Expert Mode: AI and Micro-Influencers Are the Secret to Winning Q5
This article was based on the interview with Xavier de Bailienx, CEO, Ramdam by Greg Kihlström, AI and Marketing Technology keynote speaker for The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. Listen to the original episode here:
The holiday season may feel like it ends with a bang on December 25, but for savvy marketers, the real fireworks begin on December 26. While most brands pack up their campaigns and coast through the New Year, a small but growing group of marketers have identified Q5—a quiet but potent window between Christmas and early January—as one of the most cost-effective and performance-rich periods of the year.
Xavier de Bailienx, CEO of Ramdam, shares his expertise on turning the Q5 lull into a growth engine through AI-powered influencer campaigns. With more than 50,000 creators in their ecosystem and a model that scales authenticity through technology, Ramdam is positioned at the crossroads of two marketing megatrends: the rise of micro-influencers and the increasing reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) to drive campaign efficiency. For marketing leaders looking to unlock underutilized value in their calendar, this conversation is a timely blueprint.
Q5: The Overlooked Goldmine
The first—and perhaps most counterintuitive—insight Xavier shares is that Q5 offers a unique convergence of low media costs and high consumer intent.
“Starting December 26, most advertisers…pause the campaigns, and it means CPMs suddenly collapse,” said Xavier. “And you can actually acquire a user for half the price of just a few days earlier.”
While Q4 is notorious for driving up CPMs, Q5 delivers bargain inventory with a surprisingly motivated audience. Post-holiday consumers shift from gifting others to investing in themselves, fueling demand in verticals like fitness, wellness, dating, and financial services. Xavier calls this “a moment when smart marketers lean in,” and the data backs that up: those who act early can capture attention in a market with fewer distractions and cheaper impressions.
Authenticity at Scale: The Micro-Influencer Advantage
Ramdam’s creator strategy hinges on micro-influencers—individuals with smaller but more engaged audiences. Their strength lies not in reach, but in relevance.
“Micro-influencers drive 60% higher engagement than big influencers or branded content,” Xavier explained. “Not because of the massive reach, but because people trust them and because their content doesn’t really feel like an ad.”
The emphasis on authenticity is even more critical in Q5, where the consumer is introspective, skeptical, and focused on self-betterment. Ramdam’s AI identifies creators whose content aligns with the brand’s goals, tone, and values—no manual outreach, no spray-and-pray. According to Xavier, “success isn’t about repeating formulas. Success is about statistics. You have to play the odds.” That means scaling not just the number of creators, but also the diversity of formats, hooks, and trends being tested.
AI’s Role in Driving Authenticity and Scale
One of the most striking takeaways from the conversation is the role AI plays in enabling large-scale, authentic campaigns without burning out marketing teams. From matchmaking creators to reviewing content frame-by-frame for compliance and tone, Ramdam’s AI pipeline takes the grunt work out of influencer marketing.
“There is absolutely no way to scale creator campaigns and to get this authenticity at scale without AI,” said Xavier. “Doing it manually is impossible.”
AI handles the multidimensional challenge of volume and quality—what Xavier refers to as the “Q&Q problem.” It builds creator briefs that align brand values with current viral trends and ensures content quality without diluting authenticity. Interestingly, AI doesn’t replace creators; it enhances them by empowering faster iteration, smarter matchmaking, and more responsive optimization.
Mobile-First Content that Cuts Through Scroll Immunity
With Q5 being heavily mobile-dominated—think idle time spent swiping between family meals and new year resolutions—Xavier emphasized two creative tactics that consistently deliver results.
- Trend Hijacking: Plugging a brand into trending formats, music, or challenges with creator content that’s native to TikTok or Meta platforms. “It’s fast, cheap, and it often outperforms scripted content,” he said.
- Slideshow/Carousel Formats: “Not everything has to be a video,” Xavier pointed out. Native photo slideshows on TikTok or Meta often outperform video in emotional or instructional categories. The lesson? Match format to function, and don’t overlook low-lift options.
But beyond specific tactics, Xavier emphasized the larger principle: “The recipe for success is diversity. Content, diversity of creators, diversity of message, diversity of formats. If you can scale that diversity, you win. For sure.”
Mistakes to Avoid and the Anatomy of a Great Creator Brief
When asked about pitfalls, Xavier was blunt: follower count is overrated. “It doesn’t mean much anymore,” he stated. With the “TikTok-ization” of platforms, content quality—not audience size—drives views.
Another mistake? Underinvesting in volume. “Testing the waters with maybe four or five creatives almost never works. It’s like gambling,” he said. “You need at least 20 creatives, ideally between 50 and 80.”
The key to high-performing content starts with the brief. His advice:
- Be clear about dos and don’ts.
- Keep it concise—creators don’t want to read essays.
- Leave room for creativity. “Some of the best performing [ads] might come up with something great that you hadn’t thought of.”
The takeaway for CMOs: tighter control often kills creative performance. Give guidance, but trust the process.
A Global Surprise: US Content Travels Better Than You Think
One unexpected insight Xavier shared was that top-performing U.S. creator content often performs well globally, even in non-English speaking markets.
“Don’t be afraid to recycle high-performing US ads internationally,” he advised. Audiences on platforms like TikTok and Meta are conditioned to engage with English-language content. As long as the message is visually clear and emotionally resonant, it travels—saving time, budget, and bandwidth.
Where It’s All Headed: Micro-Influencers and AI, Together
Looking to the future, Xavier believes we’ll see “a world with 300 million micro-influencers,” most of whom do this as a side hustle, not a full-time job. They speak to their niche, their community, and their personal experience—making them far more powerful than brand avatars or AI-generated personalities.
“AI will not replace creators,” he emphasized. “But it will be a creative enabler—helping brands find the right voices faster, validate content at scale, and surface what truly performs.”
This hybrid model—where AI handles the scale and humans bring the spark—feels like the next logical evolution for brands striving to connect meaningfully with fragmented, mobile-first audiences.
What Marketing Leaders Should Take Away
If you’re planning your 2025 holiday calendar, start with this question: Are you treating Q5 as a wind-down or a strategic opportunity?
Savvy brands are shifting budgets toward this period, but the real differentiator lies in how those budgets are executed. Micro-influencers, deployed at scale with AI support, offer the precision and agility required to win during Q5’s short but powerful window.
Instead of chasing one “hero” piece of content, invest in a portfolio of creator-driven experiments. Let the algorithms do the heavy lifting on matchmaking and moderation. Focus your team’s energy on insight interpretation, creative iteration, and campaign learning velocity.
The result? Lower CPMs, higher engagement, and a head start on your competitors who are still nursing their New Year’s hangovers.ilosophy will find they can do more, with less, and with greater empathy. In a world of machine learning, trust and relevance remain human strengths. NAB’s “customer brain” proves that you can build systems to scale those too.
