Election Year Marketing » BedTimes Magazine

Let’s get ready. It’s an election year.

If you sell products in the United States, you are obligated to take the U.S. presidential election into account when allocating your budget and considering your marketing strategy.

Every four years, the political climate heats up and advertising space gets crowded as candidates spend huge amounts of money on political ads. Statista, a global data and intelligence platform based in Hamburg, Germany, predicts political ad spending will reach a record $10.2 billion in 2024, and New York media buying agency GroupM predicts that political ad spending will reach a record $10.2 billion in 2024. , predicts politicians and advocacy groups will spend about $16 billion. Either way, it’s a huge amount of money.

What does that mean for sleep products? Three things.

First, advertising is expected to become more cluttered. Political season is often described as noisy and chaotic. With political ads proliferating across many platforms, it’s essential to craft messages that cut through the clutter.

Second, costs tend to rise during this season due to the increased demand for advertising space. According to Chicago-based channel marketing firm BrandMuscle, advertisers should plan for increases of 15% to 50%, depending on the type and timing of the advertising medium they choose. It’s best to stay away from him in the six weeks leading up to the presidential election and other important election dates.

Third, be prepared for consumer focus to diverge. Consumers are distracted by news, debates, and candidate coverage. With so many things competing for a user’s attention, it will be harder than usual to attract users to your brand.

Although the presidential election will get the most attention, local elections should not be forgotten. AdImpact, an Alexandria, Virginia-based company that tracks political ad spending, estimates $2.1 billion in Senate races, $1.7 billion in House races, $361 million in gubernatorial races, and $3.3 billion in other races. expected to be spent.

Traditionally, political advertising has focused on broadcast television ($5.1 billion), cable TV ($1.9 billion), and connected TV ($1.3 billion). (For those unfamiliar with the term “connected TV,” it refers to a device that is connected to or embedded in a TV to support streaming. Examples include Amazon Fire TV, Apple (TV, PlayStation, Roku, Xbox, etc.)

Advertising on radio, billboards, buses, taxis, and benches are also popular in the field of political advertising. But digital advertising is growing. (See below for more information on the different platforms.)

how to win

Now that you understand the marketing landscape of 2024, what are the best ways to survive the year?

It may seem obvious, but planning is key. Developing a cost-effective media strategy requires understanding your customers. According to a blog post by Marketing Doctor, a paid media agency based in Northampton, Massachusetts, “Media teams need to implement a customized data strategy as part of their media plan to meet the target audiences they want to reach online. There is.” “By being strategic with your targeting and data strategy, you can avoid costly competition from broadly targeted campaigns and ensure you reach the right audiences who are already spending time online. .”

With so many different types of content this year, brand safety must be a top consideration, according to a blog post from Wpromote, a digital marketing agency headquartered in El Segundo, California. “Your ads may appear alongside other ads, user-generated content, and news articles that can potentially offend or offend customers,” says Wpromote’s Consumer Strategy said Eliza Bradshares, associate director in charge. She recommends trend discovery tools like Google Trends and Social Her Listening to find out what consumers are talking about in real time. “If an ad is appearing next to content that viewers find offensive, or if a lack of speaking out on social issues is offending some customers, make sure to do it sooner rather than later to address the problem. It would be good to know.” It may be helpful to have a prepared response.

Many marketers recommend that brand advertising be neutral and non-political. RIO Amplified’s blog posts encourage you to appeal to your audience by emphasizing shared values, avoiding controversial topics, and focusing on unity rather than division.

“Now is not the time to change your messaging to be election-related,” says Megan Pratt, principal product marketing manager at AdRoll, a San Francisco-based e-commerce marketing platform. “In fact, now is the time to focus on explaining exactly what customers need to know and love about your brand.”

Please select a platform

Erin Strong, senior vice president of marketing at BrandMuscle, a Chicago-based channel marketing company, provides the following information about this season’s key marketing channels.

Social media

Avoid social media before and after elections unless you are encouraging people to vote as part of their civic responsibility. Let’s not take political positions.

organic social

These are free posts and videos that brands offer on their social pages. “Give consumers respite by posting more local, non-election content,” Strong wrote. “Organic posts can be a breath of fresh air compared to the flood of political ads in the midst of an election. …Make 80% of your content informative, entertaining, or educational.” One tip: “Share content about stress management to help your constituents who are feeling stressed.” At BedTimes, we believe it’s safe to say that a good night’s sleep is a great stress reliever.

paid social

Ad spending could increase by 10% to 20% overall, and up to 50% in battleground states such as Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the weeks before the election.

paid media

Many platforms, including Amazon, Google, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok, have banned political ads. Be aware that Meta (which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) have political marketing competition.

traditional media

tv set:As mentioned in the text, television remains a favorite of politicians. Political advertisers spent $8.8 billion on TV ads for the 2022 midterm elections.

wireless: The availability of radio advertising decreases in election years. “Based on Federal Communications Commission guidelines, stations are required to prioritize political advertising, so if a station sells out in a given week, rates can increase significantly,” Strong wrote. ing.