The holiday season comes with a considerable amount of advertising noise. But for years, brands have cut through the clutter and effectively reached target consumers with the right creative and media strategies in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what are those time-tested best practices? By examining how brands approached the Thanksgiving holiday this year, key tips and takeaways for maximizing the impact of holiday shopping TV advertising emerged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tip #1: Identify Optimal Programs to Maximize Reach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thanksgiving is one of the biggest TV viewing days of the year. That makes reach simpler, in some respects. But costs can add up if brands only opt for the obvious programs \u2013 NFL games, Macy\u2019s Thanksgiving Day Parade, National Dog Show, college football \u2013 with the largest ad impressions footprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Real-time TV ad measurement leading up to and during the holidays gives advertisers a leg up in finding optimal reach opportunities within ad budgets. For instance, Friends<\/em> was the No. 5 program for holiday-related household TV ad impressions from Nov. 23-27 this year, while Yellowstone<\/em> was No. 6, House Hunters<\/em> was No. 7 and Law & Order: SVU<\/em> was No. 8. These shows may not scream \u201cholidays,\u201d yet audiences tuned in for extended stretches of time and advertisers found potential shoppers for a much lower price than the premium holiday events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously brands can \u2013 and should \u2013 still buy ad impressions during big events, but the key to success is finding the right mix of premium and standard reach drivers. With that, brands also find sizable audiences during holiday-specific programming that doesn\u2019t carry the price point of football games. For instance, Hallmark and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries delivered more than 8% of holiday-related ad impressions from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, focused entirely on holiday programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip #2: Keep Tabs on the Competition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Share of voice is important all year round, but for many advertisers, there\u2019s even more weight attached to the holiday shopping season. As shoppers make their lists and check them twice, being top-of-mind is key to converting those needed December sales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If Apparel Brand A decides to slow-play the start of the holidays, it cedes mindshare to Apparel Brand B by the end of Cyber Monday, and there goes the season. Advertisers can\u2019t afford to lose share of voice, or lose sight of where competition is advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From Nov. 23-27 this year, brands like Home Depot, Lowe\u2019s and Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods saw significant growth in share of holiday TV ad impressions. Without a comprehensive measurement solution that captures the entire TV ad landscape, advertisers are left in the dark when it comes to understanding how their ad presence stacks up against the competition. Armed with competitive insights, brands can make the appropriate tweaks to ad placements and messaging to ensure holiday ad success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That leads to the final tip\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip #3: Ensure Ad Relevance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Why fly blind on whether creative is effective and relevant when brands can test and benchmark holiday ads to make sure the intended message breaks through with consumers? <\/p>\n\n\n\n