16 Aug Five Tips for Seasonal Advertising
How To Navigate Advertising for Autumn Tourism in Michigan
You see them every year: spring and summer sales, holiday discounts, back to school savings–marketing based on the time of year is nothing new. Of course, it makes sense: advertising for a ski trip or snow gear in winter is just logical. However, this also applies to products and brands whose products aren’t relevant to the seasons, like a Fourth of July sale at a furniture store. Something like furniture is purchasable year-round, but staying current is relatable to an audience.
In Michigan, autumn is all about exploration: a weekend up north, a trip to the cider mill, a day at the lake, festivals, art fairs, farmers markets, concerts, casinos, sporting events, and so on. Tourism is a major industry in every part of the state and it’s important for brands to know how tourism will affect their company and, ultimately, how it will impact their advertising. Times and trends are perpetually changing and it’s important for a brand to stay relevant. Here are five tips on advertising toward autumn tourists in Michigan:
1. Know Your Audience
Consider the product you’re selling and the type of person buying it. Then, consider where that audience is often looking. For example, Granny probably isn’t a frequent TikTok user and her teenage granddaughter likely doesn’t read the local paper. When it comes to tourism, knowing the demographic of your audience is the first step toward bringing customers to your business. Up north destination? Billboards on the freeways are great options for drawing attention. Event in Detroit? A targeted social media ad has potential to reach a wide audience, making it easier to sell tickets. Small retail shop in Ann Arbor? A stronger social media presence with an impactful campaign could make a big splash and gain a significant following. All of these companies and more need a solid strategy that reaches their consumer. Therefore, it’s important to consider your target audience when deciding ad placements, graphic design, and brand messages.
2. Stay Relevant
Trends are constantly popping up, especially with the rise of social media. Consumers need to know that your brand is up-to-date with the latest designs, references, and events. This also means not recycling the same photos, copy, and graphic styles from previous campaigns as they become redundant and boring. Using old ads isn’t memorable to viewers and is therefore ineffective, so updating content to be fresh and exciting is a better plan for a bigger impact.
3. Adjust The Budget
Companies with larger amounts of business in one season should focus more of their advertising–and therefore more of their budget–on that season. Obviously, more people are likely to pick pumpkins in the fall more than any other season, so a pumpkin patch would be wise to allocate more funds toward an autumn campaign.
4. Know The Data
Knowing when to increase or decrease a seasonal advertising budget can only be effective when drawing on historical data. Advertising agencies track the data of each campaign to determine what is most effective, what is least effective, what can be improved, and where it is best to focus the budget.
5. Plan Ahead
Once the data from previous seasons has been collected and analyzed, the campaign planning can begin. Determine the optimal season and design the creative to match, then get ahead of the game. For example, people will start investing in their autumn wardrobe in the summer to prepare for the chillier months ahead–because every Michigander knows that dates on a calendar are meaningless to the Michigan weather. Forward planning is important to a consumer and should be just as important to the brand. Therefore, you need a schedule in place for when necessary changes will be made to your campaign.
As an advertising agency, we understand all of this and more when it comes to seasonal advertising. Tourism in Michigan is a big deal and we know it’s important for brands to seize their opportunity with wider markets and greater potential in the upcoming months. If you need help creating an impactful campaign that reaches the tourism industry in Michigan, contact Crystal directly at (248) 866-3257 or click here to get started.