A career as a media planning supervisor is ideal for creative individuals who can think outside the box. These people work with numerous clients to develop effective media marketing strategies for a product, service or brand. While the specific industries that a media planning supervisor works in can differ, the majority of job duties are similar. Some of these include identifying a customer base, creating a budget, developing media marketing techniques, executing those techniques and monitoring results.
Identifying a customer base and target audience is one of the most crucial aspects of being a media planning supervisor. To create a successful marketing campaign, it's essential to first understand who a company is selling to. For example, if a media planning supervisor is working with a video game company, he would most likely want to target a younger audience of people under the age of 30. Knowing the customer base will ultimately determine the marketing approach of a media planning supervisor and his advertising methods.
In most cases, he will also need to work with his client to create a budget. Depending upon the size and financial backing of a company, the size of a budget can vary considerably. For example, a chain retail store may be able to spend millions of dollars on media marketing, while a local mom and pop store may only be able to spend a few thousand. Understanding the amount of money he has to work with allows a media planning supervisor to develop the most efficient marketing strategy without exceeding his client's budget.
Perhaps the most important part of this job is developing effective media marketing techniques. At this stage, a media planning supervisor will usually brainstorm potential ways to reach the largest possible target audience. This may involve techniques like Internet marketing, search engine optimization, television ads, radio or magazines. In many cases, he will work alongside subordinates, like media planners or assistants, to come up with ideas. When determining media marketing possibilities, he and his subordinates must factor in things like client budget and the number of consumers a method will reach.
Once a media planning supervisor has come to a decision, he must execute his marketing techniques. For example, he may create an online ad campaign or buy commercial time on television to promote his client's products or services. This phase is where his ideas come to fruition.
In addition, he will usually monitor the results of each media marketing technique. To provide his client with the best possible advertising, a media planning supervisor will often review data like sales numbers and how customers found out about products or services. As time progresses, he may tweak his marketing strategies to maximize sales.