Ad

If you read our blog from last week, you learned how running an ad campaign for your dealership is much like running a political campaign – specifically, how being successful depends, in large part, on an experienced campaign manager.

 

In today’s installment, we’ll explain how the 2020 election year will affect your own marketing spend. We’ll also give you specific workarounds to keep your own campaign within budget. After all, a good campaign manager knows the best ways to get your message to the masses.

 

Elections affect ad rates

Candidates for national office receive the lowest unit rates (LURs) in the class of time they buy. For instance, if a candidate wants to run his ad during the all-important afternoon drive time, a time in which you might normally run your ad, he would get the lowest rate for that time slot. If other businesses want to air their ads in the same window, they’re going to pay more than the lowest published rate but still less than another business who signs on later.

 

Getting the most bang for your buck

In other words, you need to place your ads as early as possible in the election cycle to get the next tier of lowest-available rates. You also need a relentless negotiator to ensure you actually get the best placement at the best price. You’d be amazed at how many dealers think they own a given radio market and get the lowest rates … only to find out they could be paying as much as a full third less simply by enlisting the services of a savvy media buyer.

 

Remember, too, that this urgency doesn’t just apply to negotiating price. After you get the price you want early, you also need to place your ad quickly. Doing so eliminates the possibility that stations will come back and request a rate increase after you’ve submitted your proposal.

 

Next Week: Controlling what you can control

Next week, we’ll talk about how the political season affects ad scheduling. If you have questions on anything you’ve read in this blog or wish to find out more about our agency, please contact Jennifer Bullock at jbullock@jkrads.com.

 

JKR Automotive Advertising: The car dealer ad agency.