WHY THE TIMING QUESTION IS LIVE THIS YEAR
The planning window has already moved. Circana data from the 2025 season shows 48% of consumers shopped before Thanksgiving, with the early-November share up three points year over year, and Reddit reports holiday conversations begin building in July. Because demand now forms months before it transacts, sales reporting confirms the season only after the window to influence it has closed. That is the problem this session addresses: which signals appear early enough to still change a plan.
WHAT THE SESSION ANSWERS
How early to lead in with media, and how much that shifts by category
Which leading signals predict demand before sales data registers it, and which are noise
Where marketing mix modeling and incrementality disagree in a compressed season
How to measure across retailers rather than inside one media network’s four walls
SPEAKERS
Jonathan Dizney is VP, Global Measurement Media Consulting at Circana, where he leads a global team that connects marketing activity to business outcomes through data, advanced analytics, and modern measurement solutions. He has worked across more than 100 marketing measurement studies, including Circana's marketing mix modeling work recognized by The Drum Commerce Media Awards for Best Proof of Incrementality.
Tsvetan Tsvetkov is SVP, Head of Global Measurement Consulting at Circana, where he leads a global team that brings analytical rigor to clients' media measurement programs and turns complex findings into clear investment decisions. He has personally led hundreds of marketing mix analyses and worked with more than 100 clients across industries including consumer packaged goods, automotive, technology, and financial services.
“Ask your media network if they can measure beyond their own four walls. Total market measurement is critical to understand the true impact of your media, especially during holiday season when cross-retailer shopping behavior increases.”
Moody Khan, VP, RMN Measurement Strategy, Circana
