Download Selecting the Media

Selecting the Media
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The media carries a message to an audience.
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The media selected for an advertisement determines the way an
advertisement is made.
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Factors to determine the media to be used are: reach,
frequency, selectivity, durability, lead-time, mechanical
requirements, clutter and cost.
1. Reach
What percentage of the target audience will be
exposed to the message?
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Magazine and newspaper publishers have access to statistics
which indicate the degree of the reach.
TV & radio express reach in terms of a percentage of viewers
like the Neilson ratings.
Frequency
How many times will the target audience see or
hear (be exposed to) the same advertising
message over a given time period?
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A radio ad has a frequency of 1, a newspaper ad
might have a frequency of 2 and a magazine ad
might have a frequency of 5, meaning that once a
radio ad has been aired, it can no longer be heard,
but once a newspaper or magazine advertisement
appears, it may be viewed more than once.
Selectivity
Can the chosen media zero in on a target
audience?
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Example: Golf club manufacturers would like to reach
golfers, and golfer are the only consumers who read
golf magazines. Having a print ad in the golf
magazine (eg., Golf Digest, Golf Magazine) would be
a successful advertising campaign. A TV ad on The
Golf Channel would also be very effective.
Durability
How long will the ad last? Is there an
opportunity for the ad to be viewed
more than once?
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Newspapers last for 24 hours; magazines can last
much longer.
Radio and television advertisements do not last at all.
Lead-Time
What amount of time is necessary to
prepare the ad to run in the media?
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T.V. and magazines require a lead-time of several
weeks for production and layout.
Radio and newspapers have lead-times of only a few
days.
When a sports team wins a major event (will the
Leafs win the Stanley Cup this year?), media with
short lead-times can congratulate the winner in an ad
the next day.
Technical Requirements
How complex is the process of preparing
the ad for the media? TV ads are
complicated and radio ads are simple.
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The technical requirements also affect the cost of
advertising.
Clutter
How many competitors are vying for the target
audience’s attention within the media and
within the area in which it is being heard or
seen?
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A newspaper has internal clutter when ads on the same page
compete with each other for the reader’s attention.
External clutter is the activity which accompanies the
consumption of the media. (eg., is the newspaper reader
relaxed at home or on a commuter train with hundreds of
jostling passengers?)
Costs
How much money is involved in preparing an
advertisement and paying for space or time in
the media used to run it?
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TV commercials can cost anywhere from a few
thousand to a million dollars to air (Super Bowl ads
are very expensive) and anywhere from a few
hundred dollars to several thousand dollars to make.