Why Does *Everything* Happen At The Same Time

The anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales took place the same week as Netflix was 25 years old. Two huge TV adaptations of fantasy fiction were launched more or less simultaneously. Podcasts that had the news agenda buzzing were broadcast back-to-back… It’s not easy for editors sometimes to figure out a good balance of content to publish, but this time of year is particularly hard.

Coincidentally, there was an interesting thread on Twitter at the weekend because critic Jay Rayner had reviewed (somewhat negatively) a restaurant in Liverpool, prompting Sunday Times reviewer Marina O’Loughlin to lament that she’d just been to, and written about, the same place. It led to a discussion about whether it matters that different (sometimes rival) papers cover the same topics.

As it happened, that restaurant wasn’t new and it was just bad luck, but it’s definitely worth your while discussing with a client how best to time a launch or campaign. It might frustrate you to know the number of times I’ve turned down what could be a potentially great story that might otherwise get the cover or a special digital treatment simply because I can’t fit it in on a week crowded with very specific embargos or publication dates.

So, unless there’s a ridiculously compelling reason why a show/product/book/event has to be on those prime September dates, counsel against it. Who wants either coverage all bunched in one short burst (which is not very helpful for a ripple effect of attention) or worse, none at all? 

It’s probably why the John Lewis/Waitrose survey this week is getting lots of great coverage … something that wasn’t either Meghan or Liz… thank goodness for that cried commissioning editors everywhere!