Unit 2: Media planning & scheduling
Advertising and Sales Management notes · PTU syllabus (BBA 512-18)
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Unit summary
The best ad fails if it reaches the wrong people. Media planning decides where and when ads run. This unit covers the media plan and types of media, market analysis, media objectives and strategy, evaluating media, pre- and post-testing, and the social, ethical and legal aspects of advertising.
After this unit you can
- Explain the media plan and compare types of media
- Set media objectives and develop media strategy and scheduling
- Evaluate media using reach, frequency, GRP and CPM
- Discuss the social, ethical and legal aspects of advertising
PTU syllabus topics
- The media plan and types of media
- market analysis
- media objectives
- developing and implementing media strategies
- evaluating media effectiveness
- pre- and post-testing
- social
- ethical and legal aspects of advertising
Television
Sight, sound, huge reach
Expensive, cluttered
Detailed, credible
Short life for newspapers
Radio
Cheap, local
Audio only
Outdoor
High repeat exposure
Short messages only
Digital
Precise targeting, measurable
Ad blindness, clutter
Topic 1
The media plan and types of media
A media plan specifies which media will carry the advertising, when and how often, and at what cost.
Newspapers
Local, timely, credible
Short life, poor reproduction
Magazines
Targeted, high quality
Long lead time
Television
Sight, sound, motion; mass reach
High cost, clutter
Radio
Low cost, local, mobile
Audio only
Outdoor
Repeated exposure
Short messages
Digital and social
Precise targeting, measurable, interactive
Ad blocking, clutter
Topic 2
Market analysis, media objectives and strategy
- 1Market analysis
Who, where, when to reach
- 2Set media objectives
Reach, frequency, continuity
- 3Develop media strategy
Media mix, geographic and target coverage
- 4Scheduling
Continuous, flighting or pulsing
- 5Implement and evaluate
| Scheduling pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Continuous | Ads run steadily throughout the period |
| Flighting | Bursts of ads with gaps between |
| Pulsing | Continuous base with heavier bursts at key times (festivals) |
Topic 3
Evaluating media
Reach
% of target audience exposed at least once
Frequency
Average number of exposures per person reached
Gross rating points (GRP)
Reach × frequency
Cost per thousand (CPM)
Cost of the ad × 1,000 / audience size
Example
An ad reaching 60% of the target three times has GRP = 180.
Topic 4
Social, ethical and legal aspects
- Criticisms: creates unnecessary wants, encourages materialism, stereotypes, misleading claims and ads aimed at children.
- Ethics: honesty, decency, respect for competitors and protecting vulnerable audiences.
- Regulation in India: the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) — self-regulatory code; the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the CCPA — penalties for misleading advertisements and endorsements; the Cable Television Networks Rules; and the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act. CCPA guidelines (2022) make endorsers accountable and require disclosure of paid influencer content.
Key terms
- Media plan
- Decision on media, timing, frequency and cost
- Reach
- Share of the audience exposed at least once
- GRP
- Reach multiplied by frequency
- CPM
- Cost per thousand people reached
- ASCI
- India's self-regulatory body for advertising
Quick revision
- Media: print, TV, radio, outdoor, digital.
- Scheduling: continuous, flighting, pulsing.
- GRP = reach × frequency; CPM = cost × 1,000/audience.
- Regulation: ASCI, CPA 2019, CCPA guidelines.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.What is a media plan?
- Q2.Differentiate between reach and frequency.
- Q3.What is GRP?
- Q4.What is pulsing in media scheduling?
- Q5.What is ASCI?
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Explain the steps in media planning.
- Q2.Compare the various advertising media.
- Q3.Discuss the social, ethical and legal aspects of advertising in India.
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