Media Management: The Value It Brings to a Brand. - Issue: 2004 Qtr 4
For some, buying media is a lot like buying a car. It’s all about finding the best “deal.”
For example, let’s say you’re in the market for a vehicle that will service a family of five. So you go shopping. One dealer wants to sell you a 4–door SUV for $30,000. Another dealer tells you their station wagon on the lot is perfect for you at $22,500. While yet another has a 4 x 4 extended cab truck with lots of storage room plus passenger seats for the kids, all for under $25,000.
On the surface, the station wagon may seem like the best overall value. But which vehicle will really service the family’s needs the best? And what about safety ratings, fuel efficiency and winter driving performance? Only through a complete analysis of the options can one really make an informed decision.
However, unlike buying a car, which you can easily research on your own by shopping around, reading car ads, comparing models on the Internet, and reading Consumer Reports, media planning and management is a much more involved strategic process that requires experience and training.
Sure, anyone can buy anything — including media — if they have the money. But buying the media outlet with best price is not always the wisest decision.
That’s where media planning and management comes in. It’s the logic behind the numbers — an ongoing process — that takes the discipline full circle. After defining the business objectives and target audiences for the plan, here are the important steps involved in the process:
- Setting up a Culture of Understanding — This is perhaps the most important step of all. Establishing an overarching planning process that integrates media planning with marketing strategy, creative direction and brand communication objectives.
- Auditing Media Outlets — Most trade and consumer publications are audited every six months, radio is audited quarterly, and television, depending on the market, is audited four to six times a year. Investigating and evaluating media outlets via these BPA and ABC audit reports for all appropriate media is basic to developing a media plan.
- Aligning Media Selections with Marketing Objectives — Skilled media planners know how to look at reach and frequency and purchase media based on impressions–to–purchase–cycle. They will look beyond “the deal” presented by a particular media outlet, crunch the numbers — specifically CPMs (cost per thousand), and make skilled selections based on target audiences and stated objectives.
- Media Planning, Implementation and Maintenance — How many times do you need to advertise throughout a year? Depending on the circumstances, media planning and implementation are best approached with a yearly schedule, which also enables further negotiation for a better per–placement rate. Ongoing management of that schedule occurs throughout the year and involves staying on top of readership data and evaluating media outlets for editorial and news content, graphic integrity and readership results. If there’s a slip in any of these areas, there may be cause for a change in the media plan. And if a certain number of placements are dropped from a schedule, this can result in a short rate.
- Media Decisions in a Marketing Context — And what about those sudden media opportunities that come up from time to time? How should those be evaluated and fit into the media mix? In the context of the overall brand strategy. If the opportunity reaches an appropriate audience, complements the brand position and is a good value, then it might make sense. It might also be an excellent opportunity to test the media vehicle for future long–term planning. It’s not about the “cost,” it’s about the “fit.”
- Value–Added and Merchandising — Looking for special opportunities translates into added value for clients’ brands. Things like premium positioning, website banners, literature files, special outserts on magazine distribution at trade shows and more. These can be explored to boost overall brand awareness, or to help meet certain objectives, e.g. reach new markets or gain leads. An experienced media planner will negotiate — as part of the overall plan — the best value–added opportunities for clients. It’s only value–added if it integrates with the marketing/media objectives — not just because the media says it’s value–added.
- Media Analysis — How do you know if your media decisions have been effective? Only by taking a media plan full circle — evaluating the results via a post–buy analysis and other metrics established with the stated objectives — can one truly realize the full value of media planning. This analysis also provides the basis for any course correction that may be necessary.
In summary, making smart media choices shouldn’t be a game of “Let’s Make a Deal.” It’s a discipline that’s strategic and always focused on the best “media–brand” fit.
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