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 Advertising
7.2 Medta Decisions

advertis1ng time and space to assist in achievement of advertising objectives."
According to S. W.Dunn, "Media planning is the process of determining how to use time
and space of media to achieve advertising objectives"
decisions).
Media planning involves taking the following decisions (also called, media
1. Deciding on the desired reach, frequency and impact
2. Choosing among the major media types (Media Mix)
3. Selecting specific media vehicles
4. Deciding on media timing (Media Scheduling). and
5. Deciding on geogaphical media allocation
IMPACT
STEP I: DECIDING ON DESIRED REACH, FREQUENCY AND
audience as
The goal of a media plan is to reach as many people as possible in the target
much as the budget allows. Attaining this goal would require the media planner to work
inpact, exposures and GRPs and TRPS.
carefully with the concepts of reach, frequency,
to the advertiser's
Reach (R) Ís the percentage of media audience exposed at least once the help of the following
message during aspecific time frame. Reach can be calculated with
formula:
Number of households tuned in
x 100
Reach - Number of household in the area
households in a given
Thus, if a media plan reaches 50,000 households out of 2,50,000x 100 =20%.
arca, during a specific time frame, then, reach = 50,000/2,50,000
and has the following
Reach is one of the most important terms in media planning
characteristics.
audience. For
1. When reach is stated, media planners are aware of the size of the target years old.
Cxample ifa media plan targets roughly 8o lakh of women who are 20-25
then a reach of 50% means that 40 lakh of the target audience will be exposed to some
of the media vehicles in the media plan.
is always
2. Reach measures the accumulation of audience over time. Because reach
defined for acertain period of time, the number of audience members exposed to
the
media vehicles in a media plan increases over time. For exarnple, reach may grow
of audience
from 20% in the first week to 60% in the fourth week. The pattern
accumuiation varies depending on the media vehicles in the media plan.
involves
3. Reach does not double count people exposed multiple times if the media plan
repcated ads in multiple media categories. Thus, if for example, an ind1vidual i
exposed to an ad of Fiama Di Wiills Shampoo four times during one month, which s
the specific time frame of agiven media plan, hefshe will be counted only once while
calculating the reach. This is because reach represents the total number of people
exposed to the marketing comnmunication.
Frequency (F) refers to the average number of times different households or individuals
are reached by anedium in agiven period oftimne. The frequency of advetisement cxposure
of the target market depends upan the amount of reintorcement of the image required or
the amount of reminding required. The greater the frequency, the greater the probab1lit
of the advertisement message making a deep and lasting inpression.
Let us assume that a particular media plan for a product Nis designed to reach the target
audience by advertising on the television channel Ten Sports during the Twenty-Twenty
Series which will last for about a month. Now, a frequency of 3 would mean that, on an
average, audience nenmbers of the Twenty-Twenty series had three opportunities to see the
ad of product X.
Impact () refers to the qualitative value of an exposure through a given medium. lhus,
an ad for Revlon lipstick would have a higher impact in the magazine
n Femina than in da
Today.
The relationship between reach, frequency and impact is captured in the following concepts.
" Total Number of Exposures (E): This is Reach times the average Frequency. Thus.
E=RxEThis measure is akso referred to as Gross Rating Points (GRP). Ifa given
media schedule reaches 70 percent of thehomes with an average exposure frequency
of 3, the media schedule is said to have a GRP of 210 (70 x3).
Arelated measure to GRP is TRP ie. Television Rating Point. ATelevision Rating
Point is a measure of the purchased television rating points representing an estimate
of the component of the target audience within the gross audience. In the case of a
TV advertisement that is aired 5times reaching 50% of the gross audience with only
60% in the target audience, it would have aGRP of 250(5 x50).TRP in is this case
should be 60% of GRP= 60% of 250 i.e. TRP= 150. This is the rating point in the
target, 60% of the gross rating.
. Weighted Number of Exposures (WE): This is Reach times average Frequency
times average Impact. Thus, WE =Rx FxL.
The above terms are interrelated and inter-dependant and adiferent nix of these elernents
would yield different patterns of message delivery. Media planning, particularly under a
given budget, must take into consideration the elements of reach,frequency. continuity and
size. Reach is most important while launching new products,extension of well-known brands
or infrequently purchased brands, or going after an undefined target market. Frequency
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 Meda Desiens 7.7
7.6
Advertising

