Media Briefing and its Elements

The media brief can be referred to as a checklist for the media planners to help them prepare media plan for a client organization. Media planning is not an isolated function but an integral part of an overall campaign planning. Hence a media planner needs to have a thorough knowledge of all the variables. Media brief gives a background to the whole planning. It will cover details on the product/service, the overall marketing strategy, and the proposition being made. Ideal media brief. In other words, what should it contain to help the media planner in making an ideal plan to help facilitate decision-making at the clients end.

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Media Planning and Implementation Process

Media Briefing
Barriers to Communication, Brand, Consumer and Marketplace identified Specific tasks that media agency should focus upon

Media Strategy Development

Ideas that break through barriers identified Answers Who, What, Where, When, Why and How much

Media Planning
Display of tactical media choices, cost, communication targets and media KPIs Follows all rules as laid out in strategy

Implementation
Negotiation and booking of campaigns Continual monitoring of media KPI performance

Post Analysis
Media KPIs performance evaluation versus goals Conclusions and insights transferred to next Media Briefing

Media Brief Guidelines

Summarise barriers to Top 4 Marketing focus areas (below some

examples)
Communication Barriers
Clutter in category, especially on TV

Brand Barriers:
Image and Positioning misunderstood, lack of differentiation

Consumer Barriers:
Loyalty dropping

Marketplace/Distribution Barriers:
Sales in Oslo lower then category average

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Media Brief Guidelines

Marketing mix considerations
Marketing strategy and tools to achieve goals
Media considerations, Events, promotions, sampling, etc. Describe and provide projected dates in the form of a timeline overview of activities

Seasonal/Timing considerations
Mandates: Start of advertising, events, etc. Leverage traditional sales peaks? Develop periods of potential growth? Overall Key timings (list key months to prioritize)

Creative considerations
Formats currently available Formats being developed and timing of availability
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Media Brief Guidelines

Advertising objectives
In line with creative/project brief How will the advertising contribute to achieving the brands marketing goals? What is Advertising expected to accomplish?
Ex. We want to continue the leadership level in media advertising and improve our differentiated media mix. Further we want to get closer to the consumers via near shop media solutions and partnerships, to balance the full year program.

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Media Budget Briefing

Tips for success
Create a reserve budget, inform the agency but do not negotiate
All media enjoy extra money in Q4 and will fight hard to get it! Always great to lower your baseline spend and keep prices stable or down

Plan and Mark reserve flights on media plans

If money is not planned it often disappears

Avoid surprises to media agency if at all possible

If you know money is risky and will be cut, say it upfront
Expect the agency to return with a strategy on how to handle

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