A strategic perspective on consistency, opportunity, and self-serve innovation
As summer approaches, many advertisers consider pausing campaigns or scaling back spend. But what if that seasonal slowdown is actually a missed opportunity?
At DanAds, we support a growing portfolio of publishers – Tripadvisor, Paramount, Roku, and others – by building self-serve advertising platforms that empower advertisers to take control of their campaigns. What we’ve observed across the advertising ecosystem is clear: advertisers who remain active in summer don’t just maintain performance – they grow their Share of Voice and their market position.
Here are four key reasons why staying visible in summer isn’t just smart – it’s strategic.
1. Why Share of Voice Still Matters
Share of Voice (SOV) refers to how visible your brand is relative to competitors. It’s long been a key predictor of market share, and the relationship still holds today – brands that spend above their share of market (“excess SOV”) tend to grow faster.
What makes summer a unique opportunity is that many brands pull back. Nearly 1 in 10 advertisers go dark in the summer, leaving a temporary vacuum. Meanwhile, audience behavior remains remarkably steady – media consumption dips only about 2%.
With less noise and more attention to go around, brands that continue advertising during this time can increase their SOV at a lower cost, and build awareness before competitors return.
2. Self-Serve Platforms Enable Consistent, Agile Campaigns
One of the main challenges with consistent advertising has historically been access – especially during slower months when teams are lean or agency support is limited.
That’s where self-serve platforms make a difference. When built thoughtfully, they allow advertisers to:
- Launch campaigns quickly and independently
- Control budget, targeting, and creative
- Adjust and optimize in real time
The best self-serve platforms go even further by integrating AI, which can assist with everything from automated creative suggestions to audience targeting and performance insights. This allows advertisers to stay live without sacrificing precision – or requiring complex infrastructure.
It’s not about spending more. It’s about being more efficient and adaptable to the right audiences.
3. Sales Remain Strong in Key Summer Categories
While some categories may experience a seasonal lull, others perform strongly – or even peak – during the summer months:
Travel & Hospitality: prime time for bookings, experiences, and local tourism
Retail & CPG: tied to summer sales and back-to-school shopping
Food & Beverage: heavily promoted during outdoor events, holidays, and seasonal launches
Entertainment & Media: high streaming and mobile engagement, particularly among younger audiences
Advertisers in these sectors benefit from maintaining visibility – and from using platforms that allow them to reach audiences with timely, relevant messaging.
Tripadvisor Ad Express, for example, not only helps travel brands connect with active trip planners, but also does so via a carbon-neutral infrastructure, showing how performance and sustainability can align through modern ad tech.
4. More Share of Voice Now = Faster Growth Later
Consistency pays off. Advertisers who stay active during quieter periods often reap the benefits in peak season:
They enter with stronger brand recall
They’ve collected data to optimize future campaigns
They’re already visible in the market when others are just ramping up
In a year where digital ad spend is expected to top $1.15 trillion globally, and AI-driven tools are rapidly reshaping the ad ecosystem, advertisers need to think not just about when to show up – but how to do so more effectively.
Final Thought: A Smarter Path to Growth
At DanAds, we see firsthand how the industry is changing. Advertisers want more control. Publishers want to scale access. And platforms need to be flexible, intelligent, and aligned with real-world media behaviors – including what happens in the summer.
By embracing self-serve infrastructure and staying live when others go dark, advertisers can turn a quiet season into a competitive edge – and build the momentum that fuels long-term growth.
