Your client at a New Year’s Eve party

The holiday season has already begun, but it's not too late for out-of-home advertisers to make plans to target partiers out and about on New Year's Eve.
 
The New Year's Eve audience is young and attractive. Most celebrants who go out partying that night are ages 18-49 and three-quarters have household incomes of $50,000 a year or more.
 
It's also one of the best days of the year to use street teams and sampling. The crowds of happy people drinking and partying are more receptive to marketing than they are when they’re not having fun.
 
To find out how to get your client at New Year's Eve events, read on.
 
This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
 
Fast Facts
 
What
Advertising at New Year's Eve celebrations.
 
Who
New Year's Eve event organizers handle official sponsorships, while most out-of-home agencies can execute other campaigns such as street teams and sampling.
 
How it works
There are two routes for an advertiser to take on New Year's Eve: official event sponsorship or a guerrilla campaign not officially tied to a city's New Year's event.
 
For official sponsorships brands work out deals with event organizers, typically local governments or business improvement districts. There are typically different tiers of sponsorship, with the most prominent being a title or presenting sponsor.
 
Many events also have other sponsorable elements, such as the New Year's ball drop or a stage for musical performances.
 
But brands that don't officially partner with a city's event can still make an impact with the crowds.
 
Advertisers can deploy street teams in the areas surrounding the event grounds, passing out samples such as snack foods and beverages. They can also distribute other branded items, such as party hats, noisemakers or signs that read "Happy New Year from Brand X."
 
Street teams can also be more elaborate, delivering customized singing and dancing performances to draw in crowds.
 
Markets
New Year's Eve events take place in every major market.
 
Numbers
Hundreds of thousands attend the country’s top New Year’s Eve events.

The Times Square New Year's Eve celebration typically draws about 1 million people. The Atlanta celebration attracts some 100,000 people. More than 300,000 attend New Year's Eve in Las Vegas. And the New Year's Eve celebration at Boston Common typically draws 100,000.
 
How it is measured
New Year's campaigns are measured in three ways: tracking event attendance, counting how many items or samples are distributed, and tracking responses to calls-to-action.
 
What product categories work well
Recent or current New Year's Eve advertisers include entertainment, beer, liquor, consumer packaged goods, travel, personal care products, auto, financial and utilities.
 
Demographics
Demographics vary by market, but it’s generally a young, moneyed crowd.
 
In Baltimore, 5 percent of adults who attend the city's New Year's celebration are ages 18-24, with 26 percent 25-34, 48 percent 35-49, 19 percent 50-64 and 2 percent 65-plus.
 
Fifty-four percent of event attendees are male, 46 percent female.
 
Three percent have an annual household income at $25,000 or less, with 20 percent between $25,000 and $49,999, 33 percent between $50,000 and $74,999, 27 percent between $75,000 and $99,999, and 17 percent at $100,000 or more.
 
Making the buy
Official event sponsorships are typically sold months in advance, but street team campaigns can be set up in as little as a week. As always, the more lead time, the better.
 
Pricing varies based on the size of the campaign, ranging from about $5,000 for a very basic street team campaign to six figures for top-level sponsorships of large events.
 
Who's already been at New Year's Eve celebrations
Current or recent brands that have advertised on New Year's Eve include Nivea, Absolut, Korbel, Hyatt Regency, Ciroc, Duracell, Payday Loans, MillerCoors, Bud Light, Chevrolet, Stream Energy and Carnival Cruise Lines.
 
What they're saying
"There are few events in the world that are as well attended as New Year's Eve celebrations, in addition to the fact that the demo is traditionally a little bit younger. Those two factors are two big reasons to be out on that day." — Patrick Garrigan, vice president of the michael alan group.
 
Web site info
 
New Year's Eve Times Square
http://www.timessquarenyc.org/events/new-years-eve/sponsor-new-years-eve/index.aspx
 
Big Night New Orleans
http://bignightneworleans.com/sponsors.aspx
 
New Year's Eve Baltimore
http://www.promotionandarts.com/index.cfm?page=sponsorships&id=3
 
Philadelphia New Year's Eve
http://www.nyephilly.com/sponsors.asp
 
Big D NYE
http://www.bigdnye.com
 
michael alan group
http://www.michael-alan.com
 
GoGorilla Media
http://gogorillaadvertising.com
 
Brand Marketers
http://www.brandmarketers.com
 
posterGIANT
http://www.postergiant.net
 
Alt Terrain
http://www.altterrain.com
 
Attack! Marketing
www.attackmarketing.net
 
 

Tags: Alt Terrain, Big Night New Orleans, Boston Common, campaign, campaigns, household, New Year, new year's advertising, new year's eve, new year's eve advertising, ooh advertising, out of home, out of home advertising, outdoor, Patrick Garrigan, people, sponsorships, street teams