Why CPG Brands Should Test (and Scale) Offline Media in Q1
January is the most underrated month in media. Full stop.
For Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands that sell through retail, Q1 is when the smart money moves. Media rates fall, competition vanishes, and consumers are newly open to change — searching, sampling, and switching at levels not seen any other time of year.
It’s also the moment when audio and TV punch far above their weight. When the noise of Q4 fades, your brand's voice finally has room to be heard.
At Retail + Response, we see this play out every year: brands that lean into January’s softness in radio and TV not only capture more efficient reach and brand awareness, they set the tone for the rest of the year. The lift in awareness, sales, and retail confidence carries forward long after the first-quarter flight ends.
Media is cheaper, quieter, and full of opportunity
Every January, advertising demand drops off a cliff.
After Q4’s spending frenzy, most brands go dark. Networks and stations are left with open inventory, resulting in a 10–40% drop in CPMs versus December across offline channels.
That means your dollar simply buys more.
Offline inflation remains low: The ECI Media Management Q1 2025 Media Inflation Report predicts global offline media inflation at ~1.7%, compared with ~4.4% for online channels (ECI Media Management).
For brands that have something new to say — a reformulation, a brand refresh, or simply a push to move retail velocity — January offers open airwaves and flexible pricing to do it.
Radio, in particular, offers some of the most negotiable and responsive inventory of the year. Stations and networks regularly sell spots at steep discounts. That means CPG marketers can test multiple messages, channels, geographies, or dayparts for a fraction of the cost of Q4 media.
In January, the barriers to testing disappear. The same weight that would have cost you $200K in October might cost you $120K now — and deliver cleaner, quieter reach.
Consumers are hunting for “new me” products
The other half of the equation is demand.
While advertisers take a break, consumers are wide awake — and ready to buy.
According to Purdue University’s Consumer Food Insights Report (January 2024), 25% of U.S. adults made food or nutrition-related New Year’s resolutions, up six points from the year before (Purdue CFI). Weekly food spending hit $124, about 20% higher than in January 2022 (Purdue Newsroom).
And it’s not just food:
Fitness and wellness intent spike: roughly 12% of all gym memberships are sold in January, according to IHRSA data (via WCNC).
Search behavior confirms it: Google Trends consistently shows January peaks for “weight loss,” “diet,” and “healthy snacks.”
84.51° found that 75% of resolution-makers focus on physical health, while Social Nature reported that 65% of consumers are open to trying new wellness products in Q1.
This is when shoppers are rethinking their pantry, their supplements, their beverages, and their routines. For categories like vitamins, hydration, low-sugar snacks, and functional beverages, January is your Super Bowl.
Audio and TV build habits that drive retail
Digital marketing chases intent. Audio and TV shape it.
Nielsen’s Total Audience Report shows that AM/FM radio reaches over 90% of U.S. adults weekly — more than any other ad-supported medium (Nielsen). That reach is habit-based: the commute, the gym, the morning routine.
In January, those routines are being rebuilt. When someone’s starting a new 6 a.m. gym habit or getting back into the commute, the voices they hear in that moment make a disproportionate impact.
TV adds a sight-and-sound layer that locks a brand into long-term memory. It’s the difference between awareness and mental availability — and that availability is what drives in-store purchase.
When consumers reset their habits, the brands that show up on their screens and in their ears become part of the new routine.
For CPG marketers trying to drive in-store velocity, that’s the holy grail. Offline media doesn’t just generate reach — it creates the brand familiarity that moves product off shelves.
Read more: Why Retailers Love Offline Media
Early lift compounds all year
Advertising works like compound interest. The earlier you invest, the longer it pays back.
A strong start in January raises your baseline awareness, enabling every subsequent campaign to perform better.
For retail-oriented CPG brands, the ripple effects are tangible:
Faster velocity and stronger sell-through boost confidence with retail buyers.
Proof early in the year helps unlock incremental trade and shopper budgets.
More efficient media creates room to test and learn without burning cash.
A good January isn’t just about sales. It’s about momentum — financial, strategic, and psychological. See also: Retail Success: Sell-Through Over Sell-In
Keep your media mix working together
Offline should lead, but every channel has a job.
TV and audio build reach and credibility. Digital reinforces it. In-store seals the deal.
The goal isn’t to replace one medium with another — it’s to make them work in concert.
Audio creates recall. TV delivers recognition. Digital delivers reinforcement. Retail captures the result.
Key takeaways
Media is cheaper and quieter right after Christmas — a rare window for high-efficiency testing.
Consumers are in active buying mode for health, wellness, and “reset” categories.
Audio and TV drive mental availability at the exact moment routines reset.
Early-year momentum compounds into stronger retailer relationships and budget flexibility.
The best-performing brands use January not to rest, but to lead.
January isn’t downtime. It’s launch time. And for CPG brands that rely on retail shelves, it’s the month when offline media delivers its highest ROI of the year. Let’s talk.