The political season of an election cycle means the market is inundated with ads. This sometimes causes businesses to reduce their advertising efforts, assuming the market is just too saturated with content to make a splash. We believe this tendency to reduce ads during a political year is a mistake, overall. In fact, not only can you survive in the advertising market within an election year, you can actually thrive…if you use the right strategies.

How to Stay in the Game And Win at Advertising During a Political Season

You Can Provide a Positive Respite

Regardless of your political leanings, we all get tired of the negativity that dominates most ads during a political season. The mud slinging and back biting is exhausting if not downright disheartening. Therefore, if your ad is one of positivity and hope, it is sure to get noticed during this overwhelming negative time. Viewers, listeners (radio) or readers will thank you for giving them a respite from all the negativity that makes up most of what they see or experience ad wise. Your ad could be a beacon of HOPE. In addition, it most certainly will stand out more, among the negative ads, than it would in another less charged environment. In fact, the political season provides the ideal opportunity to breathe fresh air and build an emotional bond with your audience. Don’t underestimate the opportunity you have right now to provide a positive message to an audience who is currently bombarded with negative political messages.

TV Advertising Changes Dramatically

The number of political ads far outnumber those of nonpolitical ads during an election year when it comes to TV advertisements. This means, again, that your ad will stand out as different in a sea of consistent political rhetoric. Zimmer Communications never runs political advertising in preference to or the exclusion of non-political ads, but TV companies are often not so judicious. Therefore, just by sheer number comparison between the ads that target a political audience and those that do not, your ad will stand out. Of course, in some cases, viewers will opt out of watching TV as often during this time, simply because they are tired of the political ads. Therefore, now might be a great time to focus on other avenues of advertising to increase your reach and brand awareness.

Know Radio Won’t Change That Much

In general, the public’s listening habits when it comes to a favorite radio station won’t change that much due to the influx of political ads. While political ads are given preference over other types of ads on TV, radio does not differentiate as much. They have the same ad count available. It does not increase due to the demand of political ads. In addition, radio listening habits are steady and reliable. Columbia’s Nielsen radio research comparing audiences in the years 2017, 2018 and 2019 confirms this fact. There is no change, no loss and no reduction in overall audience numbers or listenership based on these findings from one year to the next.

At Zimmer Communications, we NEVER run political ads to the complete exclusion of non-political ads. Although political ads do show up on radio play as well as other avenues, it doesn’t seem to have the impact on listeners in the same way TV advertisement affects TV viewers. Therefore, radio is a perfect platform to try out during a political season when TV ads are overwhelmed with political messages.

The world will not cease to exist the day after election day. We have survived both sides of the party for the last 243 years…and we’ll continue to do so regardless of the election outcome. No matter what happens in the political landscape, you will all get up the next morning, drive to your business, unlock it and turn the lights on. The need for your customers to purchase items will remain the same. That doesn’t change, so why should your advertising efforts?