INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA PLANNING AND SELECTION

1. MEDIA PLANNING AND
BUYING

2. INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA
PLANNING AND SELECTION
MODULE 1.

3. WHAT IS MEDIA PLANNING
• Media planning is the process of identifying and selecting
media outlets – mainly newspapers, magazines, websites, TV
and radio stations, and outdoor placement – in which to place
paid advertisements. The person responsible for evaluating the
many media options and strategizing campaigns to support a
particular product, service, or brand is called a media planner.

4. DEFINITIONS
1. The process of selecting the appropriate media vehicles to
achieve marketing objectives by buying media time and space to
publicize advertising messages is called Media Planning
2. A media plan is a blue print or a plan of action for promoting
your business through certain media channels to achieve a business
goal, such as raising brand awareness to new or existing users of
the product. Increasing your chances of success depends on careful
examination and implementation, as well as expert knowledge of
media buying and basic marketing strategies.

5. FUNCTION OF MEDIA PLANNING
IN ADVERTISING
1. Proper media planning enables the selection of the right media:
selection of the right media is crucial in the entire planning process.
How best can I reach my target audience? Is the question kept in
mind?
2. It helps to allocate the advertising funds to the right products in
the right media: for example, ads for chocolates will be placed in a
slot where there is maximum children viewer ship. And channels
like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network or between 5-7 pm when most
children watch cartoons.
3. It indicates the period or the season in which the advertiser need
to concentrate advertising efforts: for example all the paint
advertisements concentrate on the festive seasons. A few months
before the festival like Diwali the ads are released.

6. 4. It helps achieve the advertising objectives.
5. It minimizes wastages of advertising funds: when money is used
in the right direction there are minimum wastages. A media plan
helps the ad agency to obtain approval form the client. Proper media
planning will help the advertiser to reach the right target audience.
It helps to finalize the frequency of advertisements: how many
repetitions of the advertisement should be done and are required
also specified in a media plan.

7. WHO IS A MEDIA PLANNER?
• The person responsible for evaluating the many media options and
strategizing campaigns to support a particular product, service, or
brand is called a media planner. Media planners typically are
employed by advertising agencies.
• A media planner’s job is to develop a coordinated plan for a
particular client’s advertising budget. They decide where, when,
and how often to feature a specific ad. The more the planner can
optimize – meaning stretch – a client’s budget to reach the largest
number of people, the better his or her odds of seeing results. The
whole purpose of advertising is to make potential customers aware
of a company’s products or services and to persuade them to buy
them.

9. ROLE OF MEDIA PLANNER
1. Co-ordination- Media Planner teams up with creative team,
client and consumer to develop and advice about the most
effective media strategies.
2. Decision making- Media planners ensure that the right
balance is achieved in presenting media proposals, including
time, cost and helping clirnt to reach their advertising strategy.
3. Reach and Analysis- They analysis and research the target
audience's character, their purchasing behaviour and habits to
make make effective marketing strategies.

10. 4. Managing Client relationship- they have to maintain
satisfying client relationship. He should work efficiently to
continue the relations over the long period. Since the turnover of
the agency is depended on the client's co-operation and support.
5. Evaluating campaigns- Media planners need to monitor and
update clients on the effectiveness of the finalized campaigns.
6. Budget allocation to right media- Using research data, they
consider what is going to be most effective within the budget
allocated and give the client's product or service maximum
exposure by considering right media options.

11. CHALLENGES IN MEDIA
PLANNING
1. Nature of Product- Product to be advertised can be industrial
product or consumer product. Industrial product can better be
advertised in their specific trade-journals/magazines. Consumer
products can better be advertised through mass media. In the
same way products for export can be advertised in such
magazines which have circulation on other countries.
Fashionable products can be advertised in fashion magazines
like- Film fare, Femina, Stardust, etc.

12. 2. Nature of Customers- An appropriate media plan must
consider the class of consumers, for whom advertising is to be
done. Different consumers are dissimilar in their age-group, sex,
income, personality, educational level, and attitude.
(a) Age- For advertising for kids-products, television is the best
media for communicating message, specifically cartoon related
TV Channels. If target audience is young then television,
magazines are suitable. If target audience consists of old-age-
group, then newspaper, television, is a good choice.

13. (b) Level of Education- If the target audiences are highly
educated, then advertisement should be given in magazines,
national newspaper, internet, and television. If target audience
are less educated, then local newspaper printed in local
languages, low-profile magazines, TV are suitable. If audiences
are illiterate, then print-media is not suitable. Here broadcast
media is a good choice.
(c) Number of customers- If number of target customers is more,
then mass media like television, newspaper will be considered. If
number of target audience is less, then direct mail- media, Tele-
advertising are suitable.

15. (c) International distributors- If the product is to be sold at
international level, then media having reach and circulation in
foreign countries will be effective e.g. Internet, magazines with
circulation in foreign countries, TV channels having International
coverage like BBC should be considered.
4. Advertising Objectives- The major objectives of every advertising
campaign is to get favourable response from consumer, but the
specific objectives can be different. If the objective of advertising
campaign is to get immediate results, then fast media of
communication like newspapers will be considered. If the objective of
advertising is to build corporate- goodwill, and brand-equity, then
magazines , television will be considered.

16. (5) Nature of Message- if the advertising message is informative
in nature, then the newspaper medium will be suitable. If ad-
message is to persuade consumers, then they need to be given
emotional appeal, rational appeal, demonstration of product,
then television media will be considered for advertising.
(6) Size of Ad-budget- If the amount of advertisement budget is
more, then costly media like television, National dailies and
popular magazines can be selected. If Ad-budget- is less, then
media like posters, banners, cable network, local newspaper,
pamphlets will be suitable

17. MEDIA BRIEF
• A media brief is a document which summarises a client’s
communications strategy and/or campaign objectives and
requests solutions to meet its objectives. It may be circulated
by the client or its media agency to media owners, who respond
with proposals outlining how they intend to achieve the clients’
objectives. Depending on the circumstances, a proposal may
include a combination of advertising formats and platforms.

18. • A media brief can be straightforward and precise, with a firm
idea of which media are to be used and stating a specific
budget or optional levels of spend. Alternatively the brief
might have fewer constraints, seeking innovative approaches
from media owners to fulfil its marketing objectives.

19. A MEDIA BRIEF SHOULD
INCLUDE:-
1.Marketing information checklist: This should reflect the
marketing objectives and proposed strategies, product
characteristics, distribution channels, brand category,
expenditure level and ad. expenditure of close competitors, ad.
expenditure for the current, previous years and proposed
appropriation.

20. 2.The objectives: The media brief must indicate the objective or
objectives; the proposed advertising is trying to accomplish. This
must clearly indicate whether the objective is to introduce a new
product, increase awareness about the existing brand, reinforce
the current position, reposition the current brand, relaunch a
declining brand, elicit direct response, improve or enhance the
company’s reputation or change the people’s attitude towards the
company, brand or product category. It would also indicate the
source of business, i.e., the target audience, profile of the current
users, proposed users, etc.

21. 3.Product category information: It is pertinent for the media planner
to have a thorough knowledge about the product category and the
positioning of the brand being handled. This helps in assessing the
strengths and weaknesses of the brand and also helps in setting
achievable targets. The information details with the following broad
areas: category definition, competitive brands, market share of the
various brands, sales volume of each brand, life cycle stage for
brand/category (new, mature, stagnating or near extinct), market
expansion opportunity, interest level (high/low), responsiveness to
advertising, purchase cycle of the product-to help determine the
scheduling pattern.

