Television Advertising & Media Planning Essentials

Television Advertising Dynamics

Television advertising features great price dynamics, with prices renewed frequently and negotiation playing a crucial role. It's a highly competitive market with a variety of formats:

• Conventional spot (usually 20 seconds, calculated in multiples of 5)
• Trading block
• Sponsorship (funding a program in exchange for advertising)
• Static events
• Product placement (insertion of a brand, product, or service within program content)
• Telepromotions
• References
• Overlays (home shopping)
• Bartering (exchange of advertising programs)
• Interactive advertising

Prices are published together with the program grid. Commercials are typically set to 20 seconds (price measured per second, with surcharges applied by the chain), though published rates are not always strictly respected. Material is delivered with 4-5 days' notice. Multiple recruitment systems are used, including space-to-space by modules (cheaper), for GRP, or guaranteed award.

Types of Negotiation in TV Advertising

Negotiation types include:

• Discount: The scheduler assumes the risk, requiring excellent audience prediction. This is interesting for periods of high demand.
• Guaranteed Award: More expensive, but ideal for planners seeking quality and certainty.

Negotiable Elements

We negotiate various aspects, such as:

• Proportion of slots in a module
• Position in the commercial break
• Commercial sequence
• Elimination of surcharges
• Sudden changes of dates
• Unconventional forms of advertising

Available Discounts

Discounts are available for:

• Specific periods
• Charges based on positioning block
• Duration (shorter spots are more expensive)
• Financial terms

Media Planning Fundamentals

Introduction to Media Planning

Media activity should be considered in the context of its interrelationship with other marketing variables.

Individual Media Analysis

Key concepts in individual media analysis include:

• Media Penetration: Defined as the extent of reach of a medium or support within a given population. It is usually expressed as a percentage.
• Audience: A segment within the total universe. Audience can be distinguished between:
  • Last Period Audience: Estimated for the most recent period (e.g., yesterday for TV, newspapers; according to publication period for journals; weekly for supplements and film; monthly for Internet).
  • Cumulative Audience: Total audience over a longer period (e.g., one month, six months).
• Audience in EGM (General Media Study): Measured as:
  • Newspapers: Readers per day
  • Supplements: Readers per week
  • Magazines: Readers per press
  • Radio: Listeners per day
  • Television: Viewers per day
  • Film: Viewers per week
  • Internet: Users per month