Back to School on Media Planning

We all know that the world of media has changed We no longer simply plan and buy against three linear TV networks a handful of magazines and newspapers and some radio stations It39s a lot more complicated now and sometimes it seems like we have a whole new jargon dictionary to deal with including terms that we never used to think about from viewability and brand safety to overthetop OTT and programmatic buyingConsumers are at the heart of this change While their media consumption has indeed shifted considerably over the past five or 10 years our task as media experts really remains the same That is we still seek to deliver our clients39 brand messages to the right people at the right moment in the right place Those targets and moments and places have all shifted so we now have a broader media palette from which to choose It39s not just quotTVquot it39s linear versus OTT versus connected It39s no longer quotradioquot it39s traditional versus digital audio versus podcastsYet for all the focus on the new and the now some fundamentals should not be forgotten For example media objectives which are still typically defined in terms of reach and frequency need to be aligned with a brand39s broader advertising and marketing objectives Understanding the consumer journey or path to purchase continues to be critical to campaign success And measurement both of media audience delivery and campaign outcomes is not only more important than ever but also more attainableGiven all of that here are a few thoughts about the ABCs of today39s media planning and buyingActivation Have you ever wondered how media buying happens today That is once the perfect plan has been developed and enthusiastically approved by the client and targeted relevant ad messages are created then whatToday39s media buying is increasingly automated In most digital media channels that means fully programmatic where volumes of information about potential audiences from first or thirdparty sources are gathered in a data management platform DMP Ad exchanges aggregate data across DMPs and allow buyers to bid on the inventory available through demandside platforms DSPs with a specific ad unit sold to the highest bidderEven traditional media including linear TV now allows buyers to utilize more datadriven and increasingly automated solutions through ventures such as Hudson MX OpenAP and Xandr By letting software handle the rote tasks of the process we can focus more on the strategic and human element of media planning and buyingBehavior In the early days of media planning and buying amp8212 and to some extent even today amp8212 we often rely on surrogate measures of what consumers are actually doing Did our target audience buy our brand of cereal Let39s survey a representative sample of the population and ask them How many people saw our TV ad on The Bachelor We look at the percentage of people watching that program who match the agegender group of our target again based on a nationally representative sample panelHowever what we really want to know amp8212 and increasingly can find out amp8212 is how many individuals in our target audience who saw our client39s ad in the NBA Finals went instore or online to search for or buy the product Did those who liked our client39s Instagram post show up at a dealership or go see that movie By focusing more on the behavior part of consumer behavior we can create more compelling personalized experiences at scale that show how media delivers results for our brandsCustomer Journey The notion of using different ads amp8212 and different media amp8212to reach consumers at different points in their path to purchase is certainly not new Traditionally planners and buyers visualized this journey as a funnel with broadbased awarenessgenerating media channels such as television or magazines at the top and directresponse type channels at the bottom generating an actual sale such as a coupon in a newspaper or a piece of direct mailToday thanks in large part to digital and social media it39s pretty hard for a new brand to not generate some level of awareness though not necessarily through paid media Advances in measurement approaches such as multitouch attribution have enabled us to gain a deeper understanding of how media individually and collectively can drive business outcomes We have learned that television is not only good for generating awareness or brand preference but also for actual store sales Search is critical for driving people into a store or ecommerce site and for enhancing the impact of radio or print adsAlthough our plans and buys may still happen somewhat in media channel silos it is more important than ever to think holistically about the consumers a brand wants to reach amp8212 and do so across multiple platformsClick the social buttons to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Back to School on Media Planning

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Helen Katz

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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Back to School on Media Planning

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Helen Katz

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