Topic: Media Objectives
Basic Components
(see Media Workbook #26)
1. Reach, Frequency (and GRPs & GIs) & effective
reach/frequency, if desired
2. Continuity (advertising timing pattern)
3. Specification of Targets (primary, secondary)
4. Special Geographic Emphasis (national vs. spot or
national with regional/spot-heavy up)
Also basic are:

Restrictions/Implications from Budget, Creative
Strategy, Sales promotion
Topic: Media Objectives
1. Reach, Frequency, ER, EF (and GRPs, GIs)
a. Specify reach and frequency, (and GRP)
goals desired for each month or each
flight or each quarter or overall campaign
period on average
e.g.,
January: R = 80%, F = 5
Quarter 1: R = 80% F = 7
Overall campaign R = 70%+, F = 6
Topic: Media Objectives
1. Reach, Frequency (and GRPs)
b.
Example of Reach and Frequency Goals
1. Achieve a minimum reach level of 80 with adults
women aged 35-54 during the two introductory
months
2. Maintain at least 50% reach in each advertising period
and maximize when sales promotion runs (in February
and October)
3. Maximize reach and frequency during sales peaks
(September – November)
Topic: Media Objectives
Basic Components
C.
Definitions
Reach and Frequency

% of different targets or households exposed to a
vehicle or schedule at least once over a specified
(typically 4-week in broadcast) period
= Reach

average # of times the reached households or target are
exposed to a schedule over a specified (typically 4-week in
broadcast) period
= Average Frequency
Topic: Media Objectives
Basic Components
GRPs and GIs
Both indicate gross delivery of (ad or vehicle)
exposures
Gross Impressions (Gis) are expressed as an absolute
number
e.g., 240 million GIs

Gross Rating Points (GRPs) are expressed as
a percent (of total population or) target
population
e.g., 2400 GRPs
Topic: Media Objectives
Basic Components
C.
Definitions
Effective Reach and Frequency

The number or a range of exposures required to
produce a desired impact (e.g., sales, brand awareness,
brand liking,..) -- 3+, 4+, 3-10,
= Effective Frequency

Number or % or targets exposed the required number of
times
= Effective Reach
Topic: Media Objectives
Basic Components
Relationship among
Reach, Frequency,GRPs,& GIs
 GIs:
Reach (as number) X Average Frequency
 GRPs:
Reach (as percent) X Average Frequency
 With reach and frequency goals set, you’d know
how many GRPs should be bought.
Topic: Media Objectives
Basic Components

Reach X Frequency = GRPs
Example
Period
Q1
Reach
80
Frequency
6
GRPs
1440 = 80 X 6 X 3
Q2
60
7
1260 = 60 X 7 X 3
Q3
80
5
1200 = 80 X 5 X 3
Q4
50
8
1200 = 50 X 8 X 3
Topic: Media Objectives
Basic Components
1. Reach, Frequency (and GRPs)
d.
How to Set Reach and Frequency
Goals -- The desired levels will depend on
various situational factors
 Reach
Decided according to the awareness level
(goal) set -- e.g., 2400 GRPs/80% reach 
70% awareness?
Set equal to or higher than the main
competition
Topic: Media Objectives
Basic Components
1. Reach, Frequency (and GRPs)
d.
How to Set Reach and Frequency
Goals -- The desired levels will depend on
various situational factors
 Reach
Emphasized When anything new is
introduced
- new distribution, new product features, new
ad copy, new sale promo, new packaging,
new marketing/advertising objectives
Topic: Media Objectives
Basic Components
1. Reach, Frequency (and GRPs)
d.
How to Set Reach and Frequency
Goals -- The desired levels will depend on
various situational factors
 Frequency
Emphasized When the competition is
intense
The question is: how much frequency
is necessary
Topic 3-1A: Media Objectives
B. Basic Components
1. Reach, Frequency (and GRPs)
d.
How to Set Reach and Frequency
Goals
Other Marketing Factors to Consider:
Product Life Cycle, Breadth of Target,
Purchasing Cycle, Budget
Topic: Media Objectives
Basic Components
d. How to set reach & Frequency Goals

