Most marketers think in quarters. Q1 brings fresh budgets, Q2 is about momentum, Q3 is strategy season, and Q4… well, Q4 is the long slog to Christmas. But, somewhere between wrapping up the last pre-Christmas campaign and promising ourselves we’ll “start fresh in January,” there’s a magical sliver of the calendar that most marketers forget about entirely.
Q5, aka, the secret summer quarter.
In Australia, Q5 is its own season. The out-of-office replies multiply. Kids are on school holidays. Half the country is at the beach or in the bush. The other half is standing in line for an iced latte. And while business technically slows down, people’s attention does the opposite. We scroll more. We shop for ourselves. We start dreaming about the year ahead. And crucially, the usual storm of brand activity suddenly goes quiet.
This “in-between” window – late December through to mid-January – is when the algorithms light up and the competition powers down. Research by TikTok shows that 81% of users spend the same or more time on the platform during this period, and it becomes the most-used app compared with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and X. Meanwhile, Pinterest sees a swell of “new year, new me” behaviours, with more than a third of users setting goals for the year ahead.
It’s the one time of year where culture, behaviour and media economics all align and most brands simply aren’t there.
Why Q5 works the way it does
People aren’t racing between meetings. They’re not watching the clock. They’re not squeezing content into the margins of the day. They’re relaxed. Curious. A bit indulgent. This makes Q5 one of the rare moments where ads don’t interrupt behaviour, they slide right into it.
TikTok calls it “the invisible quarter” for a reason. Engagement peaks while advertisers take their foot off the pedal. Lower auction pressure means lower CPMs and suddenly even modest budgets can punch well above their weight.
But the real magic is intent.
Once the gifting frenzy ends, Australians shift into self-improvement and self-reward mode. TikTok’s data shows 68% of users plan to shop for themselves and one in four will download an app or service to support their goals for the year ahead. This is everything from fitness programs and financial tools to skincare routines, hobbies and home upgrades. If Q4 is about buying for everyone else, Q5 is about buying for yourself.
Why your 2026 campaigns should start when everyone else is switching off
While many brands wait until late January to relaunch with “new year” messaging, the audience has already made their decisions. They’ve followed the accounts. Built the Pinterest boards. Downloaded the apps. Bought the things that make them feel organised, optimistic or just a little bit better about the year ahead.
Starting campaigns in Q5 means you’re part of that mental reset, not a late entry into an overcrowded January market. It also means you show up at exactly the moment when people actually have the time and headspace to engage with you. In an era where attention is the rarest currency, that alone is worth more than any seasonal discount.
What brands can do right now
The opportunity isn’t limited to any one vertical. Wellbeing brands can tap into aspiration. Finance brands can offer clarity. Utilities and government services can help people feel prepared. Retailers can embrace the “treat yourself” economy. And B2B brands? Decision-makers are humans too and January is often when they have the opportunity to be focused and thoughtful about the year ahead rather than the task at hand.
What matters is not exploiting Q5 as a loophole but recognising it as one of the most human moments in the marketing calendar. A moment defined by reflection, optimism and permission to explore. For marketers, that’s gold.
The quarter you can’t afford to ignore
Q5 isn’t a trick. It’s not a hack. It’s simply a truth of Australian life: for six warm, sunny weeks, people are more present, more curious and more open to ideas than almost any other time of year.
At Paper + Spark, we’re helping clients use Q5 as a launchpad for 2026 with smarter spend, bigger impact and creative that meets audiences in the exact moment they’re ready to engage.
When it comes to attention, timing isn’t everything. But in Q5, it’s close.
See also, EOFY should still be a trigger for non-retail brands