A Black Friday media reset shows where to move CTV, Meta and marketplace budgets before 27 November, now that the political season has ended. Meta’s surge lasts days, not weeks, and Gen Z plans to put 37% of Christmas budgets into Black Friday.
Updated November 14, 2026
Key Takeaways
- CTV CPMs rose upwards of 25% during midterm political ads.
- Gen Z plans to put 37% of Christmas budgets into Black Friday.
- Black Friday conversion lift was 190% for ages 55 to 64.
- 59% of Gen Z say higher sponsored search placements are important.
What should change on CTV first?
CTV took the hardest hit in the midterms. Michael Schoen, chief product and technology officer at Simpli.fi, told Campaign that CPMs saw “upwards of 25% increases,” on Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime as well as channels that allow political ads. Clients neither paused media spend nor delayed Black Friday planning — moves he would have advised against.
Schoen said to stay comfortable with a typical $30 CPM floating to $40 to $45 if it remains effective, and to shift some CTV budget into other channels.
“When that price rises to $40, our suggestion isn’t, ‘Stop spending in CTV.’ It’s, ‘Allow your campaign to spend $40, but then look at how that impacts the incremental lift,'” Schoen added. “Your budget allocation to CTV might go from 40% down to 30% or 25%.”
Campaign says that agility grounds decisions in business results, so marketers can judge whether regional price spikes are worth paying. Outsized political spend included California, Texas, Ohio, Michigan and Georgia. Flexibility also matters in open versus tighter CTV deals.
How do you phase Meta spend by age?
Upp.ai’s peak playbook puts Black Friday on Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday on the 30th. Last season, conversion rates rose faster than CPMs. Lift was +190% for ages 55 to 64 and +30% for 18 to 24s.
Put Black Friday week on the older group. Ease 18 to 24s off Christmas week, when cost per result rose about 50%, and re-engage in January. Judge CPA and ROAS, never CPM, including where on-device conversions can lift reported ROAS.
Accounts still fixing tracking in Black Friday week 2025 missed the peak. Friday 20 November is the last structural change: no new audiences, objectives or optimisation events. From 23 November, raise proven-campaign budgets in steps under 20% through Cyber Monday. Learning resets above roughly 20% and on any audience, creative or objective change.
Where should Gen Z discovery spend move?
eBay Advertising research, reported by A1 Retail, surveyed 2,001 UK adults who celebrate Christmas. A third of Gen Z will shop mostly via marketplaces (18%) or retailer apps (15%), versus 23% overall.
Sponsored or promoted placements higher in search are important to 59% of Gen Z, versus 40% overall. Video is important to 56% of Gen Z, versus 43% overall. Clear images are essential for 97% of shoppers, and a relevant title and description matters to 92%. These are UK survey figures, not a US forecast.
| Signal | Group | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Friday conversion lift | Ages 55 to 64 | +190% | Upp.ai |
| Black Friday conversion lift | Ages 18 to 24 | +30% | Upp.ai |
| Christmas budget for Black Friday | All shoppers | 22% | eBay Advertising UK |
| Christmas budget for Black Friday | Gen Z | 37% | eBay Advertising UK |
| Sponsored placements important | All shoppers | 40% | eBay Advertising UK |
| Sponsored placements important | Gen Z | 59% | eBay Advertising UK |
What should you lock before 27 November?
A campaign relearning on 27 November pays peak CPMs for calibration traffic.
- Stay comfortable with a $30 CPM floating to $40 to $45 if effective, or move CTV share from 40% toward 30% or 25%.
- Freeze new Meta audiences, objectives and optimisation events on 20 November.
- From 23 November, scale proven campaigns in steps under 20% through Cyber Monday.
- Weight ages 55 to 64 in Black Friday week and spread 18 to 24s across the season.
- Shift Gen Z discovery to higher marketplace search placements and keep images and titles tight.
- Score CPA and ROAS, not CPM, with attribution fixed until January.
Frequently asked questions
When is Black Friday 2026?
Friday 27 November, with Cyber Monday on 30 November, per Upp.ai’s Meta peak playbook.
Should brands stop CTV buying after the political CPM spike?
No. Michael Schoen told Campaign to stay comfortable with a typical $30 CPM floating to $40 to $45 as long as it remains effective, and said CTV’s share might go from 40% to 30% or 25%.
How should Meta budgets differ by age cohort?
Black Friday conversion lift was +190% for ages 55 to 64 and +30% for 18 to 24s, so older buyers get that week’s weight and younger buyers are spread across the season.
Why move Gen Z discovery to marketplace ads?
eBay Advertising found 59% of Gen Z say sponsored or promoted placements appearing higher in search are important when buying Christmas gifts on marketplaces, versus 40% of shoppers overall.
