Dear Joy, how do I keep my head above water in the golden quarter?

In case you missed my first column, I’m Joy, IAB UK’s chief digital cheerleader, with a mission to help marketers rediscover the joy of digital by equipping you with advice, inspiration, tools and resources to navigate the ever-changing terrain. And with the ‘golden quarter’ just around the corner, this next column is looking ahead to when the advertising world goes into overdrive (and even bears can’t sleep through it).

The golden quarter is painted as a marketer’s dream, the season where spend peaks, audiences are tuned in and every brand wants its slice of the spotlight. But anyone who has lived through it knows the shine can wear off fast. Instead of a smooth sprint to Christmas, it often feels like being dropped into the middle of Oxford Street on Black Friday with no map, a broken umbrella and a Slack channel that won’t stop pinging.

First, stop asking whether it’s reach or precision that matters most. You need both. Mass visibility keeps you in the game, but targeted investment is what stops your money disappearing into the void. That’s why retail media has exploded: it offers scale and relevance at the same time. And connected TV is carving out a sweet spot of its own, pairing broadcast clout with digital flexibility. If you’re still choosing one over the other, you’re stuck in last year’s playbook.

Second, timing. Yes, Christmas seems to start earlier every year – and that’s not just marketing paranoia. Shoppers are out hunting deals before you’ve boxed up the Halloween decorations. If you wait until late November to show up, chances are your competitors have already scooped up attention and share of wallet. That doesn’t mean burning through your budget too soon, but your brand should be visible well before Black Friday if you want to stay relevant.

Stop asking whether it’s reach or precision that matters most. You need both.

Third, don’t let channel choice turn into spaghetti. Retail media, social, search, TV+, creators – they’re all valuable, but only if they ladder back to one clear strategy. Too often, brands run them in silos, duplicating spend and confusing audiences with mixed messages. Start with the story you want to tell, then build the channel plan around it. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the difference between a campaign that feels connected and one that looks like a patchwork.

And finally, keep perspective when the numbers don’t pop straight away. Everyone dreams of John Lewis-style instant impact, but not every brand gets a blockbuster tear-jerker ad to carry them through. Performance builds over time, optimisation takes work and patience is part of the process. Be upfront with stakeholders, set milestones and don’t disappear behind dashboards when the pressure hits. Transparency builds trust – and that matters more in December than ever.

Make ideas matter

The golden quarter is always going to be frantic. Deadlines will slip, numbers will wobble and you’ll probably eat more meals at your desk than at your dining table. But this is also when advertising shows its best side: shaping culture, driving sales and connecting brands with people at the exact moment they’re ready to buy.

Bringing joy back into it doesn’t mean ignoring the chaos – it means remembering why we’re here: to make ideas that matter, to reach people in ways that last and, yes, to deliver results worth celebrating.

If you can hold onto that, then even the most frantic golden quarter will still shine.

That’s your fill of my sage advice for this month. I’ll be back soon to delve into my inbox and pick a new digital dilemma to address – share yours at [email protected].

In the meantime, check out our website for more helpful resources (I promise it’s worth the clicks). And if you’re looking for a dose of digital inspiration, look no further than IAB UK’s Joy of Digital Award (all picked by yours truly) for brilliant examples of brands who are nailing it when it comes to campaign creativity. The most recent recipient is Argos’s creator-led mockumentary, ‘Arghaüs’, where satire is the star of the show. Hosted on Argos’s TikTok and Instagram, the series stars social media creators and is set in a fictional art gallery populated by Argos’s A-list products.