MEDIA SCHEDULING
Media scheduling is the terminal component of media planning Timing of advertising messages is very significant. The ad-message ist reach the target audience right in time to provoke action or conversation of desire into demand. Advertising scheduling means the programming of media insertions or actual placement of ads as per time schedule This is the task of the physical run of events through the press, television cinema, radio, outdoor and promotional media.
The advertiser, after having selected the appropriate media and media vehicles, is to decide about the time and space units of each vehicle with a view to buying and preparing a schedule for their release over a period of time. That is, it quite obvious that companies would like to keep their advertising in front of consumers at all times as a constant reminder of the product brand name or product or both. (MCom 2nd Year Advertising Sales Management Study Material Notes)
In reality, this is not possible for a variety of reasons. Nor is it necessary. The primary objective of scheduling is time promotional efforts so that they will coincide with the highest potential buying times. For some products, these times are not easy to identify, for others they are very obvious. (MCom 2nd Year Advertising Sales Management Study Material Notes)
PRINCIPLES OF MEDIA SCHEDULING
Media scheduling to be very effective is to be based on certain guidelines. These guidelines are given by Mr. Gensch in his “MEDIA FACTORS”. To him, media weights are critical in the schedule of advertisements.
There are four weights that need to be considered which are outlined as under:
1. Perception. The “opportunity to see is not enough in itself for what we see through our selective perception may be equally important. For example, a fall colour ad in a newspaper compared with black and white or an action advertisement on TV with appropriate pop music just out of the charts compared with a “thinning soop” advertisement. may stimulate re-call and consequently be weighted more highly by media planners.
2. Population. Segmentation in itself is not adequate–we must strike nearer home since some of the population is more important to the media planner than others. The example of the Target Group Index (TGI) can be cited in this context. Weights can be allocated according to the degree of usage or expected usage. This requires a tremendous ‘feel* for the audience and its needs.
3. Media. How we get the message over will be influenced by the media. Take the example of a job advertisement. The quality Sunday Newspapers tend to devote pages if not the whole supplements to “quality jobs” there, the casual and relaxed after-lunch Sunday reader may glimpse through, the job columns at a leisurely pace, as opposed to ignoring the pages on a weekday-unless search for work. So appropriate weights have to be given to the media.
4. Exposure. The core assumption is that the audience is exposed to the advertisement as an editorial or film is viewed. Frequency of reading, not reading from cover to cover. Switching TV channels, going in for ice cream at the interval at the cinema, changing radio frequency by push-button control, and ignoring billboards outside all need to be taken into account. Some reduction may have to occur as opportunities equate with those actually seeing the advertisement.