Sales & Marketing Management

How to prepare a 12-month media plan

The chart shown below shows a simple way to organize your thoughts to plan a
12-month media campaign. For longer campaigns, you would just add
additional sheets to cover the extended time.

Across the top of the chart, are columns titled with the particular type of

media event.

Down the side of the chart, are the names of the month for each planned

activity.

In each box, you will note the name of the event or advertising activity and

the dates that it will run.

The advantage of creating a visual representation of your media activity is that
you can get a visual sense of coordinating and integrating your use of various
media in a given period. You can also readily identify conflicts.

In the illustrated chart, we have shown how a few months of planning might
look on the chart. You should note particularly how:

Û A press release or charitable event participation is timed to precede the

start of a business promotion.

Û The initiation of the radio or TV Ads overlaps at the appropriate time

with the print media used.

After the media plan chart is completed, a budget is prepared. Each month is
listed and the media activity listed, priced, and extended to arrive at a total for
the month and, ultimately, for the year.

Another advantage of this media planning process is the ability to make
changes without
harming the
overall plan.

Business
conditions could
change after a few
months.

With a plan (such
as we have
illustrated to the
right), you can
visualize where
changes are made while keeping essential elements of the plan and maintaining
continuity.

Newspaper

Ads Flyers

Handbills Magazines Radio

TV

Promotional

EventOther

Jan.^

Feb.^

Mar.^

April^

May^