Advertising Media

Selection
 When a tree falls in a forest and if nobody had
seen it falling, would it have made a sound?
 In the wild forest of advertising, several trees
fall as unheard and unseen advertisements!
 A successful ad executive should help a firm
identify target markets and then find media that
reach the members of those markets in both
retail situations as well as B2B.
 Advertising Media Selection includes:
1. The Media Strategy
2. Media Planning
3. Advertising Objectives
4. Media Choices
5. Media Selection
 Media Strategy
 A media strategy is the process of analyzing and choosing media for
an advertising and promotions campaign.
 An average consumer reads or looks over only 9 of the more than
200 consumer magazines
 A radio listener usually tunes in to only 3 of the stations available in
the area
 TV viewers watch fewer than 8 of the 30 plus stations available by
satellite or cable
 An average network prime-time ratings have declined by more than
30 percent throughout the last decade (in the USA)
 Simply finding the right places to speak to potential customers is an
increasingly challenging task
 Prices for advertising time or space have
not gone down and often have risen
 Client budgets for advertising have not
kept up with inflation, yet there are
stronger demands for results and
accountability
 Media Planning
 It has to focus on consumer behavior
 It has to create plans that reflect the consumer’s
( or business’s) purchasing process
 It has to influence consumers in the marketplace

One method of addressing media planning is to

study the media choices that members of a
specific ,defined target market might make
during the course of a day.
 Examples of times people are
exposed to advertisements
1. A favorite wake-up radio station or one listened to
during the commute to work
2. A favorite morning news show or newspaper
3. Trade or business journals examined while at work
4. A radio station played during office hours at work
5. Favorite computer sites accessed during work
6. Favorite magazines read during the evening hours
7. Favorite TV shows watched during the evening hours
8. Internet sites accessed during leisure time
9. Shopping, dining, and entertainment venues
frequented
 Simply knowing the demographic details
of the target audience is not enough to
know about the media habits of the
persons included in it. The viewing
patterns of the people concerned have to
be understood so that the messages can
reach them at the best of times and
places.
 Typical components of a media
plan
 A marketing analysis – a fundamental
review of a marketing program like current
sales and market share, prime prospects
to be solicited by demographic, lifestyle,
geographic location , or product usage.
These should reflect on a compatible
pricing strategy based on the product , its
benefits, and distinguishing
characteristics, and an analysis of the
competitive environment
 An advertising analysis – about the advertising
strategy and budget to be used in meeting the
ad objectives
 A media strategy spelling out the various media
to be used and the creative considerations
 A media schedules contain details of where and
when ads will appear in individual vehicles
 Justification and summary would state the
measures of goal achievement. It also states the
rationale for each media choice.
 Media Planners and Buyers
 Several individuals are included in media
planning. Apart from account executives and
creatives, most agencies utilize media planners
and media buyers.
 The media planner formulates a media program
stating where and when to place the
advertisements. Creatives, account executives,
agencies and buyers work very closely with the
planners. Because the choices made may have a
major impact on the ads. Designed for TV,
Radio, or Print vehicles.
 In most instances, the media planner conducts research
to help match the product with the market and media.
For example if a product’s target market is 18 – to 25
year old males with college degrees who love the
outdoors, then the media must have a high percentage
of its audience in the above age group and life style
characteristics.
 Part of the media planners’ research is devoted to
gathering facts about various media; information about
newspapers and magazines in regard to their readership,
circulation, reader profiles (demographics and
psychographics as well)
 Buyers
 Media buyers are the ones who buy space
and negotiate rates , times, and schedules
for the ads. They remain in constant
contacts with the media representatives.
Typically buyers possess a great deal of
knowledge about rates and schedules.
They are aware of the special deals and
tie-ins between different media outlets
such as Radio and TV stations, magazines
with newspapers etc.
 Advertising Objectives
 In selecting the media, it is important to
review the communication objectives
established in the IMC program. These
objectives guide media selection decisions
as well as the message design.
 Several concepts or technical terms are used in
arriving at media objectives such as:

 Reach – the number of people, households, or

businesses in a target audience exposed to a media
vehicle or message schedule at least once during a
given time period. A time period is normally chosen
4 weeks. In other words how many targeted buyers
did the ad reach?

