"Media planning is generally outsourced and entails sourcing and selecting optimal media platforms for a client's brand or product to use."
The process of determining the most effective way to reach a target audience through various media channels.
Understanding consumer behavior: This involves understanding consumer habits, attitudes, preferences, and needs that influence their decision-making. It is crucial to collect data and conduct research to gain insights into the target audience.
Marketing objectives: This entails establishing clear and measurable marketing objectives to achieve the organization's overall goals. The objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
Media buying and types of media: This involves selecting the most effective advertising channels within the budget. The different types of media include TV, radio, print, outdoor, online, and social media.
Media planning objectives: This involves defining media planning objectives that complement the overall marketing objectives, including reach, frequency, and impact.
Media research: This involves gathering and analyzing data on media consumption by the target audience, media effectiveness, competitor activities, and market trends.
Message and creative: This entails designing the message and creative aspects of the advertising campaign to ensure that it resonates with the audience and achieves the desired impact.
Media scheduling: This involves planning the timing and frequency of the media activities to maximize the campaign's effectiveness, minimize waste and ensure that the message reaches the target audience at the most appropriate time.
Budgeting and costing: This entails creating the budget for the media activities, taking into account the costs of media buying, creative, and production costs.
Evaluation and measurement: This involves monitoring and measuring the effectiveness and impact of the media campaign against the objectives set in the planning process. It helps to identify areas of success and areas that require improvement.
Emerging media trends: This involves staying abreast of new media trends and technologies such as mobile, virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and programmatic advertising, and experimenting with them to determine how they fit into the overall media mix.
Traditional Media Planning: This type of media planning involves the use of traditional media platforms such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines to create brand awareness and reach a target audience.
Digital Media Planning: This type of media planning involves the use of digital media platforms such as social media, search engines and display advertising to create brand awareness and reach a target audience.
Outdoor Media Planning: This type of media planning involves the use of outdoor media platforms such as billboards, bus shelters, and outdoor signage to create brand awareness and reach a target audience.
Direct Response Media Planning: This type of media planning is typically used in direct response marketing efforts and involves the use of direct marketing channels such as telemarketing and direct mail to generate leads and drive sales.
Event Media Planning: This type of media planning involves the use of special events such as trade shows, product launches and corporate events to create brand awareness and reach a target audience.
Branding Media Planning: This type of media planning focuses on building brand recognition and image through advertising, promotion and public relations initiatives.
Product Media Planning: This type of media planning focuses on promoting specific products through advertising, promotion, and other marketing initiatives.
Regional Media Planning: This type of media planning involves targeting a specific region or market with advertising and promotion initiatives to create brand awareness and reach a target audience.
Co-Op Media Planning: This type of media planning involves participating in a co-operative advertising program with other businesses to share the costs and benefits of an advertising campaign.
Retail Media Planning: This type of media planning is focused on promoting and selling products through retail channels such as brick-and-mortar stores, online retailers, and e-commerce platforms.
"The goal of media planning is to determine the best combination of media to achieve the client's objectives."
"How many of the audience can be reached through the various media?" "On which media (and ad vehicles) should the ads be placed?" "How frequently should the ads be placed?" "How much money should be spent on each medium?"
"Choosing which media or type of advertising to use can be challenging 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."
"Yes, local newspapers can be used by small firms to reach their target audience in a cost-effective manner."
"Magazines, unless local, usually cover too much territory to be cost-efficient for a small firm."
"Some national publications offer regional or city editions."
"Since the advent of social media, small firms with limited budgets may benefit from using social media advertising as it is cost-effective, easy to manage, accurate, and offers great ROI."
"In some agencies, the media planner will work together with the media implementer."