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It happens every election cycle… those political ads start popping up here and there until before you know it, every commercial break is stuffed full of political messages. As a viewer you might like seeing the candidates or you may get burned out on the entire election process. As an advertiser, however, you have an entirely different set of concerns.

Have you stopped to think about what the political season do to your marketing strategy? While a well-balanced plan with coverage across multiple markets and multiple platforms is generally a good idea, elections can change the landscape. Instead of having good reception you end up crowded out by political ads or tuned out by annoyed viewers.

Basically, even in election cycles, you have about 8 months of the year with little disruption from political advertisers. The exception to this regards primaries, which tend to have more of an effect in battleground states than it does in other areas. If you are not in a highly contested political area, you’re generally free to advertise as normal until the end of the year.

General election ads start to appear in September, generally speaking. Initially it will have little effect on the market outside of battleground states, but within a few weeks every market will fill with political ads. This means as a business you will need to tailor your marketing during this period if you want to stay in front of the community.

We recommend a temporary move away from broadcast and radio while the political season is in full swing. The goal is to keep you from wasting your marketing budget during a time when viewers are tuning out. Instead, move your efforts into other mediums, such as online ads including retargeting and behavioral. This keeps you out there but reduces the amount of political advertising disruption you experience.

If you need specific advice on political season marketing, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us to see how we can help you get the most out of your advertising budget.