A Merry Minute: Peak season perspectives from our partners

As we head into the busiest weeks of the year, we caught up with​​ Arcane’s France team to learn how they plan, perform and pivot during peak. Arcane is a Paris-based digital marketing agency, activating clients' data to provide bespoke responses to their growth issues. Sharing their peak perspectives this month are Antoine Jean, ​​media director, who brings structure (and a bit of humor) to the busiest moments, and Eloïse Benard, ​​senior media expert and Microsoft Champion, who supports the team with performance expertise and platform/beta know-how.

Below are the highlights of our conversation, condensed and edited for clarity, with practical takeaways you can put to work today.

Q: What does peak mean for your business, and when do you start planning?

Eloïse: Peak is a Q4 rhythm for us, planning in September, then a performance focus through November to December. We ramp communication early so clients know what to expect and we can set the right targets and budgets.

Antoine: Yes, we treat it as a full-quarter cycle: prepare, execute, and optimize. The goal is to be ready for volatility and to act fast when opportunities appear.

Eloïse: We need to be even more present for our clients than usual given how important this period is. It requires proactive communication, clear actions and clarity over the strategy we implement. 

Antoine: Peak is also the second-to-last month of the year. Teams are busy with clients, eager to complete projects and roadmaps before the year ends. It’s essential for us to stay well organized and know how to prioritize from an operational standpoint in this period too.

Q: How do you use AI and automation during peak?

Eloïse: Smart bidding is our baseline to manage targets and capture opportunities without daily manual tweaks. We also leverage AI for creative asset generation and use tools like Performance Planner to model budgets and outcomes.

Antoine: AI frees up time to focus on strategy and rapid response during high-traffic moments. For example, I can use seasonal adjustments to send positive or negative signals to the algorithms and adjust my spending quicker. 

Q: How do you balance brand and performance in a shorter funnel?

Eloïse: We design for sales while protecting brand clarity. Even when performance is the priority, messaging should still support the brand. While hitting targets and being progressive is key, it shouldn’t come as a cost to the brand. 

Q: What insights from last peak changed your approach this year?

Eloïse: There is so much value in looking back at past performance to manage budgets and targets. Lean on historical data to forecast and set realistic targets, be ready to increase budget and bids on unexpectedly strong days.

We spend time analyzing what our competitors did and learning from that. We look at what they did in the previous year, especially budget ramps in the days before peak, and use that to decide where to be more aggressive such as raising bids or share of voice as needed. 

Antoine: Perhaps most importantly, data from peak periods almost always shows that peaks are not a steady state, there are surprise highs and lows. We now build flexibility into our plans which allows our teams to act fast on unexpected upticks without waiting for manual approvals, supported by our ‘prepare, execute, optimize’ Q4 cycle.

Q: What are your top three peak best practices?

Antoine:

1. Be organized: Maintain an updated calendar and a clear to-do list for the whole month, not just the week.

2. Anticipate client needs: Schedule regular check-ins (e.g., weekly calls) and pre-agree on decision rights and escalation paths.

3. Plan for agility: Use performance planning and AI to set budgets and targets but stay ready to pivot when the data shifts.

Q: What advice would you give someone planning their first peak campaign?

Eloïse: Start with the basics and establish clear ownership, deadlines, and a concise task list for each campaign. Next, build your ‘ready’ state including pre-approved creatives, bid strategies, and contingency plans for high-traffic days. And finally, keep the communication open with your client! Regular, proactive communication reduces friction and supports fast decisions.

Q: What is one of your proudest peak moments?

Eloïse: Delivering three of the best e-commerce performance days ever for a client, after a tough year, was a real turning point and a boost for the year ahead!

Antoine: Last year, with the team we managed to successfully onboard a new client - French top advertiser, in November while being able to manage all their peak season offers and requests) challenging but satisfactory afterwards!

Discover strategies to drive success this Holiday season and learn how to Celebrate Smarter with Microsoft Advertising’s 2025 Holiday Playbook. Download your copy today.