MASS COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

CULTURE

The word ‘culture’ is an English version of the German word ‘kultur’ which in turn is derived from the Latin  noun ‘cultura’, the Latin verb of which is ‘colere’ meaning to cultivate. To cultivate something is to handle it or work upon it in such a way that something valuable results. Thus ‘culture’ stands for something that has been worked upon. Culture in evident in ‘Things’, ‘People’, and ‘Human Practices’.

As defined by B. Malinowski in the year 1969:

“Culture is an integral composed of partly autonomous, partly coordinated institutions. It is integrated on a series of principles such as the community of blood through procreation; the specialization in activities; and last but not least, the use of power in political organization. Each culture owes its completeness and self sufficiency to the fact that it satisfies the whole range of basic, instrumental and integrative needs.”

C. Geertz defines Culture as:

“Culture denotes an historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes towards life.”

The term ‘Culture’ entered into English usage with the publication of E.B.Tylor’s text “ Primitive Culture” in 1871. The following definition was given in this classic text:

POLITICAL ECONOMY THEORY

The Political Economy Theory provides focus on how media are structured and controlled. It offers empirical investigation of media finances, and finally seeks for links between media content production and media finances.

The Political Economy Theorists study elite control of economic institutions such as banks and stock markets and then try to show how this control affects many other social institutions, including the mass media. In certain respects, they accept the classic Marxist assumption that the base (the media industry) dominates the superstructure (the culture of a society).

They investigate the means of production by looking at economic institutions, then expect to find that these institutions will shape media to suit their interests and purposes. They have examined how economic constraints limit or bias the forms of mass culture that are produced and distributed through the media.

With their macroscopic focus on economic institutions and their assumptions that economic dominance leads to or perpetuates cultural dominance, political economists were slow to acknowledge that cultural changes can affect economic institutions. Nor do they recognize the diversity of popular culture or the variety of ways in which people make sense of cultural content.

The Political Economy Theorist have remained centrally concerned with the larger social order and elites’ ownership of media. They criticize the growing privatization of media in Europe and the increasing centralization of media ownership around the world.

FUNCTIONALIST THEORY

In order to understand how functionalism relates to mass communication, it is necessary to draw a distinction between functions (the consequences of routinely carrying out communication activities) and the effects of those activities. As already stated earlier media have specific functions to perform and as such they are essential to the society. Referred to as the classic functions of the media, the five functions of the media are:

Information:         Also referred to as the Surveillance Function, it indicates the collection/dissemination of information,

cautioning/warning the public, besides facilitating innovation, adaptation, and progress.

Correlation:         Also referred to as the Interpretation Function, it is the explaining, interpreting, and commenting on the

meaning of events and information, in addition to consensus building, setting orders of priority and signaling relative status.

Continuity:           Also referred to as the Lineage/Linkage Function, it is forging and maintaining commonality of values,

establishing a bond between cultures/societies and communities.

Entertainment: It is the function of providing amusement, diversion, and the means of relaxation, thus

reducing tension.

Mobilization:    It is the function of campaigning for societal objectives in the sphere of politics, war, economic

development, work and sometimes religion.

MARXIST THEORY

Developed by Karl Marx during the latter half of 1800, the Marxist Theory argues that the hierarchical class system is at the root of all social problems and that it must be ended by a revolution of the proletariat. Karl Marx believed that elites dominated society primarily through their direct control over the means of production (labour, factories, and land) which he referred to as the base of the society.

He also argued that the elites also maintained themselves in power through their control over culture, or the superstructure of society(culture of a society). He saw culture as something that elites freely manipulated to mislead average people and encourage them to act against their own interest. He used the term ‘ideology’ to refer to these forms of culture.

The Marxist Theory based on Karl Marx’s Social Theory concludes that the Mass Media (the means of producing information) are owned and controlled by the bourgeois class, which manipulates the media for propaganda and for exploiting the working class.

