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MEDIA PLANNING AND BUYING (Media Planning

Definition: The process of establishing the exact

media vehicles to be used for advertising
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Media Planning

Definition: The process of establishing the exact

media vehicles to be used for advertising
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Choosing which media or type of advertising to use is sometimes tricky for small firms with
limited budgets and know-how. Large-market television and newspapers are often too
expensive for a company that services only a small area (although local newspapers can be
used). Magazines, unless local, usually cover too much territory to be cost-efficient for a small
firm, although some national publications offer regional or city editions. Metropolitan radio
stations present the same problems as TV and metro newspapers; however, in smaller markets,
the local radio station and newspaper may sufficiently cover a small firm's audience.
That's why it's important to put together a media plan for your advertising campaign. The three
components of a media plan are as follows:
1. Defining the marketing problem. Do you know where your business is coming from and
where the potential for increased business lies? Do you know which markets offer the greatest
opportunity? Do you need to reach everybody or only a select group of consumers? How often
is the product used? How much product loyalty exists?

2. Translating the marketing requirements into attainable media objectives. Do you want to
reach lots of people in a wide area (to get the most out of your advertising dollar)? Then mass
media, like newspaper and radio, might work for you. If your target market is a select group in a
defined geographic area, then direct mail could be your best bet.
3. Defining a media solution by formulating media strategies. Certain schedules work best
with different media. For example, the rule of thumb is that a print ad must run three times
before it gets noticed. Radio advertising is most effective when run at certain times of the day or
around certain programs, depending on what market you're trying to reach.
Advertising media generally include:

Television

Radio

Newspapers

Magazines (consumer and trade)

Outdoor billboards

Public transportation

Yellow Pages

Direct mail

Specialty advertising (on items such as matchbooks, pencils, calendars, telephone pads,
shopping bags and so on)

Other media (catalogs, samples, handouts, brochures, newsletters and so on)

When comparing the cost and effectiveness of various advertising media, consider the following
factors:

Reach. Expressed as a percentage, reach is the number of individuals (or homes) you want
to expose your product to through specific media scheduled over a given period of time.

Frequency. Using specific media, how many times, on average, should the individuals in
your target audience be exposed to your advertising message? It takes an average of three
or more exposures to an advertising message before consumers take action.

Cost per thousand. How much will it cost to reach a thousand of your prospective
customers (a method used in comparing print media)? To determine a publication's cost per
thousand, also known as CPM, divide the cost of the advertising by the publication's
circulation in thousands.

Cost per point. How much will it cost to buy one rating point for your target audience, a
method used in comparing broadcast media. One rating point equals 1 percent of your target
audience. Divide the cost of the schedule being considered by the number of rating points it
delivers.

Impact. Does the medium in question offer full opportunities for appealing to the appropriate
senses, such as sight and hearing, in its graphic design and production quality?

Selectivity. To what degree can the message be restricted to those people who are known
to be the most logical prospects

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Photo: Chryssa Lai, MediaCom Sydney

Media Planning
and Buying
MediaCom is responsible for planning and
buying the advertising media for some of the
world's biggest companies - including P&G,
Shell, Universal, GlaxoSmithKline, RBS and VW.
Media Planning

The first thing we do, using a combination of world class research techniques, deep experience and analysis, is to
determine with our clients who their most likely, or most desired, customers are. We are then able to determine
which media these potential customers see, read, hear or engage with the most. This is the media planning of a
campaign; we 'plan' advertising campaigns that reach intended audiences, with the minimum amount of wastage.
After this initial planning stage, we then work alongside creative agencies, who actually make the advertisements. It
is our responsibility to get the adverts on to the television screens and radio, in to the press and cinemas, on to
billboards and poster sites, and online. This is what we call media buying.

