Christmas is coming, party season is upon us, and for the first time since 2019, the government drags aren’t telling us what to do. For two straight festive seasons during the pandemic, officials across the UK issued rules to limit Covid’s spread. This year, there are none. Off you go, want yourselves.
But, while normalcy is hugely welcome, Covid has not gone away. Infections, lower than at their peak, are rising the number of people in hospital with Covid in England grew by 22% in the past week alone, while access to flu is even higher. Meanwhile, the huge expense of long Covid to the country’s health and productivity is ever more apparent. What accomplishes it mean for this holiday season? We asked the experts.
In any other year, the force to outperform in the fourth quarter is always intense. Everyone’s attempting to salvage what’s left of the budget, make up for earlier quarters that weren’t so great, and just finish the year strong. In radio, January is generally a slow month with less demand on inventory, so the last push of the year is always of paramount importance.
This year can toss out the radio history books because none of us knows what this holiday season will look like.
A fiercely fought election – nationally, regionally, and locally – is adding to radio’s coffers in so-called battleground states and highly contested races. While the television airwaves and social media sites are cluttered with political ads, it’s examining like broadcast radio will glance back on the election of 2020 as a generally positive event.
And of course, that reminds the holiday shopping season. Halloween is already looking to be subdued. As parents all over America have had to sprint to deftly handle the school year, Halloween poses its own unique set of problems.
This year, many people will likely sit out trick-or-treating, opting instead for safer activities that put no one at risk. A newly freed Morning Consult survey conducted late last month confirms those fears.
There’s a lot to be jolly about this Christmas. Covid has been effective, although not completely defanged, thanks to vaccines and treatments.
Christmas dos, nativity plays, and New Year’s Eve gatherings are all back on the festive calendar.
However, the recovery to normal brings with it the return of high rates of all the other winter bugs that existed, kept at bay largely due to reduced socializing during the previous two winters.
In any other year, the pressure to outperform in the fourth quarter is always intense. Everyone’s trying to salvage what’s left of the budget, make up for earlier quarters that weren’t so great, and finish the year strong. In radio, January is typically a slow month with less demand on inventory, so the last push of the year is always of paramount importance.
This year can throw out the radio history books because none of us knows what this holiday season will look like.
A fiercely opposed election – nationally, regionally, and locally – is adding to radio’s coffers in so-called battleground states and highly contested races. While the television airwaves and social media sites are cluttered with political ads, it’s looking like broadcast radio will look back on the election of 2020 as a generally positive event.
And of course, that cues up the holiday shopping season. Halloween is already looking to be subdued. Just as parents all over America have had to scramble to deftly handle the school year, Halloween poses its own unique set of problems.
This year, many people will likely sit out trick-or-treating, opting instead for safer activities that put no one at risk. A newly released Morning Consult survey conducted late last month confirms those fears.
The group with the most aggressive All Hallow Eve party plans this year is Gen Zs. (And perhaps their parents haven’t yet declared them their Spiderman, Mulan, and Mandalorian masks won’t protect them from the coronavirus.)
Even teen Halloween, party planning is off from last year, as it is in every other demographic group. What has become a vibrant holiday featuring lots of local ads spend (parties, haunted houses, etc.), Halloween in 2020 is shaping up to be a downer:
Here’s what we know. According to Brandwatch reporter Leia Reid, the social media racket for Christmas is taller than last year, kicking into gear this summer and staying well ahead of last year’s mentions.