22. 4.Geography/location: The media brief helps the planner in knowing
his media markets. In other words, for example, if the product is
only available in the metros, then the planner will restrict his media
options to only those vehicles, which reach the target audience in the
metros. In case, however, the product is being launched on all-
country basis, the media planner although keeping in view the
holistic approach will also keep in mind the consumption pattern in
various geographical locations for giving relative weightage to areas,
where the product usage is more. Besides this, he will also keep in
view the brand development index, sales volume and local market
problems and opportunities.

23. 5.Seasonality/timing: Information regarding seasonality of the
product is an important consideration for the media planner. In the
Indian context, where there are extreme climates in different parts
of the country at the same time, some products are season-specific.
The sale of woollens is always there in the hilly areas especially,
Srinagar, Himachal Pradesh and higher reaches of Uttar Pradesh,
while in southern India, except probably in some parts of Karnataka,
woollens are generally not available. The North experience severe
cold for some months, hence one sees a spurt in advertising. Besides,
the planner should keep track of the sales pattern, influence factors
such as festivals, holidays and the weather, spending considerations,
specific sales promotion drive, and client mandated spending
constraint, etc.

24. 6.Target audience: A profile of those who buy the existing
category as also those who buy competitive brands is a very
important consideration for the media planner. Buying habits
must also include information about buying cycles, purchase
points, frequency of purchase, etc. This helps the planner to
know the consumer characteristics by category, brand and
competitor; demographics-age, income,

25. MEDIA AUDIT
• Media Auditing entails a third-party review of a company’s media
buying costs.
• Advertisers employ media auditors to ensure that the money they
have set aside for advertising is being spent wisely.
• The main focus of a media audit is to verify media delivery and
placement. This is carried out on a media by media basis.
• The media auditing process gives the advertiser comfort that they
are getting fair value from their advertising spend and if not,
provides the necessary information to negotiate better terms.

26. COMPONENTS OF MEDIA
AUDIT
1. The first is a financial audit by Media audit firm of the
records of the Media buying agency. Since the media buying
agency is an external agency, they have a contractual
relationship to act on client behalf to buy space and time.
Media essentially examines whether client got what it
ordered and if they are paying for what the intended.
2. The second type of audit is called ‘return of rebates and
discounts’, which some media owners give the Media buying
agency directly for space or airtime booking in excess of a
certain volume. Media buying agencies push advertisers to
spend on a given medium to gain volumes, and thus rebates.

27. 3. The third component of media audit is a critique on the way
media planning has been done by the agency. The media
auditor audits the media plan to examine if the plan was
fair and optimum.
• The best media audit’s are the audit of entire media process
and involves all of the appropriates disciplines within
financial and marketing organizations at the advertiser
company.

28. NCCS GRID
• New Consumer Classification System (NCCS) is the new tool
for classifying consumers in India. The methodology will be
used by the Broadcast Audience Research Council in its soon-
to-be-launched TV audience measurement system. A look at
few basic questions that will help understand the NCCS socio-
economic classification (SEC) was introduced in the country to
classify consumers into different groups. Over time, flaws
were noticed in the system. That's when the industry decided
to revise the consumer classification system and introduce the
New Consumer Classification System (NCCS)

29. • Why is it used?
• NCCS is used to discriminate between households and define
the entire consumer behaviour of a household- what will his
family aspire for, gender ratio or life expectancy of a family
member. It is used by IRS and will even be used in the soon-to-
be launched TV ratings methodology from BARC. It is similar
to SEC but here, the attempt is to understand the behavioural
variables of a consumer as well.

