Most of the research done up to now with regard to the choice of media has been either at the level of the audience or at the level of communication. Audience surveys of major media categories are necessary, but they are not sufficient. Large-scale surveys which seek to compare the general effectiveness of several media categories sometimes lead to disappointing conclusions. In order to make progress, we must study the working of the actual process of communication; we must know the why and how of effectiveness. Consequently the media planner will henceforward need the help of the psychologist, the sociologist and the semiologist.
A new family of methods for data analysis has been recently developed in the United States. With these methods it is possible to explain an ordinal scale (preference, choice) by means of nominal variables (characteristics of the stimuli). The basis of these methods is the research of an optimal quantification of the qualitative variables. At the end of 1974 we had the opportunity to apply them to several actual problems of marketing and media research. In the first case, the problem was to measure the consumer's reaction to price. Several brands are sharing the market of a current and rather common consumer good. It may therefore be supposed that price changes have rather important effects on the sales. In this application, the dependent variable was the consumers' preference among brands x price combinations and the independent variables were the brand and the price. The second case was a packaging problem and the third application has been done on a media problem. We can already draw first conclusions from the application of this new family of methods to actual problems.
Most of the research done up to now with regard to the choice of media has been either at the level of the audience or at the level of communication. Audience surveys of major media categories are necessary, but they are not sufficient. Large-scale surveys which seek to compare the general effectiveness of several media categories sometimes lead to disappointing conclusions. In order to make progress, we must study the working of the actual process of communication? We must know the "why" and the "how" of effectiveness. Consequently the media planner will henceforward need the help of the psychologist, the sociologist and the semiologist.
Most of the research done up to now with regard to the choice of media has been either at the level of the audience or at the level of communication. Audience surveys of major media categories are necessary, but they are not sufficient. Large-scale surveys which seek to compare the general effectiveness of several media categories sometimes lead to disappointing conclusions. In order to make progress, we must study the working of the actual process of communication? We must know the "why" and the "how" of effectiveness. Consequently the media planner will henceforward need the help of the psychologist, the sociologist and the semiologist.
Advertising communication is not the only form of information available to the public concerning the products and brands offered it. Before attempting to determine how this advertising communication works, let us first place it in the context of other forms of information.
The only variables which are taken into consideration in both media audience surveys and product market surveys are the socio-economic characteristics of the individuals in question. To define a target population for the purposes of an advertising campaign we have therefore been obliged to use these socio-economic characteristics as relay variables. But these variables have shown themselves to be insufficiently predictive of consumption or ownership of products. Consequently, research workers have turned to surveys in which individuals are questioned at one and the same time on their behaviour with respect to media and their consumption of merchandise; these are called media-product surveys. The ill-considered use of such surveys can lead to disappointing results. We therefore propose a method in which the definition of a target population is seen as a series of reasoned decisions and not as the simple reflection of the present market for a given category of products. The media-product survey retains its utility; it complements major media audience surveys and market surveys, without claiming to replace them.
The only variables which are taken into consideration in both media audience surveys and product market surveys are the socio-economic characteristics of the individuals in question. To define a target population for the purposes of an advertising campaign we have therefore been obliged to use these socio-economic characteristics as relay variables. But these variables have shown themselves to be insufficiently predictive of consumption or ownership of products. Consequently, research workers have turned to surveys in which individuals are questioned at one and the same time on their behaviour with respect to media and their consumption of merchandise; these are called media-product surveys. The ill-considered use of such surveys can lead to disappointing results. We therefore propose a method in which the definition of a target population is seen as a series of reasoned decisions and not as the simple reflection of the present market for a given category of products. The media-product survey retains its utility; it complements major media audience surveys and market surveys, without claiming to replace them.
In Section One of this article, entitled "The context of the advertising campaign" we shall show how advertising decisions form part of a series of decisions which may be set forth in the form of a "decision tree", which will make it possible to define the nature of the advertising plan. Finally, we shall explain the aims of the media plan. In the Section Two, entitled "The main categories of media and the demands of a media plan", we shall examine systematically the characteristics of the main categories of media in relation to the objectives mentioned earlier, these characteristics being the coverage of a target population, the possibility of communication between the various parts of the message, and the accessibility of media. We shall then be ready to describe in Section Three, entitled "The choice of a media plan", the methodology in question, and, finally, to show how advertising campaigns can be checked.
In Section One of this article, entitled "The context of the advertising campaign" we shall show how advertising decisions form part of a series of decisions which may be set forth in the form of a "decision tree", which will make it possible to define the nature of the advertising plan. Finally, we shall explain the aims of the media plan. In the Section Two, entitled "The main categories of media and the demands of a media plan", we shall examine systematically the characteristics of the main categories of media in relation to the objectives mentioned earlier, these characteristics being the coverage of a target population, the possibility of communication between the various parts of the message, and the accessibility of media. We shall then be ready to describe in Section Three, entitled "The choice of a media plan", the methodology in question, and, finally, to show how advertising campaigns can be checked.