Tag: Cost Control and Management Accounting Osmania University b.com Notes

Print media advertising is a form of advertising that uses physically printed media, such as magazines and newspapers, to reach consumers, business customers and prospects. Advertisers also use digital media, such as banner ads, mobile advertising, and advertising in social media, to reach the same target audiences. The proliferation of digital media has led to a decline in advertising expenditure in traditional print media, but print isn’t dead.

Print advertisements are only effective when people see them. When people browse through newspapers and publications, these advertisements should grab the attention of the potential customer. Therefore, these advertisements should be created in such a manner that they can hold the attention of the customer to some extent. Usually, a team of individuals is required in order to design the advertisements.

The newspaper or magazine ad should be such that it should compel people to spend money on the products. This is just what the advertising team does. To create such an ad, the team members work on a concept and develop the wordings and images of the ad. These wordings and images are then brought together to form the final ad. Then there are people who deal with the placement of the ad. They have to make sure that if the client has paid for premium place, they get the desired exposure. For example, an ad on the first page will get instant attention of the reader than the ad on the subsequent pages. Likewise, an ad which occupies greater space is likely to get more attention. All these factors have to be looked into while designing the ad.

Factors Affecting Selection of Print Media Decisions

Class of the audience: Firstly, the advertiser must note the class of the audience to be influenced by the medium. The audience can be classified into different groups by their social status, age, income, educational standard, religion, cultural interests. They may also be divided into men and women.

Extent of coverage: Secondly, the advertiser must consider the number of audiences to be covered by the medium. Every media has a general as well as an effective circulation. The general circulation is made up of the total number of people who read or subscribe to the media. The effective circulation is the number prospective customers who read it and the number of those who influences sales, though they may not buy for themselves. Effective circulation must be considered while estimating the number of people to be covered. The extent to which the medium reaches the same audience as that covered by some other media i.e., the percentage of over-lapping must also be taken into account.

Nature of the product: Nature of the product itself is a principal factor governing the selection of the medium. Products can be classified into various kinds; consumer’s products and manufacturer’s products etc.

Nature of the competition: The nature of the competition exerts greater influence of the selection of the media. If the competition is stiff utmost care is needed in the selection of medium and a larger advertising budget is also required. In many cases where the advertising copy is similar or the choice of the media solely determines the effectiveness of the campaign as compared with that of the other competitors.

Reputation of the medium: Newspapers and magazines can offer a beautiful illustration for the reputation of the media. There are a few newspapers and magazines which have international reputation with a high readership. Advertisements in such magazines and newspapers are generally recognized and believed as true. Such advertisements also add prestige to the product.

Cost of the media: Cost of the medium in most cases, is an important factor in the selection of the medium. Advertisements in certain media are expensive. For instance, TV and Radio advertisements. Magazines and newspaper advertisements are generally considered as less expensive. Yet, certain magazines and newspapers, having larger circulation and high reputation charge higher rates. The rates also differ depending upon the space occupied and the preferential positions. The first page of a newspaper is rarely missed by the reader. Hence, they have more attention value, than the advertisements presented anywhere inside the newspaper.

Time and location of buying decisions: The location of the audience and the time by which it should reach them must also be looked into. This consideration also enables the advertiser to keep his retail outlets in the proximity of the customers.

Newspaper Advertising. Newspaper reading is a common habit among most of the educated people. Besides daily newspapers, there are bi-weekly and weekly newspapers also Newspapers reach almost every place and are read by all kinds of people. Therefore, newspaper can be used as a medium of advertisement with great advantage. While selecting a newspaper for this purpose, an advertiser has to take into consideration the strength of circulation, the class of readers it serves, the geographical region over which it is popular, and the cost of space.

Magazine Advertising. Magazine or periodicals are an excellent medium of advertisement when a high quality of printing in colour is desired. Magazine advertisements can be directed towards a particular class of people. . Thus, marketers can avoid wasteful expenditure on advertising.

Magazine advertising is considered to be superior to newspaper advertising because of the following merits:

• Magazines are read more carefully and at greater leisure. Advertising through magazines is more effective.
• The life of the magazine advertisements is longer. Magazines are preserved for a long period of time and are read time and again.

Types of Print Media

Print media include those media of communication which are controlled by time. It can be read at any available time and can be kept for record. Following are the major print media of mass communication.

Book

It is most effective mass media. It is best source of education. It is best and cheapest means of storing and transmitting to others the records. It is best example of print mass media. By books people easily get information and knowledge

Newspaper

It is most effective and important media of mass communication. Its valuable services to the community like information, education, entertainment, record facility etc. It gives information to the people in the printed form. It is good example of print media

Magazine

It is most important print media of mass communication. It gives information to the people. In magazines people show their talent in the form of anything. it is predecessor of the daily newspaper.

Advantages

Higher Frequency of Viewing

One of the best benefits of print media is that it has a higher frequency opportunity of viewing than online ads. Since the newspaper or magazine may sit on a table or rack at a business or home, repeated exposures are allowed. Flyers, brochures, and other physical pieces are often reviewed multiple times and shared with other prospects. Unlike digital messaging, print media does not disappear after generating an impression. It piles up, creates clutter, and is thereby reviewed once more, even before recycling or discarding. Because of this long shelf life, you can benefit from having your ad seen by more people, more often.

Holds Readers’ Attention

If you’ve ever tried to read a lengthy article online, you’ll understand how much the digital age has nearly killed the human attention span. People surf the Internet with multiple tabs open, while texting their friends, and half-listening to the television in the background. With all this constant stimulation, it’s almost impossible to focus on a single thing for very long. That’s why print media is the better option for your advertising. Print readers cannot multitask while they are reading your magazine or newspaper. This means they can focus on what they see and be more receptive to the ads within the publication. This benefit of newspaper advertising is one of the reasons why so many big brands still post ads in print.

Flexibility

Print ads are amazing at allowing you to target your audience. You’re in full control of exactly what section of the newspaper or magazine you place your ad in, and you can do this based on information about where your audience is most likely to read. You can run your ad in specialty magazines related to your topic or in general papers that deliver to your geographic locations. You can also run your ad on a specific day of the week. You can tailor your campaigns to suit your budget by changing the size and colour of your ad. Even more, you will be working with a human being when you buy your ad space, so you won’t be at the mercy of an online algorithm that decides where your ads are seen. Print media provides you much more customization than digital ads.

Credibility Increases Reader Loyalty

Print publications are better able to increase reader loyalty because they are credible. Many people subscribe to magazines and newspapers because they understand and believe that the information provided to them is credible and accurate. Publishing an article in print takes a lot more effort than publishing something online. This is because you only have one chance to get every word and image right before it gets published. With online ads, you can go back in to change or tweak your ad and send it back out. Since there is this pressure on accuracy and credibility and print media, readers are more likely to trust this platform. This works to your advantage by generating leads and sales much easier. As an added benefit, this trustworthiness leads to better reader loyalty.

Control over Appearance

Another newspaper advertising advantage is that you can control the way it looks. You have complete power over the colours you use and the characteristics of the paper. Every aspect of typography, colour choices, graphics, and design allow you to create a presentation that meets the expectations of your prospects. Other types of media provide less control over these aspects. Digital media can be subject to operating systems and browser configurations, and television advertising only appears and sounds as good as the technology it is presented upon.

