Lead time calculator
The lead time calculator takes a campaign date and a production lead time in days, then returns the brief, creative and teaser milestones as a runway. It uses the same calculation as every observance page on MarketingDays, applied to a date of your choosing.
How the runway is divided
MarketingDays splits the production window into four milestones. Brief opens the window. Creative begins at one third. Teaser publishing begins at two thirds. Live is the observance itself.
Worked example — Diwali 2027
Diwali carries 45 days of lead time, so the brief is due 14 September 2027.
Calculate a runway
Lead times used on this site
| Observance | Lead time | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Akshaya Tritiya | 45 days | festival |
| Navratri | 45 days | festival |
| Dhanteras | 45 days | festival |
| Diwali | 45 days | festival |
| Raksha Bandhan | 40 days | festival |
| Ganesh Chaturthi | 40 days | festival |
| Onam | 40 days | festival |
| Dussehra | 40 days | festival |
| Black Friday | 40 days | commercial |
| Christmas | 40 days | festival |
| Valentine's Day | 35 days | international |
| Holi | 35 days | festival |
| Karwa Chauth | 35 days | festival |
| New Year's Day | 30 days | international |
| Pongal | 30 days | festival |