Understanding about Media Buying.....

A campaign is successful only if it has a path breaking message to communicate which is time lined and easy to eyes and mind, we understand it’s surely an intrusion to a viewer but it’s our source for survival.

A creative turns out to be an effective campaign if it is backed by an effective media plan, and the backbone of every media plan is the deals done by the agency with the respective media.

Media Buying is a specialized skill, which requires knowledge of your target clients, consumer behavior, the media, and the criteria used to measure the value of TV, Print and radio programming.

A media buyer has many dimensions to his job, he is responsible to scrutinize a media plan made by the planner and give him options to optimize the plan. At times he will suggest the planner to change some programs or channel for a better output. He is well aware of the programs and the channels that are performing better than the rest. If he sees that the program is dropping its rating points then he may suggest reiterating the plan and suggesting the planner with alternatives best suitable to the plan.

A media buyer should have an eagle’s eye and keep a track of the upcoming properties and innovations so that the client gets the first advantages and helps hold the account. He is the one who takes care that the spots are run on time and if any make good has to happen. He keeps a track of all the campaigns and periodicals done on daily basis and submits reports and validations to the client.A media buyer should know enough about the key buying criteria to be in control and make the purchase decisions based on the proposals. A media buyer should present with a media plan laying out what types of media are being bought, how many people they are expected to reach, how often they are expected to reach this audience and the cost of each element of the plan. One should evaluate the plan.
A media buyers use their leverage and experience to negotiate media time and space at well below the published costs or "rack rate." They may also negotiate for bonus weight. One should evaluate the results of these negotiations to see how close the firm is holding to the plan and to make suggestions for value-added possibilities.

The most important aspect and the key thumb rule are to maintain a good relationship with the media houses.
After the launch of the campaign is complete, media buyer or advertising firm should provide with a post-buy analysis that shows how close they came to meeting or exceeding the objectives of the media plan.
Finally you can't have good advertising without a good client and you can't keep a good client without good advertising.

Media Planning - What I think

Media planning requires matching the target audience to the appropriate media. Once the target audience is identified, selection is made based on the profiles of various media that is available, while also evaluating cost.

It’s the decisions made by advertisers which determine what media to use for an advertising campaign and to make the most effective use of each medium, within the limits of the media budget. It is also the series of decisions involved in the delivery of an advertising message to prospective purchasers or users of a product or service.

A very traditional approach to start your media plan would be to define a target group in terms of demographics. The most common demographic variables are those that are related to age, sex and socio-economic class.

Today the consumers are being exposed to numerous messages of varied types of products and services available. Each of these products or service claims to be the best option/choice for the consumer. He is being bombarded with these messages at every step, every place he/she goes.

Thus, an advertiser essentially needs to know whether the information delivered by him has reached the target audience or not. He needs to find out if the message was understood and retained by the consumer. Recall by the consumer is of utmost importance. In addition to recall a marketer needs to understand the consumer’s perception and change in behavior caused by the communication of the product/service or by the competitors.

But the scope of media planning is more than just understanding the consumer. In every aspect related to advertising, brand management and marketing one needs to understand the Core Target Audience to plan the communication accordingly. Media planning is one step in the entire advertising process. It is not only important to have the best creative layout, the most appropriate message or the most monies invested. It’s all futile if not delivered to the right people at the right time.