When is a replacement TV spot worth accepting?

In this illustrative campaign, a bank is promoting an offer that closes on Friday. On Thursday the agency reports that six booked spots will miss their slots. The station offers six replacement airings starting Monday. The monthly spot count will balance. A viewer who first hears about the offer three days after it closes has little use for it.

Open the most recently approved media plan. Pull out the station, spot length, daypart and offer dates. Ask the agency for a proposal with actual dates and times. “Six spots next week” leaves out the details that determine whether the replacement has any value to this campaign.

Which placements can you still use?

If the station can air some spots before Friday in a suitable programme, accept that portion. For the balance, check the agreement for an invoice adjustment or a transfer to a future campaign. A transfer has a cost of its own if the new creative has yet to be produced or the proposed slot falls before the next offer opens. Record exactly which replacements you accept and the campaign they belong to.

Keep the original plan, the agreed replacement schedule and the transmission log together. Record the date of agreement separately from the date of airing. Once the log arrives you can close the item and explain to finance how the invoice matches delivery. When next month’s report lands, six promised spots won’t quietly reappear as six delivered ones.