The Smartest Advertising Decision Might Be Knowing When Not To Advertise.

Digital marketers often talk about ad fatigue, creative refresh cycles, and algorithm shifts, but one of the most overlooked performance killers is this: major social events that dominate user attention.

Whether it’s a national election, breaking news, or viral cultural moments, these events don’t just steal the spotlight, they reshape the entire digital advertising landscape, often for the worse.

The Attention Economy in Overdrive

Platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) operate on an auction-based ad delivery system. That means you’re not just targeting demographics, you’re bidding for attention. And during events that captivate public interest, the competition for that attention explodes.

In these moments, three things happen simultaneously:

• User feeds become saturated with organic content related to the event (news stories, memes, opinion posts, and live coverage).

• Other advertisers flood the platform, chasing the same audience, especially brands trying to ride the wave or stay top-of-mind during a national conversation.

• Platform algorithms prioritise engagement-heavy content, which usually means more real-time or reactive posts, not your lead gen ad.

The result? Higher CPMs (cost-per-thousand impressions), lower CTRs (click-through rates), and often, a significant dip in conversion efficiency.

Case in Point: The 2025 Australian Federal Election

During the recent federal election in Australia, political parties and third-party groups spent millions across digital platforms, with Meta receiving a significant share. According to The Guardian, third-party organisations alone poured over $7 million into digital advertising in the lead-up to the election (The Guardian, 2025).

AdNews also reported that political parties spent $148,000+ on Meta ads in just the 90 days leading up to the election (AdNews). This concentrated ad buying spikes CPMs for everyone, even brands completely unrelated to the event.

The implications? Many Australian advertisers saw Meta ad performance slide, not because their creative or targeting was poor, but because their message was simply drowned out. As Carter Media’s recent analysis explains, election periods drastically increase the cost of digital advertising, often pushing smaller or unrelated campaigns into poor performance brackets (Carter Media, 2025).

In fact, average CPMs on Meta in Australia already rank among the highest globally at $11.04 and they only go higher during competitive media windows (Lebesgue.io).

When Brand Messaging Gets Lost in the Noise

Some marketers try to capitalise on trending moments with reactive creative. While this can occasionally land well, the risks are high. Unless your content is timely, sensitive, and contextually aligned, it’s likely to get lost, or worse, feel out of place.

Often, the smarter move is to pause, pivot, or redirect spend until the noise dies down.

What You Can Do

If you notice performance sliding during major social events, consider these strategies:

• Adjust your bid strategy or daily caps, avoid force-spending into inflated auctions.

• Shift major campaign launches to quieter periods where attention isn’t being monopolised.

• Focus on owned media like email or SMS, channels where your message isn’t competing in a public auction.

• Anticipate high-saturation periods such as election seasons, budget announcements, royal occasions, major sporting events and plan accordingly.

In short: the feed isn’t always your friend. During high-impact news cycles, the smartest advertising decision might be knowing when not to advertise.