Media planner
Media planners work within advertising agencies or media planning and buying agencies. They enable their clients to maximise the impact of their advertising campaigns through the use of a range of media. Media planners combine creative thinking with factual analysis to develop appropriate strategies to ensure that campaigns reach their target audiences as effectively as possible. They apply knowledge of media and communication platforms to identify the most appropriate mediums for building awareness of a client's brand.
Media planners work with the press, television, radio and new media, in particular the internet, as well as more unusual platforms, for example, promotion on the sides of buses and taxis. Some agencies may combine the role of planner with the role of media buyer. Media planners may also be known as communications planners, or brand planners or strategists.
Media planners usually work on several projects at the same time, often for a number of different clients. Work activities generally fall into two main areas, with levels of client contact increasing with seniority:
Preparation:
Implementation:
Salary figures are intended as a guide only.
Although this area of work is open to all graduates and those with an HND, the following degree/HND subjects may increase your chances:
While it is not impossible, entry without a degree or HND is unlikely without relevant experience.
A pre-entry postgraduate qualification is not required.
Pre-entry experience, especially relevant work experience, paid or unpaid, will greatly improve your chances. The most relevant work experience is anything that has helped to develop interpersonal skills, such as work in a customer service or sales role. Internships in media, marketing or advertising companies give applications an edge and are generally looked on favourably by employers.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
A strong and genuine interest in media and an appreciation of the part it plays in advertising is vital. Getting to know key aspects and terms used in the industry through organisations such as The Media Circle , the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) and the Internet Advertising Bureau is a good way to support job applications.
Some graduate positions are advertised on IPA Jobs Online , but it is advisable to make speculative applications to relevant employers. Applications should be based on careful research of both the role and the specific employer. Explore the company's website and be aware of the company's current presence in the market. Be persistent, as few jobs are advertised. Employers often receive large quantities of applications for advertised roles, which are time-consuming to sift through, so often prefer to recruit on a word-of-mouth basis or through the speculative applications they receive directly from interested candidates. A targeted covering letter and a CV demonstrating enthusiasm and knowledge are, therefore, key to any successful application.
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
Training is usually undertaken whilst working, with the support of a more experienced colleague. On-the-job experience is crucial for developing the required skills and building practical knowledge of national and regional media.
A key aspect of early training involves gaining an understanding of audience research figures, which provide consumer/media information and are funded by the relevant media owners. These include:
Developing knowledge and an understanding of how to make the best use of IT and online resources, provided by organisations such as Brad Insight and the Newspaper Society , is an important aspect of ongoing training.
In-house training may depend on the size and nature of individual companies, but most will offer programmes covering IT, presentation skills and media research tools, either in-house or externally.
A variety of training courses and opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD) in many aspects of advertising and marketing, including planning, are offered by the following organisations:
The Media Research Group (MRG) offers a two-day residential planning and research course aimed at professionals with a minimum of 18 months' media business experience. It covers the process of producing, implementing and budgeting for media plans. MRG also offers training courses for new entrants to media research.
Advertising is a multi-billion-pound industry and employs approximately 250,000 people in the UK (Skillset, 2011). There is strong competition for trainee posts as there are only a small number of vacancies each year and employers only want to take on the very best talent. However, once you have made a start in the industry, opportunities do exist, with career progression based largely on performance. Getting your foot in the door is the hardest part, but progression from there on can be rapid, providing you are willing to commit wholeheartedly to the industry and put in the work.
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) operates a continuing professional development (CPD) accreditation standard, which is available to graduates working within IPA member agencies. Graduates employed by IPA member agencies are also eligible to take part in IPA's seven-stage training programme, which provides a formal structure for career progression.
Most media planners start as trainees, joining a team of senior planners and buyers, working on a portfolio of accounts and learning on the job. Planning executives usually progress to become established planners or buyers after about a year. Promotion to a senior or management position brings added responsibility for a number of accounts and for the work of others.
A typical career path tends to be vertical for the first few years, and it is normal to reach senior level (i.e. account director) after a few years' experience. At this point, it is usual to broaden your career path. There are often opportunities within agencies to progress to working in a larger group, in related fields such as data planning, research or marketing. There are sometimes even opportunities to 'invent' new roles as it is the nature of the industry to be dynamic in order to keep in line with the ever-changing requirements of clients.
Headhunting is common in the media industry and a planner or buyer may move between employers in order to increase their salary and to broaden their experience. Therefore your reputation, both in your own company and externally, is of crucial importance to your future career development.
Typical employers include:
Media agencies cover all media, whilst new media agencies cover advertising through digital media, text messaging and the internet. Some companies have specialist new media departments, but the number of new media agencies has increased in the last few years. As these agencies are generally small, job functions often overlap and while employees need an understanding of and enthusiasm for new media, a keen interest in business and advertising is equally important. Some jobs are also available in full service agencies, where there is a greater interaction between creative and media teams.
Media planners also find work in more specialist agencies, including:
There are a few specialist recruitment agencies. The website Agency Central gives a detailed list of agencies specialising in media recruitment.
Major agencies include:
Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.
Tweet