, and channel discipline. As we look forward to the next year, brands must adopt a fresh and innovative approach to stand out during Tet 2026.

Let’s look at a few strategies that will maximize the impact of your Vietnam Tet ad campaigns:-

1. Balance emotion with practical value

You can still tell emotional stories, but your offer must feel useful. Shoppers are choosing cooking oil, sauces, pantry essentials, and health-focused products like nuts and yogurt more often. Beer and sweets do not carry the same pull as before. When you design Tet packs, think about larger sizes for better value, smart bundles that people actually finish, and quality that does not feel overpriced. You want people to feel that every item in the gift set gets used.

2. Respect the three-phase shopping journey

The Tet journey has three clear stages. In the planning stage, about three to four weeks before Tet, people look for ideas and inspiration. This is where content on YouTube, TikTok, and other social feeds can shape what they want to buy. In the evaluation stage, one to two weeks before Tet, they compare details, check reviews, and look at prices on e-commerce platforms. In the urgency stage, during the final week, speed and convenience matter most. Fast delivery, clear stock information, and smooth checkout become the main triggers. Your media and messaging should shift with each stage instead of staying the same the whole month.

3. Let each platform do what it does best

Copying the same post across every channel is one of the biggest Tet mistakes. TikTok is strongest for short, entertaining, creator-led content about gift ideas, simple recipes, decoration tips, and real family moments. Facebook is still the main engine for live selling and broad reach, especially for older age groups and family clusters. YouTube is the natural place for longer guides, cooking shows, Tet tradition content, and deeper product explainers that help with serious decisions. If you shape content for what people expect on each platform, your media spend works harder.

4. Lean into social commerce, not just awareness

Shopping through social apps is now normal behavior in Vietnam. If you want to convert, you need more than just awareness videos. Make sure your social shops are easy to use on mobile. Keep payment flows simple. Use live sessions with creators or brand hosts to answer questions in real time. Build small affiliate programs or reward communities that help drive sales. Your work on creative storytelling should connect directly to options that let people buy in the same place.

The Real Tet 2026 Question

Vietnamese consumers have not walked away from Tet traditions. They have adjusted them. Economic pressure has created a more careful and value-focused mindset. People start earlier, compare more, and split their attention across platforms and devices.

The cultural power of Tet is still strong. You will earn attention if you respect that. This year’s Tet festival will belong to brands that deliver real value, use the digital ecosystem of Vietnam with intent, and understand that people want to honor tradition in a way that feels smart and sustainable.

The real question is not whether you should show up for Tet 2026 in Vietnam. The question is whether you are ready to meet your audience in the places and moments where they actually make their decisions.

You know how Black Friday and Cyber Monday used to be a crazy 48-hour shopping sprint? Those days are over. BFCM has turned into something much bigger. We’re talking weeks of strategic planning, early bird shoppers hunting for deals, people bouncing between online and in-store, and AI helping brands figure out exactly what each customer wants.

And the data backs this up. Silverpush’s Holiday Advertising Playbook 2025 shows that 85% of U.S. shoppers are actively buying during these big sales events. Plus, people are browsing products 37% more than last year, and actual orders are up 14%, according to Klaviyo’s 2025 report. Pretty significant, right?

So if you want your brand to actually break through the noise this year, you need to nail three things: getting ready early, using smart targeting that fits the moment, and telling your brand story in places that are safe and trustworthy. In this guide, we’re breaking down five Black Friday advertising strategies that actually work. Not just for Cyber Week, but for keeping that momentum going long after the holiday dust settles.

1. Launch Early and Extend Beyond the Weekend

The old playbook of launching Black Friday campaigns during Thanksgiving week? That’s not working anymore. Think about it: 59% of shoppers are already starting their holiday shopping before BFCM even kicks off, according to EComposer’s 2025 data. If you’re waiting until late November, you’re already playing catch-up.

You want to start building buzz in late Q3 with your awareness and teaser campaigns. Create exclusive early bird bundles for your loyalty members. This brings in revenue earlier while making your most valuable customers feel special.

And don’t wrap things up right after Cyber Monday. Limited-time extensions and “last chance” offers keep the momentum going and capture sales from shoppers who weren’t ready to buy during the main event. When you engage early and do it genuinely, you’re turning BFCM into an extended campaign that drives revenue well beyond one hectic weekend in November.

2. Prioritize Owned Channels and Repeat Customers

As paid advertising costs keep climbing, smart brands are shifting their Black Friday Cyber Monday strategy toward channels they actually own and control. The numbers from Klaviyo’s 2025 projections tell an interesting story. SMS revenue is jumping by 33%, and repeat customers are bringing in 14% more revenue compared to new customers. This is a real shift in where your BFCM advertising dollars work hardest.