Encourages Action

When people use the Internet, they try to avoid ads at all cost. It’s easy to click the “X” button within seconds of an ad popping up on the screen it’s almost instantaneous. Online users hate ads. There are even apps designed to block ads from showing up on webpages. This isn’t the case with print media. Most print readers are motivated to take some form of action after viewing a magazine or newspaper ad. For example, ads for a local grocery chain product sale encourage customers to visit the store and buy the product right away, instead of waiting until they actually need it. The idea that the item, at such a good price, could go out of stock sends signals to the reader that they need to take immediate or soon action, so they don’t miss out.

More Accurate Targeting

It’s hard to know exactly whether print media or digital media are better at reaching a targeted audience. Print allows you to choose a publication that your target audience is most likely to read. This can be a trade magazine that caters to a specific industry or a local newspaper. This is why many say print is better at reaching local audiences. Print media allows you to advertise directly to your audience, by publishing your ad in magazines that rely on subscriptions. For example, if you sell gardening tools, you can post your ad in gardening and home magazines. Since digital ads can get lost on the Internet and are subject to algorithms, you can benefit from choosing a print media marketing solution. You have the time to better understand your target audience and specify your ad to appeal to them.

Sensory Experience

Some people simply enjoy the act of flipping through magazine pages, creating “dog ears” on the pages they want to turn back to, and carrying the information everywhere they go. When people wait at a doctor’s office, it’s second nature to pick up the magazine or newspaper on the front table and start reading. When people take a flight on an airplane, they often bring reading material to enjoy as they relax and try to get their mind off how high up they are. This sensory experience of touching the page of the ad is on improves the impact it has on consumers.

Limitations

Competition for attention is fierce: Research shows that Americans now engage with seven different types of information sources each day from print, TV and radio to online videos while spending one of every four minutes on a social media platform. Rather than fight this trend, savvy business owners work to ensure that their media mix covers all the opportunities available to them.

Print media requires multiple exposures: Consumers need to see an ad several times before they will take action. Marketing professionals call these exposures “touches.” This is why print ad buys are usually made in bundles for multiple exposures. Print media can quickly add up to be a costly proposition for the small business owner, which is why it’s imperative to select the different media carefully, so that you increase the chance of a return.

Print media requires longer lead times: The immediacy of social media has cast a brighter light on the meaning of the word “long.” Even if it’s not particularly well done, an ad can be written and posted on a social media platform within minutes. Competition has helped shorten lead times, but print ads must be written, produced and distributed. Knowing this, small business owners should plan accordingly, designating print media for messages that are less time-conscious in nature and are less likely to change at a moment’s notice.

• Requires multiple exposures
• Not for a global audience
• Requires a lot of planning
• Hard to target a specific audience
• Competition for attention is fierce
• Higher cost
• Requires longer lead times

This medium consists of various forms like terrestrial, satellite and cable. The ads on this medium are normally measured in term of slots (normally as a multiple of 10 seconds) both in duration and frequency.

Television was introduced in India on September 15, 1959 as a pilot project in Delhi. Two one hour telecast from a studio in Aakashvani Bhavan were transmitted through equipment gifted by UNES. But many never knew that television is there in India. By early seventies the television telecast started m full swing. And today we have satellite channels in so large a number. Television channels are international, national as well as regional and local. Moreover, the advertisements are audio-visual advertisements.

It is extremely important that whatever has been advertised in the commercial is true. For this reason, organizations such as Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are there to monitor the commercials on television and radio. This ensures that the advertisers are not making any false claims to lure consumers to buy their products.

Most of the radio and television advertisements are paid though there are some public service ads which can be aired for free. The advertisers usually have to pay for the spot which lasts for 30 seconds. In rare cases, this spot can increase to 60 seconds too.

These days radio and television ads are prepared by advertising agencies for their clients. They understand the need of the client and make the commercial keeping in mind the current state of affairs. Broadcast advertising has become a very essential part of marketing in recent times. Companies allocate specific budget for radio and television ads and make an estimate of how much revenue they can earn through broadcast advertising. For example, marketing consultants are hired to determine the return on investment (ROI) for spending on radio and television ads. Sometimes the marketing consultants of these businesses run sample ads to judge its popularity among the viewers.

Full opportunity exists for product demonstration and amplification of selling points with audio presentation. It is really a wonderful means of mass communication for creating market. Television combines all of the elements of communication:

(1) illustration

(2) Music

(3) Spoken words

(4) written words.

We can have short commercials as well as sponsored programmes combining entertainment with advertisement. It represents typical combination of salesmanship and advertising.

However, television has limited market coverage. Advertising on TV is expensive. In addition to time costs, the costs of producing TV shows are considerable. Both radio and TV messages have no life span like the messages in printed form. TV cannot have a long advertising copy.

Factors Affecting Selection of Television Media Decisions

Television is the fast-growing medium of advertisement because of huge expansion of electronic media and cable network. It makes its appeal through both the eye and the ear. Products can be demonstrated as well as explained as in film advertisement. Advertising may take the form of short commercials and sponsored programmes.

T.V. advertising has all the merits of film advertising. It has greater effectiveness as the message is conveyed at their homes to the people. Selectivity of message can also be achieved. Commercials may be given during that time period when the prospective buyers are supposed to watch television programmes.

T.V advertising has got all the demerits of film advertising. Television is a very costly medium of advertisement and can be made use of by the well-established companies only. Another limitation of television advertisement is that once it is presented, its back reference is not possible.

Advantages

• The creative potential for the fusion of sight, sound and motion through pictures, symbols, movement, colour, text, music, effects and dialogue ensures advertising has a high impact on viewers.
• It gives access to vast audiences, and can raise awareness very quickly
• It gives opportunities to match advertising messages to likely audiences for programmes.
• It offers selectivity through regional coverage, broadcast time and programme con catering to the selected target audience as per requirement.
• It appeals to the sense.
• Model day after day become familiar and part of the family and hence whatever they say are more convincing.
• It is very convenient and effective to demonstrate the product m the television.
• High attention is possible due to the combination of sound and visuals.
• It is a very powerful media in building up the image of the product.

Limitations

• It is an expensive media of advertising compared to the Press media. The cost “a time is very high and along with that the cost of producing good quality advertisement for this m
• Advertisers might need to deliver the message to a selected group of audience, which is very narrow Television causes overexposure of the advertisement thus losing the cost effectiveness.
• The advertisement on TV is short lived as the commercials last for 30 seconds or less, which might be very less to create an impact. The advertisers are becoming shorter day by day because of the increasing cost and demand of the media time.
• Like the other media there is a huge clutter of advertisement on television also because of which it is facing trouble being noticed.
• This is a media, which attracts people or its creative commercials. But on the other hand, it has a limitation also that attention paid by viewers is limited because of increase number о commercials, channel zapping i.e. changing channels to avoid commercials, zipping i.e. forwarding through commercials if watching a prerecorded movie.
• It takes longer time compared to the print media to produce the commercials and sponsored programmes.
• The commercial is there on the screen for few seconds and is then gone. So it is essential, that jingles are catchy and sales message is repeated again in again leading to higher customer brand recall and also higher expenditure.
• Generally it is difficult to carry the television set along with you.
• Television commercials have to abide by the broadcast code strictly.

