There’s a reason why the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, the most successful social media phenomenon, was launched in summer. People don’t turn off their phones even though they’re away from their PCs in the holiday season. They have more time to connect and share stories. And the format suited the season. Who wouldn’t want to cool off in August?
This doesn’t just apply to charities. In our experience, summer is one of the best times to share agenda-setting content. On the classic media front, the journalists who are not vacationing, are often more open to covering xx material such as the results of studies, and upcoming market changes, because their audience has more time to read. But it is especially important to amplify the coverage across social media channels because people don’t leave their phones behind when they vacation.
Marketing teams have, in the past, often shied away from summer campaigns mainly due to reduced resource over the holiday period. As companies increasingly outsource part, or all of, their communications programmes to external agencies, they have the resources to cover the summer season.
Just make sure that, if you have a runway success, like the Ice Bucket Challenge, you have a company spokesperson available to address media enquiries.
Vicki Tanner
Partner
+41 43 300 56 72
EN / DE
Victoria Tanner works with CEOs and communications leaders of international and local companies to help grow their businesses. Clients rely on her extensive business, media and government networks and strategic communications advice, especially across mergers and acquisitions, launches, transformation and business development programs.