Is it too soon to talk about Christmas?

It’s widely quoted that quarter 4 of 2022 will be a bit of an anomaly in the TV market, and potentially other media markets too. Not only do we have the usual noisy build up to Christmas bringing with it heavily demanded autumn airtime, but we also have a World Cup to deal with running from 21 November – 18 December this year, which gives many a media planner the need for a headache tablet and a lie down. Combine the two and we end up with a lot of clutter and some potentially very expensive costs for advertisers.

As early as last November, Thinkbox, commercial TV's marketing body, urged brands to start planning their TV campaigns as soon as possible for this period, and for some brands who rely on Christmas to bring in a large proportion of their annual revenue, the choices are difficult ones. For us two initial questions come to mind. Do you absolutely have to be in the market at this time of year and is the World Cup an environment you need to be around?

We’ve been talking to a forward-thinking B2B client of ours about using airtime in cheaper months like August & January then using TV sponsorship instead of airtime from September to December. Sponsorship is not subject to the volatility of the tv airtime supply and demand model and provides a relevant environment reaching the audiences you need to talk to.

Depending on your objectives you could consider switching out from linear TV completely or even just use an upweight in BVOD which is a fixed cost per ‘000, maybe alongside other media – although some of these will also see very heavy demand. Out of Home for example is selling out weeks if not months ahead. Christmas editions of much-loved monthly magazines fill up quickly as brands fight to feature amongst festive content.

As an agency, Alchemy specialises in working with challenger brands. Brands who want to make a comparatively modest media spend shout as loud as possible versus some competitors who dominate with massive budgets and blanket coverage. It’s the work we’re most proud of - when David defeats Goliath because we’ve used a clever, well researched, distinctive media strategy.

So, getting back to Christmas. Whilst it might seem a million miles away, especially as we all bask in the summer heat, in all honesty it’s not too early to be talking about it. If you’re keen to be active in the Autumn and the lead up to the big event (s) you really do need to be giving it serious thought right now!

Now where’s that tinsel???

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In the words of the Rolling Stones… all I hear is Doom & Gloom. Show me a bit of sunshine!

By Karen Light • 25 May, 2023

Winter is bleak enough, without a looming recession, high inflation and now the threat of food rationing. As consumers feel the pinch and businesses face soaring costs, a lot of brands are questioning how they can best connect with consumers at this time. ITV’s recent ‘Race to the Top’ webinar highlighted that despite the pressures, people are still spending, but assessing value in different ways. The ITV study found that whilst price is important, quality came a very close second as a factor of choice. Consumers were also more likely to purchase when brands communicated why prices needed to go up and didn’t mind paying for something if it made them feel good. This emotional hook could be rooted in the social or sustainable benefits from buying a brand, or simply by offering those everyday magic moments; like a home interiors advertiser suggesting little home lifts, or an indulgent me-time snack. TGI’s Global Quick View 2023 study shows that if UK adults had to reduce spending due to the cost-of-living crisis, they would prioritise holidays and going out to eat and drink. Consumers don’t want bleakness right now, they want uplifting experiences that enrich their lives. So, before brands turn to price discounting as a value incentive, perhaps they should consider their customers’ needs and how value may be added in other ways. Then communicate that in an entertaining but empathetic way. Karen Light Sources: Race To The Top: How brands should respond to the cost of living crisis (itvmedia.co.uk) GB TGI December 2022-© Kantar - “If you have to reduce your spending due to the cost-of-living crisis, which of the following would you prioritise spending your money on?” (top choices in Britain, by % adults): 29% Holiday/Short Break, 27% Going out to eat or drink System1 Group – Innovating in a Recession Jan 2023

Can media measurement evolve to truly capture cross-media reach in a fair and equitable way?

By Karen Light • 11 Nov, 2019

Cross-media reach blog post

All we hear is radio ga ga

By El Long, Planning Director • 07 Nov, 2019

Radio is a brilliantly effective media type but can often be undervalued and can admittedly be difficult to measure. So, radio, what’s new? Let’s take a look… Anyone who knows me, is well aware that I love a bit of audio advertising having worked for many years at a radio station group and headed up radio planning at a large network agency. It’s not right for every brief (but what is?) and it’s a specialist skill to write a great script for radio (we know some ace people who can help out in that area). Nine times out of ten though, radio can deliver cost effective reach volume against many key audiences, contributing to both short and longer term impact on sales and brand health measures. So why do many advertisers shy away from it? Like a lot of brand advertising activity, the bottom line is that it can be hard attribute and measure direct impact. This is never music to the ears of the finance department – nor helpful when you’re the marketing lead keen to seek budget approval. Growing numbers of people are tuning in to commercial radio Radio in the UK is having it’s finest hour - now reaching its highest ever total audience. The most recent Rajar figures revealed that commercial radio has overtaken BBC radio channels on share of listening for the first time in 23 years! The UK total radio weekly audience now stands at 49 million people, with a whopping 88% of the population tuning in. Within that, commercial radio now reaches 36.3 million. In contrast, the BBC’s total audience has declined from 34.9 million in Q4 2015 to 33 million in the latest figures. Great news for advertisers – the opportunity to reach high volumes of consumers via radio advertising is on the up! Couple this with the increased adoption of digital audio and the popularity of podcasts growing all the time, radio & audio platforms offer a prime opportunity for advertisers to take advantage of. We know it works; the largest advertising brands have invested heavily and consistently in radio over many years, often combining it with other media to gain that holistic multi-touchpoint effect. For me, the confidence in using radio comes from embracing both soft and hard metrics. There has to be a blend between the hard metric of “we spent this and got this back” with softer brand health metrics which you take time to build and to measure impact. RadioCentre have some amazing supporting studies for radio advertising. One demonstrates that digital activity, whilst measurable, has significant weaknesses in areas where radio excels, including increasing brand salience and maximising campaign reach. More importantly; radio sits above all media except TV in increasing profit ROI