Following are also some different organizational structures on the basis of factors affecting an organization’s functioning:

1. On the basis of Hierarchy: Vertical Organizational Systems, Hub & Spokes, Horizontal/ Cross Departmental, Cross Industry / Platform, Conglomerates
2. Hybrid Organizations, i.e, organizations adopting more than one pattern structure.
3. On the basis of geographical spread: National, Regional, Local, Trans-National, Global
4. On the basis of ownership of the organization: Cooperative, Proprietorship, Partnership, Subsidiaries, Sister Concerns.

Functional Organizational Structure

One of the most common types of organizational structures, the functional structure departmentalizes an organization based on common job functions.

An organization with a functional org structure, for instance, would group all of the marketers together in one department, group all of the salespeople together in a separate department, and group all of the customer service people together in a third department.

Product-Based Divisional Structure

A divisional organizational structure is comprised of multiple, smaller functional structures (i.e. each division within a divisional structure can have its own marketing team, its own sales team, and so on). In this case a product-based divisional structure each division within the organization is dedicated to a particular product line.

Market-Based Divisional Structure

Another variety of the divisional organizational structure is the market-based structure, wherein the divisions of an organization are based around markets, industries, or customer types.

Geographical Divisional Structure

The geographical organizational structure establishes its divisions based on you guessed it geography. More specifically, the divisions of a geographical structure can include territories, regions, or districts.

Process-Based Structure

Process-based organizational structures are designed around the end-to-end flow of different processes, such as “Research & Development,” “Customer Acquisition,” and “Order Fulfillment.” Unlike a strictly functional structure, a process-based structure considers not only the activities employees perform, but also how those different activities interact with one another.

Matrix Structure

Unlike the other structures we’ve looked at so far, a matrix organizational structure doesn’t follow the traditional, hierarchical model. Instead, all employees (represented by the green boxes) have dual reporting relationships. Typically, there is a functional reporting line (shown in blue) as well as a product- based reporting line

Circular Structure

While it might appear drastically different from the other organizational structures highlighted in this section, the circular structure still relies on hierarchy, with higher-level employees occupying the inner rings of the circle and lower-level employees occupying the outer rings.

Flat Structure

While a more traditional organizational structure might look more like a pyramid with multiple tiers of supervisors, managers and directors between staff and leadership, the flat structure limits the levels of management so all staff are only a few steps away from leadership. It also might not always take the form or a pyramid, or any shape for that matter.

Network Structure

A network structure is often created when one company works with another to share resources or if your company has multiple locations with different functions and leadership. You might also use this structure to explain your company workflows if much of your staffing or services is outsourced to freelancers or multiple other businesses.

Creative Department

This department majorly incorporates the following job positions which are also arranged in a manner of highest job position at the top and then proceeding further:

Creative Director: These professionals are required to develop the conceptual designs to meet up the requirements of the client in order to advance the company’s brand. These are required to figure out the best ways for visually presenting a company’s identity.

Art Director: Art directors are expected to design materials for clients and represent their company expectantly.

Copywriter: The major job duties include persuading customers to purchase a new product or demonstrating why a business needs a specific service.

Production Artists: These are fresher hired at entry level.

Account Department

Account related professionals are hired to liaise with the customers in any Media Company. Majorly they handle accounting related work.

The hierarchy of Media Company is quite critical since it is such a wide field. Well to make it simple the hierarchy of Media Company has been categorized into these three core levels:

Lower Level

The professionals at this level of hierarchy of Media Company incorporates both fresher as well as experienced one. Following are few profiles that get hold of middle level in the hierarchy of Media Company:

• Media Technical Supervisor
• Media Information Officer
• Photographer Head
• Media Information Assistant
• Web development expert
• Social Media Specialist
• Assistant Photographer
• Technical Writer
• Relationship Manager
• Sound Mixer
• Stage Hand
• Media Analyst
• Senior Media Associates
• Media Mentor
• Media Associate
• Trainee

Middle Level

This level features all the job profiles at middle executive levels. Following are few profiles that get hold of middle level in the hierarchy of Media Company:

• Media Administrator
• Copywriter
• Production Artist
• Corporate Communications Specialist
• Reporter
• Program Coordinator
• Public Affairs Specialist
• Media Information Specialist
• Concept Development Manager
• Publicist

Senior Level

These are the highest job title attainable in the hierarchy of Social Media jobs in the media Company. Following are few profiles that get hold of middle level in the hierarchy of Media Company:

• Director of Media Company
• Chief Media Officer
• Creative Director
• Media Company Manager
• General Media Manager
• Chief Media Executive
• Media Branch Manager
• Art Director
• Section Editor
• Producer
• Assistant Media Manager
• Multimedia designer

Mass media regulations are rules enforced by the jurisdiction of law. Guidelines for media use differ across the world. This regulation, via law, rules or procedures, can have various goals, for example intervention to protect a stated “Public interest“, or encouraging competition and an effective media market, or establishing common technical standards.

The principal targets of mass media regulation are the press, radio and television, but may also include film, recorded music, cable, satellite, storage and distribution technology (discs, tapes etc.), the internet, mobile phones etc.

Principal foundations

• Balance between positive and negative defined liberties: The negative defined liberties, legislating the role of media institutions in society and securing their freedom of expression, publication, private ownership, commerce, and enterprise, must be balanced by legislation ensuring the positive freedom of citizens of their access to information.
• Balance between state and market: Media is at a position between the commerce and democracy.

Government control over media

Media in India are self- regulated. The government does not have control over the media except a few. It depends what type of media we are talking about. Media is broadly classified into 5 parts in India:

• Print media in which more emphasis is given to Newspapers;
• Broadcasting, includes Radio;
• Cable and Telecommunication includes Television;
• Films;
• OTT platforms.

Newspaper

Generally, the government does not regulate newspapers and magazines. The Press Council of India is a quasi- judicial body constituted by the parliament and regulates print media in India. Its main objective is to maintain and improve the quality of newspaper and news agencies and to preserve the freedom of press. But it does not have the power to impose a penalty.  There are also other laws which deal with the regulations imposed upon the print media which include the Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867 which came under British rule with the motive that if anything derogatory or explicit or ethically wrong/misleading or anything which creates a threat to the security and sovereignty of the nation, then the publisher can be proven guilty.

Television

Government regulated

Television came to India in 1969 and back then the government was controlling it and used to show only those programmes which can educate, entertain and inform the people. Doordarshan along with AIR is completely under government control working as department of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. All the programmes were shown on Doordarshan channel which was controlled by the government. Later on with the establishment of Prasar Bharati Act 1990, Doordarshan along with AIR became autonomous in 1997.

Private ownership

But in the early 90’s the government faced financial problems and then they started with private channels, which later started to turn into companies and started earning huge profit but at the same time the quality of the programmes started degrading and the need of regulation was felt. All the private channels came together and insisted not to imply any law instead proposed the self created guidelines and assured the court to abide by it.

Other self- regulatory bodies which govern television content in India without government intervention includes Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997, Policy Guidelines for downlinking of Television Channels and Guidelines for obtaining DTH license among others. News channels are governed by a self-regulation body, the News Broadcasters Association (NBA).

