Media cost and Media Ability

To get the most out of the advertising rupees spent, the primary concern of the advertiser is media selection. The cost of buying space or time is weighed against the number of audience secured by such advertising. In fact, buying advertising space or time is nothing different from buying commodities. Usually, the question is asked: “How wide an audience do I get for every rupee I spend?”

The media cost should be commensurate with the measure of the media’s ability to carry the message to the target audience. Media ability covers such qualitative values as audience characteristics, editorial personality, and contribution advertising effectiveness; above all it refers to a “media image” capable of enhancing the perception and communication value of a given message. For example, Channel A and Channel B deliver the same message and the same extension of advertising exposure to the same audience; but if, say, Channel A has a better reputation for honesty and good editorials, the advertisement in this may receive a higher perception and communication among its audience than if it is inserted in Channel B.

The selectivity offered by some media is useful for advertisers, for it enables them to reach a distinct target market with minimum waste. In fact, a great deal of information on the media about their demographic characteristics is provided by the media themselves. The objective of any media planner is to achieve the best possible matching of media and the market.

The media ability is measured under the following heads:

1. Distribution Measurement: Expressed in the number of copies circulated.
2. Audience Measurement: Expressed in terms of audience size, audience composition and the amount of audience exposure.
3. Exposure Measurement: The advertiser looks for the ability of the media to create advertising exposure. Once the media have produced the desired exposure, the quality of the message will determine the subsequent impact in terms of perception, communication and behavioral response.

Magazines have different images in the eyes of readers, such as thorough coverage of subject matter; impartial and accurate reporting; stimulating reading; modern and up-to-date; good style of writing; personalized, etc.

However, the availability of media during specific hours of the day or night has an important bearing on media selection. In various television or radio programmes, time may not be available even if the advertiser is prepared to pay premium rate. This is true of newspapers, too. Sometimes, a specific space in the total layout is not available. Some advertisers ask for space on the front page, which may not be available because it has already been booked, and is no longer unreserved.