MASS SOCIETY THEORY

The Mass Society Theory which emerged during the latter half of 1800,  as a dominant perspective on Western industrial society attributes an influential but often a negative role to media. It was simply a collection of contradictory notions – some quite radical and others quite reactionary . The radical notions were forwarded by revolutionaries who wanted to impose radical changes in the society, whereas the reactionary motions were forwarded by the elites (monarchists) who wanted to maintain the old political and social order. 

Early Mass Society Theorists argued that media are malignant forces that have the power to directly reach, transform, and corrupt the minds of individuals so that their lives are ruined and vast social problems are created. Through media influence, people are atomized, cut off from the civilizing influence of other people or high culture. Totalitarianism inevitably results as ruthless, power-hungry dictators seize control of media to promote their ideology.

Over the years, media have been continually accused of breaking down folk societies (Gemeinschaft) , and encouraging the development of amoral, weak social institutions (Gesselschaft).

Initially, mass society theory gained wide acceptance. But in time people questioned its unqualified assertions about the media’s power to corrupt and debase individuals. Although mass society theory has very little support among contemporary mass communication researchers and theorists, its basic assumptions of a corrupting media and helpless audience have never been completely disappeared. Attacks on the pervasive, dysfunctional power of media have persisted and will persist as long as dominant elites find their power challenged by media. 

MEDIA-SOCIETY THEORY

Features of Mass Media Institutions

*           Mass Media Institutions are segmented and classified on the bases of the technologies they utilize

(e.g. print media, broadcast media, transit media, outdoor media, electronic media, film media, etc.)

*           Mass Media Institutions are professional organizations which are normally bureaucratic in form

*           Mass Media Institutions are mainly engaged in the production and distribution of symbolic content

*           The participation of the Sender and Receiver in the Communication Process is voluntary

*           Mass Media Institutions differ from country to country/region to region

*           Mass Media Institutions are an integral component of the society, as such they need to operate in the public sphere, and are accordingly regulated by the society

*           Mass Media are normally free and powerless in nature

COMMUNICATION SCIENCE

As defined by Charles Berger and Stephen Chaffee:

“Communication Science seeks to understand the production, processing, and effects of symbol and signal systems by developing testable theories containing lawful generalizations, that explain phenomena associated with production, processing, and effects.”

Communication Science is a perspective that integrates all research approaches grounded in quantitative, empirical, behaviour, research methods. In joining limited effects, ideas, active audience theories and research on interpersonal communication, Communication Science includes most forms of quantitative, empirical research and theories it supports. It does, however exclude cultural, critical, and political economic theories.

In the year 1987, Chaffee and Berger offered a restructuring of the scientific study of Communication Science based not only on the usual narrow interest in specific aspects of the communication process as applied in individual circumstances or settings but, rather, based on the four levels at which communication phenomena occur:

1.             Intra-individual:                                   The analysis of communication that occurs within the individual.

Dialogue taking place within one’s self or an internal communication (the individual’s ability to think, to visualize, to perceive, to learn, to form attitudes, and to express ideas).

2.             Interpersonal:                                     The analysis of communication relationships between two or small

groups of people. Communication between couples or friends, relatives, acquaintances, etc.

3.             Network or Organizational:             The analysis of larger groups of people and the contexts of their

continuing relationships. Communication between two or more organizations, and between an organization and its stakeholders.

4.             Macroscopic Societal:                      The analysis of the communication characteristics and activities of

large social systems. Communication directed towards the public, society or towards a mass audience.

Based on the above structure, Denis McQuail developed a Pyramid of Communications illustrating the various levels and types of communication network that exist in the society.

Development Communication

Development means development of the bottom 50 percent of a country.

Mohammed Yunus, Founder of the Grameen Bank, Bangaladesh.

Development communication has been defined in several ways by economic development experts, sociologists, and communication experts. The terminology development communication originated in Asia, the definitions given by the communication experts of this region gained currency. Still definitions differ from region to region depending on the definers view of development. Nora Quebral defined development communication as the art and science of human communication applied to the speedy transformation of a country from poverty to a dynamic and social equality and the larger fulfillment of human potential. Development communication, the all-encompassing term, is occasionally very widely defined as "the discipline and practice of communication in the context of developing countries."

