Media management – Media strategy

The advertisement is made. It’s ready to be sent out to the media. Now, what? What next?

The advertisement has to be circulated so that its customers and potential customers see it. The idea of having an advertisement in the first place is to get visibility! What is the point is no one sees it? It won’t meet the purpose!

Media planning and Advertisements are like the chicken and the egg, you can’t have an egg without the chicken and you can’t have the chicken without the egg!

Photo Credit: Google images

Hence, we arrive at our first step. Making a media strategy. A media strategy in simple words is the plan of action to achieve the desired aim and goal. Every product has a different aim/goal and a strategy has to be made in order to achieve it. Every strategy is customized on the basis of what the client wants at the end of the day.

The goal that is set by the brand can be achieved  in various ways and processes. There is never just one option that is available. It thus helps to formulate the benchmarks and parameters against which the media buys and plans can be compared and judged against. A media strategy thus helps you weigh your options and choose the best available.

Most companies have a limited budget, which they have to abide by. You can’t go overboard. They want the most they can get out of that budget and of course thoda aur chalega (a little extra will do). The job of the media planner is to give the most in whatever the budget is. However in order to achieve this it is important to know what are the options and solutions. A media strategy provides these options. You cannot decide what is best for the brand unless you have had something to compare it with.

Thus a media strategy can be defined as, “A series of compromises you are willing to make in order to achieve the desired objectives in the given budget” (from- Media Planning and Buying by Arpita Menon)

The media plan helps you decide whom you want to target, when and where through which media vehicle/s and how much. the key components that help to make a media strategy are:-

1. Defining the target group
2. Media prioritization
3. Media weights
4. Media mix
5. Media scheduling

Photo Credit: Google images

The media strategy forms the base of media plan.

When an advertisement is made it is crucial that it is placed correctly. You have to keep in mind the target audience and their preferences. It is only then, that you can make a good strategy, which would result in positive outcomes.  Media planning helps to use the money (budget) wisely with optimum results. Sometimes even more than what was expected with the given budget.

Getting more than what you should, is always better, no? :P