Media Use (Introduction).

Adman — Sat, 02 May 2009 02:08:00 GMT

"Let me explain newspaper advertising to you," went my client's diatribe..."It is like buying real estate except you pay for the column-inch instead of the square foot. So, you need to make sure that you use every single column-inch of the ad to get the best bang for your buck..." Well... I actually agree with the sentiment that every column inch should be used to good advantage, but not by cramming every column inch with "stuff." As I explained to him, one of my favorite ads is a full page, full-color newspaper ad containing about 99.9% "white space" except for the center of the page which had a full color, life size image of a single Hershey's Kiss. The copy simply read, "In case of emergency, PULL." Ogilvy & Mather used every column inch to VERY good advantage to break through the clutter while displaying their tiny silvery product in full-living-color (color costs far more than black and white). This advertisement would have made a great outdoor billboard as the message could be understood quickly and easily. By the way, this extensive use of every single column inch in the "Little Hershey's Kisses" campaign which ran in print and broadcast media throughout most of the 1980s and '90s helped to restore Hersheys lead in the US candy industry in 1989 with a 43.5% market share from 27% in 1975.

While this full page newspaper ad was used effectively for branding, newspaper ads can also be very effective for detailed price and item listings. But, an outdoor billboard would probably not be quite so versatile due to its limited space and the fact that prospects usually have only a matter of seconds to view them at the risk of plowing into the car ahead. Hopefully, not even my previous client would consider using a 30 second television commercial for detailed price and item listings. Nor would broadcast television covering a large DMA (as noted in a previous blog entry) be used efficiently to target prospects in a small local neighborhood. Indeed, the plethora of media vehicles out there can be used to great advantage -- or misused and even totally wasted. So, before continuing my blog entries on buying specific media, I thought I would write about the "whys and wherefores" of specifying appropriate media.

While the creative department develops the concept the media planner's job is to determine which media will be most efficient and appropriate. So, an important part of our creative journey is the development of a media rationale for the creative brief. Often these decisions are obvious, but sometimes they require studious evaluation. In light of these facts, my next blog entry will contain an overview of a variety of different media and how they might be used effectively.

Broadcast Media (Part One).

Adman — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 05:57:00 GMT

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In my last blog, I mentioned that it is appropriate to think in terms of Gross Rating Points (GRPs) – not the number of spots to be purchased – when planning broadcast media buys. Here is a short demonstration using "WXYZ TV" a mock, top-ten ACNielsen DMA network affiliate.

Suppose you want to advertise a new anti-aging, fat-burning, sun-screening, appetite-reducing, muscle-toning, beautifying, sun-tanning, skin cream product (using all natural ingredients, of course) that is proven to eliminate cellulose, varicose veins and love-handles while adding years to one's life. Extensive research indicates that the primary target market is Women 18+, stay at home moms. Your client wants to first run the ads in a top-ten, spot television market before going national.

So you call the network affiliates in your test market and request availabilities (avails) in the DMA for the Female 18+ demographic -- believing that you need to run the commercial 30 times because your client -- who recently attended a one-day beauty business seminar -- told you so. You take a look at the Morning and Daytime day-parts for your Female 18+ demo for the fourth quarter.

[Television viewers are typically loyal to programs as opposed to stations. Nevertheless, I am using availabilities from a single station for demonstration purposes. The numbers are representative of an actual "top-ten" broadcast TV market.]

As you can see in the above "avail," the Female 18+ demo has dramatically different ratings and rates depending on the program. The cost per rating points (CPPs) are also quite different...even among programs specifically targeted to women.

In the avail, Program "A" (top-rated morning show 1) and program "B's" (morning show 2) adjacent time periods have different numbers when comparing 9a-10a (1.9 rating) vs. 10a-11a. (1.4 rating). The gross rate for the 9-10a slot is $350, considerably higher than the $265 rate for the 10a-11a time period... yet the CPP and CPM are lower for the 9-10a slot. This is a better buy for the Female 18+ demo as you would be reaching 44.2 thousand vs 32.1 thousand at a lower ($7.92 vs $8.26) cost per thousand (CPM).

An even better comparsion is made when comparing Program "F" (soap opera) vs Program "G" (homemaking show) which represent programming specifically targeting women. Program "F" gets a 2.7 rating for Females 18+ (reaching 64.4 thousand) while Program "G" only gets a 0.7 rating for the same demo (17.4 thousand). Program "F" has a lower CPP of $203.70 vs $250.00 for Program "G" So, Program "F" is a much better buy -- if you can afford it at $550. This simple comparison should be enough to discredit the absurd idea of buying media based on a predetermined number of spots for the simple reason that the same number of spots on one program vs another can yield vastly different reach at dramatically different costs.

A far more viable approach would be to determine how many viewers you can afford to reach with effective frequency. Since the minimum generally accepted frequency is three times, you might want to consider shooting for an even better frequency of four times. If you bought 400 GRPs, you could reach virtually 100 percent of Females 18+ viewers in your DMA with an average frequency of four times. Assuming an average morning and daytime CPP of around $220 (based on your avails) your budget would be $88,000. It would be much more common (trust me) to purchase around 100-150 GRPs per week. So, let's assume that you propose to your client that they purchase 250 GRPs for a two-week flight. At an average CPP of $220, this would result in a budget of $55,000.

A much quicker method for determining average CPPs would be to refer to SQAD. Since SQAD (pronounced "squad") is based on actual buys, it has the added benefit of providing you with a good indicator of what is actually being negotiated and paid vs what is presented by the respective stations on their avails. In addition to being a helpful negotiating tool, SQAD might also be helpful in determining desirable test markets based on average CPP data -- in consideration of buying power index data and other marketing research. At Davis Advertising, Inc., we strive to beat SQAD by a significant amount.

Your job as a media buyer is now cut out for you -- get your client as much "bang for the buck" as possible by negotiating rates and developing a schedule -- using avails from a variety of broadcast (and cable) stations -- that will improve the numbers significantly, maximizing effective reach and frequency...based on both quantitative and qualitative insight. That will be the subject of an upcoming blog.

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Journey from Concept to Creation : buying

Media Use (Introduction).

Broadcast Media (Part One).