Development communication is concerned with the role of communication in social change. Development communication grew out of the field of agricultural communication. The term was coined to include under it apart from agricultural development, other areas of national development such as population, nutrition, health, education, housing and employment etc.Since all these areas require communication input development communication was considered an appropriate term to describe the scope, direction, structure of the discipline.

Srinivas R. Melkote and H. Leslie Steeves states " The second half of 20th century brought a tradition of communication research and practice geared toward Third World development needs, an area that has come to be known as development communication."

In 1950s and 1960s research on communication and development was conducted on third world people and societies for achieving policy objectives of the US government. Third world people were objects to be molded in whatever shape desired by the western policy makers.

Development communication is described as the systematic use of communication in support of national developmet.The individuals who conceived development communication/journalism in 1960s believed that there should be better trained and informed economic specialists among the communicators, since national development depends on economic growth, to cover fully, impartially and simply the numerous problems of developing nations.

Development communication needs and expectations are subjective categories. There are three sets of problem related to it:

• Behavior orientations with respect to all media (radio, TV, Cinema, press, oral channels)
• Affective orientations with regard to the major national development and communications expectations, needs and constraints and possibilities.
• Cognitive orientations with respect to major national development and communication strategies and policies.

The assumption is that future is built as a result of interactions between people and socio-economic and technological possiblilities.Once we gain a deeper understanding of the directions of change, we may define with greater measure of confidence our feasible region of action.

Development communication has to deal with two types of audience:

·         The communicators comprising development bureaucracy, media practitioners and professionals

·         The people-the audience who can be informed and uninformed, educated , semi-literate and literate.

The effectiveness of the development communication depends on the type and kind of audience, image of development bureaucracy and the interpretation of media practitioners which affect the interpretations of communication and its persuasive efficacy.

Wilbur Schramm was one of the first to recognize that communication could play an important role in the national development of the third world countries. He believed that mass media could better the lives of people by supplementing the information resource and exposing people for learning opportunities.

Schramm's conceptualization of the interaction between mass communication and development became the focus of many development programmes. Developments in communication were brought about by the economic, social and political evolution and vice-versa. He advocated the use of big and little media or a combination of both according to the development task, the targeted audience and the resources available.

The development communication model that Schramm proposed in the 1960s had limited success in third world countries. Bullet theory of communication and trickle-down development theory did not work. Development scholars in the 1970s and 1980s recognized and agreed with Schramm's assertion that group activity at the village level is important for village development, bottom-up and horizontal communication  among villagers is as important as top-down communication from the central government to the villagers.

The general role of Devcom is to create the human environment necessary for development to succeed. The specific concept of development communication identified it with information, education and communication.

Devcom is purposive, goal-directed, educative and always associated with some programme for desirable planned change. It is action-oriented since it helps people in gaining better control over their environments by the use of appropriate technology for communication.Devcom negotiates to change attitudes towards development rather than to convert and persuade. It either supports a component approach to development programmes as advocated later by the development practitioners and theorists.

Development communicatin(DC) is the study of social change brought about by the application of communication research, theory, and technologies to bring about development. Development is defined as a widely participatory process of social change in a society, intended to bring about both social and material advancement, including greater equality, freedom, and other valued qualities, for the majority of people through their gaining greater control over their environment. For example, DC promotes social changes leading to improved nutritioin, family planning, better health, higher literacy, and improved agricultural production in developing countries by means of more effective communication. The experts seeking to bring about this type of social change are typically different culturally from the people receiving the development assistance, so heterophily is involved. Histories of DC are Mowlana and Wilson's (1990) The Passing of Modernity, Roger's (1976, 1989) reviews, and Schramm's (1964) Mass Media and National Development. The scholarly study of development began in the 1950, about the same time as Intercultural Communication, as nations in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa ended political colonialization by European countries and sought to improve their socioeconomic conditions. The highest priority for these new nations was development, raising incomes and levels of living for rural and urban poor people. (Gudykunst & Mody 10)

Prerequisites of Devcom:

• Human and localized approach to communication rather than abstract and centralized
• Credibility and role of communication links for development-both media and interpersonal links
• Access to communication.

