SELECTING, BUYING MEDIA

SELECTING
MEDIA
CLASSES
 Selecting media classes
(Intermedia comparisons)

Comparing media

To make decisions about media classes, a

planner must make intermedia
comparisons – that is, comparisons among
different media.

Comparisons among media vehicles in the

same class – such as among Magazines A,
B, and C – are called intermedia
comparisons. Intermedia comparisons
should precede intermedia comparisons
 Consumer media classes

• Newspaper
• Internet displays
• Newspaper supplements
• Television
• Cable
• Product placement TV
• Radio
• Magazines
• Sponsored search
• Mobile advertising
• Direct mail
• Outdoor advertising
• Transit media
• Out-of-home video
Analyzing consumer media classes
(Newspaper)

Reasons to use Limitations

Sense of immediacy Lack of target audience

Local emphasis Selectivity

Flexibility High cost

Limited coverage
Variation in color quality
 Cross-media
(Multimedia integration)

Cross-media (also called multimedia

integration) partnerships have received a great
deal of coverage in the trade press.

The basic idea of cross-media planning is the

assembly of a select number of different media
for the purpose of reaching specific target
audiences for clients.

The media are put together as a package that

can include network television, cable,
magazines, the Internet, and other media,
tailored to meet diverse target audience needs
Intermedia comparisons for nonmeasured media

A non-measured medium is one that lacks a periodic measure of who is exposed

to it by a recognized research firm.

Often a nontraditional medium will hire a reputable firm like Nielsen to conduct
a one-time-only study that provides its demographics and exposure metrics.

Unfortunately, even reputable firms are suspected of being biased in favor of the
company that pays for the research, because the company has a vested interest
in the outcome: the way the sample is chosen, the way the questions are asked,
the particular location chosen, and the time of year can all be selected to paint
the most optimistic picture
 Media mix

When more than one medium is used, the

result is called a media mix, meaning that the
plan mixes a number of media classes to reach
certain target audiences

Most media plans employ a mix of media

because a single medium, such as television,
cannot reach the target market in sufficient
numbers or with sufficient impact to attain a
media objective
When to use media mix
To extend the reach of a media plan (adding prospects not exposed by using a
single medium)

To flatten the distribution of frequency so there is a more equal number of

people who are exposed to a medium for varying numbers of times

To add gross impressions, assuming, of course, that the second or third medium
is cost-efficient

To reinforce the message or help audience members remember it by using

different kinds of stimuli (a process called “creative synergy”)

To reach different kinds of audiences, perhaps differentiated by lifestyle as well as

demographics

To provide unique advantages in stressing different benefits based on the different

characteristics of each medium

To allow different creative executions to be implemented

DDB Needham Worldwide, Which media do it best?
Selecting media vehicles summary

With the exception of print and online, vehicle selection is determined primarily by
professional buyer. Although the primary factor is cost, there are other considerations
depending on the medium

For TV, the media plan specifies which dayparts are to be used, buyers select stations
and programs within those dayparts on the basis of cost (CPM), coverage, audience
composition for the age/sex targets

For radio, buyers choose stations on the basis of cost, format, average quarter hour
rating, and cumulative audience

The buyer’s goal of broadcast media is to purchase a schedule of vehicles that deliver
the planned GRPs within the authorized budget
Selecting media vehicles summary

With the exception of print and online,

vehicle selection is determined primarily by
professional buyer. Although the primary
factor is cost, there are other considerations
depending on the medium

Outdoor billboard locations are selected on

the basis of visibility, traffic flow, and market
coverage

Online websites are selected on the basis of

their composition for the target audience, the
appropriateness of the website for the
product, engagement (time spent) with the
site, CPM cost efficiency, and technical ability
to target advertising to specific audiences
Magazine buying process

Determine the list of candidate magazines

Identify the most efficient magazines

with the CPM ranker

Create a plan that delivers the most reach

for the given budget

Refine the optimal schedule to reflect

marketing judgement

Negotiation position, cost, and merchandising

with the magazine sales representative

Represent the recommended schedule

to the client and adjust as necessary
Other media values

Secondary audiences

Editorial environment

Media comparatives

Position alternatives

Advertising clutter and product

protection

Circulation trends

Advertising copy checking and

product restrictions...
 Qualitative values of media

A qualitative value is some characteristic of a

medium that enhances the chances that
advertising message carried within it will be
effective.

“We feel that magazine A reflects greater authority

and prestige than other magazines, so we
recommend purchasing x number of ads in it.”

• Reading days
• Time spent reading
• Subjective quality values
 Ad positions within media

In magazine, right-hand pages are somewhat

better than left-hand pages
Second-cover and page-one positions are
about equal and are the next best after
fourth-cover positions

In newspaper, ads near the front are considered

better than those near the back
Inside a newspaper section is better than the
last page of the section

In TV, 30-second commercial has 60-75% the

recall of a 60-second commercial, and a
15-second commercial has about 60-75% as
much recall as a 30-second commercial
Internet media vehicles

Contextual targeting

Behavioral targeting

Demographic targeting
COST AND BUDGET
 Cost considerations in buying media

The value of a media plan is related to how well it delivers the designated marketing targets at the lowest
cost with the least amount of waste

Cost-efficiency is criteria to assess the successful media plan (which terms costs per thousand gross
impressions or on net reach in other media)

Media planner’s task is to combine familiarity with media costs and delivery dynamics with the goals of
marketing plan to reach designated audiences

To ensure, media planners maintain close contact with cost mechanisms in the media marketplace
Setting the budget

Traditional methods of budget setting

Percent of sales

Competitive spending

Objective task

Expenditure per unit

Subjective budgeting
Factors in determining the size
of an advertising budget

• Assessing the task of advertising

• Long and short-term goals
• Profit margins
• Degree of product usage
• Difficulty in reaching target markets
• Frequency of purchase
• Effect of increased sales volume on
production costs
• New-product introductions
• Competitive activity
 Allocating
the advertising budget

Geographic allocations
Allot at least equal portions to the amount of sales
produced by a geographic area

Payout planning
A payout plan is a budget used in new-product
introductions requiring more money than usual to
launch a brand
 Testing & experimenting

A test is a simple piece of research in which one

measures a variable (or treatment) introduced
into the market to see what effect it has

An experiment resembles a test in that similar

markets are selected for treatments, but great
care is exerted to make sure that the markets
are equivalent