In the late 80’s when our country was soon to enter the era of globalization, the media boom hit the country like a speeding train and has been dragging our nation in its trail ever since. Back in those days, the exclusivity & the cost of obtaining specific mediums of communication (print, audio and audio-visual) drew a line of superiority among those who could afford a television, those who could only listen to radio and the last league of those who couldn’t afford both of the above and had to stick to the all time favorite, a newspaper. Whatever may be the case, the above scenario led many to believe that the sales and advertising through these communication mediums was also a superiority quotient based on who could afford which medium to publicize. In simple and non analytical language, many thought that those goods and services that had ads on television had better features and greater goodwill than those promoted on radio and much more than those showcased in the newspapers. Boy, that thought is actually offensive to media planners around the globe!
Changing times & changing trends have ensured a limited eradication of such notions but have also created a new level of misunderstanding when it comes to choosing a communication channels for promotion. Why else would we have ads of sanitary napkins on channels that only show action movies targeted specifically towards the male species? The answer lies not only in faulty media planning but also in the client’s understanding of his TG and the direction of their viewer ship. The idea is to use the mediums in the direction where the maximum audience lies. If we can ensure that we will get the right eyeballs, then if the medium is print, radio, television or internet it wouldn’t matter. Agreed that a company has to see their pocket and then decide a medium to avoid bankruptcy, but the golden rule is to be practical and select a medium that is a best fit instead of the biggest and if that is done then it can be milked till the cans run dry. What is the point of running ads of hearing aids on radio, unless you are targeting for those potential customers who shall become deaf soon after your jingle is played out?
An additional issue that prevails in this sector is the extent of reach that is needed. Going back to theory there are 2 basic strategies, i.e. penetration and skimming. Incase of the former one, the media planner goes all out trying to get as many eyeballs possible in the least possible time where as the latter helps him to space out the messages on the communication medium so as to not force it down the consumer’s throat. An ideal example of the penetration strategy would be when you start catching continuous trailers of a soon to be released movie, followed by the actors of the same coming as guest judges on reality shows they would have never watched before, tuning into them radio jockeying on fm channels during the bustling morning frequencies and finally a constant presence of them in the daily newspapers as page 3 appearance or stand alone articles focusing on their elusive lifestyles. Skimming strategy is more subtle on the other hand, like jewelry ads shown during selected female centric television shows and sizeable cutouts in the women magazine and newspapers to ensure that the TG remembers. In addition to these 2 strategies, the matrix of mix and match allows us to use both strategies individually or simultaneously in various ranges depending on situation and demands. But the basic philosophy remain the same, where the honey falls the flies shall accumulate, the honey being the medium and regretfully the audience acting as flies.
Theories help us plan and practical teaches us to execute, but both are inefficient unless the planning and execution happens with a clear view of the road ahead. Whatever the strategy, however strong the message, it’s the right medium that ensures deliverance and successful completion of the communication process or else it’s a disaster best explained by the line “jaana tha japan pahunch gaye cheen”….
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