6 Strategies for Maximizing the ROI of Tentpole Marketing

Creating a brand experience that resonates with your target audience

Tentpole marketing has emerged as a popular strategy for positioning brands in front of a broad and highly engaged audience. It consists of strategically aligning advertising campaigns with timely and culturally relevant events or trends that capture significant public interest, including: 

• Holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas
• Major sporting events like the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament or the Super Bowl
• Retail events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday
• Cultural events like the release of the Barbie movie

How to execute a successful tentpole marketing campaign

As more brand marketers look to tap into tentpole marketing, we’ve identified several key strategies to consider. These are based on insights from a wealth of campaigns DISQO measures for leading brands, agencies, and media owners. 

1. Identify key tentpole moments that align with your brand, business goals, and target audiences. 

Not all tentpole events offer the same value for every brand. Use your brand’s values, tone, stances, identity, etc. to determine the moments that will deliver the most impact. Some brands are more of a natural fit for certain tentpole events than others. Having a common ground in contextual alignment and target audiences is particularly effective.

2. Supplement sustained media with tentpole moments to reach and engage new audiences. 

A sustained media presence keeps the brand top-of-mind and relevant among in-market customers. Tentpole events augment ongoing advertising campaigns by breaking through a cluttered media environment and reaching and engaging new customers. After the event, ensure that ongoing advertising connects with new and current customers to build on the momentum and further solidify the relationship.

3. Leverage a cross-platform media strategy to reach consumers across multiple touchpoints. 

Digital continues to be the foundation of most advertising campaigns today, but relying on digital only during tentpole events is not enough. Supplement with TV and other relevant offline platforms to drive greater efficiency and more targeted reach. Typically, DISQO Brand Lift and Outcomes Lift studies reveal that consumers who are exposed to ads on both TV and digital observe even stronger lifts across brand metrics than those who are exposed to ads on only one platform. 

4. Innovate with engaging ad formats and creatives. 

Video is an effective medium to captivate and engage audiences. Use video to tell your brand story and speak to consumers in a way that makes them want to listen. Ads that fit within the context of the event drive the strongest performance. Based on DISQO’s normative benchmarks data, TV and digital online video strongly influence lower funnel metrics.

5. Consider increasing frequency during tentpole events. 

Repeated exposure breaks through a cluttered media environment helps to reinforce your brand’s message. There is typically a positive correlation between increased ad exposure and significant lifts across brand metrics. And… you don’t have to worry too much about ad fatigue because these events are usually short. 

6. Embrace trends and capitalize on viral moments. 

Tentpole moments aren’t limited to events that happen at planned times. We live in an age of social media where cultural moments are created on a whim. Consider the Swiftie effect on the NFL when Taylor Swift announced she was dating Travis Kelce. These viral moments have a short shelf life, which requires brands to be quick on their feet. Taking advantage of the momentum from these viral moments can help a brand further stand out from competitors. 

Get more out of your tentpole marketing investments with DISQO!

Brand marketers need a trusted measurement partner to successfully execute tentpole marketing campaigns. Discover how DISQO Brand Lift and Outcomes Lift can help you prove the value of your tentpole investments. 

Learn at which stage in the funnel your investments have the most impact - from upper-funnel brand metrics down to lower-funnel business outcomes. And, importantly, understand which channels are breaking through the crowded media landscape to effectively deliver your campaign message.

About the author

Roserry Shin is the Senior Insights Director at DISQO. She collaborates with a vast range of clients – brands, agencies, and media owners – leveraging our Brand Lift and Outcomes Lift products to measure full-funnel and cross-platform campaigns. Prior to DISQO, she served in digital media and analytics roles supporting major brands at Starcom and MediaCom.