Thus, in the second step. while choos1ng the meda category The media planner in this case will rank the two magazines by ust per theusand and
favour the magazine with the lowest cost per thousand for reachng target consumers. A
STAR
if an advertiser has selected television to advertise his brand media planner must also remember that several adjustments have to be applied to the
of washing powder, in the third step of media vehicle selection,
he might choose Star Plus channel to advertise his product,
since he expects that most women and housewives (target
PLUS cost per thousand measure.
First, the measure should be adjusted for audience quality For tnstance, for a baby
soap ad, a magazine read by 10 lakh young mothersrs will have an exposure value of
audience) willwatch this channel.
10 lakh, but ifread by 10 lakh old men, will have almost a zero exposure value. Thus,
Similarly, a manufacturer of cosmetics like lipsticks and nail
polish, in the second step. may choose magazines to advertise
FEMINA if the cost of advertising in a magazine is, say, 84,000, and the circulation of the
magazine is 84 lakh people, out of which only 30 lakh is your target audence then,
his products. In the third step of media vehicle sclection, he can CPM will be 28( 84,.000/30 lakh x1,000) and not 10( 8000/84 lakh x \.000).
then choose Femina magazine to advertise his products as he Second, the exposure value should be adjusted for the audience-attention
feels that it would reach a large percentage of the target audience. probability. For instance, the readers of India Today magazine may pay more
However, the selection of media vehicle is not so easy a decision. attention to the news and other artides than to advertisements in the magazine.
With reach and frequency considerations in mind, media buyers In contrast to these quantitative criteria. qualitative criteria in the choie of nedia vehicle
will compare nedia vehicles in terms of various quantitative and are those that are prinmarily judgmental, such as vehicle reputation, ed1torial environment.
qualitative criteria.
reproduction quality, and added values. For example, media vehicles vary in reputation,
Quantitative criteria consist of factors such as vehicle ratings, audience duplication newspapers such as The Times of India and The Hindustan Times generally enjoy high
with other vehicles, geographic coverage and costs. Media buyers they will choose vehicles
reputation. Furthermore, the editorial environment can be nore or less favorable for
with high ratings and less cross-vehicle audience duplication when need high levels
coverage of media vehicles when advertisers. The impact of food ads, for instance, can be enhanced when they appear around
of reach. Media buyers also evaluate the geographic articles about health or nutrition. Likewise, somemagazines are better in reproduction quality
implementing spot advertising such as heavy advertising in certain geographic regions.
two media than others, which enhance the impact of the ads. Finally, some media vehicles offer added
Finally, media buyers pay attention to the costs of each media vehicle. When values. Added values take various orms, and they benefit advertisers without additional
vehicles are similar in major aspects, media buyers choose the less expensive media
cost. For example, a newspaper may publish a special page whose editorial context fits an
vehicle. advertiser's products Media buyers can work with the media to invent creative forms of
cost per thousand persons
As per the media vehicle cost, media planners calculate themeans added values for advertisers.
reached by a vehicle. This cost is represented by CPM which cost per thousand (M
is calculated. STEP IV: MEDIA SCHEDULING (DECIDING ON MEDIA TIMING)
is the Latin abbreviation for 1000). Let us now see how this cost
Media scheduling decision involves media planners deciding when to advertise. Here, the
Cost of advertising in the vehicle x 100
CPM = Circulation of media vehicle advertiser faces a macro-scheduling problem and a micro-s<heduling problem.
and the estimated The macro-scheduling problem involves decision regarding the pattern in which
If a full-page four-colour ad in Femina magazine costs 69,000 advertising should be timed for a given year. Given a fixed annual budget, should all
readership of Femina is 30 lakh people, then the cost of exposing the ad to 1,000 persons months receive equal amounis of money or should some months receive more of the
is calculated as follows. budget while other months receive less or nothing² Media planners can cho0se among
69,000 x 1,000 =? 23
four methods of scheduling: cotinuity, concentration, flighting, and pulsing
CPM =
30,00,000 I. Continuity Scheduling spreais media spending evenly across
may cost 45,000 but may reach
months. For example, with an annual budget of ? 12,00,000 a LU
On he other hand, the same ad in some year, continuity scheduling would alocate exactly 100,000
oet l Ibehe? 45 as shown below.
only 10 lakh persons. The CPM for this media per month. This method is uscd in case offrequently purchased
items like soaps and toothpastes, and ensures steady brand
? 45,000 * 1,000 45
CPM =
10,00,000
 Media Decisions 7.9
Advertising
Little waste since advertising is concentrated during the best purchasing cycle
consumers. It also takes advantage
exposure over each purchase cycie for individual continuity scheduling
period.
of volume discounts in media buying However, because for small advertisers. 4. Pulsing Scheduling Pattern combines the continuity and flighting scheduling
usually requires a large budget, it may not be practical
methods, so that the brand maintains a low level of advertising across all months
Advantages: but spends more in selected months. For example, an airline like Kingfisher
. Works as a reminder Airlines might use alow level of continuous advertising to maintain brand
awareness arnong business travelers. Kingfisher Airlines might also have seasonal
. Covers the entire purchase cycle pulses to entice summer-weary consumers to fly to various places. In budget
allocation terms, a consumer goods brand may, with a budget of Rs. I2,00,000 a
Cost efticiencies in the form of large media discounts year, spend 50,000 in each of the twelve months to maintain the brand awareness
spending the entire amount available
2. Concentration Scheduling Pattern calls for scheduling pattern makes sense for those
and spend an additional ? I,00,000 in January, March, May, July. September and
for advertising in a single period. Such a
product's sales November to attract brand switchers from competing brands. The pulse
80 percent of a scheduling method takes advantage of both the continuity and flight scheduling
products which are scasonal. Let us suppose that follow here concentration
occur between April and September. The firm can methods and mitigates their weaknesses.
scheduling pattern where the advertising for its product will be concentraieded in the
period from April to September.
Advantages:
All the advantages of continuity and flighting are possible
Advantages: at key strategic Figure 7.l shows the various scheduling patterns discussed above.
Maximization of the impact of the commercials by airing them
Continuity
times.
This results in litle waste
Products are not advertised during the off-season.purchasing
Dct
" cycle period.
advertising is concentrated during the best
since
'bursting")
3. Flighting Scheduling Pattern (also called heavy
alternates advertising across months, with all in Concentration
advertising in certain months and no advertising at
which the
other months. Any period of time during
period of
messages are appearing is called a flight, and a
advertising inactivity is usually called a hiatus. For example, UFghting
brand could
with a given budget of 12,00,000 a year a months
spend 200,000 per month during cach of following
November;, and
- January, March, May, July. September and impact of advertising in
spend nothing during the other months, in hopes that theTo another example,
month can last into the following month.
the previous Pulsing
sof chocolates
advertising for the giftRakshabandhan,
packs of o Diwali, sold by Cadburys is mostly done during
the festive seasons of Bhai Dooj, Christmas and New Year,
when it is known that many people buy gifts for the festivals
Advantages: Figure 7.1: Spread of Advertising Expenditure under various methods of Media
" The advantage of the flighting technique is that
it allows an advertiser who Scheduling
does not have funds for running spots continuously to conserve money
key strategic
Maximization ofthe impact of the commercials by airing them at
times.
 Meda Decisions
Advertising 711
7.10
as discussed above. Figure 7.2 shows a hypothetical med:a schedule for a new car
Factors Affecting Media Scheduling Decisions introduction.
Which scheduling method is the most appropriate for a given campaign depends on
several important factors which are discussed below. Je febNa AgryJte Jety ASeot 0t NeDec
I. Seasonality: The first, and most important, factor is sales seasonality. Companies Hedlum
don't advertise leather coats in summer and suntan lotions in winter. Likewise,
some sell faster around specific holidays, such as flowers on Valentine's Otleor ed
trst dvetdog
Day, Chocolate Gift Packs on Rakshabandhan and Diwali, and ornaments around Heupoper
Diwali and the wedding season. n. Companies with seasonal products Saare more likely Caprt cingE
to choose light seheduling to concentrate their advertising for the peak sales season. Teletdoe
Other goods, however, such as everyday products like milk and toothpaste, may
lack a seasonal pattern. Everyday goods may be better advertised following the
continuity approach. Media planners can use a breakduwn of sales by month to
identify if their brand has seasonal fluctuations, which can serve as a guide for the
allocation. They can allocate more money to high sales months and less to low. Ipriae
sales months. Ragarine1 SRSARS