You need to think about your audience in segments based on where they are in their journey with your brand. First-time buyers need different messaging than repeat customers. VIP members expect exclusive treatment that lapsed shoppers don’t. Run early access programs for your most loyal customers. Set up cart abandonment workflows that feel helpful, not pushy.

Email and SMS offer what paid platforms can’t: cost efficiency, data ownership, and deeper customer relationships. Strengthening these channels builds loyalty that survives algorithm changes and ad cost spikes. That foundation becomes critical as you expand into mobile and social channels.

3. Optimize for Mobile and Social-First Commerce

If your Black Friday advertising strategy doesn’t start with mobile first, you’re already behind. Over 70% of BFCM traffic now comes from mobile devices, and social platforms are full purchase destinations now, according to EComposer 2025.

You need mobile-first landing pages with fast load times and one-click checkouts. Create shoppable video content and partner with creators for authentic recommendations. People trust voices they follow more than traditional brand ads.

But winning isn’t just about great creativity. It’s about smarter targeting. Silverpush’s Mirrors solution uses contextual intelligence for TikTok and Meta to place your campaigns where shopper intent is highest, without user tracking. Say you sell athleisure. Mirrors analyzes trends like winter fitness content and places your shoppable ads right next to workout videos from fitness creators. It detects high intent moments and delivers your ad in brand-safe spaces.

Mirrors also removes unsafe content in real time, so your ads stay away from anything controversial. Plus, its automation lets you launch multi-market campaigns in hours instead of days. Your Black Friday campaigns need to work for thumb scrolling and vertical viewing. With smart contextual targeting, you’re showing up at exactly the right moment.

4. Personalize With Context, Not Just History

Personalization has changed completely. Modern consumers expect ads that feel relevant to what they’re doing right now, not just based on past behavior. 2025 data shows AI-driven segmentation is up 75%, with personalized messaging climbing 61%.

Use predictive analytics to spot high-intent shoppers early. But what really matters is delivering ads aligned with the content and mood of the moment. This is where Silverpush’s Mirrors platform comes in. It uses contextual AI to detect signals with varying parameters within video content across YouTube, social platforms, and CTV.

Take YouTube during BFCM. People are watching product reviews and gift guides. Mirrors places your ads where a shopping mindset is already active. A user watching a tech gift guide sees your gadget ad during frames where accessories are discussed. No tracking, no cookies. Just intent matched placement that drives CTR lifts of 230% and search lift of 200%.

On social, Mirrors picks up emerging hashtags and viral topics in real time. When “Holiday Outfit Inspo” spikes on TikTok, it delivers your fashion ads inside those trending streams instantly. For CTV, it scans episodes at the episode level. A viewer watching a holiday cooking show sees your cookware ad during actual cooking scenes. Perfect relevance with zero personal data.

5. Deliver Brand-Safe and Emotionally Resonant Campaigns

Younger audiences prioritize authenticity, sustainability, and safe content. These factors influence whether your Black Friday ads succeed or get ignored. Safety involves not only avoiding risk but also building trust in your brand.

To connect with this audience, combine limited edition product drops with storytelling that reflects your values, creating urgency through scarcity. Develop narratives that resonate through humor, nostalgia, or inspiration while ensuring the surrounding content supports your message. Silverpush’s Mirrors platform ensures your ads appear in safe, emotionally aligned environments across YouTube, TikTok, and CTV, using AI-powered brand safety controls. It filters out unsafe content and creators and analyzes CTV at the episode level to keep your ads away from risky scenes.

Imagine launching a heartwarming Black Friday campaign with your ad featured alongside cozy holiday content instead of controversial material. This approach helps beauty brands avoid problematic creators and ensures children’s brands remain compliant. When customers encounter your campaigns in trustworthy environments, they are more likely to form deeper connections, turning seasonal shoppers into loyal advocates.

Wrapping Up

BFCM is not a weekend anymore. It is a season. The brands that win will not just drop big discounts. They will start early, lean on owned channels, build mobile-first journeys, use AI to match the moment, and keep every placement safe and on-brand. Smarter timing, meaningful personalization, and contextual relevance will separate winners from also-rans.

To shortcut the work, grab the Silverpush Holiday Advertising Playbook for ready benchmarks, a week-by-week launch calendar, creative checklists, and contextual segment ideas you can plug in today.

The holiday season is advertising’s biggest stage. Every brand wants to shine, but consumers are flooded with holiday promotions both online and offline. With global online sales projected to reach $1.4 trillion in 2025, the opportunity and the stakes are higher than ever.

