Media Planning Process by B. Sridhar on 26/08/2103

Media Planning Process is like Economics, for:

It is all about managing scarce resources
It is all about maximising ROI
It is all about making the right or optimal choices

Had it been any other way then, it wouldn't be Media Planning;

No '          ' of resources or ROI issues, we'd all have to make fewer choices. It would seem more like Media Allocation than Planning.

Managing scarce resources : Maximisation of Investment Returns and Allocation of tasks in an intelligent way.

We have more than 2000 Daily Newspaper to chose from...

To optimise our resources, we've to be omnipresent an unusual scenario.

An art or is it a science?


Science has:

• Great amount of logic in it?

• Great amount of measurability.

Art :

• 2 people working on a single plan. 

• Imperative need for salience.

• Creative thinking vital.  

 Typically the Front Page - image of a special edition to reach out to a large member of audience.

Segregating on the basis of priority.

Contextual Communication: Gmail has ads specific to accounts, depending on the content of their emails, both sent and received.

An art and science together.

• Many approaches. 
• Great amount of logic.
• More optimum solutions (akin to, making the best out of the solution) than best solutions. 

Acceptable level of statistical '       '

Key Divisions Areas in Media Planning

• How do you reach to an audience?

• How much do you invest? 

Airtel : Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hain was a campaign that was undoubtedly and unmistakably targeted at the youth. It was easy to relate to, Omnipresent. It was the only thing you'd hear, everywhere. It was present more prominently in areas where the young/youth were present in bigger numbers. At a sports event, at a music concert, at the movie halls. They didn't place the ad/campaign  in spiritual channels or a business news channels etc, 

Contrast the environment of a general entertainment channel to that of a sports channel, or a music channel or a news channel. You'll see that it caters to very different demographic. Thus according to target audience, the content will vary. So will the advertisements.

The Process 

Brief

Necessary for measurement of the plan.  A formal document carefully prepared in conjunction. A good brief is half the work done.  Eg: A tailor might need a brief of 15 minutes (design, material, measurements) to take up the task of outlining the clothes which would require only 5 minutes to tailor the said clothes after the said process. 

A Budget of 100 Crores typically will be split in this fashion:

20 Crores --> Printing, Promotions, Dealer Promotions, Making of the TVCs

80 Crores --> Goes into media planning. 

Media Brief Inputs

1. Business purpose of the campaign 

                                                        --> To increase sales, volumes from x to y. 

                                                        --> Or to maintain at xy volumes. 

Market Communications that are issue related, other than sales related. 

With respect to elections; It is to ask the audience to exercise their franchise to vote. 

• What stance does one need to have?
• What is the challenge that is posed in front of us?

Cause related campaign like the case of India being unsafe for women, in order to erase that fear at least some percentage of the women population. 

Should the business purpose be be only quantitative? 

Google: Strong disposition of the brand

                                                             --> intense engagement. People cannot do without it. 

Qualitative: Re-instating a positive image of the brand. 

2. Market Background 

Includes sales trends, brand awareness, brand '   ', pricing and recent advertising history. 

• Knowledge of the industry

• Trends operating 

• Market situation    

                                      

Mobile phones 15 years back were a status symbol, advertisement were on air only on channels whose audience was made up of the upper- class. It isn't the case anymore. 

3. Brand Positioning

                               --> Implications in Media

• Vodafone's Network follows you...

It made sense to advertise in travel magazines. Positioning of the brand is again, omnipresent. 

• Insurance Brands : LIC won't advertise for Splitsvilla but will do so on a GEC in one of the popular soaps' slots. 

it is all about how you want your brands to be perceived by your consumers. 

• 7UP - Thirst quencher, refresher, energy drink, 

• Thums Up  is all about attitude thus it only makes sense that they advertise or sponsor to Man v/s Wild

                        

 Competitive Set 

Identifying the brands that compete in advertising and sales terms with your brand directly. 

The thirst for an aerated drink

                                              --> If not available, then consumer opts for juices and only then water . 

                                              --> Status symbol 

                                              --> The impending need, and how the brand satisfies that very need. 

Nimbu paani could very well be a competition to Pepsi. it becomes very important that you know whom you're competing with or against rather, as to what is their marketing strategy, is it better and if so how? 

Even when it comes to Social Sector : CRY (Child Relief and You) has it's own communications that basically try to address the problem of mobilising new sources of funds. They're essentially competing with other NGOs that have different agendas, like that of an old age home, one that houses lepers and some such, all these are essentially in the sense of the term, competition to CRY. 

5. Marketing Objectives and Strategies

State your objectives for the coming year including volume, sales, targets, etc. Wherever possible. Attaching your brand plans to the brief would be very helpful. 

Marketing Objective                                      V/S                                      Business Objective     

Increase the usage of brand amongst                                                 Core of Marketing Objective 

existing customers.

A subset of Business Objective.                                                                   Increase sales 

                                                                                                                                          --> Like convincing the customer to bush twice a day instead of once. Implications vis a vis the media:

--> Frequency (timing of the day) If aired at night, the consumer is more influenced towards brushing at night. 

--> Expand the time frame for the prospective audience. 

--> Great emphasis on kids channels (for they consume larger amount of chocolates than adults)

--> To attract the attention of a housewife (on a General Entertainment Channel) so as to help her include another tube in her monthly list of utilities in sync with the monthly purchase cycle. 

6. Key Marketing Issues. 

Details could be any issues you anticipate for e.g. in packaging, pricing, trade issues including likely timings, it is an extension of Marketing Objectives and Strategy 

Hutch turned from Orange to Pink, before it turned Red for Vodafone. 

7. Advertising Objectives      

These issues should describe in the simplest of terms what each separate element of this advertising is meant to do.. 

P.S. Much, much thanks to the ever wonderful Savy for lending me her notes, I might have missed quite a few points, if so do point it out, I missed out on this class because I completely forgot about it *facepalm* and also damn is there so, much to type...