The Media Planning Process

Media Brief Brand team

Media Strategy
Agency media/
account team

Media Plan Media planner

Execution Media buyer

Evaluation Agency/brand teams

The Media Brief
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Media Brief Elements (1)

1. Marketing Objectives/Strategy
2. Current Year’s Advertising
3. Brand/Category Data
4. Competitive Activity
5. Role of Advertising
6. Source of Business
7. Target Market
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Media Brief Elements (2)

8. Desired Consumer Response
9. Geography
10. Seasonality/Timing
11. Communication Goals
12. Creative Considerations
13. Budget
14. Media Testing Requirements
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1. Marketing Objectives/Strategy

The Media Brief Checklist

• Brand sales/share goals - aggressive or
defensive
• Product changes
• Promotion
• Packaging
• Distribution
• Category expenditure levels and
competitive activity
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2. Current Year's Advertising Program

The Media Brief Checklist

• Budget Level - year-end
cuts/additions?
• Results - consideration for changing
strategy?
• Problems/opportunities
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3. Brand/Category Information

The Media Brief Checklist

• Category definition - competitive brands and
substitutability
(i.e. competition from related product
classes)
• Shares/sales/volume -
category/brand/competitor trends
• Interest level - high/low? (i.e. fashion or
autos vs. detergents)
• Responsiveness to advertising
• Purchase cycle - users/heavy users.
Frequency of purchase determines flighting
patterns
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...continued

The Media Brief Checklist

• Life cycle stage for brand (new vs
mature)
• Awareness/attitude information -
loyalty, negativism, etc.
• Market expansion opportunities -
category penetration,
frequency of use, new volume
opportunities
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4. Competitive Activity

The Media Brief Checklist

• Media expenditure*
• Media mix
• Media types: dayparts, titles
• Regionality
• Seasonality
• Flighting patterns

* Do not rely on published competitive data for exact expenditures in any

medium and especially not in individual markets.
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5. Role of Advertising - (What are we trying to accomplish?)

The Media Brief Checklist

• Stimulate awareness/trial
• Maintain/sustain current position -
remind/reinforce
• Introduce a new brand
• Reposition a current brand
• Re launch a declining brand
• Prevent erosion to a major
competitor
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...Continued

The Media Brief Checklist

• Establish or improve image/reputation
• Change attitudes - (the hardest task
requiring the longest time and large
budget)
• Merchandise to the trade
• Support sales force
• Elicit a direct response - couponing, sale
announcement, write-in offer, etc.
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6. Source of Business (Where will volume be derived?)

The Media Brief Checklist

• Hold current brand users (defensive)
• Get current users to use more (increased
frequency of use)
• Change the user profile e.g. appeal to younger
consumers
• Attract customers from the competitive brands
• Expand the category
• Combinations/variations of the above
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7. Target Audience - (Who are we trying to influence?)

The Media Brief Checklist

• Consumer - trade- sales force - consumer
characteristics by
category/brand/competitor/user/non-user/heavy
user
• Demographic
(age/sex/income/education/employment/ethnicity
)
• Psychographics
(lifestyle/outlook/interests/motivations)
• Demographic and psychographic trends
• Purchase influence/decision - male vs female -
other family members
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...Continued

The Media Brief Checklist

• Special Market Segments (e.g. college
students, retired, etc.)

• Media Usage Data for

category/brand/competitor - media
vehicles - heavy/light quintiles

• Trade Requirement - Vertical

classifications (e.g. food, drug) and level
(retail, wholesale, etc.)
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8. Desired Consumer Response

The Media Brief Checklist

• What do we particularly want people to
notice, think or feel about the brand as a
result of seeing / hearing the
advertising?

• This is a very important concept in

media selection as well as creative
development.
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9. Geography

The Media Brief Checklist

• Regional vs National vs Local Support priority
and requirements
• Data/trends for category/brand/competition
• Sales volume/sales factors
• Regions/metro/rural - geographic units
• Regional costs of advertising, expenditure and
deliveries
• Local market problems/opportunities - Causes?
Is advertising likely to solve problems?
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10. Seasonality/Timing

The Media Brief Checklist

• Sales Patterns - quarterly/monthly
• Influence factors -
holiday/weather/promotion
• Spending considerations
▫ Leading into peak seasons
▫ Meeting new competitive
introductions
▫ Specific sale/promotion period
▫ Client-mandated quarterly spending
constraints
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11. Communication Goals - (How much, time frames?)

The Media Brief Checklist

• Priority -
reach/frequency/continuity
• Effective frequency levels - 2+/3+?
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12. Creative Considerations:

The Media Brief Checklist

Media type
• Proposed media units
• Judged relative value of media alternatives (TV=100)

TV Radio Print Outdoor Cinema Other

Index 100

• Creative mandatories: demonstration, information, direct

response, prestige, audio-visual etc.
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13. Budget

The Media Brief Checklist

• Working media total
• Consumer / trade split
• Production included?
• Spending constraints
• Corporate media commitments
• Special Requirements
(eg,testing,couponing, etc.)
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14. Media Testing Requirements

The Media Brief Checklist

• Media weight
• Media mix
• Copy