For advertisers, the challenge is no longer just visibility. It is about being as relevant as possible at every moment. Shoppers are not only searching for products but also for inspiration. They are constantly switching between tabs, social media channels, videos, and websites before making a decision.

YouTube plays a major role in that journey. Research shows that 93% of viewers say the platform provides everything they need to make a purchase. On YouTube, where every view is a potential touchpoint, the best holiday advertising campaigns are the ones that appear in the right holiday context.

Context-first strategies make all the difference. Instead of being another holiday shopping ad that gets ignored, contextual placements align with what consumers are already watching and turn ads into part of the experience.

The following three case studies highlight how brands used this approach to transform their holiday campaigns into memorable experiences that delivered real results.

1. Sweet Success: A Chocolate Brand Wins Holiday Hearts

During the holiday rush, a major national chocolate brand faced a familiar problem. Competitors were flooding the market with festive deals and seasonal packaging, all vying for a spot in gifting baskets. The brand wanted to connect with consumers on a deeper level than just product promotion, so the team turned to context.

Using Silverpush’s contextual intelligence engine, Mirrors, the brand launched a targeted campaign across YouTube Shorts. Instead of buying ads based on generic holiday videos, ads appeared alongside dessert tutorials, snacking videos, family gatherings, and gift-exchange content. Each creative highlighted themes of sharing and surprise, echoing the emotions people naturally associate with the season.

The results proved that relevance wins. The holiday ad campaign delivered a 20% higher CTR than the benchmark and reached more than 847,000 users—an especially strong outcome for YouTube Shorts. By aligning ads with content centered on families and festive traditions, the brand positioned chocolates not as just another promotion, but as part of the holiday experience.

2. Scoring Big: A Sports Brand That Owned Holiday Hype

The sportswear market is highly competitive during the holidays, with consumers often staying loyal to their favorite brands. To break through, one major sportswear brand focused on reaching fans where they were already spending their time and attention: YouTube.

The strategy centered on aligning ads with the most engaging sports content of the Christmas period. By partnering with Silverpush, the brand placed ads alongside videos carrying the right contextual signals, from NFL and NBA highlights to tutorials and creator content. Targeting also included competitor brands like Nike and Adidas, as well as videos featuring brand ambassadors such as Jonathan Taylor and Loren Gabel. To sharpen relevance further, the plan focused on sports actions like dribbling, shooting, passing, touchdowns, and field goals — ensuring ads appeared in the very moments when fans were most engaged with their favorite plays.

This approach made the brand feel like part of the action rather than an interruption. The results spoke for themselves: a 79% overall VTR and an 81% completion rate on influencer-led placements. In a category where standing out is notoriously difficult, combining holiday campaign moments with contextual intelligence gave the brand a powerful edge.

3. Retailer Magic: Turning DIY Holiday Moments into Measurable Wins

The holiday season is the busiest time for big-box retailers, with countless promotions running both in-store and online. To stand out, this retailer focused on connecting authentically with family-focused shoppers, positioning the campaign as part of holiday planning rather than just another ad.

The context-first approach leaned on trust. By placing holiday ads within YouTube content from lifestyle icons like Oprah Winfrey and mom-focused creators such as Jordan Page, the campaign tapped into voices families already rely on for advice and inspiration. Ads also appeared alongside seasonal content such as Christmas tree decorating, gingerbread house building, and festive meal preparation, ensuring they reached high-intent holiday consumers. To sharpen relevance, the targeting included competitor mentions like Target as well as popular product names such as Lego and American Girl, adding another layer of precision.

The results highlighted the power of holiday relevance. The campaign achieved a 32% higher VTR than the benchmark and a 30% lower CPV. By blending cultural cues with trusted influencers, the retailer connected with highly engaged consumers, boosted efficiency, and transformed ads into helpful content that supported families as they planned their holidays.

‘Tis the Season for Context

These three campaigns show that the best holiday advertising is not about being louder but about being more relevant. By aligning with seasonal content, cultural triggers, and trusted voices, each brand created ads that felt like part of the experience and part of the celebration.

For marketers preparing for the next holiday rush, the takeaway is clear. The most successful holiday campaigns are not built on creativity or budget alone. By partnering with Silverpush and using contextual intelligence, these brands made their ads connect at the very moments that matter most.

Make context your edge this holiday season. Get the Holiday Advertising Playbook 2025 to discover how to stand out and drive impact that lasts well beyond the holidays. Let’s connect to see how these ideas can power your next campaign.