Radio

Government regulated AIR

With the liquidation of Indian Broadcasting Company in 1930, the government of India started controlling radio broadcasting. Firstly it was called All India Radio in 1936 and later was renamed as Akashvani from 1957. With the establishment of Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 the radio broadcasting became free from government control and later AIR also became an autonomous body without government control.

Private radio broadcasting

There are ranges of different types of private broadcasters from big Multinational Corporation to small local FM stations. All private broadcasters usually earn a huge profit. As radio was almost used by every household the government in 1999 approved the establishment of 150 private FM radio stations.

Films

Film industry of India is completely free and independent. The filmmakers are free to make the film as they want. But the distribution networks of films are controlled by the government. Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. The main task of CBFC is to regulate the public exhibition of films in theatre by giving certificates and not to do censorship of the contents under the provision of Cinematography Act, 1952.  The board currently issues four certificates. The certificates are:

U: Unrestricted public exhibition.

U/A: Parental guidance for children under age 12.

A: Restricted to adults.

S: Restricted to a specialised group of people, such as engineers, doctors or scientists.

The board may also refuse to certify a film. In the recent case of Phantom Film Pvt. Ltd. & Anr vs. Central Board of Film Certification, the film titled “Udta Punjab” what CBFC did that they acted beyond its power and gave direction to delete the name of Indian states given in the title of the film and even to remove references to several cuss words, and inexplicably, the deletion of a name of a dog jackie chan. The CBFC granted ‘A’ certificate to the film and then the producer of the film challenged the decision of CBFC before the Bombay High Court, 1 wherein the producers sought that the ‘A’ certification be granted without any conditions or cuts in the film. The Bombay High Court examined each of the deletions proposed by the CBFC, and held that the film cannot be objectionable merely due to depiction of the use or sale of drugs in a particular state and because of the political references therein and opined that the story must be viewed in its entirety.

National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) was established in 1980 with the task of promoting good cinema, to produce and finance films, and overseas distribution of films.

National Centre of films for Children’s and Young People (CFSI) established in 1955, which produce and distribute films which essentially provide a clean and healthy environment for children and young people.

OTT Platforms

As OTT platforms are not regulated by any statutory body it enjoys ample amount of freedom and displays content with all sought of vulgarity. But in the recent time OTT platforms like (Hotstar, Voot, Netflix, Amazon prime etc) have considered self regulation of online content through voluntary code specifically for language, violence and sex.

Importance of Media Regulation

Media regulation would include regulation of conduct, structure or content of media. Regulation would prohibit libel and defamation, would set up provision regarding national security, obscenity, blasphemy, sedition promoted via the media, regarding the contents of films. Media regulation would also help in protecting privacy laws, laws concerning intellectual property rights, and prohibitions against incitement to violence or racial hatred, pornography etc. Need for regulating the press is also important in terms of moderating or supervising the credibility of the information that is published. News that has been displayed on television or published in a newspaper should be factual and based on actual happening; it should be a justified interpretation of the event and not “point of view” of what has happened.

Media Laws

During British period as well as post independence of India there have been various laws or legislation passed by the authorities in order to regulate the media activities and to protect the freedom of media. To name some of the important media laws:

• First Press Regulation, 1799
• Gagging Act, 1857
• Indian Press Act, 1910
• Vernacular Press Act, 1878
• Constitutional Provisions regarding Press Freedom
• Official Secrets Act, 1923
• Press and Registration of Books Act, 1867
• Contempt of Court Act
• Cinematography Act, 1952
• Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act, 1956
• Parliamentary Proceedings Act, 1956
• Delivery of Books and Newspapers Act, 1954
• Copyright Act, 1957
• Press Council of India Act, 1965
• Prasar Bharati Act, 1990
• Cable Television Regulation Act, 1995
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, 1997
• Sports Broadcasting Signal (mandatory sharing with prasar bharati) Act, 2007

Media planning includes all such decisions like selecting appropriate media, appropriate media mix and deciding the scheduling of advertisement. All these decisions help the organization in achieving advertising objectives, i.e., to communicate the message to target audience and thus to promote sales.

Media planning includes the answer to following 5 Ws:

1. Which: Which media is to be picked for communicating with our target audience? i.e., identifying suitable media-mix.
2. When: When the ad is to be issued? i.e., deciding month, day, time of ad.
3. What: What type of message should be communicated? i.e., the message is informative or demonstrative in nature.
4. Whom: Whom does a marketer want to reach? i.e., identifying target audience (potential customers).
5. Where: Where are potential customers located? i.e., identifying geographical area.

Factors Influencing Media Planning Decisions

(a) Internal Factors: Internal factors are those factors which are directly related to company like size of company, advertising budget, size of organization, distribution strategy of organization, potential market area etc. Advertising budget is very important factor, while selecting media planning. If size of ad-budget is more, then costly media like T.V. can be selected. If size of ad budget is small, the cheap media will be selected.

(b) External Factors: External factors includes media coverage, media image, media adopted by competitors etc. while selecting the media, the advertiser must consider the media selected by competitors and leaders of that industry. Along with cost of various media should be compared.

Media planning is a continuous process. Data used in media planning is affected by external environment factors, these environment factors may change at any time. For example, if at present a particular T.V. programme is very popular, but soon its popularity may decline with the launch of another popular T.V. programme at the same time in another T.V. channel. So, the viewership of first T.V. programme may decline. Similarly, other environment factors viz. competitors’ media strategy may change. These fast-changing environment factors may render the media planning less effective.

Nature of Product:

Product to be advertised can be industrial/technical product or consumer product. Industrial/technical products can better be advertised in specific trade- journals/magazines. Consumer products can be better advertised through mass media such as television, newspaper, outdoor advertising etc. Similarly, products for farmers like fertilizers, seeds etc. can be advertised in T.V., radio, wall painting, etc.

Distribution of Product:

If the product is to be distributed locally or regionally, then media with local coverage and reach should be considered like local newspaper, cable-network, etc. If product is distributed on national level, then media with national coverage like national dailies (newspaper), national-level T.V. channels will be suitable. If the product is to be sold at international level, then media having reach and circulation in foreign countries will be effective e.g. internet, magazines with circulation in foreign countries, T.V. channels having international coverage like B.B.C., CNN should be considered.

Nature of Customers:

An appropriate media plan must consider the type or number of consumers, for whom advertising is to be done. Different consumers differ in their age-group, sex, income, personality, educational level, attitude etc. On the basis of consumer traits, consumer groups can be- men, women, children, young, old, professional, businessmen, high income group, middle-income group, low-income group, Literate, illiterate, etc.

Some of the consumer traits affecting media selection are described below:

(a) Age: For advertising for kids-products, television is the best for communicating message. In T.V. ad can be given in cartoon channels. If target audience is young then television, magazines, internet is suitable. If target audience consists of old age-group, then newspaper, television will be good choice.

(b) Level of Education: If target-audience is highly educated, then advertisement should be given in magazines, national newspapers, internet, television etc. If target audiences are less educated as in rural area then local newspapers printed in local languages, T.V. etc. are suitable. If audiences are illiterate, then print-media is not suitable. Here broadcast media is a good choice.

(c) Number of Customers: If number of target customers is more, then mass-media like television, newspaper will be suitable. If number of target customers is less, then direct mail- media, tele-advertising (advertising through telephone) are suitable.

