The month of July is fast approaching, which means it’s mid-year for your annual media efforts. While summertime isn’t always viewed as the most advantageous from a television advertising perspective, you may want to rethink your strategy. Starting July with a bang can help make the second-half the strongest part of your year, particularly if your strategy takes advantage of the benefits DRTV offers in July. Here are the top seven reasons why:
1. Rates are down.
The second quarter of the calendar year is typically an expensive quarter for media rates, so many advertisers come out of sweeps having spent most of their media budget. This, and the general lack of summer holiday ad blitzes, has led media operations to lower their rates in July.
2. More ad space is available.
Another side effect of the competition’s busted budget is more available ad space. More space means you can create a more robust media plan. This added frequency gives you more bang for your buck, making it perfect for product launches and new brand initiatives.
3. Viewership shifts to more affordable stations.
Summer is when many of the big network shows go on vacation but when it’s also when DRTV does best via affiliates and cable channels. During the summer months, viewers gravitate to the off-season replacement shows and original programming that run on these stations. Capitalizing on this shift allows your DRTV spot to get premium attention without paying network rates.
4. Your products may be seasonal.
Summer living comes with opportunities. Your product may have new relevancy in the warmer months or as viewer habits change. School is out and children’s stations are at their peak at this time, which means the summer break is a great time to target parents with family-focused products.
5. Response is up.
Much of the programming in summer months falls into a category we like to call “low involvement.” During this passive viewing, consumers are more open to engaging with DRTV’s active messaging, and thus to respond.
6. It’s time for your mid-year checkup.
DRTV best practices involve constant testing on a weekly, or even daily, basis. Mid-year is ripe for evaluating your campaign’s performance-to-date and identifying any necessary adjustments. For a 360 degree evaluation, bring in all the key players in media, creative and telemarketing. You’ll be surprised what they have to say to each other.
Here are some key questions to ask:
- Telemarketing: After listening into a few calls, what questions/concerns are consumers expressing? Are the leads from your creative aptly qualified? Can these insights help drive changes to the script?
- Creative: How is your control creative performing? Does any of the current messaging need to be adjusted? What is the competition doing?
- Media: Are there any overages or shortages in the budget? Is the current mix and frequency working? What is the true ROI for your DRTV campaign so far? If you’re only tracking calls/leads, how does conversion look down the funnel to sales?
7. There’s still half the year left.
Among the many strengths of DRTV are its flexibility and quick reaction time. Using your mid-year checkup as a roadmap now can be the best time to consider producing new creative, adjusting the existing creative or media plan, and laying the strategic groundwork for Q3/Q4 and beyond.
DRTV is anything but lazy in the lazy days of summer. Making the right media moves in July can boost your media dollar and your overall campaign effectiveness.
Tara Anbudaiyan is an account supervisor at A. Eicoff & Company.
