Every year, as the holidays approach, a familiar pattern emerges in digital advertising: more advertisers compete for the same limited attention, and prices rise accordingly. This is not speculation — it is something our data shows consistently, year after year.
To achieve the same number of impressions during the holiday period as you would in a quieter month like September, you need to increase your budget. The question is: by how much?
Why job advertising is different
General consumer advertising faces the steepest increases — costs can rise up to 40% during peak holiday competition. Job advertising sits in a different segment. Because fewer recruiters compete for the same audiences as Black Friday retailers, the pressure is lower.
Our data shows that for job advertising, a budget increase of around 15–20% is typically sufficient to achieve roughly the same results as a quieter period. That is a manageable adjustment — and one that pays off when you are trying to fill a role before the new year.
The advantage of data-driven advertising is that you do not have to guess how much extra to spend. Our technology analyses the current competitive landscape and tells you exactly what investment is needed to reach your target audience — even during high-season periods.
What this means in practice
If you are running a recruitment campaign during the holiday period, plan for a modest budget increase and set expectations accordingly. The candidates are out there — many people are actively thinking about job changes as the year turns. The challenge is simply that you are competing with more advertisers for their attention at that moment.
With behavioral targeting, you have an edge: your ad reaches people who have already demonstrated interest in similar roles, which means your budget works harder than a broad-reach campaign would. Even in a competitive market, relevance wins.