Definition: Media Planning can be defined as the systematic process of deciding a course of action, with regard to the advertising time, media and space, selected to achieve the marketing objectives. In this, the marketer ascertains when, which, where, and how frequently, an advertisement will be aired, so as to increase customer engagement and return on investment.
Media Planning involves strategizing, purchasing and placement of the advertisement, by deciding the right set of media, to attain the marketing objectives. It answers questions such as:
- How many people it will reach through various media?
- Which is the best media to place ads?
- What will be the frequency to show ads?
- What media will be aired via various channels?
- Where the ads will appear?
- What is the right time to place ads?
- How much money to be spent on various mediums?
An ideal media plan is one that uses an integrated plan to reach various customer groups, via different channels and that too within the budget limit of the marketer. So, a media planner must consider all these factors to develop an effective media plan.
What is Media Plan?
A media plan is the combination of various activities undertaken to identify and select the right criteria to convey the ad message, to the targeted customer group, which aptly fits the client’s budget and other requirements.
Who is Media Planner?
Media Planner is a person employed by the advertising firms, to appraise different media avenues and develop ad campaigns, to promote the product, service, or brand of the client.
The media planner ascertains the nature of the company’s offering, the type of audience to be targeted, and the overall budget of the promotional campaign. On the basis of this information, various media vehicles are picked, in an attempt to get maximum customer response.
What is Media Vehicle?
Media Vehicle is the ultimate carrier of the message, in different forms of media. In Radio – Radio Mirchi and Vivid Bharti, in Television – Starplus and Sony TV, in Newspaper – Hindustan Times, The Economic Times and the Hindu, can be media vehicles.
What is Media Mix?
Media Mix refers to the combination of different media used in the advertisement.
What is Reach?
Reach defines the exact number of individuals exposed to the advertisement, i.e. who have seen the advertisement at least once in a given period.
What is Frequency?
Frequency determines the number of times the ad is run on a media vehicle.
Media Planning Process
The steps involved in the media planning process are discussed as under:
- Market Analysis: Market Analysis is primarily performed to know the target audience, with regard to the age, type, gender, income education, occupation etc. The analysis will be helpful in anticipating the cost and finalize the appropriate media for the advertisement.
- Setting up Media Objectives: Before setting up the media objectives, the marketer must define the goal as to frequency, circulation of the message, customer reach, budget and penetration.
- Media Strategy Development: It is the planning stage, the media planner has to make a decision with respect to the best media combination, which can be used to reach the desired audience, be it internet, television, radio, newspaper, magazines, billboards, so on and so forth. The decision must be made keeping in mind the reach, frequency, customer engagement and cost.
- Implementation of Media Plan: When the media plan is ready, then the media buying process takes place, in which the specific slot is bought in the selected media vehicle.
- Evaluation and Follow up: Once the plan is executed, the next step is to observe the overall response from the target audience. It requires follow-up and evaluation of the outcome. The media planner has to see if the media plan works accordingly and shows the desired results, or not.
Choosing the best media combination is not just important for reaching the intended target customer group, but it is also helpful in ensuring the optimal utilization of the promotional expenditure.
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