Winter brings the most expensive stretch of the advertising year. November through January consistently show CPM spikes driven by:
-
Intensified competition from retail, e-commerce, travel, and gifting brands
-
Significant increases in ad auction pressure
-
Higher consumer demand paired with shorter attribution cycles
Baseline: CPM levels by quarter – showing Q4 sees the highest average CPM
According to industry benchmarks, CPMs in Q4 can rise by 20–50% compared to Q3, with December often reporting the highest costs across major ad platforms.
Strategies to Keep Your CPM Low
1. Refresh Creative More Frequently
Fatigue accelerates during peak seasons. When audiences are saturated with holiday-themed ads, performance degrades faster.
-
Advertisers see up to a 25% decrease in CPM when maintaining weekly creative refreshes during Q4.
-
Short-form, static, and lightweight variations tend to win auctions more efficiently.
2. Expand Audience Coverage
Peak season means narrower audiences receive more competition.
-
Broadening audience pools can reduce CPM by 10–20%.
-
Larger audiences help algorithms route delivery into less competitive auction segments.
3. Optimize Timing
Winter demand is not evenly distributed.
-
CPMs typically peak around Black Friday and Christmas week.
-
Running prospecting earlier (late October–early November) and shifting budget to retargeting in mid-December–January often improves cost efficiency.
4. Use High-Quality First-Party Data
Strong, well-structured data signals improve ad relevance and reduce costs.
-
Campaigns with high-quality first-party engagement signals can experience 15–30% lower CPM due to improved match rates.
5. Test Alternative Placements
Less competitive placements often deliver lower CPMs while maintaining strong results.
-
Secondary placements during peak months sometimes show CPM reductions of up to 40% compared to primary feeds.
6. Maintain Stable Budget Pacing
Sudden budget increases cause temporary CPM spikes.
-
Gradual scaling (10–15% increments) typically keeps CPM growth below 5%.
7. Improve Ad Relevance and Quality Ranking
Platforms reward strong engagement.
-
Ads with top-tier relevance metrics can pay up to 20% less per impression than ads with lower scores.
Key Winter CPM Statistics
Percentage increase in CPM during Q4 vs earlier quarters for selected social media platforms
-
Q4 CPMs rise 20–50% on average compared to Q3.
-
Creative fatigue happens 1.5x faster in November–December.
-
Broad audiences can cut CPM by 10–20% during peak periods.
-
Strong data signals can reduce CPM by up to 30%.
