Getting Started on Annual Media Planning

Ready for 2023 Media Planning?

Key things your agency can be doing right now to help prepare.

Labor Day Weekend has come and gone, which in the agency world typically marks the end of Summer and the start of the next planning cycle for our clients. Whether you’ve hit the ground running or are just starting to dip your toe, here are a few key things we’re doing at Red Comma (and your agency should be doing to!) to help get started on planning:

1. Encourage clients to refresh their 1st party data. Whether you’ve been robustly collecting or are new to 1st party data, it’s definitely time to start creating or fine-tuning your data lists. Not only will this information be useful come time for execution, but incorporating this as a planning practice moving forward will become increasingly important as we move toward a cookie-less existence online.

2. Review target audiences & competitive spending activity. Keeping on top of spending activity in the market is a crucial step to inform your media strategy and something we provide clients on a regular basis to keep them ahead of their competition. It’s also important for agencies to bring forward an analysis of media habits, attitudes and behaviors for any new audiences to consider how to enact them most effectively. Even if target audiences aren’t changing, it’s important to update the data on existing audiences as the media landscape evolves each year.

3. Have preliminary KPI discussions. What good is a media plan without goals and objectives? Discussing any changes to KPIs early in the planning process will help steer your agency teams toward the correct set of vehicles for consideration and ensure that appropriate measurement tactics are put in place.

4. Bring forth discussion on new media trends. Not only is it important to stay on top of current media trends, but communicating them and discussing how they may impact clients directly is key. Even better if you can find ways to incorporate or test any new trends in your upcoming plans.

With media planning season just around the corner, make sure your agency is working proactively to ensure another successful year for your brand.

New Partner: Heaven's Door Whiskey

We love working on media strategy and planning assignments, so we’re thrilled to announce we’ve started a collaboration with Heaven’s Door Whiskey that will help inform their 2022 efforts. Backed by Bob Dylan, the spirits company has been winning awards and getting noticed right out of the gate.

Our strategic media planning provides analysis and recommendations for competitive landscape, target consumers, geography, seasonality, communication goals and budget priorities…culminating in a Channel Plan for the upcoming year.