Is your media plan election year friendly?

The recent Iowa straw poll is a reminder that we’re approaching an election year. The airwaves will be populated with commercials for politicians running for office, as well as spots for interest groups.

The stress on advertising comes from both the glut of political ads and the election law that requires radio and TV stations to provide advertising spots to politicians at the lowest rate it has sold to other clients for comparable dayparts. The law applies 45 days before a primary election and 60 days before a general election.

For education marketers, the impact will most likely be indirect. Political ads tend to be placed on network affiliates and cable news networks, whereas education ads mostly run during daytime or late fringe on networks like CW. Still, media outlets won’t be in a mood to establish the ground floor for political ads, thus making it harder to negotiate. 

The greatest potential for indirect impact is education advertisers being pushed out of their normal dayparts by other advertisers impacted by political ads. In these cases, education marketers could see their spots preempted.

Another concern area is the potential for lower response rates due to cluttered airwaves and negative campaigning. Expect audience fatigue. And when people are turned off from political ads, they’re not exactly in the mood to pursue education.

What should education marketers do? Don’t hit the panic button. Have a plan B and be ready to adapt as the nature of political advertising is erratic and unpredictable. For PlattForm clients, we created a political window calendar as a quick guide for primary and elections for each state.

From a media standpoint, education marketers shouldn’t be too worried. A little advanced planning and a Plan B should help you prepare for the election year.

Have experiences with advertising during an election season? Have strategies and tactics to add to the discussion? Share your comment below.