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Masters of media
Media planners decide which vehicles can best deliver a message, says Pranab Ghosh
Media planners are the backbone of an advertising agency. They ensure that a client’s marketing communication reaches its target audience at the least possible expenditure.
An ineffective media plan will take the wind out of even the most creative advertisements. “Media planners combine creative thinking with factual analysis to develop appropriate strategies,” says Gaurav Dikshit, media controller, media direction, RK Swamy BBDO. “They apply knowledge of the media and communication platforms to identify the most appropriate vehicle for building awareness. They work with the press, television, radio and new media, in particular the Internet, as well as more unusual platforms (cell phone, viral e-mail etc).”
“The role of a media planner is very important (in a campaign), as he has to decide on the media mix and, thereby, is responsible for the distribution of budget,” adds Dikshit, 28, who joined Group M Team LG as a media intern in 2004, at a pay of Rs 10,000 per month. Today, he earns about Rs 70,000 per month.
With the proliferation of media vehicles, the scope of a media planner’s work has greatly expanded. “In today’s scenario, a media planner is also a brand planner, one who works closely with the brand manager,” points out Dikshit. “His role includes analysing target audiences, reading market trends and understanding the motivation of consumers,” he adds.
However, good media planners are hard to come by in India. “That’s because no university/college offers a specialised course in media planning and this is the most non-glamorous part of advertising,” says Eeshita Ghosh, business director, MediaCom.
Moreover, many planners have moved into other, related fields, thereby creating a constant gap in supply, says Hemant Choudhhry, strategy and media planning head, Brand Serve. Inadequate training adds to the lack of able manpower. “There are few planners and a lot of work, so there is little time for training the existing planners, resulting in less exposure to evolving technologies,” points out Choudhhry.
But for a good planner, the employment pasture is big — s/he can work in a marketing company as communication consultant, liaising with media agencies, or join a TV channel, planning campaigns for programmes aired on that channel, says Shan Jain, vice-president, media direction, specialist media services group, RK Swamy BBDO.
Tight deadlines, long hours and the constant fight for better return on investment (ROI) are some of the challenges facing the profession. “Lack of research for outdoor/online/mobile advertising make it difficult to measure the ROI,” says Choudhhry. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly complex to figure out the right media mix, given the growing number of media options, he says. However, it is this ever-expanding media scene in India that makes a planner’s profession so dynamic and thriving.
What’s it about?
Media planning is broadly to find solutions for:
Reach: Which media would carry the message to the biggest chunk of the target audience
Frequency: How many times should the ad appear for the desired consumer response
Impact: How effectively can a message be conveyed for generating interest in a product
Continuity: For what period should the media presence remain for generating awareness
Clock Work
Schedules change, but it could be something like this:
10 am: Reach office
10.15 am: List jobs for the day
10.30 am: Meet the team
11 am onwards: Speak to the client(s) for any media requirements
Noon: Meeting with media partners (publications/TV channels etc)
1.30 pm: Lunch
2.30 pm Meetings continue
3.30 pm: Do research and analyse data
4.30 pm: Plan media vehicles for advertising
9 pm: Call it a day, if lucky
The Payoff
At entry level, a media trainee can earn Rs 2.5 lakh to
Rs 3.5 lakh per annum. At the mid level, that is with experience of around eight years, a media planner can earn Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per annum. After about 15 years in the business, this could go up to Rs 15 to Rs 20 lakh per annum. From here, the level is ‘super senior’ or ‘top management’ and the pay package can be anything from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore per annum
Skills
. Ability to analyse data. A sense of numbers and a sense of cost and cost-efficiency
. Ability to write reports and presentations
. Strong organisational skills
. Strong interpersonal, negotiation and communication skills, for liaising with
colleagues, clients and media owners
. The ability to work with information technology resources such as databases and
spreadsheets, for the collection and management of information
. A good understanding of media types and a skill set for innovative thinking
How do i get there?
To enter the field of advertising and media planning you will have to do a course in advertising and then specialise in media planning.
You could also take another route, by doing MBA and specialising in marketing. A course in economics, mathematics or statistics is often helpful. This lets a person delve into demographic and psychographic reports and to analyse data. Since a contemporary media planner has to work with electronic media models, relevant knowledge of these is essential
Institutes & urls
. IIMC (Indian Institute of Mass communication) New Delhi
www.iimc.nic.in
. MICA (Mudra Institute of communication - Ahmedabad)
www.mica-india.net
. SIMC, Pune,
www.simc.edu/
. NIA, Delhi,
www.niaindia.org/
. All IIMs and A-level management institutes
Pros & Cons
. It is not just working with numbers but enjoying the challenge and charm of
working on brand strategy, consumer insight, research, surveys etc
. The tight deadlines are nerve-wracking
The problem of plenty
An industry expert talks about the challenges facing the profession
How important is the role of a media planner in an ad agency?
It’s as important as you want to make it.
The role consists of a number of responsibilities, which include managing relationships with both client and media owners; planning future activity that would best suit the client, in the traditional media; testing new media and routes to market; managing the planners/buyers and trainee planners/buyers beneath them and ensuring that their clients receive a high standard of service; negotiating the best possible price for the client for the activity they are undertaking.
Most entrants in media planning start as trainees, joining a team of senior planners and buyers, working on a portfolio of accounts and learning on the job. Planning executives usually progress to become established planners or buyers after about a year. A senior or management position means more responsibility.
How does a media planner ensure that every penny the client spends gets the desired return?
Most advertising/media companies have a process that must be followed for optimisation of the money being spent. It is very important to follow that process stringently.
The process broadly includes optimisation at planning stage, buying stage and at implementation stage. The desired result is obtained by constantly monitoring the effect of the campaign on the marketing objectives and providing the right feedback, bettering the process in a dynamic way.
What are the challenges facing this profession?
The biggest challenge facing a communication consultant or a media planner is the effective management of chaos that exists in this era of media fragmentation and proliferation, with increased audience choice and aversion to ads.
A media planer has to ensure that the advertising message reaches the target audience in the most effective manner. In this world of plenty, the consumer has become elusive, making the job very challenging.
Shan Jain Interviewed by Pranab Ghosh
