“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.”
– Tony Robbins
During the presidential election cycle, we prepare for the national conversation to be overtaken by politics. It’s not typically a time to launch a new product or try to make a big marketing splash. But this year, political advertising spend stands to be unprecedented — in both volume and strategy — and savvy marketers should be ready with a backup plan.
With election 2020 right around the corner, companies have had to adjust their marketing plans to prepare for the change in the consumer’s mindset to ensure their brand still gets visibility. During the presidential election, consumers are distracted. The advertising marketplace is cluttered with campaign advertisements. In a period where rates are higher and there is an increased risk of being preempted, consider the following as actions you can take as a marketer to ensure you’re prepared for this shift in focus and in spending.
- Consider staying off broadcast television during the election cycle. Start back after the election and take advantage of tiered rates. After an election, TV rates typically come back down.
- Consider a medium where there is less competition with political advertising such as Outdoor, satellite television or local cable television. Online and radio are other possible options with less competition. Just always ensure that the overall strategy for any medium makes sense for reaching your target audience.
- Ensure your owned channels are being fully utilized. Your email or SMS lists will be critical if it becomes too expensive to reach your customers through other mediums.
Look beyond Facebook and Google and dust off some old playbooks. You can get great rates going publisher-direct right now and you’ll likely get some added-value or native placements to complement the spend. The podcast space has moved away from the direct-response model and is proving itself to be an effective awareness play. Similarly, direct mail doesn’t have a bidding model either.
Give us a call today at (404) 232-0794 or contact us to talk about how to best approach your marketing during this time of transition and chaos.