The holiday season is one of the most valuable windows for consumer engagement–and it opens earlier than most campaigns do. According to Capital One Shopping data, 45% of shoppers plan to start their holiday browsing and buying before October, and streaming behavior follows suit. That means brands have a chance to connect with high-intent audiences weeks before traditional Q4 media plans kick in. With the right strategy, marketers can turn early viewership into measurable impact across the entire funnel.
Streaming Has Taken the Holiday Spotlight
This shift in behavior isn’t just about viewership, but also opportunity. As audiences lean into seasonal content earlier and more often, brands have a chance to meet them in moments that matter, with messaging that drives real impact.
VIZIO’s viewership data shows a clear migration toward streaming over the holidays:
This is why we curate comfort content across the season, such as holiday movies, familiar series, and bingeworthy programming that brings families together. For advertisers, this means multiple engagement moments: weekends, cold-weather weekdays, and high-traffic tentpole events.
Case Studies Show The Real Holiday ROI
Across categories, VIZIO advertisers saw a full-funnel impact in Q4 2024, proof that smart placements and sharp creative can deliver holiday performance beyond just impressions.
A national beverage advertiser used a Holiday Collection sponsorship to reach viewers who had already tuned out of linear. The result was a staggering 87% increase in incremental reach and a total reach lift of 575% when compared to the brand’s linear media buy.
An automotive brand focused on context and audience sponsored VIZIO’s Winter Sports Zone with ACR and demographic targeting to deliver messaging directly to fans watching men’s college basketball. The lift was a measurable 25% increase in unaided brand awareness and 19% in aided awareness. Familiarity, TV ad recall, and brand favorability also climbed.
For an insurance brand looking to reach in-market buyers, diversification made the difference. Activating across the Sports Zone, Halloween tentpoles, and CTV video placements allowed the campaign to double purchase intent among exposed viewers compared to those who weren’t reached.
Even creative tweaks can drive results. A media and entertainment advertiser swapped static images for animated video on the VIZIO Home Screen and saw a 13% drop in cost-per-subscriber acquisition within just one week.
What powers these results isn’t just timing or placement. It’s VIZIO’s holistic advertising ecosystem built on proprietary data, unique inventory, and real-time optimization.
Non-endemic brand video units placed on the Home Screen, for example, can deliver immediate impact with autoplay functionality. Campaigns using this format have driven average click-through rates of 0.53%, turning brand exposure into engagement within seconds of powering on the TV.
Sponsorships across VIZIO’s curated Holiday Collections and genre-based content pages allow brands to surround seasonal programming with their messaging. These placements are effective at building brand equity. One holiday campaign improved brand favorability by 19%.
WatchFree+, VIZIO’s free streaming service, offers another layer of integration. Advertisers sponsoring channels inside this environment saw up to 2.5 times higher time spent among viewers, proof that the right programming context can keep audiences watching longer.
For brands focused on outcomes like online shopping or app installs, VIZIO’s interactive video units add a performance layer. Whether it’s through QR codes, shoppable overlays, or remote-enabled engagement, these placements give viewers a direct path from screen to sale. And with 28% of VIZIO owners falling into the top one-fifth of U.S. spenders (MRI 2024), these campaigns are reaching high-value households.
With tools like ACR-driven targeting, campaign diversification, interactive formats, and real-time analytics, VIZIO helps brands move consumers from inspiration to action. Whether you're looking to drive brand recall, build familiarity, or close the loop on conversions, VIZIO delivers a connected ecosystem that turns passive viewership into active engagement.
Q4 is a race, and the brands that start early and think full-funnel will be the ones that win.
Ready to own the season? Click the “Get in touch” button below to connect with a VIZIO representative and learn more about how you can make this holiday season shine today.
