2026 Holiday Advertising Playbook for Advertisers - Make Every Holiday Moment Count!
One Season. Every Screen. All Context.
Cut through the holiday clutter with contextual intelligence
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A $1.3 trillion season, decided on video
Global holiday sales are surging. Brands that show up in the right context, at the right stage, win the season.
$1.29T global online
holiday sales, up 7%
year on year
63% say online video
inspired their holiday
purchase decisions
60% bought after watching
a product video such as a
review, unboxing, or haul
45% use social to find gift
ideas, the #1 source for
Gen Z and Millennials
59% of CTV viewers say
connected TV ads shape
their holiday purchases
47.5% of all US TV time
was streaming in December
2025, up from 43.4%
- $1.29T global online holiday sales, up 7% year on year63% say online video inspired their holiday purchase decisions
- 45% use social to find gift ideas, the #1 source for Gen Z and Millennials60% bought after watching a product video such as a review, unboxing, or haul
- 59% of CTV viewers say connected TV ads shape their holiday purchases47.5% of all US TV time was streaming in December 2025, up from 43.4%
The seven stages of the video funnel
Holiday demand is not a straight line. It moves through seven stages of watching, each with its own content, context, and moment to win.
Inspiration
Demand begins as someone else's story,
before intent exists.
Validation
Confidence is built before the cart,
across reviews and creators.
Comparison
The hardest choice is what to leave behind.
Purchase
A holiday deadline or sale triggers the buy.
Sharing
One gift creates the next person's wish list.
Returns
The journey continues past the receipt.
Self-gifting
The last gift of the season is for ourselves.
Plan around the moments that matter
Map your media to the moment and meet shoppers where the decision is happening.
Plan around the moments that matter
Map your media to the moment and meet shoppers where the decision is happening.
Diwali 08-12 Nov
Halloween 31 Oct
Thanksgiving 26 Nov
Black Friday 27 Nov
Cyber Monday 30 Nov
Giving Tuesday 01 Dec
Hanukkah 05-12 Dec
Christmas 25 Dec
New Year's Eve 31 Dec
Lunar New Year 17 Feb
Ramadan 18 Feb - 19 Mar*
- 08-12 Nov
Diwali - 31 Oct
Halloween - 26 Nov
Thanksgiving - 27 Nov
Black Friday - 30 Nov
Cyber Monday - 01 Dec
Giving Tuesday - 05-12 Dec
Hanukkah - 25 Dec
Christmas - 31 Dec
New Year's Eve - 17 Feb
Lunar New Year - 18 Feb-19 Mar*
Ramadan Season
‘Tis the Season for Context
The Silverpush Contextual Intelligence Engine reads the content around each video and turns it into a media signal on the platforms where the season actually plays out.
- Youtube
- CTV
- Social
- Programmatic
- Youtube
- CTV
- Social
- Programmatic
Ready to activate your holiday strategy?
Put your holiday advertising in motion with privacy-safe, AI-powered contextual targeting that delivers relevance at scale, at every stage of the video funnel.
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Tactic-Level Targeting
Reach the right holiday shopper based on custom contextual segments and the exact video content they are watching, from broad festive intent down to a single unboxing.
Automated Optimization
Streamline holiday campaign setup and media execution with AI-powered analysis that shifts spend toward the contexts and stages performing right now.
Unprecedented Insights
Real-time dashboards that break down performance by objective, format, creative, context, region, and demographic.
- +230%higher CTR
- +200%search lift
- 40%lower ad waste
- 90%average VTR
Everything you need to plan your season
The playbook, the case studies, and the latest thinking on video and context, all in one place.
Ready to Build Your Holiday Strategy?
Let's explore how contextual intelligence can boost your holiday performance.