A Q4 Gift from Google: Promotions Mode to Spend Holiday Budgets Better

Google is quietly testing a new feature that could be a game-changer for advertisers trying to win big during Q4: Promotions Mode for flighted budgets. Designed for moments when timing matters most, think flash sales, holiday weekends, and product drops, this new tool gives marketers more control over pacing and spend during short, high-impact windows.

Let’s break down what’s changing and how to use it strategically this season.

What’s New: Campaign Total Budgets + Promotion Mode

Campaign Total Budgets are the foundation of this test. Rather than relying on Average Daily Budgets (which can overspend, underspend, or pace inefficiently), advertisers can now set a fixed total spend for campaigns that run over a defined period, anywhere from 3 to 90 days.

Enter Promotion Mode: a setting layered on top that accelerates spend across 3–14 day windows, allowing campaigns to prioritize volume over efficiency during key promotional bursts.

This fundamentally shifts campaign strategy from “optimize for efficiency” to “maximize impact” when it counts.

Promotion Mode is supported across:

• Performance Max
• Search campaigns
• Shopping campaigns
• Works with tROAS or tCPA bidding strategies
  
  

Why This Matters for Q4

The stakes are always high during peak season. Advertisers often plan meticulously, only to be caught off guard by uneven delivery or missed spend targets, especially during short promotions where every hour counts.

This new approach offers two major wins:

1. Predictable pacing: Fixed budgets offer more control across the promo window.
2. Smarter scaling: Promotion Mode helps campaigns ramp spend more intentionally when intent is highest.

For teams juggling multiple campaigns, this feature offers more reliability than relying on manual pacing or last-minute bid adjustments.

Our Recommendations for Q4 Testing

If you're planning to test Promotion Mode during holiday sales, we suggest the following:

Lock Budgets Before Launch

Once you opt into a Campaign Total Budget, the budget type cannot be changed. While the total amount can be adjusted mid-flight, we don’t recommend doing so during short promotions. Budget changes may interrupt Google’s pacing optimizations.

Use for Time-Bound Campaigns

This tool is ideal for:

• Product launches
• Flash sales
• Black Friday/Cyber Monday
• Limited-time bundles or offers

Expect a Trade-Off

Promotion Mode trades efficiency for volume. Expect CPAs to rise slightly. But if your priority is sales velocity over surgical efficiency, this is a smart trade.

Pair with Smart Bidding

Use tROAS to help guide spend while still maximizing volume. This combination allows you to set profitability benchmarks while capturing aggressive demand during your promo period.

When Not to Use Promotion Mode

Avoid Promotion Mode if:

• Your campaign is always-on or evergreen
• You are optimizing solely for efficiency and low CPA
• You aren’t actively supporting the promo with fresh creative or urgency-driven landing pages

This tool is designed to capitalize on urgency, not replace a strong promotional strategy.

Google’s Promotion Mode feature might be in alpha, but it’s arriving at the perfect time. For advertisers looking to capitalize on short-term, high-stakes promotional windows, this could be the lever that ensures you hit your spend goals, scale smartly, and drive results – whenever your audience’s purchase intent is highest.