Most mobile marketers treat the calendar as four quarters. The best-performing teams quietly plan for a fifth.

Q5, the window between December 26 and mid-January, is one of the most overlooked opportunities in mobile growth. It sits after the holiday advertising rush but before most competitors are fully active again. In our experience, this short period consistently delivers stronger economics, faster learning, and more efficient scale, especially for Apple Search Ads.

With Q5 starting in eight days, now is the moment to understand why it works, how Apple Ads benefit uniquely from it, and what to do before the window opens.

What Is Q5 Mobile Marketing and Why It Matters

Q5 mobile marketing refers to the period roughly between December 26 and January 15, sometimes called the “fifth quarter.” It is not an official fiscal quarter, but it behaves like one in performance terms.

Here is why Q5 exists at all:

  • Holiday ad budgets peak in early to mid-December, then shut off abruptly.
  • New devices flood the market on December 25.
  • Users have time, curiosity, and motivation to explore new apps.
  • Many advertisers wait until late January to restart meaningful spend.

That combination creates a temporary imbalance between demand and competition. For user acquisition teams that stay active, Q5 user acquisition can outperform traditional quarters on CPI, ROAS, and learning velocity.

Despite this, many teams miss it entirely. Budgets are exhausted. Teams are on holiday. Planning resumes in January. By the time campaigns are live, the most efficient days are already gone.

Why Q5 User Acquisition Delivers Better Economics

Across multiple verticals, we have seen Q5 consistently produce better efficiency than both December and late January. The reasons are structural, not accidental.

Lower competition leads to cheaper installs

After the holiday push, many advertisers pause or sharply reduce spend. That drop is visible across channels, including Apple Search Ads. With fewer bidders in the auction, cost per tap and cost per install often fall.

Industry platforms like Sensor Tower and data.ai regularly show a decline in advertiser intensity immediately after December 25, even as user activity remains elevated. For teams focused on cheap mobile installs December into early January, this creates a narrow but powerful opportunity.

A surge in new device activations

Every year, millions of new iPhones and iPads are activated during the holidays. From December 26 onward, these users open the App Store with empty devices and high intent to download.

These are not dormant users being reactivated. They are net new entrants into the ecosystem. For Apple Search Ads Q5, that matters because search behavior spikes as users actively look for apps to install.

More leisure time means higher engagement

Between the holidays and early January, users have more discretionary time. Engagement metrics often improve as people explore entertainment, fitness, finance, and education apps.

In our experience, this leads to higher conversion rates from tap to install and stronger early engagement signals, which improves downstream optimization.

Budget resets slow competitors down

Even advertisers who plan to be aggressive in January are often slow to ramp. Budgets reset, approvals take time, and teams prioritize planning over execution.

That lag creates a short window where competition is lower than it will be later in January. For January mobile UA, the first two weeks matter far more than most teams realize.

Apple Search Ads Q5: Where the Opportunity Is Strongest

Q5 is powerful across channels, but Apple Search Ads are uniquely positioned to capture its upside.

New device owners actively search for apps

Unlike passive discovery channels, Apple Search Ads intercept users at the moment of intent. New device owners search for categories like games, fitness apps, budgeting tools, and learning platforms.

In Q5, a larger share of users search generically rather than for specific brands. This expands the opportunity set dramatically.

Lower keyword competition improves impression share

With fewer advertisers bidding aggressively, it is easier to gain impression share on high-intent queries without inflating bids. In many accounts, we see impression share increase during Q5 even when budgets remain flat.

For teams asking about the best time to run Apple Ads, Q5 is consistently near the top of the list.

Discovery placements hit the right mindset

Search Tab and Today Tab placements perform especially well during Q5. Users are in discovery mode, not transactional mode. They are exploring what to install next.

While performance varies by vertical, we have seen strong incremental volume from discovery placements during this period when creative and targeting are aligned with New Year motivations.

Non-branded keywords outperform

Q5 is not about brand defense. It is about category capture.

