Media Strategy Management Flashcards

Question 1

What is media strategy management in a marketing context?

Accepted Answer

Media strategy management is the planning, execution, and evaluation of the channels through which a brand reaches its audience. It connects media choices to business objectives, allocates budget across those channels, and tracks whether the activity produces the intended results. It brings paid, owned, and earned media together in one coordinated plan.

Question 2

What are paid, owned, and earned media, and how do they differ?

Accepted Answer

Paid media is advertising a brand buys from publishers or platforms, such as search ads, display, and sponsored posts. Owned media is channels the brand controls, including its website, email list, and app. Earned media is publicity gained without payment, such as press coverage and reviews. Each type differs in cost and control.

Question 3

What is a media plan, and what core elements should it contain?

Accepted Answer

A media plan is a document that translates strategy into specific decisions about channels, placements, timing, budgets, and expected results. Core elements usually include the objectives, audience definition, channel mix with rationale, flowchart of spending over time, and measurement approach. A plan gives stakeholders a shared reference for approving spend and judging performance.

Question 4

What is the difference between a strategy and a tactic in media planning?

Accepted Answer

A media strategy states the long-term approach, such as which audiences to prioritize and what role each channel plays in reaching them. A tactic is a specific, short-term action that carries out the strategy. Tactics should trace back to the strategy so the plan keeps its purpose.

Question 5

What should a media brief communicate to an agency or planning team?

Accepted Answer

A media brief sets out the business problem, campaign goals, target audience, key dates, available budget, and any mandatory channels or constraints. It gives the planning team a clear starting point. A strong brief also states how success will be judged, so planners know which results matter most.

Question 6

What is the difference between a campaign and an always-on media program?

Accepted Answer

A campaign is a defined effort with a start date, end date, and specific objective. An always-on program runs continuously without a fixed end, maintaining presence and capturing demand as it arises. Many brands run both, using always-on activity as a base and campaigns to add bursts of attention.

Question 7

What information does a media flowchart show, and why is it useful?

Accepted Answer

A media flowchart is a timeline that shows when each channel, placement, or flight runs and how much budget is planned for each period. It lets stakeholders see gaps, overlaps, and peaks in activity at a glance. It also helps check that spending is paced to the purchase cycle.

Question 8

What is the purpose of a media audit before planning new activity?

Accepted Answer

A media audit reviews current channels, creative, spending, and results to identify what is working, what is wasteful, and where gaps exist. It gives the planner a baseline, so new decisions build on evidence rather than assumptions. Audits reveal overlap between channels that may be paying twice to reach the same people.

Question 9

Why do media objectives need to be defined before channels are selected?

Accepted Answer

Objectives determine what success looks like, and that determines which channels can deliver it. A goal of building awareness calls for broad reach, while a goal of driving purchases may call for search or retargeting. Choosing channels first leads to a plan that is easy to buy but hard to justify against results.

Question 10

What does a target audience profile include beyond basic demographics?

Accepted Answer

A useful audience profile adds behaviors, media habits, attitudes, and purchase triggers to age, location, and income. Knowing which platforms the audience uses, when they research products, and what concerns stop them from buying tells the planner where to reach them and what message will matter. Demographic-only profiles often miss the real audience.

Question 11

What makes a media objective specific and measurable enough to evaluate?

Accepted Answer

A useful objective names the metric, the target, the audience, and the time frame. For example, increasing aided brand awareness among adults by a stated amount within a quarter gives a team something it can plan for and check. Vague goals, such as getting more attention, make success impossible to judge.

Question 12

What is the difference between a primary and a secondary target audience?

Accepted Answer

The primary target audience is the group whose behavior the campaign most needs to change, and it usually receives most of the budget. A secondary audience is a related group, such as people who influence purchases or existing customers who could buy again. Both audiences shape channel and message choices.

Question 13

What is a psychographic dimension in audience planning?

Accepted Answer

Psychographic dimensions describe values, interests, attitudes, and lifestyle, which explain why people respond to certain messages. They complement demographic data such as age and income. Planners use them to choose tone, creative themes, and the content environments where an audience is most receptive.

Question 14

How can a planner use audience overlap data when selecting channels?

