Frequent Ad Refreshing Boosts Holiday Returns by 23%
Marketers who updated their creative weekly during November saw significant performance gains for their campaigns.
Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Spending
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Do you find yourself more likely to purchase from brands that frequently change their advertisements?
A 2025 holiday shopping report from AppLovin reveals that frequent updates to digital advertising creative significantly improved performance metrics. These findings highlight how marketers drove lower costs and higher returns during the peak November shopping season.
Why it matters
Updating ad content weekly allows brands to scale campaigns more effectively during high-intent shopping periods. This strategy helps businesses lower their cost per purchase by keeping messaging aligned with current consumer demand.
Advertisers who refreshed their creative weekly in November 2025 saw a 23% higher return on ad spend, while newer assets overall generated a 20% increase compared to content older than 60 days.
The players
AppLovin
A technology company providing software and advertising platforms that connect businesses with consumers.
The details
The report shows that balancing evergreen content with specific promotional messaging is key to maximizing revenue. Short video ads under 16 seconds and interactive HTML endcards proved particularly effective, delivering lifts in return on ad spend of 83% and 35% respectively. Conversely, static-image endcards saw an 11% decline in performance compared to the June through September baseline.
Timeline
June 2025: Start of the baseline comparison period for ad performance.
September 2025: End of the non-promotional baseline period.
November 2025: Primary data collection window for holiday ad creative.
Money Landscape
Digital advertising is shifting toward high-frequency content updates as a primary lever for budget efficiency. This move follows historical patterns where seasonal retail competition forces brands to optimize assets more aggressively to maintain cost-per-acquisition targets.
For business owners and marketing decision-makers, these metrics suggest that prioritizing creative rotation over static content can directly reduce the cost per purchase. Consult with a marketing professional to assess whether your seasonal ad budgets are optimized for high-frequency updates.
The takeaway
Freshness matters in advertising because it captures consumer attention during peak interest windows. Audit your own campaign calendars to ensure promotional content is updated frequently during high-traffic events to maintain cost efficiency.
Further reading
For broader trends in consumer spending and marketing dynamics, explore our Spending section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Marketing Dive.
Live Poll
Do you find yourself more likely to purchase from brands that frequently change their advertisements?
