Experiences refined for people
Living in a swing state (Michigan) during election season was a relentless advertising nightmare. I was bombarded with countless ads and far too many text messages and emails that it was suffocating. From morning news to late-night streaming, every screen buzzed with ads, urging, warning, and promising.
The kicker? I voted by mail weeks ago.
This deluge of messaging was no accident. Swing states like Michigan were central to campaign strategy. With unprecedented spending, the goal was clear: to be the last voice voters hear before hitting the polls.
Luckily, all of that stopped on November 6.
Many brands decided to hit pause on specific ad channels, especially on platforms like CTV, or move their November marketing to a more maintenance-level cadence. We don’t blame them. For some campaigns, we joined them.
If you’ve been holding back on ad spend during election season, now’s the perfect time to put those savings to work.
With only two months left in the year, holiday shopping in full swing, and a fresh start in 2025 on the horizon, we’ve got smart ideas from our talented KORTX team on how to make the most of any unspent election budget.
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First and foremost, hit the unpause button & get back out there! |
| “After being bombarded with political ads for the last 6+ months, I think people will view non-political ads as fresh air. If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines for the last few months, November would be a great time to get your brand messaging back out there.” Gunnar Eisenmenger, Senior Account Manager |
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Capitalize on the growing digital sports audience for last-minute holiday deals & brand awareness. |
| “Live sports remain one of the most powerful avenues for brand awareness, thanks to its diverse, engaged audience. This year, the digital audience for live sports in the US has grown significantly, reaching over 105 million viewers compared to around 95 million last year. With major professional and college leagues in full swing during the holiday season, reallocating unspent budgets toward this environment can provide a valuable boost for your brand—especially in what’s shaping up to be a dynamic post-election period.” Drew Pytel, Senior Account Manager |
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Get a step ahead in 2025 with marketing mix modeling and in-depth audience research. |
| “Investing in marketing mix modeling can go a long way in securing 2025 campaign success. There’s nothing more valuable than your data to understand where you should spend your marketing dollars. These predictive insights help marketers not only quantify the impact of different marketing activities but also allow them to understand which combinations yield the best results. Combine this with audience research, and you’ll be unstoppable. Investing in audience research can uncover key demographics, preferences, and behaviors. This allows for more personalized and relevant marketing messages within campaign strategies, which can result in more robust engagement and conversion rates.” Jess Ostrom, VP of Client Services |
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Stretch your budget by revamping proven campaigns for broader reach. |
| “Nielsen’s studies show that consistent messaging across platforms can make a lasting impression on consumers. People encountering familiar messages in new places will likely recognize and engage with your brand. Consider using any leftover end-of-year budget to refresh your best-performing creative for new channels or audiences. A few smart updates—whether to visuals, copy, or format—can breathe new life into successful campaigns and help attract fresh attention. This approach keeps your brand at the forefront of your mind while making the most of your previous work and maximizing your investment as you head into the new year.” Damon Henry, Co-Founder & CEO |
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Reach more customers by leveraging the seasonal streaming surge. |
| “Streaming activity in the U.S. typically boosts during November and December, driven by holiday breaks and new content releases. In November 2023, streaming usage rose 4.3% from October, with a notable 10% increase during Thanksgiving week. This upward trend continued into December 2023, with streaming usage increasing by an additional 1.2% from November, particularly among viewers aged 18 to 24, whose streaming time grew by 2.7%. This means you have an excellent opportunity to use CTV to capture last-minute and Boxing Week shoppers. Consider investing additional money into CTV now that the political deluge will leave the platforms.” Megan Gordon, Senior Account Manager |
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Create SEO-focused support/troubleshooting content for top products & save your customer service team a few headaches. |
| “Don’t forget about your post-gifting customers, especially if your products are a bit techy. Investing in support content for common questions—like easily accessible help articles, SEO-optimized how to pages, or quick setup videos—can save your team time and help customers get the most out of their gifts (instead of stashing them in a closet!). A 2022 Asurion report found that 64% of Americans ran into tech issues over the holidays, and 45% needed help to fix them. From setup to software and connectivity, make support easy to find and use!” Josh Pettovello, Senior Marketing Analyst |
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Spend leftover budget on small but mighty marketing tests. |
| “If I had some unspent budget, I’d jump at the chance to run one or two small-scale tests—maybe try a new channel, tap into a different audience, or get creative with fresh ideas. Even simple, low-cost experiments like these can pay off. A Harvard Business Review study found that companies doing frequent, small tests saw their marketing ROI jump by 28%. A little curiosity (and budget!) can go a long way in finding what truly works.” Corey Rice, Director of Strategy |
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Capture New Year’s Resolution shoppers on TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest. |
| “December and January are peak times for self-improvement, fresh goals, and New Year’s Resolutions! Users are looking for tips on how to level up their lives on TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest—ready to discover products and ideas to help them start strong.
Kick off a paid social test campaign that targets this surge in interest. Plan a launch in late December to capture those “New Year, New Me” vibes and carry it into January when motivation is still high. This is an excellent moment for brands like retailers selling workout gear and fitness accessories, fast-casual restaurants with healthier menu options, and wellness brands.” |
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Target post-holiday shoppers with fresh retail data for a more personalized campaign. |
| “After the holiday rush, shopping shifts to a more personalized, contextual experience, as customers focus on themselves instead of buying for others. Tap into fresh data sets—especially retail and purchase data—rich with insights and new users from peak holiday traffic. Use this wealth of audience information to refine targeting and align programmatic media buys directly with user intent.” Brandon Pollard, Director of Advertising Operations |
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Use leftover funds to make meaningful donations to your local & customer communities. |
| “Consider putting any extra or leftover funds back into your local community or customers’ communities, especially those impacted by recent hurricanes in Florida and the Appalachians. Supporting recovery efforts in these areas boosts your company’s morale and shows your brand’s commitment to helping where needed most. This gesture resonates with customers and creates opportunities for positive PR.” Paola Miano, Ad Operations |
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Start the new year by investing in your team’s growth. |
| “As we look ahead to 2025, think about giving your team the chance to grow their skills. Nearly 70% of employees say they’d prefer to learn on the job, and almost everyone—94%—say they’d stick around longer if they feel supported. Why not start the year by showing how much you value their development? Try fun Lunch-and-Learns (hello, local restaurant lunches!), let managers set up tailored learning budgets, or even offer on-demand training subscriptions. These small steps don’t just build skills. They create a culture of support, making everyone feel ready and excited for what’s next.” Kaia Anderson, HR Coordinator |
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A little audience research can go a long way. |
| “Some brands tend to get laser-focused on who they believe their audience is, sometimes overlooking untapped opportunities. The end of the year is an ideal time to invest in deeper audience research and profiling to uncover fresh insights. Whether you handle this internally or bring in outside experts, audience research can reveal unexpected customer segments and prospects you may not have considered. Exploring new target DMAs can boost your marketing, expand your reach, and set you up for greater success in the new year.” Dani Rusas, Account Manager |
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KORTX can help with that. From quick-activating programmatic to lunch & learns for your team, we’re here to help.
With the election season behind us, now is the time to make the most of the rest of the year and jumpstart 2025. Whether you’re reinvigorating your ad strategy, capitalizing on emerging trends, or investing in your team, there’s ample opportunity to leverage these next few months strategically. Let’s put your brand back in the spotlight and make this a strong finish to the year.
About the Author
Kaylee Pope is the Content Strategy Director here at KORTX. When she is not writing blogs or crafting strategy, she enjoys time outdoors with her cattle dog mix, exploring Detroit restaurants, and a good book.
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