For any media execution to succeed, you need a strategy, you need a plan. This is the theoretical solution to your business and media problems. It is essential that we have a strong process behind our media strategy and planning to cover all bases in our efforts to find the best media solutions for our business challenge.
Most of us define strategy as a general plan that aims to solve a business challenge. As such, it is understandable that the terms ‘strategy’ and ‘planning’ are often used interchangeably. That said, it might help to differentiate ‘strategy’ and ‘planning’ so that we can better organise and enrich our efforts to build a strong media plan.
Media Strategy
Media strategy is about finding the ‘big idea’ using research and insights available to set precedence for media planning. Strategy helps to guide the media planning process such that our media efforts work in harmony and ladder up to the same goal.
The media strategy aims to build a theme or mission statement which begins with “Everything we do in media must …”
For example, a strategy for Doritos’ ‘Another Level’ campaign might have led to a mission statement which goes something like “Everything we do in media must incite curiosity and create meaning with simplicity and minimalism,” or could take a more condensed and punchy form with “Everything we do in media must be anti-advertising.” This would lead to planning for more partnerships and content heavy media executions as opposed to regular ad forms.
It is important to remember that media strategy must take creative and branding direction into consideration. It can influence the creative or branding direction, or be guided by it. This reiterates the need for various facets of marketing work in harmony.
Media Planning
Media planning involves selecting the most effective media placements and determining the best way of using these media placements to achieve a media objective. Media planning follows the guidance of the media strategy to ensure that the selection and use of media is cohesive and works together to achieve a common goal.
To summarise, media strategy is the overarching theme for our media activity, while media planning is an executable scheme that reinforces the theme from the media strategy.
Media Planning modules:
Media Strategy
Media Approach and Recommendation
Media Objectives and The Funnel
Targeting and Audiences
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