The holiday season is a retailer’s Super Bowl. With shoppers ready to spend and online sales projected to hit $1.359 trillion in 2025, the spotlight has never been brighter. But under the glitter of digital Santas and endless “limited-time offers,” one question looms: how will your brand steal the show?

The answer lies in creating holiday campaigns that do more than sell. They need to inspire, entertain, and connect with shoppers in the moments that matter most. And no format does this better than video. From sparking emotion to showcasing products in action, video advertising has become the go-to play for brands that want to cut through holiday clutter and convert attention into action.

If you’re one of those looking to turn this season into a profit-generating sleigh ride, we’ve pulled together strategies that will help your brand resonate, engage, and ultimately, drive conversions. Before diving into them, let’s take a closer look at why video ads should sit at the heart of your holiday playbook.

2025 Holiday Trends Reveal What Truly Motivates Shoppers – Are Your Campaigns Aligned?

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Why Video Ads Are Your Holiday Cheer Squad

Remember those heartwarming holiday commercials that drew you to the TV? There’s a reason brands invested in video then, and it’s the same reason video must remain the cornerstone of your holiday advertising arsenal today.

Emotions Sell

Video allows you to tell stories, spark nostalgia, and stir generosity—the very feelings that define the season. According to the Silverpush Holiday Advertising Playbook 2025, 93% of YouTube viewers say the platform gives them everything they need to make a purchase, with holiday shoppers spending 1.7x more than those who don’t. This shows just how powerful video-driven storytelling can be in nudging purchase decisions.

Think of a classic holiday ad with a family decorating their home: kids hanging ornaments, parents lighting up the tree, and the warmth of a glowing fireplace in the background. A single image doesn’t capture that emotion. Video brings it alive.

Product Show-and-Tell

Videos are like your digital storefront window. They let you demonstrate features, answer questions, and show how your product fits into everyday life. And this season, the momentum is undeniable. Holiday shopping content on YouTube has grown 54% year-over-year, with categories like shopping vlogs (+58%) and product reviews (+54%) fueling intent-rich discovery.

Pair this with the fact that adding videos to landing pages can boost conversions by up to 80%, and the case is clear: video doesn’t just entertain, it drives action. During the holidays, when decisions are faster and baskets are fuller, your video ads can be the difference between being scrolled past and being added to the cart.

Holiday Ad Hall of Fame: Top 3 Holiday Campaigns That Sparkled in 2024

Need some creative fuel? Let’s take a page from the holiday ad 2024 playbooks of these iconic brands:

1. Amazon: Midnight Opus

Amazon’s 2024 holiday ad, “Midnight Opus,” tells the story of a theater janitor whose hidden vocal talent is celebrated by colleagues. With a swift Amazon delivery of a tuxedo jacket, he steps into the spotlight to perform “What the World Needs Now Is Love.”

The results? The campaign was hailed as one of the most uplifting ads of the 2024 holiday season, resonating across markets in the US, UK, and Europe. Viewers praised its emotional storytelling, and the spot drove high engagement across broadcast, cinema, and digital channels, cementing Amazon’s role in turning everyday moments into shared celebrations.

2. John Lewis: The Gifting Hour

John Lewis’s 2024 holiday ad, “The Gifting Hour,” followed Sally on a magical journey through childhood memories and a John Lewis store as she searched for the perfect last-minute gift for her sister. With Richard Ashcroft’s “Sonnet” as the soundtrack and a TikTok contest inviting fans to share their own covers, the campaign blended nostalgia, music, and audience participation.

The results? The ad topped emotional engagement charts in the UK, with 55.5% of viewers reporting a strong positive response, the highest among Christmas campaigns that year. It also lifted organic search for John Lewis by 17% YoY and increased the Net Promoter Score by 10 points. The campaign reinforced John Lewis as the Christmas gifting destination, combining heartfelt storytelling with business impact.

3. Coca-Cola: Holiday Road

Coca-Cola’s 2024 campaign “Holiday Road” reimagined festive storytelling through the lens of artificial intelligence. Short, visually stunning films brought to life snowy landscapes, playful polar bears, and digital renditions of the brand’s most iconic symbols, including Santa and the red trucks. Despite the new medium, the message stayed true to tradition: the journey home is worth it for the people waiting at the end.

The results? The campaign generated millions of views in just weeks, blending TV ads with digital activations such as QR-enabled packs and the famous Truck Tour, which donated up to one million meals through FareShare. While the AI twist sparked debate around warmth versus innovation, it also positioned Coca-Cola at the center of conversations on the future of holiday advertising.

