Seasonality and Timing

Seasonality and timing play a crucial role in media plan. Understanding when to apply communication pressure is one of the key components of media plan. There are lots of advertising media scheduling factors that must be taken into account, including schedule flexibility, the pace or rate of advertising, the share of advertising, and possible scheduling remedies for competitive actions. Certainly, advertising makes use of the seasons of the year: winter, spring, summer, and fall. But advertising media seasonality refers to a bit more than the four seasons. The first quarter is January through March, the second is April through June, the third is July through September, and the fourth is October through December. Many advertisers expend the bulk of their advertising budgets during the fourth quarter, so they pull back during the first quarter of the following year. But it is during the first quarter that consumers' media usage goes up because bad weather keeps many people at home.