Product Life Cycle (PLC)
 For
products in the introductory stage of
Reach tends to be
product life cycle, __________
more important.
 e.g.
Toyota Matrix,
 For
established products in later life cycle
stages such as maturity stage Frequency
__________
tends to be more important.
 e.g.
Tide, Pillsbury Cookie Dough, Coca Cola
Topic: Media Objectives
d. How to set reach & Frequency Goals
 Breadth of Target Market
 If
target is broadly defined
demographically or geographically,
_________
Reach would be more important.
target is narrowly defined, Frequency
__________
would be more important.
 If
Topic: Media Objectives
d. How to set reach & Frequency Goals

Purchasing Cycle (PC)
 For
products with short PC (e.g.,
),
Frequency
_________ may be more important; For products
Reach
with long PC (e.g.,
), _________
may be more important.
Topic: Media Objectives
D. How to set reach & Frequency Goals
R/F objectives must also give adequate
consideration to:
budget, promotional needs, stage of the
campaign
Topic 3-1A: Media Objectives
1. Reach, Frequency (and GRPs)
e.
How to Set Effective Reach/Frequency
Goals
Joseph Ostrow’s Model (pp. 249-252):
Marketing Factors, Copy Factors, Media
Factors
May discard some of Ostrow’s categories
and add your own categories (see GS #21)
Topic: Media Objectives
2. Continuity
a. Three Basic Continuity Strategies:
Continuous: advertising effort remains relatively
constant throughout
Flighting: advertising effort varies over the
campaign period, with some
periods of time receiving no
advertising ("HIATUS")
Pulsing: advertising effort is notably varied
with some advertising during
every period
Topic: Media Objectives
1. Continuity
b. How to determine continuity strategy

Factors to consider
 Seasonality
of Sales
 Purchase Cycle
 Product Life Cycle
 Budget
 Others – Competition, Ad Goals,
Topic: Media Objectives
2. Continuity

When Is Each Continuity Strategy Useful?
Continuous:
Short PC, Mature PLC, Reminder Campaign Goals,
Lack of Brand Loyalty , Media Discounts, Better Vehicle
Choices & Ad Positions, Intense Competition,
Flighting:
Seasonal Products or with Limited Budget, Long PC,
Ability to Build Frequency/Familiarity for a Short Time,
Introductory PLC
Pulsing:
Best, safest approach for products sold year round,
those with distinctive seasonality of sales, Intense
Competition,
Topic: Media Objectives
1. Continuity

Other Consideration in Ad Scheduling
 When
sales are greatest or lowest
 When competitors advertise
Topic: Media Objectives
3. Putting the R/F components
Together
 Budget Recap Table
Topic : Media Objectives
D. Budget Re-Cap (Example)
Media Goals
Time Period
GRPs
Budget ($10M)
Reach
Frequency
No.
%
/period
/month
1. Jan/Feb
High(80%)
Med(5)
800
19
$1.9M
$0.95M
2. Mar/April
Med(60%)
Med(7)
840
20
2.0
1.0
0
0
0
0
3. May
4. June/July/Aug
Med(50%)
Low(3)
450
11
1.1
0.37
5. Sept/Oct/Nov
High(80%)
High(9)
2160
50
5.0
1.67
0
0
0
0
4250
100
$10.0M
6. Dec.
55/67
5/6
Topic: Media Objectives
B. Basic Components
Example:
Time Period
Media Goals
1. Jan / Feb
Reach
Frequency
80% (Hi)
5 (Med)
2. Mar / Apr
60% (Med)
7 (Med)
3. May
--
--
4. Jun / Jul / Aug
50% (Med)
3 (Lo)
450
50 X 3 X 3 mo.
5. Sep / Oct / Nov
80% (Hi)
9 (Hi)
2160
80 X 9 X 3 mo.
6. Dec
--
--
Campaign Ave.=
GRPs Cal.(R X F X Months.)
800
80 X 5 X 2 mo.
840
0
0
Total GRPs=
60 X 7 X 2 mo.
--
--
Topic: Media Objectives
B. Basic Components
3. Putting the Basic Components Together
 Do your decisions above reflect your planned
objectives?
 What could be some of the reasons for the low
reach/frequency goals in Period 4? How
about “hiatus’ in May and December?
 How do you calculate campaign average?
Topic 3-1A: Media Objectives
Guidelines in Setting Goals -- Fundamental tradeoffs
•Maximizing reach, frequency, and continuity is
an unattainable goal.
 Because of budget constraints
1. How can tradeoffs be made between reach
& frequency?
2. How can tradeoffs be made in determining
continuity strategy
Topic 3-1B: Media Objectives
More Terms and Calculations:
 Frequency Distribution
 Effective Reach, Effective Frequency
 GRPs, GIs
 Relationship among Reach,
Frequency,GRPs, and GIs
Topic 3-1B: Analytical Terms & Decision Criteria
Reach, Average Frequency,
Freq.Distribution
 Frequency (or Exposure) Distribution
0 exposures
1 exposures
2 exposures
3 exposures
-------------
total population
10
20
15
5
 # persons or households
reached?
50
 % reached?
20 + 15 + 5 = 40
40
X 100 = 80
50
Topic 3-1B: Analytical Terms & Decision Criteria
Reach, Average Frequency,
Freq.Distribution
 Average Frequency
0 exposures
1 exposures
2 exposures
3 exposures
-------------
total population
10
20
15
5
50

