I know it feels like the general election is just around the corner, but did you know the Political Window in our area doesn’t officially start until September? With all of these political and issue orientated ads already hitting the airwaves, businesses in our area will continue to see higher than normal pricing in many of their advertising venues through the end of this year.
Just to put this in perspective… in 2012, more than 6 billion dollars was spent on American political campaigns. In 2016, we’re looking at 4.4 billion dollars just going to television advertising and this certainly hasn’t been a normal primary season, so this campaign season promises to break a lot of advertising records.
So, what does this mean for your advertising? No doubt it will be tougher to get into television, although there are many areas in television where the pricing is what it’s always been. Although, keep in mind the programs you pick need to fit who you’re trying to attract to your business. There are also a number of other advertising options. Traditionally, we have found that political windows are a time when we see our clients experiment with other media they haven’t been used to using for their campaigns.
This time around, we’re seeing many advertisers place greater emphasis on digital and not just Facebook or Google. They’re looking at other digital advertising platforms and social media platforms they haven’t delved into in the past. This article speaks to what’s happening nationally; http://www.wsj.com/articles/campaign-ads-even-more-than-before-bolster-tv-stations-1452475987
Whatever your strategy to get through these next six months, please be open to change. I’ve learned that when you embrace change, you grow. This is especially true with this field. All of our media continues to go through a metamorphosis and knowing how these changes can help you will only help your bottom line.