 Frequency – is the average number of times an

individual , household , or business within a
particular target market is exposed to a a particular
ad within a specified time period such as 4 weeks
 Opportunity to see (OTS) – refers to the cumulative
exposures achieved in a given frame
 Gross Rating Points (GRP) – are a measure of the impact
or intensity of a media plan. GRP is calculated by
multiplying a vehicle’s rating by the OTS or umber of
insertions of an ad. GRP gives the advertiser an idea
about the odds of the target audience actually seeing
the ad
 Cost per rating point (CPM) – is a measure of overall
expenditure associated with the ad program. Cost per
thousand (CPM) is the Rupee cost of reaching 1000
members of the media vehicle’s audience

CPM = (Cost of media buy/Total audience) x 1,000

 Hypothetical Media Plan Information for Select
Magazines
Cost for 4-color Total CPM total Rating Cost per
Magazines full page ad reader (Reach) Rating point
ship (CPRP)
(000s)

National $ 346,080 21,051 $16.44 16.1 $ 21,496

Geographic

Newsweek 780,180 15,594 50.03 12.2 63,949

People 605,880 21,824 27.76 9.4 64,455

Southern Living 11,370 5,733 1.98 2.4 4,738

965,940 13,583 71.11 10.5 91,994

Sports Illustrated
1,324,282 21,468 61.69 15.9 83,288

Time 183,216 2,205 83.09 2.3 79,659

Travel & Leisure

100,740 8,929 11.28 8.3 12,137

U.S. News &

World report
 The cost per thousand (CPM) for National
Geographic is $16.44. This means that it takes
$16.44 to reach 1,000 National Geographic
readers. Notice the CPM for Sports Illustrated is
$71.11 and for Travel & Leisure , $83.09. The
readership of Travel & Leisure is the lowest ,
and yet its CPM is the highest of all eight
magazines. In terms of cost per thousand
readers, the best is Southern Living, at only
$1.98 per thousand.
 Cost per rating Point CPRP
One critical concern is the cost of reaching a firm’s target audience.
The CPRP is a relative measure of the efficiency of a media vehicle
relative to a firm’s target market. Ratings measure the percentage
of a firm’s target market that is exposed to a show on TV or an
article in a print medium.
CPRP = Cost of media buy/vehicle’s rating
The table shown earlier was in regard to potential buyers of a 35
mm camera. CPRP as per this table for National Geographic is
$21,496. This is the average cost for each rating point or of each
1 percent of the firm’s target audience (35 mm camera buyers).
Because all readers of the magazine are not part of the target
market for the camera, CPRP does a better job of measuring the
efficiency of the ad campaign. Notice that the CPRP is the lowest
for National Geographic, Southern Living, and U.S. News & World
Report.
( Text Page 260)
 Continuity – is the exposure pattern or
schedule used in the ad campaign. Three types
of patterns used are:
 Continuous – uses media time in a steady stream
 Pulsating - marked by minimal level of
advertising at all times but at increased levels on
occasions and at intervals

 Discontinuous – ads at special intervals with

none between intervals
 Impressions – the # of gross impressions is
the total exposures of the audience to an ad. It
does not take into account what percentage of
the total audience may or may not see the
advertisement. If six insertions were given in the
National Geographic, multiplying the readership
by insertions would yield 126 million impressions
(21051000 x 6 = 126,306,000).
Achieving Advertising Objectives
 How many times a person should be
exposed to an ad? There has been an
endless debate: Some say three times and
some other opinions indicate ten times.
 Herbert Krugman put forward the three-
exposure hypothesis and many media
planners have solidly followed this
approach.
 Many however thought that the three
exposures will be too little to create enough
impressions about an ad particularly because
of the clutter that exist in modern times.
Because of clutter, the different advertising
objectives such as following would need
separate treatments:
1. Increasing brand awareness – attention getting
2. Building brand image – holding someone’s
interest long enough to make a point about
the firm’s message
 To decide upon the number of effective exposures, we
need to primarily follow two concepts:
1. Effective frequency – number of times a target
audience must be exposed to an ad; if it is to increase
brand recall so the brand name becomes a part of the
person’s evoked set
2. Effective reach – the percentage of an audience that
must be exposed to achieve a specific objective; if it is
required to increase the brand recognition, the
emphasis will be on the visual presentation of the
product and/or logo.
 The size, placement, and length of an ad too could enhance
effective frequency and effective reach.

 The number of media selected for the campaign might increase

both reach and frequency such as when both TV and Print are
simultaneously used.