30. NCCS V/S SEC – A COMPARISON
NCCS
• Single system for urban and
rural India.
• Linked to the household
• Discriminates on Education
of CWE and durables in
Household; i.e. household
parameters used for
household classification.
• Dynamic, ability to change
over time.
• Captures affordability
quotient of household
SEC SYSTEM
• Different classification for
urban and rural India
• Linked to only one
individual
• Uses only CWE
discriminators (education
and occupation)
• Static, neither variable
changes significantly over
time.
• Does not capture
affordability adequately

31. • In the older version, the SEC Classification consists of two
grids-
• The Urban SEC Grid, which uses Education levels and
Occupational criteria of the Chief Wage Earner (CWE) of a
household as measures to determine socio-economic
classification, and segments urban India into 7 groups (A1 to
E2) and
• The Rural SEC Grid, which uses Education and Type of House
(pucca, semi-pucca, and katcha) as measures of socio-economic
class, and segments rural India into 4 groups (R1,R2,R3,R4)

32. • The new SEC system is based on two variables:
• 1. Education of the Chief Earner. The options are Illiterate,
Literate but no formal schooling or Schooling unto 4 years,
Schooling between 5–9 years, High School pass, Some college
(including a diploma but not a graduate), Graduate / Post
Graduate (General), Graduate / Post Graduate (Professional)
• 2. The number of Consumer durables(pre-decided from a list of 11
items) owned by the family. The list of 11 items are: Electricity
Connection, Ceiling Fan, LPG Stove, Two Wheeler, Color TV,
Refrigerator, Washing Machine, Personal Computer/Laptop,
Car/Jeep/Van, Air Conditioner, Agricultural Land
• There are 12 grades in the new system starting from A1 to E3.

33. NCCS GRID

34. WHO IS MEDIA BUYER
• A media buyer is responsible for the placements and the
negotiation of price for all advertisements on radio, television,
print and digital. Digitally, they are responsible for the ad
placements for your favorite sites. Media buyers also have to
ensure all media inventory (times, days, lengths and sizes of
placements) is purchased within budget, which is why
negotiation is so important in this field. The primary goal is to
ensure the advertisements are seen by the most people
possible for that target audience within budget.

35. ROLE OF MEDIA BUYER
• 1. Maintaining relationship- A successful media buying unit
has two key attributes; a strong relationship with the media
owners which ensures that they know about new
opportunities in different types of media and client
relationship and servicing which will give the agency long
lasting value and goodwill in the market.
• They attend meetings with their clients, give presentations
and report back to them on the results of their various
campaigns thus ensuring the client has met his desired
requirement.

36. • 2. Selecting Media Vehicles- Choose the best vehicles that fit the
target audience aperture. The media planner lays out the
direction; the buyer is responsible for choosing specific vehicles.
• 3. Monitoring the Buy- The media buyer tracks the performance
of the media plan as it is implemented, as well as afterward.
Poorly performing vehicles must be replaced or costs must be
modified.
• 4. Make Goods- A policy of compensating for missed positions or
errors in handling the message presentation. Ensure that the
advertiser is compensated appropriately when they occur.
• 5. Power of Negotiation- Media planners work out where an ad
should appear, and media buyers speak to the companies that
own the space to ensure firstly that it is possible for the message
to reach across the desired target in those environments and
secondly that our clients pay the best possible price to appear
there. This is the negotiation power to deliver a competitive price.

37. • 6. Optimization- The media buyer is the key element in the
ensuring that advertising, marketing and promotional
campaigns are exposed to the right target audience in the
most effective place, thereby gaining recognition and new
customers for the product or service in question.
• 7. Research and strategy- Media buyers conduct extensive
research in identifying the desired target and consumer
insights, in recommending media channels; strategic
development and innovation, benchmarking historical
performance tracking, implementation of planning and
competitive analysis are the key attributes in research and
strategy.

38. • 8. Budget management- Media buyers also need to have a
practical knowledge while handling allocated money for the
campaign, as they will be entrusted with a fix budget, which
must be spent wisely and appropriately.
• 9. Evaluation- Media buyers need to keep their eye on the key
performance indicators of ad campaigns. For instance, they
might assess and evaluate data that relates to the circulation
and distribution of certain media channels and relationships
with media sales agencies and potential clients. They would
then by reviewing the success of certain campaigns in order to
make vital adjustments and changes.