Have advertising media plans lost the art behind the planning and buying process? I used to like to say that the reason I had gotten into media planning and buying was that it sort of combined my interest in both the artistic and the numbers side of things. But lately, it seems it’s all about the numbers. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of numbers involved in planning media schedules, but I think that there needs to be a balance. A good plan that’s brainstormed ahead of time and considers all elements, can go a long way.
The other thing is, with the number of media outlets and people creating content nowadays, the media has sort of lost its star appeal. Now, it seems anyone with a camera phone can become their own star. An article in the Harvard Business Review a handful of years ago foresaw how social media was beginning to weaken branding for companies. Read more here. I’m not against social media, I just think that everything needs to have its place in the media plan.
Although written almost a decade ago, this article from the New York Times focuses on brands that saw the importance of art in their marketing. New York Times.
There are some brands that are using artistic strategies in their plans. Here is a link to the 2021 Media Plans of the Year from Adweek. You’ll see how they used creative ideas and multiple mediums to implement their plans. Hopefully, these examples will spark some artistic ideas.
