Easter & Bank Holidays: Are seasonal campaigns right for your business?

With three mini holidays coming up in the UK, are you planning how you manage your ads around them? This is a super quick read for anyone wondering what special rabbits they need to pull out of the hat around the April and May breaks.

It’s easy to slip into the marketing mindset that a calendar event needs to be somehow marked in your campaigns. But we’re here to tell you, you might actually be better taking your foot off the ads pedal than making a splash.

What happens to ad performance during Easter & bank holidays?

• Increased competition: Ad costs can increase during these periods as more people are online in their leisure time, increasing overall digital activity. If Easter/Bank Holidays aren't relevant to your business, you could be paying more than usual to reach the same people. 

• Audience distraction: Consumers' attention could be divided; if you sell Easter gifts, brilliant, but if you sell shoes or magnesium supplements, you’ll be fighting for attention amidst the seasonal noise.

Who should be gearing up for some bank holiday action:

• Brands who have a seasonally relevant product

• Brands who have seen strong results over these dates in previous years

• Brands who have spotted a great new opportunity

Who should think twice:

• Brands who have nothing seasonal to offer

• Brands who have had mediocre results over these dates in previous years

• Brands who think they need to acknowledge the holidays, just because

What to expect during Easter/bank holidays if you fall into the latter category

• CPM/CPC spikes = increased costs

• Lower conversion rates - your audience is thinking about something else

• Wasted impression share - your ads get lost in the seasonal noise

• Audience fatigue - your core audience is bombarded with seasonal messaging elsewhere

Three strategies for brands where seasonal campaigns don't fit

1. Reduce Spend During Peaks

• If Easter/Bank Holidays don't align with your business, consider pulling back

• Redirect budget to quieter periods when:

• CPMs are lower

• Your audience has more focus

• Competition is lighter

• The weeks before and after seasonal peaks often see better efficiency

• Instead of advertising hard during Easter week, shift budget to late March or late April when costs are more stable

2. Shift Messaging

• Don't try to create Easter campaigns if they feel forced

• Instead, use the seasonal moment to shift tone or angle

• Examples:

• Easter week - "Spring refresh" or "New beginnings" angle (without Easter imagery)

• Bank Holiday - "Time for yourself" or "Invest in what matters" (without leisure messaging)

• Does this message feel authentic to your brand and product? If not, skip it.

3. Double Down on Always-On Performance

• While everyone's distracted by seasonal campaigns, your core audience might be quieter

• Use this time to optimise what’s already reliable; continuity campaigns, ambassador activity, email and SMS, brand awareness etc

• Sometimes the best move during busier periods is to ignore the noise and focus on what’s already working

In a Nutshell… firstly, if your brand has nothing to gain from these mini holidays, walk on, there is no need for you to ‘Easter up’ your campaigns. Secondly, if the bank holidays are slow for you, be a little nimble and reallocate some budget to the weeks and activities that you know will bring you better returns.

Some businesses are seasonal by nature, but many aren’t, and the key to scaling up non-seasonal businesses is to maintain reliable campaigns that underpin growth. If this sounds like you, your annual planning needs to highlight areas where there are real opportunities for spikes in performance, but otherwise the focus should be on consistency and stability over seasonal lurches.

Action one is to review your performance from last year around this period, and dig deeper into the data if it’s enlightening. Then make a conscious plan of how best to move through April and May in order to ensure the best returns on your precious investment.

We love talking campaigns with brands! If you’d like a no strings 30 minute chat with us about your ads, you can book in below.