How to plan your ads in 2026

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You made it through 2025.

The campaigns ran, the ads went out, Black Friday happened (somehow).

But if I'm being honest, most brands are operating in a constant state of creative chaos.

Brands are surprised by predictable events, scrambling at the last minute, and wondering why their ads aren't performing better.

Here's the thing: it doesn't have to be this way.

Planning your creative for 2026 isn't about building some elaborate system that looks good on paper but falls apart in reality. It's about getting ahead of the chaos so you actually have space to be strategic. So you can think instead of just react.

Let me walk you through how to do this properly.

Start by Looking Back

Before you get excited about what you're going to do in 2026, you need to understand what actually happened in 2025.

I'm talking about two specific things:

First, look at your creative angles and strategy. What worked? What didn't? What did you try that you thought would crush it but fell flat? Did you learn anything new about how to communicate your product? Did you discover anything about the strategy behind your ads that actually moved the needle?

Second, look at your creative operations. When did you not have enough creative? What happened before that moment where you found yourself short? When did you feel unprepared? When did you have too much creative sitting around unused?

Reflecting on the operations side is just as important as the strategy side. You can have brilliant ideas, but if you don't have the systems to execute them, they're worthless.

I find that a lot of times when strategy doesn't work, it's because the execution behind it fell flat. In order to excel in the creative strategy, you need to make sure that you are on top of your creative operations.

Map Out 2026 Before You Get Tactical

Now that you know what happened last year, it's time to look forward.

Before you start brainstorming cool new ad angles or creative concepts, you need to map out the entire year first.

• Where are your sales periods?

• When are your product launches?

• What does your ad spend forecast look like month by month?

If you took time to reflect on your 2025 creative operations, you can see what you can preplan for so you don’t fall into the same mistake.

You're going to notice ebbs and flows. Some months you'll need way more creative. Other months you can coast a bit. Mark these on your calendar now. Know when you need to ramp up and when you can pull back.

If you have a product launch in April, don’t wait till March to rush into getting the content.

GET AHEAD OF IT.

Plan in February, execute in March, enjoy in April.

This isn't exciting work, but it's essential. You can't build a creative strategy if you don't know what the year actually looks like for your business when it comes to creative operations. You want to be on the offense.

Don't Forget the Basics

While you're thinking about all the exciting new stuff, you still need to handle the fundamentals.

You have known events on your calendar. Labor Day. Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Whatever matters for your brand.

Work backwards from these dates and build an actual content calendar:

• When does the content need to be delivered?

• When should creation start?

• When should planning begin?

• When do you need to have conversations with agencies or allocate internal resources?

For example: you need Black Friday content by November 1st. That means you should start building it out in September. Which means you need to have agency conversations or resource planning done in August.

See how that works? You're not waiting until October to figure it out.

Also, think about your forecasted spend. If you're projecting higher spend in Q4, you're going to need more creative to support that. Can you handle that volume? Do you need to scale up your capacity? These are questions you should be answering now, not when you're already behind.

Plan for What's New

Once you have the big picture mapped out, then you can start getting into what is new.

What are the things you haven't done yet that you want to try? What new approaches do you want to test? Are there new channels you want to explore? Is there anything you're planning to do differently in 2026?

Start making that list.

But here's where most people stop thinking: if you're going to do all this new stuff, who's actually going to do it? Are you doing it yourself? Are you building it in-house? Do you need to bring in experts?

These questions force you to think about where you need to build systems and creative operations to support the work your brand actually needs. Don't skip this part.

The Biggest Thing Most People Miss

Here's what I see happen constantly: brands act surprised by things that happen every single year.

"Oh wow, Black Friday is here! We need creative!"

Yes. You do. Just like you did last year. And the year before that. And every year since e-commerce became a thing.

Unless this is literally your first Black Friday ever, you should know you need content well in advance. Don't wait until a week before to realize you should probably get some ads made.

This happens way too often. Brands rush it, scramble it together, and end up leaving money on the table because they weren't prepared.

If you're ahead of your planning and ahead of your creative operations, you're able to actually scale. You can spend your time thinking about strategy instead of constantly putting out fires.

Strategy: The Final Piece

After you've mapped out the operational needs for the year, then, AND ONLY THEN, should you focus on the strategic angles.

What worked last year and how can you do more of that?

What are the bigger bets you should take and what haven't you tried yet?

Look at your calendar. You might start to see themes emerge naturally. Is there a New Year's angle you can hit? A spring theme? Are there cultural moments or events you can align with?

The key is making your strategy proactive instead of reactive. Most brands don't look at the overall year, the seasons, and what's actually happening in their business. So their strategy becomes entirely reactive. They’re constantly responding to whatever's in front of them instead of working toward clear business goals.

When you plan ahead, you put way less pressure on your creative system. You get better results because you have space for actual creativity instead of operating in constant frantic motion.

You can get away with last-minute creative sometimes. We've all pulled it off. But if your entire year is last-minute, you're making it exponentially harder to be creative and to succeed.

The Bottom Line

Get ahead of your scheduling.

Map out your year.

Know when you need creative and work backwards from those dates. Build the systems and operations to support your strategy. Then focus on the creative angles and bigger bets.

That's how you plan for 2026.

That's how you create space for the work that actually matters.

Want help planning your 2026 creative strategy? Book a consultation with Goodo Studios and let's map out a system that actually works for your brand.

And if you haven't already, check out the latest episode of In the Cutting Room where we break down ads.

Until then, keep creating!

Matthew Gattozzi

Get a free assessment with Goodo Studios

My team and I create hassle-free creatives for consumer brands. If you are thinking about getting content, let’s set up a chat.

Content you should watch

Did you know we had a podcast called In the Cutting Room. Episodes drop every Monday. Make sure to listen to it on Apple, Spotify, or Youtube