Average Frequency?=
# of total exposures that occurred
# reached
(20X1)+ (15X2)+(5X3)
=
40
20+30+15
65
=
= 1.62
40
40
Topic 3-1B: Analytical Terms & Decision Criteria
Reach, Average Frequency,
Freq.Distribution

How are reach and frequency used in media
planning and buying?
 used
in setting media objectives (e.g., 75% reach
and 3 frequency in January) & in evaluating value
of a schedule (Does this media schedule deliver
the set reach and frequency goal within the
budget?)
Topic 3-1B: Analytical Terms & Decision Criteria
Relationship among
Reach, Frequency,GRPs,& GIs

With a given level of GRPs, R/F are inversely related
Example 1: If you buy 120 GRPs, and avg. frequency of
exposures among target should be 6 in June,
what will be your campaign’s reach in that month?
GRPs = 120 AF = 6
R 20
=
Example 2: Given the budget for a GRPs of 120, if you have to
reach at least 40% of target, what frequency can
you expect the schedule to deliver?
GRPs = 120
R = 40
AF = 3
Topic 3-1B: Analytical Terms & Decision Criteria
GIs and GRPs

GIs = (GRP/100)X Pop.
GRPs for a media schedule =
sum of all ratings delivered in the schedule
Example: Assuming the population base of 93.1
million TV homes, what GRPs and GIs will
this schedule deliver?
40 + 60 + 50 + 50 = 200 GRPs; 37m+56m+47m+47m = 187m GIs
Prog. Rating # Spots
GRPs
GIs
A
20
2
20X2=40
0.4X93.1M=37.24M
B
15
4
15X4=60
0.6X93.1M=55.86M
C
25
2
25X2=50
0.5X93.1M=46.55M
D
10
5
10X5=50
0.5X93.1M=46.55M
Topic 3-1B: Analytical Terms & Decision Criteria
Relationship among
Reach, Frequency,GRPs,& GIs


What happens if you raise GRP level?
As GRPs are added, reach will builds at a
decreasing rate while frequency will build at
an increasing rate.
Topic 3-1B: Analytical Terms & Decision Criteria
Relationship among
Reach, Frequency,GRPs,& GIs
 GRPs or GIs include duplication of audience:
GIs:
Reach (#) + Duplication (#)
GRPs:
Reach (%) + Duplication (%)
Topic 3-1B: Analytical Terms & Decision Criteria
Relationship among
Reach, Frequency,GRPs,& GIs
 Audience duplication info is necessary to
estimate reach
Reach:
GIs - Duplication (all in #)
Reach:
GRPs - Duplication (all in %)
Topic 3-1B: Analytical Terms & Decision Criteria
Effective Reach & Frequency
 Presentation
Effective Frequency:
Effective Reach: