L5 - Media Calculations Flashcards
Marketing, IMC and Media Objectives
Objectives should be SMARTT
- Specific,
- Measurable,
- Agreed upon,
- Realistic,
- Time-based
- Target market (Directed at the)

Expansion of media objectives…
Break the media objective down based on time periods
For example, you may decide to deliver more reach and frequency in the first six weeks and then reduce the impact over the next six weeks.
Break the media objective down by media category
For example, you may elect to set a separate reach and frequency objective for television, magazines and radio.
Break the media objective down by region
Allocate different levels of media impact across different regions or cities. For an established brand, make use of the Brand Development Index (BDI) and the Category Development Index (CDI) to assist in setting these objectives (see Belch2, Kerr & Powell)
Media Research is important:
Only collect data from consumers in your target market. Every question should add value to your media plan.
Product Usage data:
- The timing of product purchases can assist with ‘when’ to advertise
- Identifying how much product is sold from which outlets guides in-store promotion (POP) decisions
- Product consumption can be cross-tabulated with media usage to determine which media are preferred by heavy product users
Media Usage Data:
Knowing which media our target market consumes is critical to developing an effective media plan
We also need to know the timing, consistency and intensity of their media consumption
Media objectives example:
For example, broad media objectives for Wild Man After-Shave may be set as follows:
- Reach 80% of our Target Market (Males:25-34 in region A) over the duration of the campaign (12-weeks) at least once
- Effectively Reach at least 60% of our Target Market between 2 and 4 times (inclusive) per week over 12-weeks
Reach =
Reach is the % (or number) of different target consumers that are exposed to a campaign, at least once within a given period of time
Qualifying viewers are counted only once, no matter how many times they view a program
For example, if Shirley has been reached 8 times and Candice has only been reached once (within the campaign period), they are equally important from a reach perspective –both are reached at least once
Reach is based on the viewers’ opportunity-to-see (OTS) an advertising message – we may not know whether they actually did see the television commercial (or even pay attention to it)
Frequency =
The number of times a person is exposed to the advert shown as average frequency, frequency distribution and total impacts
Frequency is the number of advertising repetitions over a period of time in a particular advertising vehicle
What is a TARP?
What is Cost Per TARP?
A TARP is an acronym for ‘target audience rating point”. A TARP is the percentage of a specific target audience viewing a program at the time.
For example - an advertiser has a specific target audience women 25-39 and wants to know how a program performs for this target. If 21% of women 25-39 in Sydney watch Desperate Housewives we could also say that the TARP for the show in this market is 21.
Cost per TARP is simply the dollar cost of advertising within a program divided by the number of TARPs it will/does achieve.
For example - if Who Wants to be a Millionaire costs $4,000 for a 30 sec spot and achieves 8 TARPs against the specified target audience, then the Cost Per TARP (CPT) is: $500
Reach and TARPS:
Campaign: Milky and Silky
Target Audience: Females 18-34
Total Target consumers: 1,000,000
Advertised on: Deal or No Deal
Target consumers with OTS the TVC: 100,000
For one exposure (ie one ad in program), reach and TARPS are numerically the same

Combined reach

Combined Reach is the reach calculated across the campaign
CR = 100 – [% not reached by A * % not reached by B etc]
CR = 100 – [90% x 85%]
CR = 100 – [76.5%]
CR = 23.5% (ie a diff of 1.5%)

Reach by Media Category:
‘Reach’ can be applied to all media forms (Broadcast - per week ; Print - per issue or per campaign)
Reach increases as the media mix expands:
- More media categories are used (E.g. TV, radio, Outdoor, Cinema, Magazines etc.)
- More media vehicles are used (e.g. Within the Magazines category, advertising once in three different magazines gives more reach than advertising three times in the same magazine)
Combined Reach – Media Mix

Benefits of expanding the Media Mix:
- Greater reach is achieved
- Additional repeat exposure may be obtained in a less expensive secondary medium
- Exploit the intrinsic creative advantages provided by different media
- The combination of media gives synergy to the campaign
Coverage =
- Potential audience of a broadcast medium or the actual audience of a print medium exposed only once
- Sometimes synonymous with reach but not always
E.g. TV program X has a coverage of 95% of TV homes in Australia.
The Frequency objective:
Generally it takes 3 to 4 ‘opportunities to see’ (OTS) for a message to have an impact
This varies with the type of product and marketing situation
- Low-frequency strategies are used with well-known brands and simple messages
- High-frequency strategies might be used for building excitement
Average Frequency =
Average number of times target market consumers are exposed to a particular advertising message over a specified period of time
Average Frequency = GRP / (combined) Reach

Reach vs Frequency:
Reach and frequency are trade offs
To maximise reach:
- Advertise once in as many programs as possible
To maximise frequency:
- Advertise as many times as possible in the one program
If a TV campaign sets out to buy 100 GRP per week, this may be achieved by:
◦Reach 100% once per week (100 x 1 = 100)
◦Reach 50% twice per week (50 x 2 = 100)
◦Reach 25% four times per week (25 x 4 = 100)
Effective Frequency and Reach:
Effective frequency:
- Minimum number of media exposures for a communication goal to be achieved
Effective Reach:
- Reach at the frequency level
- Frequency level is set in accordance with communication goals (e.g.awareness, preference, attitude change, trial, repurchase)
Rule of thumb setting reach:
High reach when:-
- New features associated with the brand
- Advertising needed to support sales promotion activities
- Reminder advertising for a mass market product
- Brand faces severe competition
Rule of thumb setting frequency:
Frequency = 3 during a purchase cycle
Criticisms of the Three-Hit Theory:
(frequency rule of thumb)
- Many product categories are not suited to this approach (E.g. Motor Cars or refrigerators have long purchase cycles)
- Some advertisers have observed that the first exposure can trigger a sale
- Effective frequency is dependent on the quality of the creative
- Since every ad campaign is unique, effective frequency for one campaign may not be suitable to another
Recency:
Recency theory refers to the belief that advertisements and promotions are most effective when they air immediately prior to the time of decision, and that the influence of ad exposure diminishes with time. Exposure to fast food ads, for example, is optimal when it occurs just before dinnertime, and exposure to movie ads is best just prior to the movie release

Ostrow Model of Effective Frequency:
- Decision model to help media planners determine optimal frequency through assessing market, copy and media factors
- Start with base effective frequency of 3 and make adjustments according to a series of 20 factors
- Higher frequency: new brand/product, frequent usage, old ppl or children, pulsed/flighted
- Lower frequency: high brand share/loyalty, single msg, original ad, new messages, continuous advertising
Flighting:
Benefits of Flighting:
- Advertising bursts may be timed to coincide with competitive campaigns or can avoid them
- May suit seasonal products
- High impact during advertising bursts
Limitations of Flighting:
- Possible message wear-out during bursts
- Lose momentum during periods of inactivity
- Competitors may gain advantage if they advertise during periods when you are inactive
The Wedge Pattern:
(Variations in the Flighting Schedule)
Greatest intensity for the first burst is followed by bursts that are less intense and/or shorter in length

The Reverse Wedge Pattern
(Variations in the Flighting Schedule)
The first burst is the least intense. This is followed by bursts in which the intensity of flights is progressively increased

The Seasonal Priming Pattern
(Variations in the Flighting Schedule)
One or more short bursts are used to prime the market ahead of the start of the season
Once the season begins, one or more intensive bursts are applied

Pulsing =
Pulsing is a combination of Continuity and Flighting
A low level of continuous advertising is accompanied by a series of bursts across the campaign