Advertising Objectives:

The main objective of every advertising campaign is to get favourable response from customer, but the specific objectives can be different. If the objectives of advertising campaign are to get immediate result then fast media of communication like newspapers, banners, pamphlets will be considered. If the objective of advertising is to build corporate-goodwill and brand-equity, then magazines, television, neon signboards will be considered.

Nature of Message:

If advertising message is informative in nature, then newspaper will be suitable. If ad- message is to persuade consumers, and potential consumers need to be given emotional-appeal, rational-appeal, demonstration of product, then television media will be suitable for advertising. If ad-message is to inform the potential customers of sale-promotion schemes, discount offers, exchange offer, festival offers, then it can be advertised through posters, banners, newspaper-inserts and newspapers, etc.

Media Used by Competitors:

While planning for media the advertiser must consider the media used by competitors and leaders of that industry. If advertiser does not consider competitor’s move regarding media, then it is possible that advertiser’s market share is taken by competition. If industry-leader is using T.V. as media, then the advertiser too must consider the same media. The advertiser must have a close watch on media-strategies and ad-budget of competitors. However, competitor’s strategies should not be followed blindly, as it is possible that decision of competitor is wrong.

Size of Ad-Budget:

If amount of advertisement budget is more, then costly media like television, national dailies can be selected. If amount of ad-budget is less, then low cost media like posters, banners, cable-network, local newspaper, pamphlets will be suitable.

Media Availability:

Sometimes it is possible that desired space for advertisements in print media is booked by some other advertisers and hence not available. For example, advertiser wants to issue an advertisement on front page of newspaper or on the cover-page of any magazine, but this space is already booked by some other advertiser, then this media is not available to the advertiser.

So the advertiser will have to plan for some other media or he will have to change timing of advertisement. Similarly if an advertisement is to be issued on television during a particular programme, then it is possible that it may have been booked/sponsored by other advertisers. So media-availability must be considered for media planning.

Media Reach and Coverage:

Such media should be selected as has wide reach and can cover our target customers. If the advertiser has two available media, involving same cost, then media with more reach and coverage of our target audience will be selected. Media reach means total circulation/viewership of media in a given period of time, (say, one day). If ad is given on T.V., then expected audience size of that T.V. programme in which ad is issued, in a given period of time is called its reach. It measures the number of persons who are exposed at least once to this media in a specific period of time.

For example, if advertisement is issued on newspaper, then number of copies circulated in a given period of time (say, a day) will be called its reach. Media- coverage means number of advertiser’s target customers exposed to media in a specific time- period.

It is possible that reach of a media is large, but its coverage for advertiser is poor, i.e. the media has wide circulation, but it is not popular among the target customers of advertiser. So such media is not of much use to the advertiser. The advertiser should select that media whose reach and coverage, both are large. For improving coverage of target customers, advertisers generally use combination of media (media-mix).

Media Frequency:

Media frequency refers to average number of times, the audience is exposed to media vehicle in a specified period of time. Higher media-frequency is preferred. Greater the frequency, more are the chances of advertisement message making deep impression on the minds of consumers. In case of print media, frequency of newspaper is very less as the receiver is not exposed to the same newspaper for a long period of time.

On the next day he will be getting the new newspaper and old newspaper will be discarded the same day. In case of magazine, media-frequency is more as same magazine may be opened by audience many a time, as he will get the next issue of magazine after a month, a fortnight or after a week. Higher frequency will create better impressions on target audience. So, media with higher frequency should be selected.

Media Image:

Some media-vehicles enjoy better image in comparison to other media vehicles. Media- image enhances the communication value of advertisement. Good reputation of editorial board and well established media enjoy better image among public, so advertisements given in such media enhance the credibility and trust of advertisements. So, media with good image should be selected. Media image also affects the product image and advertiser’s image. So, we should not select media with bad image.

Media Discount:

Sometimes some media offer attractive discount schemes. The advertisers consider these discount schemes while selecting media as it reduces their media cost. Sometimes some advertisers use only one medium or one class of media regularly so as to get media discount offered by media to their regular users.

Language:

The advertiser selects that media which communicates in the language well known to our target customers. Like if ad is given for less educated customers, then ad in English newspaper will be of little use.

In mass communication, media are the communication outlets or tools used to store and deliver information or data. The term refers to components of the mass media communications industry, such as print media, publishing, the news media, photography, cinema, broadcasting (radio and television), digital media, and advertising.

The development of early writing and paper enabling longer-distance communication systems such as mail, including in the Persian Empire and Roman Empire, which can be interpreted as early forms of media. Writers such as Howard Rheingold have framed early forms of human communication as early forms of media, such as the Lascaux cave paintings and early writing. Another framing of the history of media starts with the Chauvet Cave paintings and continues with other ways to carry human communication beyond the short range of voice: smoke signals, trail markers, and sculpture.

The Term media in its modern application relating to communication channels was first used by Canadian communications theorist Marshall McLuhan, who stated in Counterblast (1954): “The media are not toys; they should not be in the hands of Mother Goose and Peter Pan executives. They can be entrusted only to new artists because they are art forms.” By the mid-1960s, the term had spread to general use in North America and the United Kingdom. The phrase “mass media” was, according to H.L. Mencken, used as early as 1923 in the United States.

The term “medium” (the singular form of “media”) is defined as “one of the means or channels of general communication, information, or entertainment in society, as newspapers, radio, or television.”

Media simply refers to a vehicle or means of message delivery system to carry an ad message to a targeted audience. Media like TV, Radio, Print, Outdoor and Internet are instruments to convey an advertising message to the public.

The main task of media planners is to select the most appropriate media channels that can effectively communicate the advertising message to a targeted audience. Hence, it is essential for media planners to:

• Keep up with New technological developments.
• Keep up with latest media trends.
• Determine long- and short-term effects of different media.
• Analyse Strengths and Weaknesses of different media.

Factors determining Media selection

• Market requirements
• Nature of product
• Advertising objectives
• Nature of message and appeal
• Distribution strategy
• Advertising Budget
• Media availability
• Competitor’s choices
• Penetration
• Size and Nature of business

Functions of mass media

Mass media in written, spoken, or broadcast forms has a significant impact on the masses. Commercials on TV, billboards, and social media platforms allow brands to build brand awareness. Companies search for the most effective ways to convey their message when it comes to branding, including sites, social media channels, blogs, and forums. When they find the right type of mass media channel for their businesses, they can communicate their ideas and conduct branding campaigns.

Mass media informs, educates, and entertains people in a wide variety of ways. Brands can educate users to get the most of their products. The majority of companies now use social media platforms, create blog posts on their sites, and launch commercials on YouTube to describe their best features, the problems their products can solve, and provide step-by-step guides.

Features of mass media

Over the years, the impact of mass communication has increased drastically because of the improvements made.

• It communicates a public message.
• It can appeal to a wide target audience.
• There’s a distance between a source of information and people who obtain it.
• It has a heterogeneous audience.
• It can be transmitted through various channels, such as tv, the internet, radio, and newspapers.
• News or information communicated through tv, radio, and print media can’t receive feedback.

Media planning that requires knowledge of both marketing and mass communication skills is the process of determining deals with the biggest portion of the advertiser’s budget in terms of cost for buying placement of advertisement.

