Daypart
What is a daypart?
Daypart is the process of dividing the television broadcast day into different blocks of time, or parts, and adjusting advertising strategy based on programming and demographics of viewers. Dayparts also translate to radio airings.
A particular television networker or broadcaster may choose to separate its programming into morning, daytime, early fringe, prime time, late news, late fringe, and late night time slots, and these time slots are evaluated by the net realizable value and the program licenses, where other programs are evaluated on a more aggregate basis, particularly those airing during prime time.
How a daypart works
Define a clear advertising strategy
A daypart is used when companies want to restrict specific ads to certain parts of the broadcast television day. For instance, household items are often advertised during the morning hours because of female viewership and the fact that women are often responsible for purchasing household goods. This is also the philosophy behind late-night informercials, assuming those watching may be more inclined to purchase in the anonymity of those late night and early morning hours.
Run multiple ad campaigns
A company may launch an advertising campaign with dayparting in mind. Different ads will be created for different parts of the day based on likely viewership and other data points. Particularly for companies that have multiple products designed for different genders or age segments, you will see multiple ads depicting products under the same company umbrella.
Think about segments
While radio and television differ, the morning daypart, or morning drive for radio, is morning up until 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. Daytime is 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Afternoon, or early fringe for television, is after Daytime up until 7:00 p.m. Primetime is 7:00 until 11:00 p.m. Late night is from 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Overnight, for radio, is from midnight to 6:00 a.m. and you'll find that content ladders towards helping late night drivers or listeners stay awake.
Daypart Best Practices
Use dayparts for better targeting
It doesn’t really matter how fantastic your ads are if the wrong people see them. Using dayparts allows a company to better target its television or radio advertising and to shape smarter campaigns that give them more bang for the buck.
Consider dayparts with more influence than others
With the emergence of the Internet and the shift to online viewing of entertainment, the dayparts may be less essential than they used to be. Binge watching, for example, turns the idea of dayparts on its head. However, for tradition television viewers and radio listeners, dayparts still play a role in advertising strategy. The practice of dayparts has also, as of late, been applied to other channels like social and digital media. A lot of audience research on these platforms deduces when particular audience segments are online and interacting with content.
Use mornings, if possible
Morning television viewing or radio listening routines are more predictable than the rest of the day. People’s habits for getting ready for work or getting the kids ready for school are consistent, so using the morning daypart to target sales of specific products can be an effective advertising strategy.
Leverage new dayparts
According to AdAge, there is a new daypart that fits within the typical working hours of 9 a.m. -5 p.m. Formerly, the workplace used to be a space for work and work alone, but the modern workplace sees professionals taking care of personal business during the workday, meaning advertisers have a greater chance of reaching these members of their audiences while they are at work rather than in the early mornings before they head to the office or after they have returned home during this window now aptly called The Working Daypart. According to a 2017 Office Pulse Study, 88% of professionals online shop for personal needs and 72% run errands during breaks in their work day. 58% even use working hours to plan big purchases like vacations.
Consider new screens and devices
From tablets to televisions to smartphones, advertisers are determining the size of the screen, the delivery of advertising on these particular devices, and other options that allow for additional discovery like touch-screen interactivity and buttons that lead to more information. The "multi-screen" approach allows repeat messaging for advertisers to hit audiences on television, digital, social, and radio, among other channels. It is also easier than ever to find daypart usage by device and lend advertising to those parts of the day.
Streamline messaging on all platforms
Determine what exactly the objective of your campaign is, to start. Are you trying to grow brand awareness? Are you hosting an event? Are you letting your audiences know about a new product or service? When you determine what exactly you are trying to say, it is important to streamline your messaging and determine where your audiences are at certain times of the day. When you marry brand strategy to thoughtful daypart segmenting on all channels, you'll greatly increase exposure.