The success of your paid media campaign is decided before your first ad ever gets on TV.

We understand the multitude of moving parts involved and communication with your agency can provide some data that's critical to being both realistic and opportunistic in 2015. Let's take a look at our measurable TV media buying calendar.

Quarter 1: December - March : Most cost effective period

The week after Christmas is one of the best TV media buying weeks in the year for measurable TV ads, with strong CTAs (call to actions). There is a lot of inventory and media buyers have the ability to take advantage of media deals.

The added bonus?

• Advertisers can kick start momentum that will take them through Q1
• Got any remaining budget? Spend it here. By January, consumers are tucked under their blankets, hiding from cold weather
• Retail advertisers tend to reduce their budgets in January, which reduces media demand. Low unit rates + big audience = efficiency

Fitness and weight loss products, gyms and self help have outstanding response during this period. The first two or three weeks are particularly good for commercials with a strong CTA (call to action) as holiday credit card bills have not arrived yet.

Looking slightly ahead, any Valentine promotions should be set by the middle of January. Media will start to tighten up in March, with the last week being quite competitive.

Quarter 2: April - June : Most expensive period

Advertisers will quickly find that what worked in first quarter will not work in second quarter. As seasonal advertisers such as Travel, Automotive, Appliance, Home Repair and Real Estate return, media rates rise.

April is a time for commercial schedules to adjust and find the correct efficiency in this new environment. Of course if your product is in one of those categories, you’ve been ready to pounce for a few months.

Q2 is the most expensive quarter for media rates, but every shift creates an opportunity somewhere. May sweeps drive local rates high as viewers flock to guest appearances and season finales, but that also means high audience for cable networks like E! and TV Guide if you can afford to be there.

Quarter 3 June - August : Summer days are spent outdoors...but school is out and kids stations hit their peak

What is your favorite thing to do in the summer? I can bet none of you said stay home and watch TV.

When viewership is down, rates will follow.

• Rates are lowest in July with lots of open inventory
• Viewer drop is more pronounced on networks and affiliates than cable. By definition, networks cater to a mass audience that is just not there this time of year
• Affiliates are running summer replacement shows, and cable networks begin to stagger the season premieres for their original programming into these months
• With low rates, its a great time for advertisers to boost frequency for brand awareness, especially if there is an upcoming retail push

Kids stations hit a peak in the summer months.

• Great time to catch parents if they’re your target for industries that use CTAs in their advertising, like food storage or healthy eating products
• Daytime stays strong in general if women are your target consumer
• Rates begin to climb again in late August and through September as children head back to school

Quarter 4 September - November : Red October...can bring bad results

Wait, are we back here already? Beware, and not just because of Halloween. We used to use the term Red October because results were so bad, straight through the first week of November.

It’s a great time to look back to the previous year.

• Careful data analysis of what happened a year ago can help navigate you past the muddy and uncertain quarter

• Retail advertisers buy a ton of inventory for the holidays, so rates rise
• Don’t expect viewership levels to match the unit costs rate of increase until the middle of the quarter

Execute multi-platform media buys.

• It is an exceptional time to launch those schedules
• Depending on your target’s purchasing habits, opportunity may lie before, after, or even during Thanksgiving
• Before you know it, we’re back where we started, taking advantage of low rates for media buying right after Christmas

Remember, good measured TV media campaigns require constant testing every week, every day.

I encourage all marketers using measurable TV advertisements, that drive viewers to your website or 1800 number, to have conversations with their agencies... often. This breakdown of seasonal trends may help you plan for a successful year, but it won’t replace a daily review of your responses.

But for now, maybe it can help you get the CFO off your back.