Your Holiday Shopping Ad Battle Plan: Strategies That Deliver

If you’re ready to make this your most successful holiday season yet, here’s your checklist for developing holiday shopping ad campaigns that break through the holiday shopping crowd:

1. Don’t Be a Last-Minute Elf: Start Early!

This year, timing is everything. Holiday shopping kicks off well before the season peaks, with 64% of consumers starting their purchases before Halloween. Shoppers are spreading out their buying cycles, with activity up six points in September, four points in October, and down eight points in December.

For brands, this shift means waiting until Cyber 5 is simply too late. Launching campaigns early gives you the edge to capture deliberate planners while intent is still building. With contextual intelligence solutions like Silverpush’s Mirrors, you can meet these shoppers in the exact moments they are researching, browsing, and planning, ensuring your message lands before the rush.

2. Get Personal: It’s Not You, It’s Me (Your Ads)

Nobody wants to feel like just another name on a mailing list. As 24% of consumers rank personalization as the most important factor for holiday shopping, and 83% of consumers are interested in customized offers. Personalizing your ads based on people’s online behaviors is essential. As cookieless solutions gain traction, AI’s contextual targeting ensures your ads appear in relevant online environments. Innovative video ads can further enhance these personalized messages, making them more engaging.

3. Win Back Those Wandering Shopping Carts

We’ve all been there—loading up those online carts only to get distracted before checkout. Retargeting ads are your best avenue for reminding them about the treasures left behind. You can rekindle the shopping spark with holiday-themed offers, free shipping, and even a discount code. Using Crafters, you can create engaging, interactive retargeting ads that remind customers of what they’re missing, driving them back to complete their purchases.

4. Embrace the Warmth of Nostalgia

There are very few things that tug at the heartstrings like holiday nostalgia. Some real imagery, music, messaging—just delivering up those warm, fuzzy memories: think crackling fireplaces and fresh pine needles with classic holiday tunes playing in your mind.

5. Create a Little (Harmless) Urgency

“Limited-time offer!” “Don’t miss out!” These phrases are music to a shopper’s ears, especially during the holidays. Use limited-time discounts, flash sales, or bundle deals to incentivize those purchases and create a sense of excitement. Remember, 85% of online shoppers keep tabs open, waiting for sales to begin. With Silverpush’s contextual targeting, you can place these urgent offers precisely where they’ll have the most impact, catching potential customers at the perfect moment.

Silverpush’s AI-Powered Holiday Framework

Silverpush’s full-funnel solutions help brands move shoppers from discovery to conversion during the festive rush.

At the top, Mirrors and Parallels ensure ads appear in the right context across YouTube and moment sync. Crafters drive desire with interactive creatives on TikTok and YouTube. As shoppers explore, Zimmer deepens engagement by answering queries in real time and guiding decisions. Finally, Mirrors for Meta powers conversions with retargeting and dynamic offers.

Together, these AI-driven tools minimize wasted impressions and maximize festive impact, making every touchpoint timely, relevant, and effective.

To Sum Up

The holiday season is a prime opportunity for your business to shine. By crafting strategic, engaging, and emotionally resonant ads, you can attract holiday shoppers, build brand loyalty, and watch your sales soar. It’s not just about selling products; it’s about creating memorable experiences and spreading holiday cheer.

Seize the season with advanced tools and strategies to make your holiday campaigns stand out. Start early, personalize, retarget, and embrace the festive spirit. With the right approach, this holiday season can be your most successful yet.

This week, we got the chance to talk with Velma Agbodo, the performance director at Mediahub UK. Velma talked to us about Mediahub, what sets the agency apart, and the big. changes in the market across AI, social media, and more. And the biggest motto from MediaHub: More Pilot, Less Auto.

1. Tell us about your agency. What makes you stand out?

Mediahub is part of IPG, and we stand out because we have a challenger mindset. We’re not satisfied with the status quo and consistently think outside the box. We fully commit to every campaign, empowering our team to deliver their best work. Ultimately, we focus on creating tailored solutions that align precisely with each client’s unique goals, not just following standards, but setting new ones.

This approach is rooted in our belief in More Pilot, Less Auto; we actively steer every campaign with strategic insight and human intelligence, rather than leaving success to chance or automation. At Mediahub, our precise, audience-focused approach enables us to pilot our campaigns, driving meaningful growth and breaking new ground.

2. What made you choose Silverpush as a contextual partner?

When evaluating vendors, Silverpush’s proprietary technology immediately stood out due to its unique ability to analyze video-level content—something truly different in the market. This innovation allows us to deliver more precise targeting and insights for our clients. Additionally, Silverpush is an efficient partner, enabling us to analyze video content quickly while driving significant cost efficiencies.

