The Budget You Lose This Year Might Cost You Next Year’s Growth

Don’t just think about what you’ll save—think about what you’ll miss.

Every December, perfectly good marketing dollars quietly expire. It feels harmless— “we’ll start fresh in January.” But not spending isn’t neutral; it’s negative. You’re surrendering visibility, learnings, and speed to competitors who kept moving while you paused. In a year when many CMOs are being asked to do more with less, intentionally letting budget evaporate is the surest way to start 2026 on your back foot. 

What you actually forfeit when you wait

Think beyond a single project line. A photo you don’t shoot this month is potentially a dozen touchpoints you won’t refresh next quarter: your homepage hero, retailer sell-in deck, Amazon PDP gallery, social posts, email banners, trade-show panels, and internal sales tools. A video you don’t capture now is a story you can’t tell when timelines tighten, and attention is expensive. Meanwhile, the brands that maintain share of voice during tight markets are the ones that protect—and often grow—share of market. Evidence from the IPA’s long-running effectiveness work shows¹ that sustained (and ideally “excess”) share of voice is correlated with future market share gains; in downturns, the brands that keep investing set the narrative everyone else reacts to later. 

Fast moves that still make sense

Year-end spending shouldn’t be panic projects. It should be high-utility work that compounds into 2026. Three proven plays:

• Photography sprint: Plan a single capture day that yields product, lifestyle, process, and detail shots in multiple settings. One investment, many channels—web, retail, social, PR, and sales enablement.

• Video refresh: Capture modular footage—testimonials, b-roll, process sequences—that can be edited into verticals, 6-second bumpers, and 15–30s cutdowns. With short form continuing to dominate feeds and retail PDPs, a versatile clip library pays off all year. 

• Sales-enablement toolkit: A tight package (presentation template, one-sheets, sell-in PDF, motion graphic openers) that instantly elevates buyer conversations in January.

Why the “creative first” bet is rational, not risky

Multiple industry analyses continue to confirm a hard truth: creative quality is a primary driver of sales impact. Recent roll-ups show creative contributing roughly half (or more)² of incremental sales lift across channels—far more than most marketers estimate. That means turning end-of-year dollars into better creative is one of the most efficient ways to buy next year’s growth. 

How Deforest makes Q4 moves simple

Our process is built for year-end realities: rapid discovery (45 minutes), a modular estimate within 48 hours, a focused pre-pro (shot list, style frames, micro-timeline), tight production, and organized delivery by channel (web, retail, print, social) with editable source files. The output is built for reuse, with crops and compositions planned for vertical and horizontal placements so every asset works harder.

The quiet math of momentum

“Later” sounds cheaper until later shows up—rush fees, booked crews, delayed launches. Spending thoughtfully now buys time and position. You’ll start 2026 already moving while others wait on approvals. Deforest Group turns “about-to-vanish” dollars into high-utility photography, video, design, packaging visuals, and sales tools—fast, clean, and ready to scale. If you’ve earned the budget, don’t let it evaporate. Convert it into momentum.

Ready to gain momentum?

If you’re ready to gain that 2026 momentum NOW, the creative team at Deforest Group is ready to partner up and deliver for you… contact us today! 

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Sources:

¹ WARC/IPA research: “Growing market share: here’s what we know” (WARC); also IPA EffWorks, Hearts & Science / Simon Carr “Effectiveness in Context” reports.

² IPA / ANA creative effectiveness research; referenced in WARC / IPA materials about marketing effectiveness and relationship of creativity + effectiveness. (e.g. “Growing market share: here’s what we know”)