Accepted Answer

Audience overlap data shows how much of one channel's audience also appears on another channel. Planners use it to judge how much new reach each added channel brings, rather than repeating existing exposure. Check the data source before relying on overlap figures.

Question 15

What is the purpose of a funnel model in media planning?

Accepted Answer

A funnel model groups audience stages, such as awareness, consideration, and purchase, and assigns media roles to each stage. It helps planners avoid spending only on bottom-of-funnel activity that captures existing demand while neglecting channels that create new demand. Different stages usually call for different channels, metrics, and messages.

Question 16

What is a brand objective compared with a direct response objective?

Accepted Answer

A brand objective aims to shift awareness, perception, or preference, and it is measured with surveys or attention metrics. A direct response objective aims to produce an immediate action such as a sale, sign-up, or download, and it is measured by counting those actions. The two call for different channels and creative.

Question 17

What is reach, and why is frequency planned alongside it?

Accepted Answer

Reach is the number of unique people or households exposed to an advertising message at least once during a campaign period. Frequency is the average number of times each reached person sees that message. Planners manage both because a fixed budget forces a trade-off between them.

Question 18

How does a media planner decide whether a campaign needs continuous or flighted scheduling?

Accepted Answer

Continuous scheduling keeps advertising running at a steady level all year, which suits products bought regularly. Flighted scheduling runs in bursts with gaps between them, which suits seasonal products or launches. Pulsing combines both, keeping a low baseline with periodic peaks. The choice depends on purchase cycles and how quickly the message is forgotten.

Question 19

What is gross rating point, and how is it calculated?

Accepted Answer

Gross rating points measure total audience exposure as a percentage of a target population. They are calculated by multiplying reach percentage by average frequency, so a campaign reaching forty percent of the audience an average of three times produces 120 gross rating points.

Question 20

What is a channel mix, and what factors shape it?

Accepted Answer

A channel mix is the combination of media channels used in a plan, with each channel given a role and a share of budget. Factors that shape it include audience media habits, the objective and funnel stage, creative requirements, and budget size. No single channel suits every goal.

Question 21

What is effective frequency, and why do planners set a threshold for it?

Accepted Answer

Effective frequency is the number of exposures a person needs before a message has a reasonable chance of affecting them. Planners set a minimum threshold so that budget is not spent on exposures too few to register. The right level varies with message complexity, competitive noise, and how familiar the brand already is.

Question 22

What is the main trade-off between national and local media buying?

Accepted Answer

National buys reach a broad audience across a wide geography, which suits brands sold everywhere. Local buys concentrate spending in the markets where the business operates, which avoids paying for people who cannot act on the message. The trade-off is between wide reach and relevance to where customers can actually buy.

Question 23

What role does context play in channel selection?

Accepted Answer

Context describes the environment in which a message appears, such as the content around an article, the type of video, or the time of day. Relevant context can lift attention, while a poor fit can hurt the brand. Planners therefore review placements, not only audiences, when judging a channel.

Question 24

What is a media placement, and why does the specific placement matter?

Accepted Answer

A placement is the exact position where an ad appears, such as a particular page section, video pre-roll, or magazine page. Two placements on the same channel can produce very different attention and response, so planners negotiate for specific positions rather than accepting any available slot.

Question 25

What is the objective-and-task method for setting a media budget?

Accepted Answer

The objective-and-task method begins with the goal, then identifies the tasks needed to achieve it, such as reach, frequency, and channel coverage. Each task is costed, and the total becomes the budget. This approach ties spending to what the plan must accomplish, rather than to a fixed share of revenue.

Question 26

What is the percentage of sales method, and what is its main weakness?

Accepted Answer

The percentage of sales method sets the media budget as a fixed share of forecast or past revenue. Its main weakness is that it ties media to sales that may already be falling, so it can cut investment just when new demand needs building.

Question 27

What is programmatic buying, and what does it automate?

Accepted Answer

Programmatic buying uses software to purchase ad inventory automatically, usually in real time, based on audience data and rules set by the advertiser. It automates steps that were once manual, such as negotiating individual placements and tracking insertion orders. Its efficiency depends on clean data, clear targeting rules, and close monitoring for waste.

Question 28

What is a cost per thousand impressions, and why is it used to compare media?