By partnering with Silverpush, we provide our clients with scalable reach combined with enhanced relevance and improved campaign efficiency, ultimately maximizing their return on investment.

3. Has the market changed recently? What are the biggest trends that you’ve seen with clients?

The market has definitely evolved recently, especially in how clients approach creative formats and content strategies. One of the biggest trends we’re seeing is the widespread adoption of vertical video formats. Shorts and reels have become a staple in the creative mix, allowing brands to engage audiences on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube in a more native and immersive way.

Alongside this, influencer partnerships and native-style content are increasingly integral to campaigns. These approaches help brands connect authentically with their target audiences by blending seamlessly into the content consumers are already engaging with.

Another key trend is the rise of connected TV (CTV) as a premium digital channel, offering advertisers new ways to reach audiences with high-quality, engaging video content beyond traditional Linear TV.

Overall, these shifts reflect a move toward more agile, authentic, and targeted media strategies that drive stronger engagement and ROI for our clients.

4. What are some stand-out campaigns that you’ve run this year?

We executed a standout EMEA awareness campaign for a global toy company targeting kids. Our goal was to reach the exact audience of children to build awareness, boost purchase intent, and drive pester power. Using Silverpush’s technology, we were able to contextually target video-level content on YouTube, delivering ads alongside videos our core audience was actively engaging with.

Silverpush’s advanced tech allowed us to analyze for context and visual triggers within the video content, such as competitor branding, ensuring highly relevant ad placements. As a result, we achieved view completion rates (VCR) that exceeded benchmarks across all campaign segments and a positive lift in brand metrics, which we attribute to the strong audience resonance.

5. Have you noticed the impact of AI over the past year? Where have you seen it being used the most?

Yeah, definitely — AI has had a big impact over the past year, especially in media and marketing. One of the biggest things we’ve seen is how social platforms are using AI to automate many processes, like optimising how ads are delivered and who sees them. It’s not just about targeting anymore; the algorithms also help personalise creatives in real time, which makes campaigns a lot more effective.

On the creative side, AI tools are really helping to speed things up, whether it’s generating content, writing scripts, or making different versions for different audiences. Plus, there are media tools that use AI to track attention and behaviour, which gives us better insights to fine-tune campaigns.

That said, it’s still really important for marketers to pilot automation carefully and understand when and how to use it effectively, because the human touch is still key to making sure everything hits the mark.

So overall, AI is making campaigns smarter and more efficient, helping us get better results for clients without all the manual guesswork.

6. What are the biggest ad challenges and opportunities for brands?

One of the biggest challenges brands face today is ad creative. Producing the many iterations needed to ensure messaging resonates with different audiences and fits across various channels and formats can be time-consuming and resource-heavy. Scaling creative while maintaining quality and consistency remains a complex task.

Another challenge is navigating the rapidly changing digital landscape — with evolving privacy regulations and platform algorithm updates, targeting and measurement have become more complicated. Brands also struggle with fragmentation across channels, making it harder to deliver a seamless and coherent customer experience.

That said, there are huge opportunities as well. AI and automation are transforming how we approach creative optimisation, enabling faster iteration and personalisation at scale, which helps campaigns perform better. Data-driven insights give brands the ability to target more precisely and measure effectiveness more accurately than ever before.

Additionally, the rise of new formats like short-form vertical video and immersive experiences, combined with influencer and native content, opens fresh avenues for engagement. Brands that can innovate creatively while leveraging these tools and insights stand to gain a real competitive edge in connecting with audiences meaningfully.

We’ve all been there. You’re scrolling through your feed, and suddenly you see a brand’s take on a trending meme, movie release, or cricket match moment. It’s quick, clever, and somehow, it feels like they read the room just right. That’s not luck. That’s moment marketing.

Over the past few years, moment marketing has moved from being a fun side tactic to something many brands actively build into their strategy. With attention spans shrinking to less than 8 seconds and audiences constantly jumping between screens, being present in the “now” matters more than ever. And the brands that get this are the ones that are starting conversations instead of just pushing campaigns.

Let’s dig into what makes moment-based marketing tick and why it’s working so well.

What is Moment Marketing?

Moment marketing, or real-time marketing, is when a brand rides the wave of what’s trending right now. It could be a news story, a pop culture reference, a weather update, or even a meme that’s blowing up. The idea is to connect your brand with the mood or moment your audience is already tuned into.

What makes it so effective is timing. When you drop a relevant message at just the right moment, it feels less like advertising and more like you’re part of the conversation. People are more likely to engage, share, and remember what you said.

