Planning your media mix, made simple

A media mix definition

The basic definition of the media mix is a pretty easy concept to understand. It’s a mix of various media that is used to effectively reach a target audience.

Organisations and their media planners carefully check results, adjusting and optimising as they go. Sounds simple enough.

However, beyond this simple definition is one of the most important and complicated facets of media planning and buying.

Knowing all about the audience and each media format is one thing, knowing how they interact, cross over and will affect each other is something else.

We can help you plan a media mix backed by data, research, and years of experience. Find out more about our media planning and buying services here, and get in touch when you're ready to get started.

The importance of the media mix in advertising

The sheer number of variables at work when multiple channels are used makes efficient use of the media mix hard.

However, successful multi-channel media plans are better able to achieve the reach, frequency and continuity objectives than could be achieved by single media plans.

What is more, smart brands know that the cost of additional reach after a certain reach level has been attained (with any one medium) is expensive. A combination of media is the best way to achieve maximum reach at the minimum cost.

Planning the right media mix for your brand

Did we say we would make the media mix simple? Sorry, that was a little white lie based on the premise that no one would want to read a post entitled: The media mix made complicated. By the way, learn more about media planning in our guide.

It isn’t simple, and to prove that, here are a few of the elements that we consider when we determine the media mix for any one organisation.

Your brand

The ideal media mix will vary depending on your brand, industry, and even your country. By understanding your target audience, you’ll be able to choose their preferred channels and locations for your media mix, helping you reach them when they’re most receptive.

For example, platforms like TikTok and Instagram might be ideal for reaching a younger audience, while television and print are still a powerful way of reaching older demographics.

When we consider your country, cultural nuances will come into play. For example, media preferences can vary significantly, even if the demographic is the same.

Media integration

Considering the constituent parts of your advertising, one channel at a time, is the easiest way to build your media mix.

A common approach in advertising is to retrofit various channels rather than envisioning the whole from the beginning.  Building an integrated media plan is more difficult.

Cross-platform media requires an understanding of the interplay between different media and how they will best reach the target audience.

Some media channels work better than others at certain jobs in relation to other channels. For example, out-of-home media is considered to be very effective as backup media during product launches.

The changing media environment

The media environment of today is characterised by the hybrid usage of a huge range of media, and it is changing every day.

Obviously, we use far more digital media now than we did a decade ago, but this in itself creates opportunities for greater specialisation in both digital and traditional media.

People in the 21st century are “consuming media through time and place shifting and use a portfolio of media in an integrated format.”* We think it is self-evident that brands who want to reach them should follow suit.