It’s a “bad” and even dreaded word to most (well, at least TV advertisers and buyers anyway). That’s right —POLITICAL.
But it’s not new to any of us and is regularly occurring these days. On the bright side, 2022 is not a Presidential election year! We have two more years before we experience that fun.
What to Expect This and EVERY Political Season
Well, what to expect remains to be seen. Every market will be different. But what you can count on is that cj will be on it. Every client, every market, every season!
When it comes to political seasons, this is not our first rodeo. We know that IF there is an impact to your leads, it will be short-lived and manageable. One thing’s for sure — leads always bounce back post-election.
Typically, we see the most impact in the 3-4 weeks leading up to election day.
What cj Media Does and Will Continue to Do
We will be communicating more than normal with our station reps. That includes before the window opens, during the open window, and immediately post-election. They will understand our stance on pre-empts and makegood approvals. If we see anything significant happening in your market to your schedule(s), we will update your Brand Strategist.
We will also be monitoring weekly post logs during the window. This is quite a manual, lengthy process, but for political, we will make it happen.
Facts About Political Windows
Political advertisers spend most of their budget during the actual political window. The primary reason for that is there are rules that stations must abide by during designated political windows for all political advertisers. They basically get some pretty good treatment.
The General Election political window is 9/9-11/8 this year.
Competition/Share of Voice
The chart below is a representation of various markets in various states, reflecting the top 5 legal spend (some could include a cj client) for the weeks of the General Election political window for 2020 (a political year) and 2017 (a non-political year). Clearly your competitors are not pulling back during political windows. They are pressing forward.
What You COULD Do During the Political Window
You could easily change your strategy during the political window by:
- Padding your already existing schedule(s) by increasing your spend to offset expected preemptions.
- Or padding your budgets by adding a separate schedule. The “con” of this option is that it’s not based on any tracking. It could run anywhere in that 8 a.m.-5 p.m. time period.
What We Think You SHOULD Do
Don’t panic, ride it out, and stick to the current strategy/budget. We will work to get any pre-empted spots back into the programs that generate leads at the same rate. We are glad to do any work to improve your schedule, but any revisions I’ve seen implemented during political did not result in a better outcome.
Have Questions? We’re Here to Help.
I hope the information I’ve shared today makes that word (dare I say it?), political, a little less daunting. If you have any questions about what the political season means for you, never hesitate to reach out to your Brand Strategist. And if you’re not currently a cj client and want to plan a time to learn more, we’re here to discuss the ins and outs of the political season with you.
