How to Time Your Marketing Like a Pro,
Even If You’re Not One
There are two kinds of marketers.
Some rush to get noticed during campaign season.
Others stay visible all year, so they never have to rush.
If you’re the one handling marketing for your team or your company, you’ve probably asked this before:
“When is the right time to launch a campaign?”
The truth most marketers learn over time:
There’s no one perfect time to advertise.
There is only good timing based on what you are trying to achieve.
Here’s what that actually means for you…
Peak Seasons Are About Picking Your Battles
Festive periods, shopping events, and major public holidays are when everyone is active.
Customers are more ready to spend.
But competition is at its highest.
If you plan to advertise during these moments, you need to make bold moves.
Otherwise, your campaign gets buried in the noise.
There are 2 ways to win here:
- Option 1: Appear across as many channels as possible.
Get seen everywhere: buses, mailers, lift lobbies, screens in malls. - Option 2: Dominate one space completely.
Take over MRT stations. Lock down the big digital panels.
Make your brand the only one they remember.
Example: Shopee’s 11.11 Campaign
During the 11.11 Big Sale, Shopee hit over 1 billion USD in gross merchandise value within a single day.¹ ²
That was not just a sales figure. It was the result of precision timing and full-channel visibility.
Shopee was everywhere.
Public transport, social feeds, digital billboards.
Unmissable.
Shopee understood that 11.11 was a short window with high consumer intent.
It responded by flooding the moment.
The result was total awareness.
When customers opened their apps, Shopee was already there.
“In loud seasons, the winner is not the loudest. It is the one they remember first.”
Quiet Periods Are a Secret Advantage
March. April. July. September.
Some of the months we usually overlook.
But they are often the smartest times to advertise.
- Lower ad costs
- Less noise
- Same audience
People are still commuting.
Still scrolling.
Still open to influence.
When you show up consistently in these moments, people remember your brand.
That’s because you have been quietly nurturing attention all this while.
Example: Singapore Tourism Board’s “Made in Singapore” Campaign
In March 2024, the Singapore Tourism Board launched its “Made in Singapore” campaign to promote tourism.
It featured larger-than-life 3D billboards in global hotspots like Times Square and Piccadilly Circus.³
By rolling out just before the mid-year travel peak, the Singapore Tourism Board avoided the noise of the crowd.
Some of us might remember seeing this campaign making its rounds online.
It stayed with people because it appeared early, and stayed consistent.
This is the effect of being first in the queue.
Quiet moments reward early movers.
What Is the Takeaway?
Peak seasons are when you capture urgency.
Quiet seasons are when you build memory.
Both are necessary.
But the right one depends on your brand’s strategy and what you want to achieve.
Smart marketers do not wait.
They prepare.
They plan.
They show up before the competition even enters the room.
Think Like a Media Planner
Even if it is not your official role, adopting this mindset gives you an edge:
✅ Lock in ad slots early if you plan to activate during peak months
✅ Use quieter months to build brand familiarity where attention lasts longer
✅ Map your presence across various platforms for sustained recall
Good marketing is not just about what gets said.
It is about when it gets said, and how often it gets seen.
Get the timing right, and your message becomes the one consumers remember.
That is how brand loyalty begins.
Planning your next move?
If you want help timing your campaigns for maximum visibility, we can help.
Let’s talk.
References
¹ Retail Asia (2023) Shopee hits record sales during 11.11 event [online] Available at: https://retailasia.com/videos/shopee-hits-record-sales-during-1111-event
² PR Newswire (2023) Shopee Live Drives 82-Times Local Seller Growth During 11.11 [online] Available at: https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/shopee-live-drives-82-times-local-seller-growth-during-11-11–301988658.html
³ Campaign Brief Asia (2024) Singapore comes alive with larger-than-life 3D billboards in five major cities [online]
Available at: https://campaignbriefasia.com/2024/03/12/singapore-comes-alive-with-larger-than-life-3d-billboards-in-five-major-cities