Buying Media
Advertising Resources and Characteristics
Paid media resources vary from place to place, but most communities are served by major media resources emanating from a metropolitan area in addition to those originating locally.
The information offered here presents guidelines on the strengths and weaknesses of various categories of media. Professional strategists evaluate a medium for its ability to reach a specific or target audience as defined by its reach and frequency.
Reach is measured by the medium's ability to deliver the advertiser's message to the greatest number of people in the target audience. Frequency defines how many times the message will be seen, heard, or both, by that same audience.
Professionals will further evaluate each medium on a cost per thousand (CPM) listeners or readers or viewers. It's a way to compare the various media being considered for purchase on an apples-to-apples basis. Other contributing factors include cost of producing the advertising message, ease of changing messages and, of course, the suitability of the message to the medium.
Look for professional media buying assistance in your congregation or among friends and acquaintances. Ask a local advertising agency for help. Making good buys is a tricky business.
Television
TV's strength is its reach. But its primary drawback is cost, particularly if network programs are being considered since those attract the largest viewership. Cable TV, while attracting fewer numbers of viewers, can be very efficient as well as accessible and affordable.
Radio
Radio's strength is in frequency. The message is heard many times at a reasonable cost per thousand listeners. There are many more radio stations than TV or cable systems in your market so buying the right one(s) can be complicated.
Outdoor
The Unitarian Universalist Association's (UUA's) Kansas City and environs marketing campaign relied heavily on outdoor advertising for its ability to deliver both reach and frequency at reasonable cost.
Billboards, whether printed paper or vinyl bulletins, provide a big, short message 24/7 and can be bought on a monthly basis. Production is relatively inexpensive.
Other forms of outdoor advertising include bus and train station or subway posters; even taxi displays, all effective buys in large cities.
Newspapers are problematic because the cost of frequency is very high. Community and alternative papers offer lower cost per advertisement placed but they deliver it to much smaller audiences. Most newspapers today can provide color in ads but the premium is substantial.
Color advertising looks great in magazines but frequency is even more expensive than in newspapers and ad production costs are high.
The UUA's Kansas City test employed very limited print advertising because of the expense as compared with frequency.
Cyber
There is no way as yet to compare website advertising with classic media resources. Most major advertisers use traditional advertising methods to drive audiences to their own web site for more information, registration or actual purchase. The UUA campaign does this as well with its emphasis on resources offered on UUA.org.
Using Multiple Media to Deliver a Consistent Message Over Time
Due to the growing number of marketing possibilities available today, a sound marketing approach must include a multiple media plan. (This was true in the UUA marketing campaign test in Kansas City. The test plan used outdoor, TV, radio, and some print. We were able to deliver the same idea in more than one medium in an integrated format) The plan is based on identifying all cost-effective channels that will clearly communicate your message to your most targeted audience. Above all, the plan must be integrated and carefully timed amongst all media to ensure your message is delivered and consistent. Developing a systematic multiple media marketing approach will provide the biggest impact in the community.
For more information contact marketing_outreach @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, January 25, 2008.
