For decades, media planning was ruled by two simple words: ‘reach’ and ‘frequency.’ Media buying was ruled by one three-letter acronym: ‘CPM’ (cost-per-thousand). But new terms like ‘optimization,’ ‘recency,’ and ‘advanced analytics’ are rapidly taking their place as major marketers accelerate their search for new measures of effectiveness and efficiency in the media they buy.

The first question asked is “given the circumstances can an advertising campaign help this brand?” If we believe a campaign can benefit the brand then we embark on the planning process. Through this process all standard criteria are addressed: Target, timing, market selection, reach/frequency objectives, media selection, vehicle selection etc. Each one of these areas receives careful scrutiny to ensure the message is delivered to prospective customers. In today’s media world less time is spent on traditional buys and more time is spent on what is best for the brand.