The best time is when your customers are watching and able to act. That’s often not the most expensive slot.
Peak isn’t always best
Peak time, roughly 6pm to 10.30pm, has the biggest audiences and the highest prices. It’s great for building a brand fast. For a response ad it can be wasteful: people are watching with family, mid-drama, and less likely to pick up the phone there and then.
Daytime and off-peak can work harder
Daytime TV audiences skew older and are often at home with time on their hands. If you sell home improvements, health, financial products or anything aimed at over-55s, daytime and early evening can deliver more calls per pound than peak.
That’s why so much DRTV runs in daytime breaks around property, quiz and lifestyle shows.
Think about the programme, not just the hour
A home improvement ad sits better next to a property show than a football match, even at the same time of day. Your media buyer can weight the plan towards programmes and channels your audience watches.
Day of the week and time of year matter too
Weekends work well for considered, family purchases. January is a strong month for home improvements and holidays, and it’s cheaper than the run-up to Christmas.
Let the data decide
Run the first weeks across a spread of times, track every response against when the ad aired, and move the money to what’s working. After a month you’ll know your best slots from your own numbers, not from a guide on the internet. Including this one.