AppLovin Report Details 2025 Holiday Ad Performance
New data shows that frequently refreshed creative drives higher returns on advertising spend during the holiday season.
Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Spending
Live Poll
Do you find yourself more likely to purchase from brands that frequently change their advertisements?
An AppLovin report examining the 2025 holiday shopping season reveals that brands refreshing ad creative weekly in November saw a 23% increase in return on advertising spend. The data underscores the efficiency of newer assets compared to those used during the non-promotional baseline period earlier in the year.
Why it matters
Launching campaigns early provides marketers with critical time to optimize strategies ahead of peak purchase intent. Brands that balance evergreen product messaging with targeted promotional content maximize their reach and attributed revenue.
Advertisers refreshing creative in November saw 20% higher returns on new assets compared to those older than 60 days. Additionally, cost per purchase for new creative was 19% lower than the baseline at the first interaction.
The players
AppLovin
AppLovin is a global technology company that provides a software platform for mobile app developers to grow their businesses through marketing and monetization tools.
The details
Promotional messaging accounted for 64.2% of attributed revenue at day seven, even as evergreen product messaging made up 58.2% of total creative content. Short Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads under 16 seconds were particularly effective, delivering an 83% lift in first interaction return on advertising spend.
Timeline
June through September 2025 served as the non-promotional baseline period for performance comparisons.
November 2025 served as the primary data collection window for holiday ad creative analysis.
Market Dynamics
The success of these specific ad formats follows the 2025 e-commerce advertising shift toward short-form video and interactive ad units. This trend marks a structural change in how brands compete for consumer attention against traditional static advertising benchmarks.
Retail investors may find that companies utilizing data-driven advertising strategies are better positioned to optimize their marketing budgets during high-traffic seasons. Brands capable of rapidly pivoting creative assets are likely to demonstrate better cost-efficiency and higher revenue attribution.
The takeaway
Marketers should prioritize frequent creative updates during peak shopping periods to maintain relevance and maximize returns. Utilizing interactive endcards and short-form video appears to be an essential tactic for driving immediate conversion in a competitive digital landscape.
Further reading
For more context on how consumer habits change throughout the year, visit the 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?