SPMA 3P95

March 14th 2023

Section 1
Week 9: Advertising and Media Planning
Readings:

 Davis & Hilbert. “Traditional advertising” (pg. 258-273) and “Social & digital…” (278-
299)
 (on Sakai) Carr. “How bad do you want a hockey puck?”
5 marketing communications key activities:
1. Set realistic objectives for growth, market share, customers, and brand. (This should be
found in your marketing plan).
2. Identify traditional and non-traditional media modes (TV/radio/social media/etc.) that
most effectively achieve objectives (i.e., Getting the word out to your target market).
3. Implement your advertising.
4. Measure its effectiveness.
5. Adjust your media planning for the future.
Advertising planners consider such questions as…

 How many prospects do I need to reach?

 In which media modes should I place the ads?
 How often should prospects see/hear each ad? (ex. times a month).
 When should an ad appear? (ex. in what months).
 Where should the ads appear? (ex. in what markets or regions?).
 How much money should be spent in each mode?
Strengths of various media modes:

 TV: People can see actual demonstrations of the product/service (a vacuum cleaner
without bags or filters? NO WAY!).
 Radio: Relatively inexpensive (great if repetition is required).
 Newspaper: Huge reach; highly loyal readers (tend to read same paper every day);
ability to provide lots of detailed info if necessary; couponing ability.
 Magazines: Very high image quality; speciality magazines often bought mainly for the
ads (Today’s Bride, GQ, etc.).
 Direct Marketing: Targeted (can be personalized); good for presenting lots of detailed
info; motivates a reply.
 Outdoor Ads: Repetition of simple messages.
  Other innovative ways to deliver messages (ex. urinal pucks): Creative possibilities might
generate “buzz”.
 Advertising planning often comes down to reach and frequency.
 Is one Globe & Mail ad reaching 200,000 people equal to two National Post ads reaching
100,000?
Is there a cheaper way to promote?

 Ads are one way to promote your org.

 Ads can cost more than other forms of promotions (like public relations) that might be
more labor intensive.
o (ex. Niagara IceDogs have had a booth at Welland Rose Festival staffed with
unpaid interns. More cost-effective than newspaper ads?)
Measuring advertising effectiveness

 Researchers often do this through recall, where folks are first asked if they remember
certain ads, then possibly to remember details about the product/service.
 The more people who remember the ad and its contents, the most effective the ad is
thought to be.
 However, this is an inexact science – just because you remember all the cool Super Bowl
ads, will you actually start using those products?
Prof. Hyatt’s personal experience:

 Pittsfield Mass. is serviced by two newspapers: Berkshire Eagle and Pittsfield Gazette.
 Pittsfield Mets routinely placed ads in both papers.
 One day, Mets mgt. asked, “is one better than the other”?
 How could you find out?