Cheat Sheet #3: Everything You Need to Know About Q5 Campaigns 

Q5 is the post-holiday “bonus” period running from December 26 to mid-January, a unique opportunity for advertisers to keep momentum after the holiday rush.

As the frenzy of Black Friday and Christmas fades, a new period takes over, seemingly quieter, but full of opportunities for Q5 marketing campaigns.

Users stay active, ad costs drop, and brands that know how to seize the moment strengthen their performance going into the new year.

It’s a strategic window to extend Q4 momentum and kickstart Q1 with strong results.

Understand the Q5 Period  

Q5 starts on December 26, when advertising pressure drops after Christmas, and runs through mid-January.

Why it’s strategic?

• Ad costs drop sharply: according to data from campaigns managed by Addict Mobile in 2024, CPMs fell by around 60% between mid-December and January 1, before gradually rising again throughout the month, without returning to pre-holiday levels.

→ A trend confirmed by Meta: based on internal data, CPMs reach their lowest levels of the season during Q5, while CPAs fall below pre-Cyber 5 levels, the period that includes Black Friday, the weekend that follows, and Cyber Monday.

• Users remain active: many spend their gift cards, take advantage of extended discounts, or treat themselves to what they didn’t get for Christmas, a period ideal for self-gifting and “fresh start” purchases. (source: Oracle)
• Competition eases: after a saturated Q4 (Black Friday / Christmas), many advertisers have exhausted their budgets, opening up more accessible and profitable ad inventory. 

Key takeaway: Q5 combines three main advantages: lower costs, an available audience, and reduced competition.

Identify Key Opportunities

Q5 is the ideal time to acquire new users and re-engage your existing audiences.

Audiences to Target

Acquisition :

• Users are in a discovery mindset, testing new apps, equipping themselves, or looking for “fresh start” offers.
•  Gift card holders represent strong conversion potential, especially on mobile.
•  “Resolution” profiles (fitness, learning, wellness, finance) are particularly active and ready to engage.

Reactivation:

• Dormant users left aside during the holiday rush become receptive again.

• Existing audiences (Q4 buyers, promo segments) are prime targets to boost retention and conversion.

Key takeaway: Combine acquisition and reactivation to make the most of Q5’s double advantage, new users and reactivated segments. 

Media costs

Lower competition clearly benefits advertisers: 

• Lower CPMs,
• Better CPCs,
• And more room to test new channels or formats.

It’s also a great time to refine your audiences, analyze user behavior, and prepare for the Q1 relaunch.

Timing 

Even if purchase activity slows after January 1, advertising performance remains solid.

The smart move: be ready from December 26 to capture the opportunity before competition rises again.

Key takeaway: Q5 success depends on preparation and anticipation. Be ready before December 26.

Adjust Your Media Strategy for Your Q5 Marketing Campaigns 

To make Q5 a real performance driver, don’t cut your campaigns after Christmas, adjust them smartly. 

Recommeded timing

• December 26 – 31: keep your post-holiday budget active, focusing on gift cards and self-gifting.

• January 1 – 15: run “New Year” campaigns centered around resolutions and discovery offers.

Media approach

• Meta & Google: the pillars of performance and conversion.
• TikTok: a key channel for discovery and creative testing. More and more users search for products or brands directly on the platform, making it an additional and incremental reach lever compared with Google.
• Snapchat: complementary to TikTok and effective among 18- to 34-year-olds. The platform has its largest European audience in France and remains very strong in the Middle East and the United States.

Tip: Combine acquisition and retargeting based on your intent signals and attribution windows to maximize profitability and keep your funnel consistent.

Leverage the Right Messages and Creatives

Tone and messages

The tone changes after Christmas: it shifts from “gifts for others” to “gifts for yourself.”

The most effective messages highlight renewal, well-being, and fresh starts:

• “Start the year off right.”
• “I’m treating myself.”
• “New beginnings.”
• “Use your gift card.”

Visuals and formats

• Short videos (<15s): make sure your offer is clear and visible from the first seconds.
• Simple static visuals: effective for retargeting, with concise and direct messaging.
• Visual coding: move from Black Friday tones (black, red, yellow) to brighter colors (blue, green, light tones) to evoke the “new year” feeling.
• Q4 → Q5 variations: keep your best-performing Q4 creatives but adjust the tone and CTA (“resolution”, “new energy”).

Key takeaway: Q5 rewards creative freshness, small adjustments, big results.

Continuous Tracking and Optimization

Before launching your Q5 campaigns, make sure your in-app events (purchase, add-to-cart, view product, etc.) are tracked correctly.

Check your attribution settings to ensure they’re aligned with your goals and campaign setup. Analysis periods vary depending on the app, platform, and tracked signals (click or view). The key is to keep your performance tracking consistent throughout the Q5 period.

Monitor your Hook rate, Hold rate, and CTR, and adjust your budgets based on performance. If CPMs rise or CPA drifts, re-evaluate your audiences or strengthen your retargeting campaigns.

Le contexte plus calme du Q5 rend les signaux de performance plus lisibles. C’est l’occasion d’affiner vos modèles et de calibrer vos stratégies avant le Q1.

The quieter Q5 environment makes performance signals clearer, it’s the perfect time to refine your models and calibrate your strategies ahead of Q1.

In Summary

Q5 isn’t a break, it’s a strategic window worth fully leveraging.

Less competition, lower costs, and users still ready to convert: by optimizing your Q5 marketing campaigns, you can extend your Q4 momentum while setting up a strong start to Q1.

In marketing, a successful Q5 relies on three key pillars:

1. Early preparation starting at the end of Q4,
2. An agile media strategy combining acquisition and retargeting,
3. Creatives adapted to the positive, ambitious tone of the new year.

In short, turn the post-holiday “pause” into a real growth driver.

FAQ