Media planning refers to an analytical method for making media decisions, and describes the process of taking the message across to the target audience at the right time and place, and using the right media vehicle.

Media planning is the process of identifying and selecting media outlets mainly newspapers, magazines, websites, TV and radio stations, and outdoor placement in which to place paid advertisements. The person responsible for evaluating the many media options and strategizing campaigns to support a particular product, service, or brand is called a media planner. Media planners typically are employed by advertising agencies.

Scope of Media planning

Media planning in simpler terms refers to planning each stage of media executions for brand promotions, product launch, sales push campaigns and allied. The relevance of media planning varies accordingly based on the selection of integrated media mix such as Newspaper & Radio, Digital & Out of Home or individual promotional such as on television. Media planning is extremely important for the following 3 reasons:

Brand Objective: Defining a brand; campaign objective is paramount while considering media planning. What are we looking to achieve? Is it mere sales promotion or a new product launch etc. Whom are we going to communicate with? Where is my audience?

Budgets and Reach: A very crucial aspect of determining your ad spends (media spends). If you cannot measure your spends and reach, you are not doing it right. You will never know where you ad spends are. Is it even reaching the right audience. i.e. An average 30 seconds commercial on television on a non-prime time television show can cost you in thousands while the same ad, which is part of your television campaign can cost you up to a lakh during an IPL, Prime Time Breaking News or on a top GEC (General Entertainment Channel) show. It is always a good practice to approach a media planning consultant who take off the burden and complexity and work along with you and your brand by creating the cost-effective media solutions which can be monitored and tailored as per your brand’s need.

Measurability & ROI: With technology in today’s times, any advertising spend on media such as digital or television can be targeted and measured for effective reach and increase in a brand’s share of voice (among its competitors on the media space). With solutions from Amagi MIX, you can now create your advertising plan in few minutes. Currently the media solutions are provided for television, but with geo targeted options, you can now create your regional media plan on national channels for your geography. You can also speak to their consultant on a possible ROI / Measurability and define success factors for your ads, while getting one created for your brand at truly affordable cost.

Media Strategy

Media strategy can be defined as the usage of an appropriate media mix in order to achieve desired and optimum outcomes from the advertising campaign. It plays a key role in advertising campaigns. The objective of Media Strategy is not just about procuring customers for their product or services but also focusses on placing a right message towards the right people at the right time and ensuring that the message is relevant and persuasive. Media Strategy is designed to achieve the above-mentioned target but the budget is always kept in mind.

Challenges include but are not limited to:

Consumer-Level Targeting: The media plan must understand consumers at a granular level to determine what types of messages resonate with them, requiring in-depth marketing analytics.

Platform Preference: Brands must also know the various channels and platforms that target audience members engage with and when. This will allow them to effectively choose media on which to run campaigns. All of this must be done with budget and media spend in mind.

Heavy Budget Focus: Media planning continues to revolve around budget rather than customer engagement. There is limited flexibility in a budget and plan to allow marketers to course correct as campaigns run and new insights are discovered. Modern media planning requires the flexibility to allocate budget to different channels if they prove to be more successful.

Integrating Measurements: Because there are so many channels online and offline, it has become infinitely more difficult for marketers to measure the success of these campaigns alongside each other to determine which are most effective and which should be updated.

Media planning is generally outsourced and entails sourcing and selecting optimal media platforms for a client’s brand or product to use. The goal of media planning is to determine the best combination of media to achieve the clients objectives.

A media plan consists of:

1) Media objectives which support marketing and advertising objectives (what do we need to do).

2) Media strategies which outline how to address the media objectives (how are we going to do it).

3) Media tactics which get into specific media opportunities and execution options (where are we going to advertise).

4) An evaluation/measurement plan for determining what worked and what didn’t, allowing for future or ongoing adjustments.

What → How → Where → Improve

The considerations that help shape this plan include:

1) What are the marketing and advertising objectives?

2) What is the competitive situation?

3) What is the budget, and how was it determined?

4) What has been done historically and how well did it work?

5) What are the geographical requirements?

6) Are there any rules/laws as to what audiences or media can be targeted?

7) What additional data is available for consideration?

These considerations are not a comprehensive list. Specific categories of business will have considerations unique to that business.

Key outputs of a media plan should identify who the target audience is, what their media habits are, and how to effectively reach them. It should consist of a media investment plan which discusses best use of the budget in terms of timing, ad types/sizes, and the media mix.

Developing a Media Plan

Market Analysis -> Establishments of Main objectives -> Media Strategy development and implementation -> Evaluation and Follow-up

The fundamental purpose of a media plan is to determine the best way to convey a message to the target audience. A media plan sets out a systematic process that synchronizes all contributing elements in order to achieve this specific goal. The media plan is broken down into four stages; market analysis, establishment of media objectives, media strategy development and implementation, and evaluation and follow-up.

Similarities can be made to other marketing concepts such as the consumer decision-making process with comparisons such as, increasing brand awareness, improving brand image, and the maximization of customer satisfaction.

The first phase of any media plan is the initial market analysis, which consists of a situation analysis and the marketing strategy plan. These form the basis of information which the rest of the media plan is reliant on. The purpose of a situation analysis is to understand the marketing problem, in relation to their competitors. For example, undertaking an internal and external review or competitive strategy evaluation.

The marketing strategy plan should establish specific objectives and goals that will solve the marketing problems that developed. Once the market analysis is complete the improved knowledge gained should indicate a proffered target market. Enabling the marketers to understand where the prime advertising space would be to gain sufficient exposure, what factors affect that certain demographic, and how to promote to the audience effectively.

The second phase in the media plan is the establishment of media objectives. Just as the marketing analysis leads to specific marketing objectives, this phase will result in explicit media objectives; such as creating a positive brand image through stimulating creativity. These objectives should be limited to those that can only be obtained through media strategies.

Media strategy development and implementation is the third phase and is the point in the process that is directly influenced by the actions from previously determined objectives. Actions that meet these objectives are taken into consideration with the following criteria; media mix, target market, coverage consideration, geographic coverage, scheduling, reach & frequency, creative aspects & mood, flexibility, or budget considerations. Each of these criteria are explained briefly below:

Media Mix: A combination of communication and media channels use that are utilized to meet marketing objectives, such as social media platforms and magazines.

Target Market: A specific group of consumers that has been identified to aim its marketing and advertising campaigns towards, as they are the most likely to purchase the particular product.

Coverage Consideration: To alter the level of exposure of media to the target market, whilst minimizing the amount of overexposure and saturation into other demographics.

Geographic Coverage: Increased emphasis of exposure to a certain area where interest may thrive, whilst reducing exposure to areas they have less relevance.

Scheduling: The concept of aligning communication activity to coincide with peak potential consumer exposure times, such as around a big sports game on television.

Reach & Frequency: The decision to have a certain message seen / heard by a large number (reach) or expose the same message to a smaller group more often (frequency).

Creative Aspects & Mood: Different mediums for communication should be considered when developing a campaign. Social media might be more effective to generate emotion than a billboard poster on a main road.

Flexibility: In order to adapt to rapidly changing marketing environments it is important for strategies to be flexible. Such as unique opportunities in the market, media availability or brand threats.

Budget Considerations: The relationship between the effectiveness of a media campaign and the cost involved needs to be carefully managed. There should be an optimal level of response from the consumer for the price for the exposure.