Accepted Answer

Cost per thousand impressions, often written as CPM, is the price paid for one thousand ad exposures on a channel. It is calculated by dividing total cost by impressions and multiplying by one thousand. Planners use it to compare the price of reaching audiences across channels, but it ignores response.

Question 29

What is a make-good in media buying, and why do advertisers request one?

Accepted Answer

A make-good is replacement inventory a publisher provides when a previously bought ad did not run as agreed, ran in the wrong position, or delivered fewer impressions than promised. Advertisers request one to recover the value they paid for. Clear contract terms on delivery and placement make these disputes easier to resolve.

Question 30

Why do planners negotiate for added value in a media contract?

Accepted Answer

Added value is extra advertising or benefits a seller provides beyond the paid schedule, such as bonus impressions, extra placements, or sponsorship assets. Planners negotiate for it because it lowers the effective cost of reaching the audience without increasing the budget. It should always be written into the contract.

Question 31

What factors should guide the choice between in-house and agency media buying?

Accepted Answer

The choice depends on the volume and complexity of buying, the team's expertise and tools, and how much control and transparency the brand needs. Agencies often bring negotiating scale and specialist systems, while in-house teams can keep closer control of strategy and data. Many combine both, keeping strategy in-house and outsourcing execution.

Question 32

What is a budget pacing check, and why is it done during a campaign?

Accepted Answer

A pacing check compares actual spending against the planned schedule at regular points during a campaign. It shows whether budget is running ahead of plan, which may exhaust funds early, or behind plan, which may leave goals underfunded. Catching these gaps early allows budgets to be shifted before the window for action closes.

Question 33

What is a cost per acquisition, and how is it calculated?

Accepted Answer

Cost per acquisition is the average media spending required to produce one desired action, such as a purchase or sign-up. It is calculated by dividing total media cost by the number of attributed acquisitions in the same period. Because it links spending to outcomes, it is a efficiency measure for direct response campaigns.

Question 34

What is return on ad spend, and how does it differ from profit?

Accepted Answer

Return on ad spend is the revenue generated by advertising divided by the advertising cost. A result of four means four dollars of revenue for each dollar spent, but this figure does not subtract product costs or other expenses. Profit requires those deductions, so high return can still hide weak margins.

Question 35

What is attribution in media measurement, and why is it difficult?

Accepted Answer

Attribution is the process of assigning credit for a conversion to the media touchpoints that contributed to it. It is difficult because people move across devices and channels, some touchpoints go unrecorded, and privacy limits restrict tracking. Different attribution models give different answers, so results should be read as estimates.

Question 36

What is incrementality testing, and why does it matter?

Accepted Answer

Incrementality testing measures the extra outcomes caused by advertising, compared with what would have happened without it. A common approach holds out a comparison group that is not exposed to the ads and compares its results with the exposed group. It matters because platform-reported conversions often include people who would have bought anyway.

Question 37

How should a planner use test results to optimize a live campaign?

Accepted Answer

Planners compare performance across channels, creatives, audiences, and placements, then shift budget toward the options that deliver the target result at the lowest cost. Changes should be made in controlled steps so that cause and effect remain clear. Each change should be logged so the team can learn from it.

Question 38

Why is a post-campaign review important for future media planning?

Accepted Answer

A post-campaign review compares planned goals with actual results, explains the reasons for gaps, and records what should change next time. Without it, teams repeat assumptions and lose the learning that each campaign produced. Reviews are most useful when they include the data, the decisions taken, and the context in which both were made.

Question 39

What is a marketing mix model, and what kind of question does it answer?

Accepted Answer

A marketing mix model uses statistical analysis of historical data to estimate how much each channel and other factor contributed to sales or other outcomes. It answers questions about relative contribution. Its estimates depend on data quality and modeling assumptions, so they guide decisions rather than settle them.

Question 40

What is a key performance indicator, and how should it be chosen?

Accepted Answer

A key performance indicator is a metric directly linked to a campaign objective and used to judge whether the campaign is on track. It should be chosen because it reflects the business result the plan promises, not because it is easy to report. Vanity figures such as raw impressions rarely qualify.

Media Strategy Management Flashcards

1Foundations of media strategy

2Objectives and audience definition

3Reach, frequency, and channel mix

4Budgeting and media buying

5Measurement and optimization

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