Micro Market Media® Buying vs. Traditional Media Buying Methods
“The retailers in Kentucky are not very happy with our exposure. While the ones in Arkansas claim to see the brand every time they turn around.”
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Stephen Miles
VP. of New Operations
Executive Summary
A multi-regional company commissioned (2) separate agencies (A3 Media and a Global Agency) for a product launch in two separate “sister states” with the intent of comparing their media buying methods. The campaign would run over a 90-day period and was to encompass as many markets in the respective state at specific reach and frequency levels designated by the Client as possible, within the budgets allocated. A3 Media was provided a budget of $800,000 for their state. The Global Agency was provided a larger budget of $950,000 to account for the population difference in the state that they were to cover.
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Goals
To determine which agency could accomplish:
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The optimal media mix
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The highest volume of media coverage
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The best value for the investment
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Highest sales and brand awareness
Approach
A3 Media explored and evaluated the entire state for every possible media option available, including; out of home (OOH), TV, online video (OLV), digital, mobile, pureplay and radio. Applying a proprietary methodology, Micro Market Media®, the agency negotiated, selected and placed each market buy individually.
The final media selections were based on exceeding the goals of
the client’s initiatives.
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Following suit with their established business models, the Global Agency outsourced most of their work to media rep firms, excluding digital and search which they placed in-house.
Results
Product sales generated by the A3 Media launch campaign outperformed the sales of the Global Agency’s launch campaign by a volume of +41%.
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A3 Media Mix:
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Media placed in six of the largest markets of their launch state
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Billboards
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TV (network & cable)
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Radio and Online Radio
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Digital Ads
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A3 Media Budget:
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Total budget invested = $775,738
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Global Agency Media Mix:
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Media placed in three of the largest markets of their launch state
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Billboards & Bus Shelters
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TV and OLV
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Digital and Search Ads
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Global Agency Budget:
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Total budget invested = $896,287
Summary
The media buying industry isn’t designed to accommodate the needs of regional and mid-market businesses. Traditional media agency buying methods have been built to serve clients that either exist in a single local market or that distribute their products or services on a national scale.
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Mid-market or regional companies require media placements in multiple and often disconnected markets. It is these businesses that are a challenge for many media buyers.
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Most agencies will purchase a regional client’s media through rep firms that enforce a national “preferred pricing model” level for
mid-market clients. These types of media purchases usually result
in an overall insufficient and inefficient marketing plan. For regional companies interested in advertising products or services, there is a solution.
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A3 Media developed a methodology called Micro Market Media®. The process provides regional marketers the strength of national buying metrics, with local market control and pricing which increases the value of any media investment. This unique approach affords better negotiations, increased media opportunities and unified, measurable metrics that have proven to surpass client’s objectives.