 Many media companies have designed computer models based on

probability theory to optimize reach and frequency such as:
Nielsen SAVE
ADPlus
Adware
 Recency Theory
 As opposed to the three-exposure approach, the
recency theory proposes that the consumer’s
attention is selective and focused on his/her
individual need and wants. The traditional three-
exposure theory seems to capitalize more on the
intrusive value of an ad.
 Recency theory suggests that consumers have
selective attention processes as they consider
ads. They give the most attention to messages
that might meet their needs or wants.
 The closer or more recent an ad is to a purchase, the
more powerful the ad will be. Also when a consumer
contemplates a future purchase of the product being
advertised , it becomes more likely that it will receive
better recognition and notice.
 This theory then indicates wastage of money when ads
reach individuals or businesses that are not in the
market for a particular product or have no interest in it.
It also seemingly supports the argument that one ad
exposure is enough to affect an audience when that
person or business needs the product immediately.
Additional exposures may prove to be a wastage of
money.
 Media Selection
 There are many choices of advertising
media; effectively mixing these media is
an important job. All media have
advantages and disadvantages. It is
important to know how attentive
consumers are to various media. Factors
such as target audience, product category,
and media programming would all affect
how closely an ad is watched and
understood by consumers.
 Television Advertising
 Advantages  Disadvantages
1. High reach 1. Greater clutter
2. High frequency potential 2. Low recall due to clutter
3. Low cost per contact 3. Channel surfing during
4. High intrusion value commercials
(motion, sound) 4. Short amount of copy
5. Quality creative 5. High absolute cost for
opportunities ad
6. Segmentation
possibilities through
cable outlets
 Radio Advertising
 Advantages  Disadvantages
1. Recall promoted 1. Short exposure time
2. Narrower target markets 2. Low attention
3. Ad music can match station’s 3. Few chances to reach
programming national audience
4. High segmentation potential 4. Target duplication when
5. Flexibility in making new ads several stations using the
6. Able to modify ads to fit local same format
conditions 5. Information overload
7. Intimacy (with DJs and radio
personalities)
8. Mobile – people carry radios
everywhere
9. Creative opportunities with
music and other sounds
 Outdoor Advertising
 Advantages  Disadvantages
1. Able to select key 1. Short exposure time
geographic areas 2. Brief messages
2. Accessible for local ads 3. Little segmentation
3. Low cost per impression possible
4. Broad reach 4. Cluttered travel routes
5. High frequency on
major commuter routes
6. Large, spectacular ads
possible
 Internet Advertising
 Advantages  Disadvantages
1. Creative possibilities 1. Clutter on each site
2. Short lead time to send 2. Difficult procedures to
ads place ads and buy time
3. Simplicity of 3. Only for computers
segmentation owners
4. High audience interest 4. Short life span
on web site 5. Low intrusion value
5. Easier to measure 6. Hard to retain interest
responses directly of surfers
 Magazines Advertising
 Advantages  Disadvantages
1. High market segmentation 1. Declining readership (some
2. Targeted audience interest magazines )
by magazines 2. High level of clutter
3. Direct-response techniques – 3. Long lead time
coupons, Web addresses, 4. Little flexibility
Toll-free numbers 5. High cost
4. High color quality
5. Availability of special features
- scratch and sniff
6. Long life
7. Read during leisure times –
longer attention to ads
 Newspapers Advertising
 Advantages  Disadvantages
1. Geographic selectivity 1. Poor buying procedures
2. High flexibility 2. Short life span
3. High credibility 3. Major clutter (especially
4. Strong audience interest on holydays)
5. Longer copy 4. Poor quality reproduction
(especially color)
6. Cumulative volume
discounts 5. Internet competition
7. Coupons and special – with classified ads
response features
 Direct Mail
 Another major advertising medium is directly
mail; many companies send ads directly to
target markets of customers through carefully
constructed mailing lists. It is used by a variety
of firms. Direct mail provides intimacy and
personalization and therefore an impact with
direct communication with a customer that is not
possible elsewhere. Major advantage is that it
goes directly to the addressed. And the major
disadvantage is the fact it is costly, creates
clutter, and often recognized by some as some
‘nuisance’. Some call them “junk” mail too.
 Alternate Media
1. Leaflets, brochures, and carry-home menus
2. Ads on carry-home bags from retail stores
3. Ads on T-shirts and caps
4. Ads on movie trailers both in theatres and on home video rental
products
5. Small, freestanding mall signs
6. Self-run ads in motel rooms on television, towels, ice chests, and
other places
7. Yellow pages and phone book ads
8. Mall kiosk ads
9. Ads sent by fax
10. Ads shown on video replay scoreboards at sports events
11. In-house advertising magazines placed by airlines in seats
12. Ads on the walls of air ports, subway terminals, bus terminals ,
and inside cabs and buses or transit advertising
 Guerrilla Marketing
 It is a focus on low-cost, creative
strategies to reach the right people. In
this case, the marketing team looks for
ways to reach individuals and groups in a
unique way that cause them to take
notice. Small tents placed at stadiums
(cricket, soccer, Golf, etc) where small
programs of fun and frolic are arranged,
work as the platforms for spreading
messages about products and activities.