Components of a media plan

Define the marketing problem. Where is the business coming from and where is the potential for increased business? Does the ad need to reach everybody or only a select group of consumers? How often is the product used? How much product loyalty exists? How to build awareness or drive consideration through use of optimized contextual based material?

Translate the marketing requirements into media objectives. Must the ad reach people in a wide area? Then mass media, like newspaper and radio, might work. If the target market is a select group in a defined geographic area, then direct mail could be best.

Define a media solution by formulating media strategies. For example, the rule of thumb is that a print ad must run three times before it gets noticed. Radio advertising is most effective when run at certain times of the day or around certain programs, depending on what market is being reached.

Media planning’s major steps include:

• Targeting
• Environmental scan
• Understanding the audience
• Determination of content

Media planning is the process by which marketers determine where, when, and how often they will run an advertisement in order to maximize engagements and ROI. The media plan might split advertising spend and resources between various online and offline channels such as broadcast, print, paid ads, video ads or native content.

Media planning is the process of identifying and selecting media outlets like television, newspapers, radio, magazines, etc., on which paid advertisements can be done. The person who is in charge of evaluating these media options and strategizing the advertising campaign to promote the said products or services is known as the media planner. Media plans help in finding the most efficient way to deliver the advertiser’s message across its audience.

1. Market Analysis:

Every media plan begins with the market analysis of environmental analysis. Complete review of internal and external factors is required to be done.

At this stage media planners try to identify answers of the following questions:

• Identification of the Target Audience:

Which is the audience for our product? This happens to be the most important consideration in the media decisions. We first examine our market plans and advertising plans. These provide us details about the audience for our product.

Detailed studies of our audience can be made. We can describe our audience in terms of age, religion, sex, education – these are demographic characteristics. We can describe it in terms of their income and occupation.

Audience can also be described in psychographic terms – activities, interests, opinions forming a lifestyle, personality traits, brand preferences. After having a complete picture of our target audience, we undertake the study of the media’s readership in terms of demographic, economic and psychographic terms.

Agencies conduct their own media research. Even media itself provides a demographic profile of their readers. There are readership surveys to guide us. We have to select those media vehicles whose demographic profile matches the target audience of our product. We can target our product to a segment of the market.

Then we have to select that media vehicle which reaches this segment. We may have to use another media vehicle to reach some other segment. It should, however, be seen that a united image is projected and consistency of message is maintained through different media mix.

The target audience can be classified in terms of age, sex, income, occupation and other variables. The classification of target audience helps media planner to understand the media consumption habit, and accordingly choose the most appropriate media or media mix. Different customers differ with regard to age, income, education level, personality, attitude etc. If target audience or customers are educated and young, print media and T.V., can be selected. If number of target customers is more, then mass-media like, T.V., Newspapers will be suitable.

• Study of Factors Affecting Media Planning:

There are various factors which affect media planning.

While making media planning, the media-planner must consider these factors which are described as follows:

(a) Internal Factors: Internal factors are those factors which are directly related to company like size of company, advertising budget, size of organization, distribution strategy of organization, potential market area etc. Advertising budget is very important factor, while selecting media planning. If size of ad-budget is more, then costly media like T.V. can be selected. If size of ad budget is small, the cheap media will be selected.

(b) External Factors: External factors includes media coverage, media image, media adopted by competitors etc. while selecting the media, the advertiser must consider the media selected by competitors and leaders of that industry. Along with cost of various media should be compared.

• Identifying the Geographical Area:

Total geographical area of target market is identified. Those areas, where the sale of the company’s product is more, are identified. For low potential market area, smaller advertising budget is allocated. The geographical area also includes whether advertising should be done at local level or national level or international level.

2. Message Distribution:

The first step in the setting up of objectives was the definition of the target audience. The next step is the distribution of message to this audience. The number of messages and the frequency of their appearance matter a lot.

We have to decide whether a single message is sufficient or there should be several repetitions of the same. These lead us to the concepts of reach and frequency, which are to be balanced.

The overall constraint on both these concepts is the advertising budget. We also have to calculate the total message weight of the campaign.

• Reach:

Reach indicates a percentage of target audience who is exposed at least once in a given period to a particular media vehicle. It does not matter how many times they actually see or hear the ad message.

We concentrate on one exposure only. Thus, if 3,000 out of a target audience of 10,000 teenagers tune into the FM radio one or more times during a month, the reach is 30 per cent, i.e., 3,000 divided by 10,000.

Though reach measures exposure, it does not actually measure those who have noticed a particular ad. The objective of reaching 30 p.c. of target audience is based on the people who tune in radio FM, irrespective of the fact whether these people have taken cognizance of our ad.

It is a term that is used for all media (print, TV, radio) and indicates the number of people who are actually exposed to the medium in a given period which is normally linked to the periodicity of the medium.

While deciding about the reach, the time period selected is either four weeks or corresponds to the purchase cycle of the product.

• Frequency:

Frequency indicates the number of times people in the target audience are exposed to a media vehicle during a given period of time. Average frequency gives the average number of times people or households in our target audience are exposed to a media vehicle.

Generally, a single exposure may not work either in creating an awareness or provoking someone to buy. The more the exposures, the better the impact. Besides, more exposures make us rise above the competitive noise. It is good to plan how many we would like our audience to see the message in a given medium.

While introducing a new product more frequency. When the ad size is small, we need more frequency. When the message is complex, we need more fre­quency. Higher frequency helps us stand out in the clutter.

We have to decide the effective frequency-it is not frequency which is needed to communicate effectively with the target audience. It is a difficult thing to settle. There can be a minimum frequency and maximum frequency to be effective.

Lesser frequency makes the communication ineffective. Higher frequency may be a waste of ad resources. There can be also ad fatigue if there are too many repetitions.

While we talk of effective frequency to set the least number of exposures needed, we also consider effective reach to indicate the percentage of the target audience exposed to the ad, some minimum number of times or more. This adds the dimension of repetition to the concept of reach and frequency.

Greater reach and frequency stretches the media budget. It is necessary to optimise both reach and frequency. Balancing is difficult especially when two or more ads are being employed or two or more media are being used. We have, therefore, to consider the message weight of the entire media plan. 

• Message Weight:

The sum of the reach number of specific media vehicles in a given media plan gives the message weight. Here, while summing the reach, duplication or overlapping is ignored. Message weight is expressed in terms of gross impressions or gross rating points (GRP).

Gross impressions are a summation of exposures of the target audience to media vehicles in a media plan. Each exposure is counted as one impression. Suppose an advertiser puts advertisements on a programme of a TV channel viewed five times by 6,000 people in the target audience and seven times by 6,000 people in a four weeks period.

Also suppose during the same four weeks period, the ad is put on another programme of a second TV channel viewed 3 times by 3,000 people in the target audience, the gross impressions would be:

For a mass media like a TV channel, message weight is expressed in gross rating points (GRPs). It is a sum of the rating points of all programmes in the TV media plan. One rating point indicates one per cent of the target audience. GRPs of the entire media plan are given by:

GRPs for TV are calculated generally for a week or a month. Television Rating Points in (TRPs) are available in India calculated on the basis of the panel method. The ultimate business of TV is to deliver the eyeballs. It is obviously an issue of audience share. Gross impressions in print media are counted for every ad in every media vehicle used during the whole campaign.

