Media planners facilitate their clients in maximizing the consequential effect of their promotional campaigns in the course of the utilization of a series of media. With a view to guarantee that the campaigns achieve their prospective audiences as efficiently as possible, they relate knowledge of communication and media platforms to recognize the most suitable vehicle for fabricating awareness of the brand of a client.

Description of the job

The media planners are employed with the television, press, news media, radio, and internet in particular and many more unique platforms like promotion of a brand on the buses and taxis. Some agencies also combine a media planner role with that of a media buyer.

Media planners generally work on various projects concurrently, typically for several clients. Typical job activities normally fall into two chief categories (preparation and implementation), with the client contact level escalating with seniority.

Entry requirements

Though the field of media planners can be accessed by any Diplomate or graduate, the following degrees may increase the chances of a job seeker:

•    Media and communication studies
•    Management/ business
•    Marketing
•    Statistics
•    Operational research
•    Psychology

Although not impossible, it is doubtful to enter this field without a HND or a degree without any appropriate experience. A post graduate pre entry qualification is superfluous.

Pre entry experience, particularly appropriate work experience, unpaid or paid, will greatly increase the chances of a person. The most suitable work experience would be something that is helpful to build up interpersonal skills, like sales or customer service role. Internships in marketing, advertising and media companies would also give the applicants an edge over others.

The primary factor in a candidate must be a genuine and strong curiosity in media as well as an admiration of the role played by it in advertising.

Career development

Advertising is an ever growing business, but provides work for relatively lesser people directly. There is a tough competition for the posts of trainee. Once a person has made a beginning, there will be enough opportunities and the advancement of the career will largely depend on a person's performance.

Media planners mostly begin as trainees, adhering to a panel of senior buyers and planners, functioning on a collection of accounts and gaining knowledge on job. Planning executives generally progress to turn out to be established buyers or planners approximately after a year.

A normal career track is likely to be upright for the few initial years, but easily reaches the senior level after an experience of few years. At this stage, people have a tendency to widen their role. Headhunting is frequent in this industry and the media planners may stir between employers to raise their salary as well as to expand their experience.

Salary

•    The typical preliminary salaries range from $29,582 - $39,443 for the junior, assistant and basic media planner or buyer positions.

•    The normal salaries for people with an experience of 3 to 5 years and for the team leader and managerial posts range from $46,017 - $65,739.

•    The typical salaries for the senior level positions are widely varied, but are usually more than $82,174 and for the extremely senior posts it can be more than $131,479.

Thus, making a career as a media planner is not too difficult. One can enter into this field even without a relevant degree or specific qualification.

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