Participatory theories on development criticized the modernization paradigm on the grounds that it promoted a top-down, ethnocentric and paternalistic view of development. They argued that the diffusion model proposed a conception of development associated with a Western vision of progress. Development communication was informed by a theory that “became a science of producing effective messages”. After decades of interventions, the failure to address poverty and other structural problems in the Third World needed to be explained on the faulty theoretical premises of the programs. Any intervention that was focused on improving messages to better reach individuals or only change behavior was, by definition, unable to implement social change.

Development theories also criticized traditional approaches for having been designed and executed in the capital cities by local elites with guidance and direction from foreign specialists. Local people were not involved in preparing and instrumenting development interventions. Interventions basically conceived of local residents as passive receivers of decisions made outside of their communities, and in many cases, instrumented ill-conceived plans to achieve development. Governments decided what was best for agricultural populations, for example, without giving them a sense of ownership in the systems that were introduced.

Development Threshold and Development Gap

Human and localized approach suggests communication efforts tailored to the needs and psychological dispositions of people and the development threshold of people. That means the entrance or the beginning of the development should be as per the local perception.

There is a need to bridge the Communication gap between the technical specialists with expertise in specific areas of knowledge (such as health, agriculture and literacy) and potential users. So that they could utilize such knowledge and its specific applications to improve the performance.

Socio-Economic Benefits Gap

Knowledge Gap

Communication Gap

More and more development theorists and practitioners are being convinced that "development threshold" is significant for development communication. This concept suggests being receptive to development to a certain point. For example, there is a marked difference between the development threshold of rural and urban society, between elites and masses, men and women within the urban and rural society. These differences in the threshold are termed as "development gap". Development gap is identified with socio-economic gap, Knowledge gap and communication gap. Development gap suggests that people in different development thresholds need different development communication handling for effective development. The development-gap hypothesis is that patterns of communication which may lead the have-nots away from the mainstream of development thus creating gap between the haves and have-nots.

Communication Perspective on Development

In the context of development, fundamental purpose of human communication is to understand the reality in order to achieve goals and select other subsequent goals. Thus understanding and mutual understanding is fundamental to the process of communication itself. A circular communication is necessary at all levels with several loops of feedback and feed-forward to arrive at mutual understanding. A development communication model is based on the communication patterns for development discussion information and feedback, about the development programmes, problems and needs and the relationship among these communication links. (Various mass media channels are feasible communication links for the IEC-information, education & communication function of Devcom.)

No national consensus or individual change can take place without dialogue:

a) Within groups of people with homogeneous needs,

b) Between groups of people with different needs, and

c) Between the public and planners (e.g. government agencies, private voluntary organizations) claiming to meet their needs.

This implies horizontal communication within and between groups in which people are organized (e.g. women's groups, caste groups, religious groups).This implies vertical, bottom-up, people-to-planner information flows on needs, priorities, and preferred modes of meeting them. And it also includes top-down, planner-to-people information flows in response to community information they receive. Information has to keep flowing three ways in a never-ending spiral as it were, first horizontally and then up, and then back down, continuously, and on a variety of issues. The dialogue at each loop or circle of the spiral may sometimes it may not. But the spiral-shaped system must keep information flowing constantly if national development is to be broad-based and self-sustaining.

Communications perspective on development defines development as the construction of particulars set of relationships, roles and patterns of actions and communication as the process by which those are created.

The strategy of defining certain human behavior as not communicative orients development of communication strategists and practitioners into unproductive lines of thought and action.

That a great many of actions people perform are caused by social conditions over which people have no control and a great deal of what people do to one another is not the result of conscious, knowledge or choice. Social action always occurs in the context of unacknowledged constraints and unintended consequences.

Analysis of development from communication perspective indicates that many social actions not defined as communication are communication for development efforts. For instance, direct action such as building roads, enacting legislation to break up exploitative linkages and message transmission through mass media and interpersonal chhanels.These three express and reconstitutes the social reality of the actors in Development communication situation.

Communications perspective on development defines communication not as a category of acts but as a perspective from which to look at any given act. Everything that one does or does not do can be looked at as having message value from the communication perspective; human actions are seen as a process by which persons collectively maintain and create social reality by drawing on the resources of their social reality and from the practices in which they are engaged with others. The communication perspective allows interpretative and critical analysis and improved communication.

International development theorists and practitioners have conceptualized development from various perspectives such as:

Social change

Modernization

Progress

Alternations in life-styles

But all the perspectives have encompassed 'growth'-the economic growth, viz industrialization and agrarian growth; social growth, viz structural and value changes.

The perspectives have changed not only due to Paradigmatic changes but also due to global changes in:

Social setting

Economy

Polity (The form or process of government)

Technology

Communications

These perspectives have changed the concept of development, how to do development and why the development successes do not proportionate with the development efforts of the developing countries.

The development issues and sub-issues are directly related to developing countries but they are also the major concerns and involvement of developed countries. Thus development is envisioned as the interdependent efforts of both developing and developed countries. Communication is significant component in how to do development effectively.

Birth of the Newspaper Industry

Denis Mc Quail states in 'Mass Communication Theory' that it was almost two hundred years after the invention of printing before what we now recognize as a prototypical newspaper could be distinguished from the handbills, pamphlets and newsletters of the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

According to Mc Quail the newspaper was more of an innovation-the invention of a new literary, social and cultural form-even if it might not have been so perceived at the time. Its distinctiveness, compared with other forms of cultural communication, lies in its orientation to the individual reader, reality-orientation, utility, disposability, secularity and suitability for the needs of a new class: town-based business and professional people. Its novelty consists not in its technology or manner of distribution, but in its functions for a distinct class in a changing and more liberal social-political climate.

Later history of the newspaper can be told either as a series of struggles, advances and reverses in the cause of liberty or as a more continuous history of economic and technological progress. The most important phase in press history started after the entrance into the modern definition of the newspaper. Mc Quail has listed the qualifications of a newspaper as follows:

• Regular and frequent appearance
• Commodity form
• Informational content
• Public sphere functions
• Urban, secular audience
• Relative freedom

Genres of newspaper according to Mc Quail:

• The political press
• The prestige press
• The commercial newspaper

Stanley J. Baran and Dennis K. Davis has stated in 'Mass Communication Theory' that in the mid and late nineteenth century, popular demand for cheap media content drove the development of new media such as the penny press. High-speed printing presses and other technological advancement made it practical to mass produce the printed word at very low cost. Urban newspapers boomed all along the East Coast and in major trading centers across the United States. Newspaper circulation wars broke out and led to development of yellow journalism, the irresponsible side of the penny press.

In 1700, Benjamin Harris published the first American newspaper, Publick Occurrences both Foreign and Domestick, which contained material offensive to the ruling power. The paper was suppressed after one issue. Fourteen years would pass before another attempt would surface. In 1704, the Boston News Letter was published by John Campbell.

Competition grew as the number of newspaper goes up.

A Joseph R. Dominick presented in 'The Dynamics of Mass Communication', several conditions had to exist before a mass press could come into existence:

• A printing press had to be invented that would produce copies quickly and cheaply.
• Enough people had to know how to read in order to support such a pres.
• A 'mass audience' had to be present.

The Penny Press, Yellow Journalism and the birth of Mass Newspapers:

Dominick has identified the four changes during the period of Penny Press (1833-1860):

• The basis of economic support for newspapers.
• The pattern of newspaper distribution.
• The definition of what constituted news.
• The techniques of news collection.

Then Yellow Journalism (1880-1905) brought enthusiasm, energy, and spirit to the practice of journalism, along with aggressive reporting and investigative stories.

