First, let us look at the definition of pre-empts and makegoods:

Pre-empt (or bumps) are pre-empted spots/commercials. Bumps can happen when another advertiser is willing to spend more money for a particular time slot or the vendor has a technical issue.

Makegoods are commercials that are awarded to make good for a pre-empted spot. They should be of equal or greater value to the spot that was pre-empted.

If you are new to buying television and radio, you may be worried the first time you hear you have pre-empt. But any experienced media buyer will tell you they are inevitable and in the right situation can be a good thing.

When negotiating my rates for most of my clients, I shoot for 90-95% clearance. That means I fully expect 5-10% of my schedule to be pre-empted. This strategy allows me to negotiate a fair rate and not push my clients to overspend on their whole buy to make a couple of spots air precisely as scheduled. The only time I don’t follow this is if a client has specific requirements that don’t allow for flexibility or a minimal budget. An example would be a client that only runs four sales per year and only advertises for the week of the sale. A spot the week after would have little to no value for this client, so we need to pay the rate to clear the spot as ordered.

Why do I think it’s a good idea that not all spots run as ordered?

– It brings some variety into the schedule – If I am only airing in the same programming week after week, I have a limited audience. By accepting a makegood in another “upgraded” daypart, I can reach a totally new audience and get an excellent deal for the client.

– The client doesn’t overpay – If I have to pay 20% more to clear 99% of my spots, it’s not worth it. The client can get a better schedule and better frequency by spending less and accepting a reasonable amount of makegoods.

– You will drive yourself crazy – In media, pre-empts are unavoidable no matter what you do. There are too many events outside of your control that will cause a commercial to get bumped. You can’t do anything when breaking news happens that causes your spot not to run.  

So, we know that pre-empts and makegoods are going to happen, here is what you can do to plan for them.

  1. Decide if you are okay with makegoods airing outside of the usual programming that you purchase. If you already have a ton of frequency in those areas, it might be a great excuse to branch out.
  2. Consider any unique stipulations when accepting makegoods. They can be making sure that the content is acceptable for children or no commercials after 10 pm.  
  3. Let your rep know in advance if the makegoods need to air within a specific time frame like the same week or if they have the whole month to make good.
  4. Share your makegood rules with the rep in advance. That will allow them to offer better options and make your life easier.
  5. Consider if you can carry over dollars from month to month. While many businesses plan their spend annually or by the quarter, some don’t have that luxury. A typical example is with co-op funds, where they are only good for that month, or a spending threshold is required to get matching funds.

Most of all, you want to hit the following bullet points.

  1. Maintaining Schedule Integrity – while a few makegoods here and there are okay, you need to be careful not to let it get out of control. If you let most of your spots get pre-empted in your core programming, the schedule loses value.
  2. Only accept makegoods that meet your buying strategy, objective, and goals.
  3. Makegoods must deliver the same amount or more impressions as their pre-empted spots would have.

Understanding pre-empts and makegoods is core to the advertising buying process. I hope this helps along your media buying journey. Best of luck, and be sure to reach out if you need one on one tutoring.