You’ve probably seen brands like Zomato, Netflix India, Burger King, or Amul do this regularly. Whether it’s a tweet after a cricket win or a cheeky visual during a film release, they’ve mastered the art of showing up when the audience is most attentive and most active.

Why More Brands Are Leaning Into It

First, it doesn’t cost a fortune. You don’t need a big production budget to create a tweet or a static creative. What you need is speed, creativity, and timing. That’s a win in today’s cluttered media landscape.

Second, it makes your brand feel real. When people see you engaging with topics they care about right now, it adds personality and relevance. It also shows that your brand is listening, not just broadcasting.

And lastly, it’s a great way to cut through the noise. When something’s trending, people are already paying attention. If your message fits in naturally, you don’t have to fight as hard to be seen.

Making Moment Marketing Work for You

It starts with keeping your ears and eyes open. That means listening to what your audience is talking about, tracking social media trends, and following news cycles that matter to your industry or region.

But it’s not just about reacting to every single trend. You need to know which ones make sense for your brand. A good filter here is asking, “Can we say something meaningful or fun about this without sounding forced?”

Adding a touch of humor helps, but it needs to align with your brand tone. Zomato, for example, brings food into almost every trend they taps into. It’s fun, but it’s still on-brand.

You also want to be careful. Not every moment is meant to be jumped on. Topics around politics, religion, or crises often backfire if handled without context or sensitivity. If in doubt, it’s okay to skip it.

Now Here’s Where It Gets Tricky

While your team might be quick to create a tweet or a reel, your audience isn’t always sitting on one screen. In fact, a study by Think with Google shows that nearly 80% of people use a second screen (like their phone or tablet) while watching TV. Which means, even if you’re running a big TV campaign, you’re probably losing a chunk of attention during ad breaks.

That’s a real challenge. Because what’s the point of a smart, timely campaign if your audience is busy scrolling Instagram while your ad plays?

This is where it helps to think beyond just social posts and tweets. Real moment based marketing happens across screens and, ideally, at the same time. When your brand message shows up at the right moment—on the screen your audience is actually looking at—it doesn’t just get seen. It gets remembered.

How Parallels by Silverpush Changes the Game

If you’re thinking, “How do I even pull that off?” — that’s where platforms like Parallels by Silverpush come in.

Parallels is a real-time moment marketing platform that’s built exactly for this challenge. It detects live moments—like a six being hit during a cricket match, a sudden weather change, or even a trending event—and syncs your digital ad across mobile, CTV, laptop, or tablet right when it matters.

So, let’s say your TV ad runs during a sports break. Parallels picks up on that and instantly displays a contextual ad on your audience’s second screen, based on their interests or location. That could be a sports drink ad during a live match, a skincare product during a pollution alert, or a fashion brand during fashion week.

It’s real-time. It’s cross-device. And it’s driven by AI, so you don’t have to manually chase trends or trigger ads yourself.

[Case Study] How Lucky Me! Captured Rainy Day Moments Using Parallels Weather Sync

Lucky Me!, the Philippines’ leading instant noodle brand, wanted to connect with consumers during the rainy season when cravings for hot, comforting food are at their peak. The challenge was that traditional ads could not react to live weather changes, making it hard to reach people at the right moment.

Using Silverpush’s Parallels Weather Sync, ads were instantly triggered across Meta, TikTok, and OpenWeb whenever rainfall was detected in key regions. This real-time targeting delivered 13.1M impressions, 9.1M video views, a 3.4-point lift in ad recall on Meta, and exceptional VTR gains across all platforms. The campaign proved how aligning media delivery with real-world moments can drive powerful consumer engagement.

Why This Matters for Modern Marketers

If you’re in e-commerce, retail, or media, you already know that attention is fragmented. You can’t rely on one channel to do all the work. Moment marketing with a second-screen strategy gives you that extra edge. It helps you show up not just at the right moment but also on the right screen.

And the best part? It’s not about throwing your logo everywhere. It’s about being part of the experience your audience is already having. That’s what builds trust, engagement, and over time, brand love.

Final Thoughts

Moment marketing isn’t just a trend. It’s how people are experiencing the internet today—in real time, across platforms, while juggling multiple screens.

If your brand can tap into those moments with relevance and speed, you’re not just doing marketing. You’re joining conversations, shaping culture, and building connections that last.

And with a solution like Parallels, you don’t have to just hope your audience sees your message. You’ll know it’s showing up right where and when it counts.

