Media Strategy

The media strategy is a part of the marketing plan. It recommends how to deliver brand message to the consumer in a way that best serves the brand’s communication objectives, such as building loyalty, encouraging purchase or aiding brand recognition. The media strategy identifies the right target audience (the people the brand want to talk to) and the media mix (the combination of media types – press, outdoor or internet) which will be used to deliver the message. The target audience is described in terms of lifestyle (the way people live) and demographics (their gender, age, ethnicity, education and income). The media split gives the breakdown of the media budget – the amount of money allocated to the campaign – between different media types - for example, 70% of investment on television and 30% in the press. In a media-saturated world, where media is everywhere, it is difficult to stand out from rival advertising, or e noticed, so brands need to identify the best touch points – places to reach their core target, or main audience. Media strategists use media research, based on interviews, surveys and measurement tools, to get information about the impact of the different media types, and to get insights into, or understanding of, the media consumption habits of their target audience. Children’s food brands often advertise on television because women with children are heavy TV viewers – that is, they watch a lot of television.

The media plan recommends communication channels with the names of specific publications, TV channels or other media vehicles to be used for the campaign. The plan includes a media schedule with the dates and times when the advertising will run in the press or the commercials will be aired on television or radio. The media planner recommends flighting patterns – the periods when the brand is active or communicates in the media. Some plans have continuity strategies or drip strategies. For example, a detergent manufacturer airs commercials on TV every day for several months to keep the brand top of mind – fresh in consumers’ memories. Other brands have bursts of heavy media pressure – for example, in the summer holidays or at Christmas.

The media plan must respect the media budget and the media objectives for the campaign. Media objectives are defined in terms of impressions (the number of times an ad is seen), reach or coverage (the percentage of the target audience exposed to an advertisement in a given time period), or time span and frequency (the average number of times a member of the target audience is exposed to an ad in a given time period).

When the plan is approved by the client, the media buyer makes the media booking (reserves space in magazines or airtime on television) and produces a media schedule. TV media buyers now have software to optimize their plans – that is, to make the best choice of channels and commercial breaks.

Media planners and buyers are accountable to their clients. Costs and results of campaigns are measured. Cost per thousand (CPM) is a standard measure of media efficiency; it is the amount an advertiser pays for one thousand impressions. Big clients can organize media audits to benchmark, or compare, the cost and results of their campaigns with those of their competitors.

Comprehension questions:

1. What is media strategy?

2. What does the media strategy identify?

3. What does the media plan recommend?

4. How can you define media objectives?

5. What does CPM mean?