When Santa’s on the beach stocking up on SPF and sunscreen, savvy marketers should already be sketching holiday campaigns. Yes, it’s July, and that may seem premature. But the truth is this: holidays come earlier every year, and executing an impactful seasonal campaign takes serious lead time.
Starting in July or August isn’t being overly cautious, it’s being strategic. Here’s why planning early matters, how the lion’s share of holiday sales are locked in well before December, and exactly how to map out your timeline so you’re never rushed (or reactive) again.
Why Holiday Planning Has to Start Earlier Than Ever
Holiday Creep Is Real and It’s Accelerating
Ever noticed Halloween candy appearing on shelves smack in the middle of July? That’s "Christmas creep:” the phenomenon of holiday marketing launching earlier every year. It’s a quirk and a business imperative.
Retailers extend their selling windows to capture early shoppers and maximize exposure. While it can feel weird when you’re still flaunting bathing suits, it’s become standard practice in retail and digital marketing alike.
Consumers Shop Earlier and Earlier
Retail research shows 40-50% of consumers start holiday shopping as early as October (or even September). Shopify’s latest data indicates that pre‑November planning is the norm, not the exception (with 41% saying they begin their shopping before October).
Here’s the thing: consumers start shopping early. If your holiday campaigns aren’t live when they’re ready to buy, you’re leaving serious revenue on the table.
Brands That Launch Late Get Played By Supply Chains and Competition
Marketers starting in the Fall often cram creative production while deliverables stack up, approvals stall, or holiday inventory arrives late due to tariffs and supply chain disruption. The risk? You launch past peak shopping windows or worse, miss them entirely.
Planning early gives breathing room: more time for creative iteration, media testing, and seamless campaign execution.
Timeline Deep Dive: When to Plan, Produce, and Launch
July and August: Blueprint Your Strategy
This is your campaign foundation. Start by defining goals: Are you prioritizing revenue? New customers? Brand awareness tied to gifting?
Use these early months to audit last year’s performance, review competitive messengers, and ideate themes that align with your product cycles, inventory commitments, and campaign budget.
Many top brands also build gift guides or limited-edition content during this window. Bazaarvoice and Shopify both recommend kicking off planning at least one quarter ahead of the season.
August and Early September: Creative Production and Previews
By late August, campaigns should be moving into production: photo shoots, video edits, copy finish, and creative sign-offs should happen now. Post-production workflow ideally wraps by early September.
Timing note: Digital ads often run well before product stock is physically available, so running teaser content or email campaigns early can build anticipation while your logistics catch up.
September and October: Audience Warm‑Ups and Teasers
This is performance marketing gold. Run paid campaigns early to reach consumers who are holiday-curious. Test messaging and creatives before costs spike. Email campaigns, remarketing funnels, and early-bird offers work best here.
Your second creative drop (gift guides, social carousels, or influencer unboxings) should roll out now, timed with Black Friday planning and bumped budgets. Code3’s seasonal research recommends a full-funnel cadence with phased spend and audience layering to maximize ROAS.
Black Friday through Cyber Week: Full Firepower
If earlier phases went well, now you’re build-ready. Activate across channels, flash deals, buy‑one/get‑one offers, and urgency-driven messaging.
That’s when ad costs rise, but you should already have winning creative sets to deliver efficient performance.
December: Final Push and Evergreen Messaging
Even past Cyber Monday, there’s still opportunity. Green Monday (early December), last-minute shipping windows, and extended gift shopping push through December.
This planning phase should include evergreen emails, post-Cyber Monday upsells, and renewal messaging.
Real‑World Signals: Why Smart Brands Plan Months Ahead
A 2024 survey from Constant Contact found that 51% of small business owners say email and social marketing were crucial to their holiday success and those who started planning early felt much more resilient in uncertain retail conditions.
Longer seasonal windows also help with forecasting and inventory control, especially when economic uncertainty looms.
Beauty Brand Holiday Trends
Vogue Business called out how beauty brands are shifting earlier in 2025 due to inflation and consumer caution.
Promotions, storytelling, and pre‑sales begin months before the holiday season, often overlapping with Halloween or early autumn content. That allows brands to drip messages, test bundles, and optimize before the peak.
Commerce Giants Know: Pre‑October Planning Pays Off
Shopify notes that optimizing for early holiday search behavior, preview offers, and diverse gift messaging improves both click-through and conversion rates.
Over 50% of consumers plan to shop before Halloween. Brands that wait until Thanksgiving miss out on this wave.
What Stops Brands From Planning Early?
Overanalysis Paralysis
Newer brands may say it's too early, or they don’t have enough product visibility yet. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of done. With placeholders and templated visuals, you can start media testing before everything is locked.
Creative Bottlenecks
Clients often delay approval until late in the year, but studios and freelancers get booked six months ahead. Having approvals, brand frameworks, and timelines set in August helps avoid fine‑tooth comb revisions in October.
Budget Misalignment
Media and ad spend budgets often get finalized late, missing the cut-off for creative production. Locking in procurement earlier lets channels run longer and more fluidly.
How to Make July Your Holiday Campaign HQ
Build a Holiday Content Campaign Calendar
Use marketing planning tools like Shopify or Adobe’s campaign calendar guides to map phases, content themes, and channel touches from prep to performance.
Start With a Brand Brief and Buyer Personas
Define customer segments, gifting occasions, and campaign themes first. Even a single holiday snapshot (like “gift for pet parents”) can unlock product bundles, influencer tiers, and ad copy direction.
Lock in Creative Partners Early
Whether you're hiring in-house, agency, or freelance, secure your production team by July. Many shops get booked through September. Missing deadlines can mean missed paydays. (Breef can help! Book a call with a Breef Marketing Strategist to find your perfect team!)
Plan Channel Strategy Against Seasonal Compression
Q4 ad costs spike rapidly. Spread your budget across phases: teaser (September), peak (November), and back‑up (December). Pre-weaned spend delivers lower CPA and allows learnings that optimize later waves.
Forecast Inventory and Shipping Now
Tariffs, supply chain shifts, or international shipping delays can derail holiday windows. Forecast product levels now and communicate messaging windows based on ship cutoff dates. Green Monday (December 8) and December 15 are deadlines for many premium shipping guarantees.
Final Thoughts: The Early Planner Wins
Waiting until Labor Day to think about your holiday campaign? You’re already late. From creative production to media cost spikes, late launchers face delays, inefficiencies, and lost revenue.
Instead:
✍🏻 Start planning in July-August
🎨 Develop creative in August-September
🍁 Soft launch in early October
🛒 Launch Black Friday-Cyber Monday strong
🎄 Finish with evergreen messaging through mid‑December
Smart brands plan early and seasons reward them accordingly. Whether you’re a DTC founder or marketing manager at a fast-moving brand, starting plans in July gives you breathing room to prep, pivot, and perform.
So let your holiday campaign launch like an insider secret: on your brand’s terms, with strategy, creativity, and margin intact. 🤝