New York City in the 1890s, when Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst and two dozen dailies fought for the eyes and the pennies of millions of people newly exposed to reading and to print.

Although the newspaper press already had a long history, it was only towards the end of the nineteenth century that newspapers escaped from the constraints of localism, elitism or sectionalism (political or religious) and became a medium 'for the masses', although were still mainly large urban populations. The formal study of the newspaper has its main roots in German universities early in the twentieth century under the heading of Zeitungswissenschaft. (Mc Quail 4)

McQuail, Denis. Mc Quail's Reader in Mass Communicatioin Theory.London: Sage Publications,2004.

ORGANIZATIONS OF ADVERTISING BUSINESS

1. History

1800- Whites, first British ad agency

It worked as

- A space broker selling press advertising

- Copy writer

- Designer

2017- Nepal Advertisers, First Nepalese ad agency

2. Reader survey

1950s- Hulton Readership Survey

But ABC was working since 1931 in Britain.

TV commercials were started with the advent of TV in 1955.

3. Location

Mainly capital

Industrial area

4. Public relation

Advertisers as well as media

5. Role

-To plan, create and execute ad campaigns for client. If the advertiser defaults, the agency is responsible for paying debts incurred on the client's behalf.

- Middle position, as a mediator

Ad department

                                                The advertisers

                                                Ad manager

The agency                                                   The media

Account executive                                       Ad sales manager

Ad agency and its world

The advertisers

                                                                        Media Specialists

                        AD AGENCY                        The media

Professional orgs                                                     Suppliers

                                                           

Training

Fair Trading Rules

Commission

15%- National

10%- Regional

TYPES OF AD AGENCIES

1. Service agencies

It provides a whole range of services to the client, both advertising and non advertising.

Advertising Services include Planning, creating and producing advertising campaign which broadly encompasses account planning, research, creative service, media planning and production of ad materials to different media even out door.

Non ad functions may include PR, making corporate identity plans, packaging, organizing fairs, exhibitions and training -materials.

According to Frank Jefkins, Service agencies are categorize as,

1. Full service agencies
1. Marketing research
2. Public relation
3. Recruitment advertising
4. Sales promotion
2. Medium size agencies
1. Freelance job
2. Copy writing
3. Creativity
3. Business to business
1. Trade exhibition

1.                  A La Carte Services i.e. order according to choice, can be hard from a full service agency or small specialist out fits which go by the nomenclature a la carte or boutique.

It often works on ad hoc assignments having separate identity.

Such outfits specialize in creative concepts, strategy development, media planning etc. Their services are at times called for by small and medium size agencies which may not be in a position to offer the high paid creative writers or media planers.

They are also categorized as

1. Creative agencies: These produce copy platform or themes and create campaigns for different media, perhaps inventing characters and writing jingles and music for broadcasting commercials.
2. New product development agencies: They may influence the original concept of the product, and certainly participate in naming products, packing designs, pricing and market segmentation, distribution, test marketing and selling-in to the trade operations as well as the main consumer advertising campaign.
3. Direct response agencies: These agencies have responded to demand, and direct response in all its form, including the use of media. The technique is to sell direct, by post, telephone, fax and the internet.
4. Incentive scheme agencies: Both buy and supply goods and services which are offered as gifts or premiums to customers or as incentive award to the employees.
5. Sales promotion agencies: A modern sales promotion scheme is very often an original exercise created for short term operation. Big prize competition, money off flash pack, charity promotions are some examples of it.
6. Sponsorship agencies: Sponsorship may be for marketing, advertising or public relations purposes, and quite often may embrace all three.

2.                  The House Agency

It is an agency established by a company to look after its advertising requirements.

