Q5: The Hidden Quarter

The Million Dollar Opportunity Most Brands Miss

Author

Acceler8 Labs
November 28, 2024

🚀 The Speed Read

  • Q5 presents unprecedented opportunity as CPMs drop 28%

  • Meta sees highest intent-to-purchase rates between Dec 26-31

  • Why some brands should avoid the resolution rush entirely

  • Platform watch: TikTok Shop's Q5 performance metrics revealed

🧭 This Week's Analysis

The Hidden Quarter: Why Q5 Matters in 2024

When others wind down, smart brands scale up

While most brands exhaust their budgets during BFCM, our analysis reveals Q5 (December 26 - mid-January) offers some of the year's lowest customer acquisition costs combined with highly engaged audiences.

This is about more than clearing out post-holiday inventory, play it right you’ll be building momentum for the entire year ahead.

By the Numbers

  • Meta CPMs drop 28% during the last week of December

  • TikTok engagement increases 25% above Q4 averages

  • 96% of users actively pursuing specific goals during this period

  • Platform migrations show 40% fewer customer service issues than peak season

The Two Types of Q5 Opportunity

Smart brands recognize Q5 isn't one-size-fits-all. Your strategy depends entirely on your vertical:

Resolution Brands (Fitness, Wellness, Personal Development)

  • Peak intent meets lowest CPMs

  • Highest engagement rates of the year

  • Perfect for scaling acquisition

Strategic Planners (Fashion, Home Goods, General Retail)

  • Ideal for platform migrations

  • Perfect for system optimization

  • Lower risk for major changes

Turning Analysis into Action

Understanding your Q5 opportunity type forms the foundation of a successful strategy.

Resolution brands need to focus on capturing peak intent with perfectly timed creative, while strategic planners can use this period for transformative improvements that drive long-term growth.

The brands that win Q5 recognize this period requires a different playbook than BFCM or standard promotional periods. They plan for each distinct phase, from December 26th through mid-January, with carefully calibrated approaches to creative, audience targeting, and platform optimization.

Ready to Make Q5 Your Best Quarter?

Our complete Q5 Playbook breaks down exactly how leading brands capitalize on this hidden opportunity. Inside you'll find:

  • Day-by-day tactical roadmap

  • Platform-specific CPM strategies

  • Creative frameworks for each Q5 phase

  • Tech migration timing guide

  • Revenue maximization checklist

🔥 Quick Takes

#️⃣ Instagram Removes Hashtag Following

What happened: Instagram will no longer let users follow hashtags, prioritizing its algorithm to surface content based on user behaviour.

Why it matters: The move targets spam reduction and focuses attention on creator-specific engagement, a critical growth strategy for Instagram.

What to watch: The broader decline of hashtags in social media strategy and how brands pivot to maintain reach and engagement.

👀 Facebook’s New Views Metric

What happened: Facebook introduced a new "views" metric to reflect user engagement trends on its platform.

Why it matters: The sky is not falling. Publishers report limited impact on social strategies, as the metric doesn't drastically change how content performance is assessed.

What to watch:​ Future updates that may better align metrics with publisher expectations and audience engagement trends.

Good Reads

📈 TikTok Shop Mastery: Making TikTok videos for high engagement

🫣 Jaguar Debuts New Brand Identity…And The Internet Is Roasting Them

🚩 Can Your Trust Your Agency? Acceler8’s Agency Trust Framework Can Help.

Last Word

"In Q5, the real opportunity isn't in the quarter itself - it's in building the foundation for your entire year." - Uzair Chutani, Co-Founder Acceler8 Labs

This newsletter is presented by Acceler8 Labs 
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