Our clients average 40 percent of installs from non-branded keywords, roughly double the industry average. During Q5, that share often increases as users search for needs rather than known apps.

This is particularly relevant for Q5 gaming app marketing, where users search for genres, mechanics, or moods rather than titles.

Tactical Q5 Mobile Marketing Playbook for Apple Ads

Q5 rewards teams that prepare early. Waiting until December 26 is already too late.

Prepare campaigns before the holidays

Campaign structure, keyword expansion, and creative should be ready before December 25. That allows you to activate immediately while competitors are offline.

At BrightLake, we typically finalize Q5 structures in early December, then shift into monitoring and optimization mode during the window itself.

Lean into non-branded keywords

Q5 is the time to be aggressive on category terms. Increase bids on high-intent non-branded keywords and monitor impression share closely.

Lower competition often means you can scale without sacrificing efficiency, especially in categories with broad demand like games, fitness, finance, and education.

Use Q5-specific Custom Product Pages

New Year motivation is real. Custom Product Pages that highlight “New Year goals,” “fresh start,” or “get organized in 2025” messaging can lift conversion rates meaningfully.

These do not need to be permanent. Even temporary alignment with Q5 intent can improve tap to install performance.

Re-engage lapsed users strategically

Q5 is also a strong moment for re-engagement, particularly for apps tied to habits or routines. Users are more receptive to restarting fitness plans, budgeting tools, or learning goals.

Apple Search Ads can support this through brand and category coverage that captures returning interest.

Test new geographies while competition is low

Competition drops unevenly by region. Some markets slow down more than others during the holidays.

With multi-market campaign management, Q5 becomes an efficient time to test new geos where CPIs fall faster and learning is cheaper. BrightLake manages campaigns across regions because Q5 timing and intensity vary globally.

Verticals That Win Biggest in Q5

While most categories benefit, a few consistently outperform during Q5 user acquisition.

Gaming

New device owners want entertainment immediately. Casual, mid-core, and puzzle games see strong search volume and conversion.

For Q5 gaming app marketing, non-branded category terms and discovery placements are particularly effective.

Health and Fitness

January motivation starts early. Many users begin searching for fitness and wellness apps immediately after Christmas.

Fitness apps that combine Q5 momentum with January onboarding often see strong retention from these cohorts.

Finance

Budgeting, expense tracking, and personal finance apps benefit from year-end reflection and New Year planning.

Users are actively looking for tools to reset habits, making Q5 a strong acquisition window before competition ramps in late January.

Education

Language learning, skill-building, and professional development apps see early signs of demand before January fully begins.

Capturing these users in Q5 can lead to lower CPIs and better lifetime value than waiting until the January rush.

How BrightLake Helps Teams Win Q5 Without Burning Bandwidth

Q5 is short, fast-moving, and unforgiving. Manual optimization struggles to keep up with hourly pricing shifts.

BrightLake’s platform is designed for moments like this:

  • Real-time bidding optimization allows campaigns to capitalize on Q5 pricing shifts as they happen, not days later.
  • Multi-market management accounts for regional differences in holiday timing and competition.
  • Our non-branded keyword expertise consistently drives outsized share of category demand.
  • On average, our clients see 30 percent lower CPI than self-managed Apple Ads, particularly during volatile periods like Q5.
  • Teams can choose full-service management or client success support, depending on internal bandwidth during the holidays.

This flexibility matters when teams are stretched thin but performance still matters.

For deeper examples, see: BRIGHTLAKE CASE STUDY

Q5 Is Short. The Window Is Real.

Q5 does not last long, but its impact can shape Q1 performance. Cheaper installs, faster learning, and higher intent users create momentum that carries into the new year.

In our experience, teams that plan for Q5 outperform teams that treat January as a reset.

If you want to take advantage of Q5 mobile marketing while competitors are still offline, now is the time.

Schedule a Q5 strategy session before the window opens at https://www.brightlake.ai.