2. Product Purchase Cycle: The second factor that affects advertising scheduling is Iaarie 2
the product purchase cycle, that is, the interval bet ween two purchases. Fast-moving
consumer goods such as bread, soft drinks and soaps require continuous weekly
advertising in a competitive market to constantly reinforce brand awareness and
influence frequently-made purchase decisions. In contrast, less-frequently purchased Figure 7.2: Hypothetical Media Schedule for a New Car Introduction
products such as a vacuum cleaner may only need advertising a few times a year.
STEP V: DECIDING ON GEOGRAPHICAL MEDIA ALLOCATION
that affects
3. Interval between Decision Making and Consumption: The third factor
media scheduling is the time interval between when the purchase decision is made In addition to allocating advertising by media category, media planners must allocate
and when a product or service is actually bought and consumed. For example, many advertising by geography. In general, a company that sells nationally can take one of three
the actual
familiesswho take summer vacations may plan their trips months before approaches to geographic spending allocation:
trips. That is, they make purchase decision in advance. Thus, travel industry (i) a national approach (advertise in all markets),
advertisers will schedule their ads months before the summer. Advertising has to
be in sync with the time of decision making, instead of the actual consumption (ii) a spot approach (advertise only in selected markets), or
time. (ii) a combined national plus spot approach (advertise in
4. Buyer Turnover turnovet expresses the rate at which new buyers enter the all markets with additional spending in selected
te
market. The higher t more continuous tthe advertising should be.
rate, the markets)

