Chapter 10- Media Planning & Strategy

Chapter 10: Media Planning and Strategy

The media planning process is not easy. Options include mass media such as television, newspapers, radio, and magazines as well as out-of-the-home media such as outdoor advertising.  A variety of support media such as direct marketing, interactive media, promotional products advertising, and in-store point-of-purchase options must also be considered. The Internet and interactive media have become the order-qualifier in order to achieve the best results.

The characteristics of each alternative must be considered, along with many other factors. This process becomes even more complicated when the manager has to choose between alternatives within the same medium—for example, between Time and Newsweek or between Alias and Friends.

Media planning is the series of decisions involved in delivering the promotional message to the prospective purchasers and/or users of the product or brand.

Medium is the category of available delivery systems, which includes TV and radio, newspapers, direct mail, outdoor advertising, and other support media.

Problems in Media Planning:

1.       Insufficient Information: Great deal of information about markets exists; media planners often require more than is available. Some data are just not measured, either because they cannot be or because measuring them would be too expensive.

2.       Inconsistent Terminologies: Problems arise because the cost bases used by

different media often vary and the standards of measurement used to establish these

costs are not always consistent.

3.       Time Pressures: It seems that advertisers are always in a hurry—sometimes because they need to be; other times because they think they need to be.

Developing the Media Plan

Market Analysis and Target Market Analysis:

The situation analysis stage of the overall promotional planning process involves a complete review of internal and external factors, competitive strategies, and the like.

The index number is considered a good indicator of the potential of the market. This number is derived from the formula:

Index = (Percentage of users in a demographic segment/ Percentage of population in the same segment)*100

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

What Internal and External Factors Are Operating?

Media strategies are influenced by both internal and external factors operating at any given time

·        Internal factors may involve the size of the media budget, managerial and administrative capabilities, or the organization of the agency

·        External factors may include the economy (the rising costs of media)

Using Indexes to Determine Where to Promote

In addition to the indexes from Simmons and MRI, three other indexes may also be useful:

1.      The survey of buying power index, is conducted for every major metropolitan market in the United States and is based on a number of factors, including population, effective buying income, and total retail sales in the area.

2.      The brand development Index (BDI) helps marketers factor the rate of product usage by geographic area into the decision process. 

The Media Mix

A wide variety of media and media vehicles are available to advertisers. While it is possible that only one medium and/or vehicle might be employed, it is much more likely that a number of alternatives will be used.

Marketing coverage possibilities

Three methods of Promotional Scheduling

A medium with a much higher cost per thousand may be a wiser buy if it is reaching more potential receivers. (Most media buyers rely on target CPM (TCPM), which calculates CPMs based on the target audience, not the overall audience.)

The media strategy must be designed to supplement and support the overall marketing and communications objectives. The objectives of this plan are designed to deliver the message the program has developed.

The basic task involved in the development of media strategy is to determine the best matching of media to the target market, given the constraints of the budget. The media planner attempts to balance reach and frequency and to deliver the message to the intended audience with a minimum of waste coverage. At the same time, a number of additional factors affect the media decision. Media strategy development has been called more of an art than a science because while many quantitative data are available, the planner also relies on creativity and non-quantifiable factors.

This chapter discussed many factors, including developing a proper media mix, determining target market and geographic coverage, scheduling, and balancing reach and frequency. Creative aspects, budget considerations, the need for flexibility in the schedule, and the use of computers in the media planning process were also considered.