7.Scheduling and Building a Plan

Scheduling and Building a Plan

Module 7Instructor: Dr. Nitu Saxena

Topics Covered

  • Factors Affecting Scheduling

  • Receptive Targeting

  • Scheduling Patterns

  • Elements of Media Plan

  • Different Media Planning

Factors That Affect Scheduling

When considering when to advertise a product, it is crucial to ask scheduling questions that focus on the key factors influencing advertising effectiveness. These factors include:

  1. Sales Pattern

    • No Seasonality: Products are sold consistently throughout the year with minimal fluctuations, typically seen in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs) such as snacks and beverages.

    • Some Seasonality: Products have a steady sales pattern but experience spikes during specific seasons, such as air conditioners peaking in summer.

    • Seasonal: Sales are concentrated during specific periods, such as raincoats selling heavily in the monsoon season.

  2. Purchase Cycle

    • This examines the frequency and timing of purchases. Are purchases spread evenly throughout the month, or are they concentrated around certain times?

    • For example, consumers might purchase larger packs of a product infrequently, while they opt for smaller, more frequent purchases of essentials.

  3. Competitive Activity

    • It is important to analyze competitors' advertising and sales over time. Should the scheduling strategy mimic competitor efforts, or is there an opportunity to find unique angles and differentiate the brand?

    • Smaller brands particularly need to focus on differentiation within a crowded marketplace to capture attention.

  4. Marketing Task

    • The marketing task will influence the scheduling strategy. For instance, product launches generally require substantial initial media exposure with higher frequencies of advertising, followed by a tapering off after the launch period.

    • Conversely, aggressive growth strategies might necessitate bursts of advertising to build awareness before surges of competitive activity.

  5. Budget Constraints

    • Advertisers often face limitations on media budgets which force them to allocate resources judiciously.

    • Seasonal products might ideally benefit from year-round advertising, yet budget restrictions could require a more modest advertising schedule.

  6. Target Group

    • Understanding the behavior and viewing patterns of the target audience plays a critical role in scheduling. For instance, viewership may peak on weekends for adult demographics, while children's programming sees higher engagement during early evening hours.

Receptivity Targeting

  • The receptiveness of consumers to advertising messages is heavily influenced by their frame of mind at the time of exposure. Effective receptivity targeting involves timing specific advertisements to align with consumers’ moods and mental states.

  • A practical example noted by Erwin Ephron includes scheduling ads for Colgate and Marie biscuits in a manner that encourages higher consumer engagement due to appropriate timing.

What is Scheduling?

  • Advertising scheduling is a structured timing plan for when ads are expected to run. It aligns advertisements with specific selling periods, often visualized as a yearly flowchart that maps out campaigns.

Classic Scheduling Models

  1. Continuity: Regular, consistent advertising exposure throughout the campaign duration, ideal for non-seasonal products to keep brand presence constant.

  2. Flighting: Utilizes intermittent advertising bursts followed by complete breaks, making it particularly effective for seasonal products that require visibility during peak times.

  3. Pulsing: A hybrid approach that combines continuity with flighting, allowing for a baseline presence year-round while intensifying efforts during peak sales periods.

Scheduling Patterns

  • Continuity: Maintains constant advertising frequency, providing regular reinforcement which is ideal for brand recognition and recall.

  • Flighting: Employs intermittent advertisement runs that concentrate efforts during peak purchasing times, thus being effective for seasonally-driven products.

  • Pulsing: Integrates advantages from both continuity and flighting strategies, making it suitable for products that experience sales peaks throughout the year while maintaining a basic presence consistently.

Advantages of Scheduling Models

  • Continuous: Offers regular reinforcement, enhances brand recall, provides cost efficiencies.

  • Flighting: Ensures focused advertising during critical purchasing periods, which can be financially efficient for seasonal promotions.

  • Pulsing: Merges the benefits of continuous and flighting approaches, enabling advertisers to maximize impact during both high and low demand periods.

Reach and Frequency

  • Reach: Refers to the total number of unique viewers who are exposed to the advertisement.

  • Frequency: Indicates how often those viewers see the advertisement over a designated time frame, usually calculated over four weeks.

  • Types of Schedules: Include steady pulse, seasonal pulse, period pulse, erratic pulse, start-up pulse, and promotional pulse, each serving various strategic needs based on audience engagement.

Scheduling for Impact

  • Road Block: A strategy where ads are aired simultaneously across multiple channels to create strong impact and brand reinforcement.

  • Day Part Emphasis: Scheduling ads based on viewer availability and behavioral patterns, aligning the timing with product type; for example, advertising snacks during evening hours when viewership is highest.

  • Multiple Spotting: An approach where the same advertisement is aired multiple times within a single commercial break, increasing exposure and memorability.

  • Teasers: Pre-launch advertisements that generate curiosity without directly mentioning the product, effectively building anticipation.

Elements of Media Plan

  1. Media Budget: A vital component that establishes the financial limits for media activities and expenditures.

  2. Allocation Across Media: Refers to the mix of media channels selected, with decisions informed by historical budget performances and audience responses.

  3. Layering: A strategic approach to scheduling that spreads advertising across a variety of media types and timeframes, enhancing overall reach.

  4. Creative Units: Clear guidelines detailing the ad formats used across various media platforms, ensuring coherence in messaging.

  5. Objectives and Deliveries: Clearly defined objectives should be established, outlining measurable reach goals for campaigns within specified timeframes, ensuring accountability and effectiveness in strategy execution.

Different Media Planning

  • Print Media: Involves analyzing consumption patterns to determine the appropriate mix and allocation between dailies, weeklies, or magazines, considering language and audience needs.

  • TV Planning: Requires detailed selection of programs, day parts, and consideration of Target Rating Points (TRP) to effectively reach the desired audience.

  • Radio Planning: Involves decisions between government-run AIR and private FM stations, and the careful evaluation of station offerings to align content with audience demographics.

  • Cinema Planning: Considers options for advertising in theaters, including audience coverage areas and demographic alignments.

  • Outdoor Planning: Involves a detailed assessment of location types, knowledge of city layouts, and traffic patterns to maximize visibility and effectiveness.

  • Internet Planning: Strategies focusing on search engine reach, exposure methodologies, and call-to-action techniques that effectively guide consumers from initial awareness to engagement.