There should be an attempt in the media objectives to balance the reach and frequency. There should be an appropriate message weight at the same time. This will help us realise our advertising plan. To face a heavy competitive campaign, we should have greater frequency to ensure the repetition of the message.

It is not so important to have a wider reach. While advertising an innovation, a greater reach is preferred to a greater frequency. It is also important to have a large message weight. Once the media objectives are set, we are ready to develop strategies to realise them.

3. Selecting Suitable Media:

For selecting appropriate media, different media are compared on the basis of cost per reader, cost per viewer, media-image, etc. While selecting media, the advertiser should ensure that media matches with features of target audience. The selected media should match with message-requirements, e.g. If message involves demonstration, then media with audio visual effects will be selected. While selecting suitable media, availability of media should also be kept in mind. It is possible that a particular media suits our requirements, but it is already booked, so some other media will have to be selected.

4. Selecting Optimum Media-Mix:

If the advertiser feels that no single media is sufficient in itself in achieving advertising objectives then different media can be used in combination and their optimum mix is decided by the advertiser. By combining different media, advertiser can increase coverage and improve the chances of achieving advertising goals. Overall ad-budget also influences the ration of different elements of media mix.

For example, to achieve advertising objectives and after considering advertising budget, the advertiser may decide a mix of 45% television, 20% newspaper, 10% magazine, 15% outdoor media and 10% internet media. Different advertisers may decide different media-mix depending upon their requirements, but media-mix should be such that advertiser can communicate advertising-message to the target audience most effectively and at lowest possible cost.

5. Selecting Suitable Media Vehicle within Each Selected Media:

After selecting media, appropriate media vehicles are to be selected. For example, after deciding that advertising is to be done through newspaper, it is decided that in which newspaper it is be done-whether through Indian Express, Tribune, or Hindustan Times, etc.

If it is decided that advertising is to be done through magazine, then out of various magazines, appropriate magazine/magazines are selected. If advertising is to be done through television, then it is decided that at which T.V. channel or in which T.V. programme advertisement is to be given. Suitable media vehicles are selected to attain media objectives.

6. Media Scheduling:

In media scheduling, decisions regarding date or time when these advertisements are to be shown are taken. In media-scheduling, time-gap in two advertisements is also decided. Purpose of media-scheduling is to issue advertisements at appropriate time with appropriate frequency so that target audience can be contacted at minimum advertising cost.

It helps to control wasteful advertising expenses. If advertisement is related to product to be used by school/college going children, then it is better to show the advertisement in the evening time in T.V. programmes. If the product is of seasonal nature, then ad should be shown more frequently in the season period and less frequently in the off season period.

7. Executing Advertising Programme:

After selecting media and deciding its schedule, advertising department is given the task of designing suitable advertising copy and executing it in the selected media. Some companies assign this task of designing advertising to professional advertising agencies.

8. Follow-Up and Evaluation:

After implementing advertising programme, advertiser evaluates its effectiveness to know whether media objectives have been achieved, whether media-plan has contributed in achieving overall advertising-objectives. Answers to these questions help the advertiser to know success or failure of media strategy. If our media strategy is not effective, then corrective actions will be taken for future media planning, so that in future, better media-plans can be made.

Media Research is the study of the effects of the different mass media on social, psychological and physical aspects. Research segments the people based on what television programs they watch, radio they listen, media they access and magazines they read.

It is also called “Audience Research”. It provides information regarding the popularity & effectiveness of each advertising medium & the comparative position of the cost of advertising in each medium. This facilitates the selection of the most suitable media mix for the benefit of the advertiser.

It includes achievements and effects of media and a study about the development of media. Newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, Cinema or other mass media analysis and collection of information’s. It helps to understand the ways in which media can meet the needs of the audience. Whether it can provide information and entertainment to more and different types of people. New technological improvements that help to improve or enhance the medium. Thus in order to deal with social and political issues insightfully, management and regulation of media is needed. Unbiased evaluation of data can be achieved through media research.

Parameters in Media Research

• The nature of medium being used.
• The working of the medium.
• Technologies involved in it.
• Difference and similarities between it and other media vehicles.
• Functions and services provided by it.
• Cost associated and access to new medium.
• Effectiveness and how it can be improved.

As decision process depends on data, thus media research has grown to be utilized for long range planning. Research is in growth phase due to competitions between different media.

Mass Media Research Importance

Why do people want to study mass media? Well, there are many questions to answer. Many businesses are trying to target advertising, but some people are also concerned with the well-being of a very plugged-in society. Businesses study mass media to see which form of mass media produces the greater result for its advertisements. In contrast, from a public health standpoint, studies have been performed to see what kinds of effects depictions of violence can have on children. While the studies conducted do show correlations, the results have never been consistent with regard to their significance.

Nevertheless, media companies have adopted a better-safe-than-sorry approach with a lot of their programing, primarily by limiting the amount of violence portrayed in programs that don’t fall under the adults-only or adolescence-plus ratings. Thus, the purpose of mass media research is mainly for business purposes and for public health reasons.

When used for business purposes, mass media research is important, as it helps businesses figure out which forms of advertising work. Businesses want to see more sales, so mass media research for business focuses more on conversions, the number of people watching or reading a mass media form and then turning into customers. This is important, as the numbers found through mass media research helps the business decide whether a certain form of advertising is financially worth it.

For example, to advertise on an animal channel costs $1,000. The animal channel tells you that they have over 4 million people viewing the channel each day. Your advertisement only takes up 30 seconds of the day, so your potential audience is significantly less than that 4 million. It may be only 500,000. Your own market research tells you that of those who view your commercial, 2 percent will become customers. That means you’ll get 500,000 * 0.02 = 10,000 customers from your commercial. If this is enough to recoup the cost of the commercial and to provide enough profit, then this form of advertisement is worth it. Businesses can also use mass media research to help figure out how customers view their product by looking at what they are posting about the business online.

Mass media research for health and well-being reasons is important, as scientists are still learning about how technology is affecting people in both positive and negative ways. For example, with the increasingly prevalent use of smartphones, some scientists are concerned that the increased exposure to radiation will negatively impact people’s health. Is this true? This is something that scientists are still trying to figure out through mass media research.

Another example is studying the effects of young people using social media instead of communicating with people face to face. Scientists are seeing these younger people experiencing more loneliness than people who don’t depend on social media as much.

Functions of media research:

Three major functions of media research & these are:

Vehicle distribution:

If refers to the number of copies of newspaper or magazine circulation in a particular region or throughout the country. In case of T.V. it refers to the no. of programmes distributed on each channel.

Vehicle exposure:

It refers to the kind of people expose to newspaper or T.V.

Advertising exposure:

If refers to the no. of people exposed to the advertising message.

Media Research is Important

• To study the viewership or to know the TRP. It helps the advertising agencies or advertisers to know the TRP and rating of programs which later boosts the sponsership cycle
• Formative and summative assessment of various programs, movies, documentaries or traditional media helps the researchers and producers and promotes a better understanding of the need of the market and the audiences. It creates a bridge between the need and supply of content which is being provided.
• It is also helpful in quantifying the Impact of media on the audience or viewers
• It compares the former media content with the running content to show the statistical differences between the contents.