Every marketer wants to know where to place the next best dollar. That’s where EMR Power Rankings come in, providing a snapshot of how channels stack up against one another. But the rankings only matter if they’re anchored in strategy. Before scanning the list, it’s worth stepping back to ask:
- What is the role of media? What shifts in consumer behavior are we aiming to drive, and how can media support?
- What is the role of each channel or platform in delivering that vision? How can we lean on the nuances of the channel and consumer usage to maximize impact?
With those questions in mind, the rankings become more than numbers on a page. They become a lens for smarter investment, helping teams connect channel-level investment to a broader strategy designed to influence business goals.
Those same questions are applicable when it comes to channel-level mix and investment, too. Here’s how our experts are leveraging EMR data to optimize Paid Social strategy this holiday season:
The Role of Paid Social During Holiday
During Holiday, paid social plays a full-funnel role—building efficient reach and frequency, sparking engagement and attention, and then converting that attention when revenue windows open. That sequencing matters, because momentum and basket-building created up-funnel is what fuels efficient performance later.
Authentic Creator partnerships amplify this effect. Their relevance and trust help content earn attention, not just buy it—so your upper-funnel dollars work harder and prime more people for action down the line.
That readiness to act is heightened by heavy promos, which lower barriers and make this the strongest period for new customer acquisition (ACQ) at scale. Prospects are more open to trial, and the value equation—offer plus social proof and convenience—smooths the path from discovery to first purchase.
Meanwhile, shoppers are on social for both gifting and self-treating. That dual mindset positions paid social as a discovery and persuasion engine that seeds demand early, captures it efficiently when intent spikes, and grows high-value retargeting and CRM pools through the season and into next year.
Viewed through the EMR Power Rankings lens, the mandate is clear: keep upper-funnel momentum humming, then execute timely performance investment spikes to harvest demand. Do that, and every dollar works twice—delivering results now and compounding impact across stores and online for the rest of the season.
Breaking It Down: Maximizing Impact with Paid Social Channels
There are, of course, nuances by channel. We’re breaking down how to maximize impact on each paid social channel from the EMR Power Rankings.
Meta Performance
Overall Ranking: #1 | Enterprise Cash Cow Ranking: #1
During Holiday, Meta Performance must be at its best. Auction pressure spikes, so tight setups, tuned conversion signals, and fast feedback loops are non‑negotiable. Keep learning cycles short to protect delivery, adapt quickly to volatility, and compound gains week over week.
Lean hard into Advantage+ to personalize at scale and squeeze more efficiency from every impression. Pair that with GenAI Creative enhancements like Add to Catalog and Text Generation to rapidly localize, tailor, and refresh assets—expanding variation without ballooning production time and unlocking meaningful performance lift as competition intensifies.
Enter peak weeks with proof, not hope. Your foundational campaign structure should already be battle‑tested, with Conversion Lift Studies validating where you drive true incrementality so you can scale confidently into heightened spend windows. And don’t let the tech overshadow the message: Creator‑led creative, paired with clear promotional offers, improves auction outcomes—raising relevance, lowering costs, and turning thumb‑stops into carts all season long.
Meta Brand Awareness
Overall Ranking: #3 | Enterprise Cash Cow Ranking: #3 | New Customer Converter Ranking: #4
In a season of heightened media costs, Meta Brand Awareness is your efficient path to mass reach and message recall. Lead with simple, sticky creative that lands the core value prop, and buy for scale so your story shows up where it counts. Treat awareness as the fuel for lower‑funnel efficiency later—build the audience now, harvest the intent when it spikes.
Match the mix to where your customer actually spends time. If your audience skews visual and culture‑driven, prioritize Instagram; if you need broader household reach or higher age demos, keep Facebook in the plan. Pair the right placements with attention formats (i.e. Reels) and put Creators in the frame to earn trust and hook attention. The result: more quality exposures, not just more impressions.
Control the drumbeat so you’re memorable, not fatiguing. Use Target Frequency to monitor and adjust cadence by segment, then “plus up” in high‑value geographies or DMAs with Value Rules to weight delivery where it moves the business. For inspiration on market‑level tuning with Value Rules, view our recent case study with Meta and Aerie.
TikTok
Overall Ranking: #4 | Enterprise Cash Cow Ranking: #4 | New Customer Converter Ranking: #1
During Holiday, TikTok is a discovery engine for younger shoppers, fueling incremental store revenue and efficient omni acquisition. It’s built for trial. Many shoppers first encounter and try new products from TikTok ads, so design for fast attention, strong memory cues, and clear next steps. And remember, the conversion may happen in-store so measure success through incremental omni iROAS to capture the full impact.
To turn attention into action, lead with creator‑native Spark Ads. Creator voices lend authenticity and social proof, lowering hesitation and accelerating new customer trial. Build ads that earn attention in‑feed with tight hooks, clear benefits, and promo clarity and accept that TikTok often assists the sale even when the final transaction lands elsewhere. The combination of creator credibility and offer clarity is what moves shoppers from discovery to basket.
Scale and repeatability come from automation and clean signals. Smart Performance campaigns streamline setup, expand audience exploration, and iterate creatives fast—reducing build time and lifting performance in partner tests. Feed the system with stable pixel + Events API integrations and optimize to value‑based goals so the algorithm finds more high‑intent, new buyers. Then pressure‑test headroom: run higher spend pulses ahead of Cyber 5 to confirm incrementality at scale, map diminishing returns, and set confident caps for peak.
Pinners are planners—their holiday season starts early and moves fast. Treat Pinterest as your planning and inspiration engine: seed ideas, build lists, and spark intent before peak weeks. Lead with engaging gift guides ahead of key tentpole moments to create demand you can harvest across the rest of your mix.
Run a true full-funnel play. For awareness, showcase ideas with immersive Idea Ads and remixable Collage Ads to get products saved and shared. For consideration, use interactive Quiz Ads to drive engagement and help shoppers self-select into the right categories. For conversion, trial Performance+ campaigns to maximize lower-funnel impact when purchase intent spikes, carrying momentum from discovery to decision.
When it’s time to break through the noise, go big with high-impact placements. Use Search Spotlight to dominate priority holiday queries at the moment of intent or activate an Editorial Pulse to ride curated trend surfaces and seasonal moments. Anchor these bursts to your tentpole calendar so you scale attention precisely when it counts and turn planning energy into carts and store visits.
Snapchat
During Holiday, Snapchat is where celebration meets connection and connection is the primary reason people open the app. Show up in the moments friends are messaging, sharing, and laughing together, and let your brand enhance that exchange. Lead with simple, upbeat creative that fits the vibe of the season so your message feels native to the conversation, not an interruption.
To turn that connection into action, build for interaction. Design creative that invites taps, replies, and shares, and use Creators across awareness and consideration to add authenticity. Holiday is also an informative moment on Snap. People look to others for what to buy and share what they’ve received so pair creator recommendations with clear promo messages to drive trial and engagement.
Finally, plan with your core audience in mind: Gen Z engagement on Snapchat is high. Match their pace and tone—playful, peer-to-peer, quick hooks, and clear value—and time your pushes to moments when friend activity spikes. The payoff is relevance that compounds: more conversation, more social proof, and more first-time buyers moving from Snap discovery into carts.
Crush Your Paid Social Strategy This Holiday
With this paid social handbook as your guide, it’s time to crush your paid social strategy this season. Want additional support from our integrated media experts? Contact our team or learn more about our media capabilities.
