Planning today is so much more complex and important than years ago. Back in the day, planners had to answer such simple questions such as where to place ads and how many times it would run a week. Every time I see the media gal make an appearance in AMC’s Mad Men, I just laugh. It was a new concept then, but far from difficult.
Today’s planners must be much sharper and have a greater knowledge of marketing and brand development. The cause of this is the evolution of a single ad campaign to a full marketing concept. Now every media plan will be measured based on how effectively it helps to attain marketing objectives. Another cause of change is the availability of more definitive audience research techniques. Add to this evolution, the boom of the Internet and the ability for the consumer to find, buy and be exposed to thousands of marketing messages a day and you now have a need for a top notch media planner.
Today’s advertisers expect more rationale and a science to the spending of their media dollars. The new planner must possess the marketing, research and creative knowledge to provide this rationale.
There once was a time when running a laundry detergent ad during the weekday when housewives were glued to the tv watching their stories was genius. Those days are long gone and your media planner needs to step it up.
