As the year winds down, many marketers discover they still have budget left on the table. The question is: how do you put those dollars to work in a way that delivers real impact before December 31st?
The good news? Q4 is full of high-visibility opportunities. From cultural tentpoles to holiday shopping surges, advertisers have countless ways to reach audiences when they’re most engaged.
This blog notes five creative, easy-to-activate strategies to maximize every last dollar and how Viamedia’s omnichannel approach makes it simple.
- Tap Into Tentpole TV Events
From the Traditions of NFL Thanksgiving games and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to fall premieres and award shows, Q4 is stacked with high-impact programming. These events attract massive, engaged audiences, with most consumers watching live, making them prime for video and CTV advertising.
Example tentpoles:
- Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween (October 1st-31st)
- Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas (Beginning October 17th)
- NFL Thanksgiving Day Games (November 27th)
- Major film premieres like Zootopia 2 (November 26th) and Avatar: Fire & Ash (December 19th)
By activating around these moments, you ensure your brand is part of the cultural conversation and capitalizing on the consumer’s hard to grab attention.
- Extend Campaigns Across CTV and Streaming
With temperatures lowering and viewers cozying up together, Q4 is binge season. Families gather to stream new originals, catch up on fall premieres, and dive into holiday classics. U.S. adults now spend over 2 hours a day with CTV content, and 92% of households are reachable through streaming platforms.
With Viamedia, you can quickly activate on streaming networks and FAST apps (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) putting your message in front of audiences when they’re tuned in and relaxed at home.
- Align with Holiday Shopping Surges
It goes without saying, Q4 is retail’s busiest season. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas collectively account for up to 30% of annual retail sales (National Retail Federation). Even non-retail brands can benefit from the heightened consumer attention and willingness to engage with offers.
Viamedia enables advertisers to pair geo-targeting and behavioral data with omnichannel inventory, reaching shoppers as they browse Zillow, play mobile games, or stream holiday content.
- Reach Audiences on the Go with Digital Out-of-Home
More than 55 million Americans travel for Thanksgiving alone (AAA). Airports, malls, and transit hubs are packed with consumers who are highly receptive to brand messages.
Digital out-of-home (DOOH) placements allow you to extend your campaign beyond the living room, creating continuity across screens. With Viamedia, these buys can be activated alongside CTV, display, and mobile for a seamless experience.
- Test New Channels Before the Year Ends
Unused budget is a perfect opportunity to experiment. Whether it’s audio ads, new social placements, or hyperlocal targeting, Q4 testing sets you up for smarter planning in 2026.
Viamedia makes testing simple by centralizing targeting, measurement, and reporting across channels. You get learnings you can immediately apply without the risk of a major upfront investment.
Wrapping Up Another Year
Q4 isn’t just the end of the year, it’s one of the most opportunity-rich times on the media calendar. By leaning into cultural tentpoles, shopping surges, and omnichannel activation, advertisers can turn unused budget into performance wins.
At Viamedia, we make it easy to execute these strategies quickly, efficiently, and at scale.
Want to maximize your Q4 impact? Let’s talk.
