When you’re thinking about your marketing plan are you keeping in mind the Marketing Mix? This term, originally called the “four P’s” product, place, price and promotion, according to Advertising Media Planning by Jack Sissors, is used to define what you do to sell your products or services. Even though media is not specifically part of this mix it is a key element used as part of the selling process.
Media Plan: Target Audience
Media plans are most efficient when the marketer can supply the media team with a specific target audience and as much qualitative data as possible. For example, do you want to reach men who are 18 to 49, live in Portland, Oregon, and are environmentally focused? Have you done your research to find out if this is your most profitable target audience? The more specific you are, the more specific and effective the media plan can be.
Multiple Mediums: The Best Option
The Media Mix is also an important element to your overall plan. Don’t make the mistake of pouring all your dollars into one form of media. The best plan is to combine multiple mediums into one campaign. For example, if you’re running a direct mail piece, make the schedule more effective by adding radio to the mix and repeat the same message. This might be a biased opinion on my part, but I think the biggest problem I’ve seen throughout my 19 year media career is that companies put too few dollars or media mix into the campaign and then expect a huge return on a minimal investment. Or, they try to go up against a competitor who is spending a lot more in advertising but they’re expecting the same exposure. It’s like hosting a dinner party where you’ve purchased a ham but there are no drinks or side dishes at the party. Your guests might really enjoy the ham but will probably not be pleased with the missing elements.
So, spend your dollars wisely by considering the marketing mix, having a very defined target audience, planning a budget that will make an impact within your audience and using multiple forms of media.
MEDIA DEFINITION (from Media Planning-A Practical Guide by Jim Surmanek)
Cost-per-point (CPP) Is the unit cost (e.g., a 30-second commercial) divided by the rating of the program in which the commercial will appear.