5. Forgetting Rate: The forgetting rate is the rate at which the buyer forgets the brand
The higher the forgetting rate, the more continuous the advertising should be.
Media Scheduling decision also involves a micro-scheduling problem. The micro-scheduling
problem calls for allocating advertising expenditures within ashort period to obtain maximum
impact. Suppose a firm decides to buy 30 radio spots in the month of june. Advertising
messages for the month can be concentrated between the 15 to the 20 day of the month,
or dispersed dcontinuously throughout the month, or dispersed intermittently during the
concentration, continuity, flighting and pulsing scheduling methods
month following the econ
For instance, a company makes "national buys (ie. chooses a
national approach) when it places ads in nationally circuBated
magazines. it makes "spot buys" (ie. uses the spot approach)
when it buys space in regional editions of magazines.
Media planners will choose a national approach if sales are
relatively uniform across the country, such as for Surf Excel detergent powder or Maruti
Alto car. A national approach will reach a national customer base with a nationai
 Advertising siedia Decisions 7.13
7.12

advertising program. For many other products, however, a company's customersmore

are Write short notes on:

concentrated in a limited subset of geographic areas, which makes a spot approach (a) Continuity Scheduling Pattern
efficient. For example, the sale of tractors is much higher in the agricultural states of India
like Punjab, Haryana, etc. A spot approach will target these states and not the other
(b) Concentration Scheduling Pattern
states (c) Flighting Scheduling Pattern
(d) Pulsing Scheduling Patern
8. Discuss the various factors affecting media scheduling decisions
CONCLUDING NOTE 9. Name three products each which use the

(a) Contínuity Scheduling Pattern

today's advertising industry
Media planners are playing an increasingly important role in and
of new media options the increased complexity (b) Concentration Scheduling Pattern
because of the continuing proliteration
consideration of the various dimensions of a media plan be
of media decisions. A careful category (c) Flighting Scheduling Pattern
eeg on the desired areach. trequency and impact, choosing aparticular media (d) Pulsing Scheduling Pattern
in, selecting specific media vehicde, deciding when to advertise or selecting
to
raphical areas to be covered by advertising - can produce a plan which can help in
the geographical 10. The ultimate goal of media planning is to place the message before the target audience
cflectively In the light of this statement, develop an effective media plan or a consumer
achieving advertising objectives. durable product. (CBCS, 2017)

1. Explain the various scheduling patterns. Suggest ascheduling pattern that would best suit the
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
national level advertiser of a durable product. (CBCS, 2017)

are the various decisions to be

What do you mean by the term 'Media Planning'? What
taken whiie drawing the media plan of an organisation?
(CBCS, 2017)
Write short notes on the following in context of media planning:
(a) Reach
(b) Frequency
(c) Impact
(d) GRP
(e) TRP
() CPM
3. What are the implications of using a media concentration approach and a media dispersion
approach?
media
4. Discuss the various quantitative and qualitative criteria in choosing between different
vehicles.
5. What is meant by sclectivity with regard to purchase of advertising media? Discuss the various
(CBCS, 2017)
ways magazines offer selectivity to advertisers
6 What do you mean by media scheduling? What are the various
scheduling mnethods that an
advertiser may choose from for advertising his product?