
Marketers Launch Seasonal Campaigns Earlier; AI Becomes a Key Part of Ad Strategy
Why are campaigns starting earlier? According to the 2026 Holiday & Seasonal Shopping Trends report, consumer behavior during major shopping seasons (like Black Friday and Cyber Monday) has changed:
62% of marketers plan to start their seasonal campaigns earlier.
Only 15% of shoppers wait for big discount days to buy gifts.
Nearly one in three shoppers start researching and comparing products before October. (Meaning the purchasing decision often begins weeks before the discounts).
The direct role of AI in ad strategy: Artificial Intelligence has moved from being an experimental tool to a daily part of campaign planning and management:
48% is used for creative ideas (Creative).
43% is used for targeting viewers (Audience Targeting).
39% is used for content personalization (Personalization of Creative).
Shifts in the media budget (Channel investment): Marketers are trying to be present in the early stages of the customer's decision-making process, so they have distributed their budgets as follows:
Social Media: 68%
Performance TV/Connected TV: 54%
Online Video: 44%
Influencer/Creative Marketing: 32%
Search: 23%
The next stage with AI Agents: In the future, instead of AI just performing a single task like writing copy or generating an image, AI Agents will be able to help marketers coordinate decisions across the entire campaign. (This is a prediction, not proof that AI has currently replaced the marketer).
News Summary (TL;DR): Seasonal marketing is moving towards earlier, longer, data-driven, and AI-driven campaigns. The goal is not just to increase advertising time, but to reach the customer before they make their final decision.