This week, the Silverpush team got a chance to talk with Darren Hardeman, the VP of Strategy, Media & AI, for Canada’s PUSH. PUSH is an indie agency that focuses on connecting media and creative in a new way, driving better results for each campaign and getting the most out of every touchpoint for clients. Darren shared his thoughts about context, the changes in the market, and how brands are successful. Read the full Silverpush Partner Spotlight Q&A below:

1. Tell us about your agency. What makes you stand out?

PUSH started from an idea that ‘wouldn’t everything work better if media and creative were always intertwined?’ So we built an agency model uniting media and creative from the very beginning, ensuring that every campaign message is conceived with purpose, delivered with impact, and measured to maximize outcomes. Feedback loops are built into the process, so all insights, both creative and media, are actioned immediately, maximizing performance today and in the future.

We make it simple and the way it should be: results-oriented, client-focused, and not agency-led or agenda-led.

2. What made you choose Silverpush as a contextual partner?

Anyone can find demographics, geo-targeting, or contextual targeting. Our advertiser partners need more hyper-personalized and addressable targeting. For example, we developed a strategy that used the Silverpush Mirrors product to scan videos to identify signals around the specific themes, brand safety, verifiable behaviors, and semantics of specific niche audiences.

For example, young adults are interested in STEM-related activities. By using Silverpush, we were able to find those specific audiences and align with contextual ad placements at scale. This partnership drove results that showed an increase in engagement and conversion rates because the quality of the audience was at a higher level than previous targeting methods.

3. Has the market changed recently? What are the biggest trends that you’ve seen with clients recently?

We are in a revolutionary period of change in marketing. In the Canadian market, we’re seeing:

1. Less easily available data through more informed and skeptical consumers, as well as government regulations.
2. More opportunities with increased media fragmentation across platforms.
3. A dramatic increase in AI in every aspect of our work, with a different adoption rate depending on each client. Some accept AI-generated work. Others believe in a ‘wait and see when it improves’ approach.

4. What are some stand-out campaigns that you’ve run this year? What made them work?

I would say there are three things that make a campaign stand out:

1. Being insight-led in the strategy and data-driven throughout your approach. By addressing objectives through insights about your audiences and using data to meet audiences where they are, we can create better, more meaningful connections for brands.
2. Be omnichannel in your selection and approach. Plan and execute across all channels in a connected manner, as that is how our audience(s) will consume them.
3. Be relevant in your placements and messaging. By being relevant, your audience will be more apt to relate, engage, recall, and/or respond.

We have used these principles to develop campaigns for our clients. One that comes to mind is a recent campaign for Humber where we developed a full funnel campaign that started with a video-neutral approach to drive awareness among direct and indirect student prospects through TV, CTV, OLV, and Social Video.

Surrounding all key audiences in Transit and DOOH. Then retargeting through display, social, and search channels to drive conversions. Each asset was relevant to the intended audience segment to increase the ad recall, engagement, and ultimately applications (the client’s business KPI).

5. Have you noticed the impact of AI over the past year? Where have you seen it being used the most?

Noticed it – yep, we use it every day. At PUSH, we use AI in almost every aspect of the process.

In media, it is in our advanced analytics like predictive modeling/MMM, our planning process, our buy optimizers (cross channel and within platforms), reporting, and insight generation.

For creativity, we can use it in our video, image, and text generation, allowing us to efficiently address ad fatigue and personalization.

Is it all 100% in all aspects? No, but every time we use it, it does get better.

6. What are the biggest ad challenges for brands? What are the biggest opportunities?

Here are four challenges that we hear from brands:

1. ID Signal loss and privacy regulations/restrictions. This leads to complexity and increased tech cost due to needing additional solutions like data clean rooms.
2. Overdependence on Walled Gardens. Too much emphasis on advertising on walled gardens drives prices up over time and leads to less transparency and competition in the long term.
3. ROI pressure in a Fragmented Landscape. CMOs have to prove their investment is driving incrementality, which means there is more pressure on measurement than ever before.
4. Standing out in a Saturated Market. Consumers are ignoring, blocking, and skipping ads. Brands are often wondering: ‘How can we stand out, get noticed, and be memorable?’

The first three challenges are easier to address: brands should increase their tech stack (when appropriate to drive incrementality and value), diversify spend, and implement advanced analytics like media mix modeling. The latter requires creativity, data-driven insights, and an experienced team that really wants to work alongside a marketer as a true partner.

7. What is your advertising hot take?

The world is full of uncertainty, and advertising is no different. But there are always opportunities in uncertain times, because it changes the way people usually respond to current situations. For example, during these uncertain economic times, marketers may see a down market and pull back investment. However, by taking this as an opportunity to invest and grow our share, we will come out ahead in the long term.

Uncertainty also forces us to continuously look for new opportunities and new partners to do more with less – and, of course, new opportunities to be more creative to gain attention, engagement, and conversions.