Media Buying
During the buying stage, MediaCom negotiates the best possible prices with media owners such as television and
radio stations, magazine publishers and website owners for the space or airtime. Because MediaCom is one of the
largest media buying agencies in the world, we are able to buy media at an incredibly competitive price. Even so,
we are always looking for innovative ways to reduce costs further and increase the effectiveness of advertising whether on screen, outdoors or online.
Our clients benefit from MediaCom being part of GroupM, the world's largest media investment management
group. This gives us unparalleled negotiation power when buying media on behalf of our clients.

The standard media plan covers four stages: stating media objectives,
evaluating media, selecting and implementing choices, and determining the
budget.
Learning Objective

Assemble the components and methodology of creating a media plan

Key Points

Media objectives are normally stated in terms of three dimensions.

There are definite inherent strengths and weaknesses associated with each
medium so many advertisers rely heavily on the research findings provided by
the medium, by their own experience, and by subjective appraisal when deciding
which media to use.

The media planner must make media mix decisions and timing directions, both of
which are restricted by the available budget.

Terms

media
The mass media are all those media technologies that are intended to reach a large audience by
mass communication.

A C Nielsen
A.C. Nielsen is a global marketing research firm, with worldwide headquarters in New York City,
United States of America.

factory outlet
a brick and mortar or online retail store in which manufacturers sell their stock directly to the
public

Examples

When choosing the media, you not only need to know which media outlets exist, but also which
ones suit your product. You probably will not want to contact local business publications if you
want to advertise the authors and schedule of the new reading program you are creating.
However, if you want to focus on the support of the business community in pulling this off, then
this is exactly who you would want to contact.

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Full Text
Developing the Media Plan

Advertising media selection is the process of choosing the most cost-effective media for
advertising to achieve the required coverage and number of exposures in a target
audience.
Although the media plan is placed later in this process, it is in fact developed
simultaneously with the creative strategy. This area of advertising has gone through
tremendous changes; a critical media revolution has taken place.
The standard media plan covers four stages: (a) stating media objectives; (b) evaluating
media; (c) selecting and implementing media choices; and (d) determining the media
budget.
Stating Media Objectives

Media objectives are normally stated in terms of three dimensions:

1. Reach: The number of different persons or households exposed to a particular media vehicle or
media schedule at least once during a specified time period.
2. Frequency: The number of times within a given time period that a consumer is exposed to a
message.
3. Continuity: The timing of media assertions (e.g., 10% in September, 20% in October, 20% in
November, 40% in December and 10% the rest of the year).

Evaluating Media

There are definite inherent strengths and weaknesses associated with each medium. In
addition, it would require extensive primary research, either by the sponsoring firm or
their advertising agency in order to assess how a particular message and the target
audience would relate to a given medium. As a result, many advertisers rely heavily on
the research findings provided by the medium, by their own experience, and by
subjective appraisal.
Selection and Implementation

The media planner must make media mix decisions and timing directions, both of which
are restricted by the available budget. The media mix decision involves putting media
together in the most effective manner. This is a difficult task and necessitates
quantitatively and qualitatively evaluating each medium and combination thereof.
Unfortunately, there are very few valid rules of thumb to guide this process, and the
supporting research is spotty at best. For example, in attempting to compare audiences
of various media, we find that A C Nielsen measures audiences based on TV viewer
reports of the programs watched, while outdoor audience exposure estimates are based
on counts of the number of automobile vehicles that pass particular outdoor poster
locations.
The timing of media refers to the actual placement of advertisements during the time
periods that are most appropriate, given the selected media objectives. It includes not
only the scheduling of advertisements but also the size and position of the
advertisement.
Setting the Media Budget

The media budget is a subset of the advertising budget, and the same methods used to
create advertising budget will be used to create the media budget.
In general, remember that:

Media outlets which deliver messages involving multiple senses (sight, sound, touch, and smell)
will be more expensive than those involving just one sense (sound).

The quality expectations of the media outlet will influence the cost. For example, the quality of ads
for national television stations tend to be higher than those for local outlets. Creating a text ad on
the Internet, however, can be free or cost next to nothing.

What is Media Planning?

Media Planning is the art and science of

ensuring that the adverts that our clients want
to place appear in the right place and at the
right time to ensure they reach the correct
target group