Media scheduling

Media scheduling and types

1. MEDIA SCHEDULING

2. Scheduling Once the media planning and selection is accomplished to the satisfaction of both advertisers and agencies, the attention is diverted to the task of deciding the media scheduling. It concerns answering such questions as how many of each media vehicles space and time units be bought? Over what and time units, this will be bought? Over what period, should such buying be? Do we want a steady schedule or do we want a `pulsed' campaign, concentrating heavily in the beginning and later slowing down ?

3. What is scheduling? Scheduling refers to the pattern of advertising timing, represented as plots on a yearly  flowchart. These plots indicate the pattern of scheduled times advertising must appear to coincide with favorable selling periods. The classic scheduling models are  Continuity ,  Flighting  and  Pulsing .

4. Continuous This model is primarily for non-seasonal products, yet sometimes for seasonal products. Advertising runs steadily with little variation over the  campaign  period. There may be short gaps at regular intervals and also long gaps—for instance, one ad every week for 52 weeks, and then a pause. This pattern of advertising is prevalent in  service  and packaged goods that require continuous reinforcement on the audience for top of mind  recollection  at  point of purchase. Advantages: Works as a Covers the entire purchase cycle Cost efficiencies in the form of large media discounts Positioning advantages within media Program or plan that identifies the media channels used in an advertising campaign, and specifies insertion or broadcast dates, positions, and duration of the messages. Continuous Time

5. Flighting (or "bursting") In media scheduling for seasonal product categories, flighting involves intermittent and irregular periods of advertising, alternating with shorter periods of no advertising at all. Flighting Time Burst Time

6. Advantages: Advertisers buy heavier weight than competitors for a relatively shorter period of time Little waste, since advertising concentrates on the best purchasing cycle period Series of commercials appear as a unified campaign on different media vehicles

7. Pulsing Pulsing combines flighting and continuous scheduling by using a low advertising level all year round and heavy advertising during peak selling periods. Product categories that are sold year round but experience a surge in sales at intermittent periods are good candidates for pulsing. For instance, under-arm  deodrants , sell all year, but more in summer months. Advantages: Covers different market situations Advantages of both continuity and flighting possible Pulsing Time

8. The number of different people or households and the number of times a person or household is exposed to a communications vehicle or an ad or campaign over a specified time period (usually four weeks).Thus, to an advertiser, the following six types of schedules are available. • Steady pulse : Steady pulse is the easiest types of schedules to prepare. For instance, one ad per week for 52 weeks or one ad per month for 12 months may be prepared. • Seasonal Pulse : Seasonal nature of products dictate the use of seasonal pulse in advertising. Examples include Ponds Cold cream; ceiling fans; airconditioners etc., in the months of winter and summer respectively. Reach & Frequency

9. • Period Pulse : Scheduling of media at regular intervals but not related to the, seasons of the year, is called the periodic pulse. Examples may include media scheduling of consumer durables (e.g. mixes) and during Puja or X-mas festivals, for gift purposes. • Erratic Pulse : When advertising is spaced at irregular intervals, it is called erratic pulse. Erratic pulse by itself is not to be ignored. It is quite likely that the advertiser is trying to cause changes in typical purchase cycles. For instance, ceiling fans, soft-drinks etc. Advertising in months other than the summer months, could attempt to even out purchases throughout the year.

10. • Start up Pulse : It is quite common to see a heavily concentrated media scheduling to open either a new product or a new campaign. This is called as start up pulse. For instance, the scheduling adopted by Maruti Suzuki for its NEXA showrooms have a distinct start up pulse. • Promotional Pulse : This scheduling pattern suits only a particular promotional theme of company. Thus, it will be more in the nature of onetime only and advertising will be heavily concentrated during a particular time. Examples of promotional pulse would include the recent advertising for Big Bazaar

11.  Some of the key factors that influence the scheduling pattern for a brand are as below- Marketing Objective TG Viewership   Sales Trend Product Availability Markets Competition Budget

12. Thank You!