While media buyers and planners work closely together, their responsibilities are vastly different. In a nutshell, the first step is media planning. Media buyers carry out the media strategy, putting the agreed-upon commercials on the relevant channels, based on the conclusions and strategies reached by this team.
A media buyer’s job is to figure out which outlets in the media will help the advertising campaign succeed the greatest. For example, if a media planner wishes to use radio for the majority of the planned content, the media buyer must choose which radio stations to use and when to air the ad.
Media buyers need to be able to break down the cost of each ad on each channel on each source media. A media buyer’s job requires a lot of thought and research since they need to locate the media channels that will generate the most impressions for the least amount of money.
In contrast, a media planner must decide which media channels will be the most effective for a particular ad campaign. They’re in charge of conducting research and gaining a knowledge of target audiences depending on the marketing campaign. Because each demographic has its own favorite types of entertainment and media, a media planner must conduct extensive study. A fantastic campaign could fall flat if it is distributed through the incorrect channels.
Setting the campaign’s overall goals is another crucial aspect of being a media planner. Media strategists must comprehend what critical indicators are required for a campaign to go viral, as well as the steps required to achieve that goal.