Introduction of Media Scheduling
Media scheduling refers to the programming of media insertions. The media planners are preparing a media schedule. Media scheduling depends upon a number of factors such as:
- Nature of product- consumer usable, durables or industrial
- Nature of sales-whether seasonal or regular sales.
- Product lifecycle- whether introduction, growth, maturity or decline.
- Pattern of competitor’s programmers.
- Entry of new competitors.
- Availability of funds for advertising.
The schedule shows the number of advertisements that are to appear in each medium, the size of the advertisements, and the date on which they are to appear. There are many ways of scheduling any advertising programme. No single way can be said to be best for all advertisers. Each advertiser must prepare a specific schedule most suitable for its market and its advertising objectives. What may be good for one advertiser and his product may be bad for another. Even for the same advertiser, the best at one stage of the product life cycle may not be suitable at another stage. An advertiser, for example, may schedule to buy six pages space in a monthly consumer magazine.
Alternatively, he may buy one-page space every month for the first three months; then he may not buy space for the next three months; and then again take one-page space every month for the next three months. There may be a variety of schedules of advertisements. The last method of scheduling is known as the wave method, or the flighting method. In flighting, advertisements are bunched with the intention of providing a concentrated impact. The other method is the blitz schedule. The insertion of double-page advertisements in three consecutive issues of a magazine is an example of the blitz schedule. There are many more methods of bunching advertisements. However, the purpose of bunching is to provide concentrated impact with a single issue of the publication.
Meaning of media scheduling
When an advertiser decides the media channel for there advertising then the next step is to make a decision regarding the time and date that when the advertisement appears the frequency of ads etc, advertiser have to choose the best time for maximum customer response.
Media scheduling strategies
- Continuous strategy – This scheduling involves advertising the message throughout the year. This type of advertising use where products are sold and used by the customer throughout the year. This strategy helps the advertiser to contently reminding the products to its customers. For example – Toothpaste, Shampoo, Soap etc.
- Flighting strategy – Flighting strategies include giving advertisement at specific intervals. The advertiser makes advertising for some time after then took a break of no ads, then take the second flight of advertising. The company with seasonal products or according to the life cycle of products and services use such scheduling strategies.
- Pulsing strategy – in this strategy, the advertises its product all over the year but for some period the expenditure on advertising is high and sometimes less. It removes the limitation of continuous or flighting strategy. The advertiser can increase or decrease the expense of advertising depending upon the requirement.
- Step down strategy – This strategy includes seasonal products. When the times of seasonal products started then the advertiser starts advertising their products. As the season getting into the finishing phase then the advertising starts declined. For example – when the rainy season begins companies give advertisement related to rainy shoes, raincoats, umbrella etc.
- Step up Strategy – In this strategy advertisers communicate ads on a low scale when the season picks up advertisers start advertising on large scale. For example – products like Ac, fan, Air cooler etc. advertisement starts with a low scale as the season picks up slowly advertising reaches its peak.