AD AGENCY STRUCTURE

FUNCTIONS OF AD AGENCIES

1. Consumer research to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the product in household use.
2. Market research to describe the best prospects.
3. Development of marketing strategy and budget
4. Help in naming and packing.
5. Develop and pre testing of the creative concept
6. Media planning to reach target markets efficiently
7. A plan for launching the product to the trade.
8. Application of the creative concept to promotion and point-of-sale materials

9.      Publicity plan for exploiting the product's news

10.  A Plan for generating enthusiasm within the sales force.

Media planning

Function of media planning:

Media planning is a blend of marketing skills and familiarity with mass communication. The planning decisions includes: which audiences to reach, where (geographic emphasis), when (timing), for how long (campaign length) and how intense (frequent) the exposure should be.

 - Wells, Burnett and Moriarty

4 W'S in Media Planning

Who- Who requires a precise description of target prospects? Radio and TV stations also have their own type of audience.

WHERE- Local and regional advertisers confine their media choices to those that best cover their particular trading areas.

WHAT- What message is to be communicated has considerable importance in deciding which media to use?

WHEN- When to advertise can be planned in terms of seasons of the year, month, day, week, hour or minute.

The change in the role of media within Ad agencies from a clerical function to a management function was the result of several factors.

a.         The first was the demand by the advertiser for more accountability.

b.         The second was the adoption of marketing concept with its emphasis in consumer research and strategy planning.

c.         The third has been the sheer explosion of media.

Aperture concept of media planning

The goal of the media planner is to expose consumer prospects to the advertiser's message at critical point. This ideal opening is called an aperture. The most effective advertisement should expose the consumer to the product when interest and attention is very high. Only the accurate marketing research, appreciation of the message concept and a sensitive understanding of mass communication could succeed this complex and difficult assignment.

Media planning operations:

1. Information sources and analysis

Media planning

A.      Marketing Sources

·         Distribution patterns

·         Market sales

·         Rival promotions

B.      Creative sources

·         Theme

·         Message

·         Research

C.     Media sources

·         Popularity

·         Profiles

·         Cost forecasts

2. Setting objectives and strategies

A.     Finding Target audience

·         Demographics- People are described by their age, income, education, occupation, marital status, family size and several other tags.

·         Psychographics- It looks for more sensitive measures of motivation and behavior.

·         Product use segmentation- Audiences can also be classified according to their consumption habits (usage). Media planners obtain information on which products the audiences buy or how often they use or consume these products.

B.     Where to advertise: Geographic area

C.     When to advertise: Timing

·         Seasonal Timing

·         Holyday Timing

·         Day-of-the week timing

·         Hour-of-the-Day timing

D.     Duration: Find the best campaign length

·         The advertising budget

·         Consumer-use cycle (It is the time between purchase and repurchase).

·         Lack of brand loyalty

·         Competitive advertising

E.     Find acceptable media environments

·         Media content-product compatibility (Shoes on sports program)

·         Media-created mood: Food product will not allow its commercials to run during the program that ia not fully for family audiences.

3. Media selection procedure

A.      Audience Measure

B.      Media reach

C.     Frequency

4. Staging the media plan

Media plans are interwoven with all other areas of advertising: the budget, the target audience, the advertising objectives and the message demands.

A.     Situation Analysis

B.     Aperture opportunity

C.     Strategy to select the media

D.     The flowchart: Scheduling and budgeting allocation

MEDIA SELECTION

3.      Circulation (Print)

ABC

4.      Audiences (Electronic)

ABC performs three functions

1.       Audits the circulation figures of member publisher and certifies to the accuracy of publishers statements.

2.       Establish standard for reporting the quantity, quality and distribution or circulation.

3.       Serves as a clearinghouse, gathering statements from member publishers and disseminating circulation reports to the advertising agencies.

5.      Media cost efficiency

Most of the media quote their rates in terms of a standard unit of space.

-Editorial or Program content

Ad media Mix

4 Ms

·         Money

·         Market

·         Media

·         Methodology

Media strategies

• Class selectivity
• Coverage
• Flexibility- frequency 
• Cost Budget
• Editorial environment 

Favorable? People read?

• Production quality
• (Reprint)
• Permanence (The abilities of the media to keep ads before prospect eyes)
• Trade acceptability (is it accepted trade) no to kantipur
• Merchandising cooperation