August empties the offices but not the phones. Here is how to keep selling during the month everybody abandons.
Consumption shifts
It does not fall, it changes object and place.
Rising: everything that travels, that protects from the sun, that is consumed outdoors, that fixes something forgotten, and everything concerning the house where the holiday happens.
Falling: purchases requiring installation, those assuming you are home to take delivery, and anything involving a professional decision.
The hours change too: viewing concentrates in the late afternoon and late evening, never in the middle of the day.
Shoot in June to cover August
That is the rule deciding all the rest.
Creators are available in June, less in July, hardly at all in August. Internal approvals still exist in June, not at all from 25 July.
So produce a batch of eight to twelve videos in June, with no date and no promotion mentioned, with interchangeable hooks added at the last moment.
Two immediate advantages: you publish while competitors have stopped, and you keep half the batch for September.
Outdoor content that means something
Three traps to avoid, and they come back every year.
The generic holiday image, empty beach and blue sky, which shows no use and resembles nobody's life.
Shooting at midday, when the light crushes everything and the sound is bad.
And a setting dated by a local event, which makes the video unusable the following year.
Film the real situations of the season instead: the loaded car, the shaded terrace, the queue, the borrowed house, the return from the beach with sand everywhere.
The sectors that win in August
Four, and they are not the ones people think.
Nearby travel and everything bought on the spot, at the last minute.
Food and drink, with a peak on what gets shared.
Care and protection, bought urgently and rebought during the stay.
And the home, because August is the month when you notice what is missing where you are staying.
What the season opens, month by month
| Period | What brands push | The shot that serves it |
|---|---|---|
| Before the holidays | Preparation, luggage, protection | A filmed comparison |
| Peak season | Outdoor use, beach, terrace | A take in one go |
| End of season | Upkeep, storage, sales | A before and after |
What the light imposes here
Film before ten in the morning or after seven in the evening. In between, shadows cut the face, eyes squint, and no correction rescues the take.
What is prepared in spring
The scripts, the shot lists and the agreements with venues. When the season arrives, the slots are taken and venues turn shoots down.
Come back on 1 September with material
Almost nobody prepares that, and it is the best moment of the year.
The restart is a short commercial peak, and the teams coming back from leave have nothing to publish. A brand arriving with a ready batch holds the ground for two weeks, with no competition.
Three moves in June, for September. Shoot an indoor variant of the same scenes. Plan a back-to-school hook, to add in the edit. And keep the raw files, so as to recut a short version on 30 August without reshooting anybody.
