Mountaineer Boys and Girls Club
Lesson 8: Media Mix, Reach vs. Frequency In this week’s lesson, all of the topics that have been studied in the preceding weeks will begin to take
form as we approach finalizing our strategic plans and media-based products. Everything up to this
point has been studying, learning, analyzing and planning to help support your specific client’s overall
goals. The focus now shifts to taking these concepts that you have learned and putting them together
to form a media-based product (communication tactic) that is deliberate and well-reasoned in its
development.
Audience Reception of Media and Messages As reviewed in last week’s lesson, determining the audience’s general profile and analyzing common
consumer behaviors are important tasks. They can provide insight to media and message choices that
have the greatest chances of being received and spurring action.
Different groups of audiences are more likely to engage with different types of media. For example,
the older/retiree population is more likely to be effectively reached via traditional print media than
electronic media. Therefore, an organization such as AARP might infer that a form of media such as an
ad in a print newspaper is more likely to effectively reach their target audience than a series of posts
or tweets on social media.
Similarly, different groups of audiences are more likely to be responsive to different types of
messages. For example, if an organization’s audience tends to have very cautious and methodical
purchasing behaviors, then an informative webpage, where the audience can research the product or
service, may serve the audience better than a billboard that may be seen only for a moment.
Such behaviors and characteristics of the audience (along with the communications budget available)
help communicators determine the best media to use for their messages and the best types of appeals
to increase attention and desired actions. Having a media message that seems perfectly designed with
attention-grabbing imagery, catchy music, celebrity endorsements and so on will ultimately be a
failure if it does not reach or interest the target audience.
Please read the supplemental article, “Stand Out from the Crowd—7 Tips for Creating a Marketing
Message that Sticks,” by Beesley. It can be found in this week's reading collection.
The Media Mix There is a wide variety of traditional and new media technologies available for communicating with
audiences, and the best ones for your client should have been identified in last week’s analysis. There
is no predetermined set of media channel options to follow; the right kind(s) are dependent upon the
unique characteristics and preferences of the specific audience. Generally speaking, an organization
would consider media options based on class and vehicle:
● Media Class—This is the broad category of media that has been identified as likely to
be most effective for the audience, such as newspaper, television, radio, social,
website, point-of-purchase, special event, etc.
● Media Vehicle (aka communication tactic)—This is a specific option for
communication within the media class (e.g. The Daily Athenaeum as a newspaper; a
media kit for a special event; a YouTube video for social ….)
After identifying the best media classes to pursue and the respective vehicles related to them, the
amount of use of each type of media communication method must be decided. This is called the media mix; the combination of media classes and vehicles that is intended to produce the highest level of audience awareness, interest and potential action.
Reach vs. Frequency There are two factors that may help determine an appropriate media mix. The first is reach. Reach is
the number of individuals within the target audience who receive a message delivered by a media
vehicle. Example: A newspaper print ad (media class) in The Daily Athenaeum (media vehicle)
targeting male WVU students (target audience) runs for an academic week of 5 days, Monday through
Friday. In that time, it is read (received) by 40% of the WVU male student population. This 40%
figure would be its reach.
The second factor in the media mix is frequency. Frequency is the average number of times an
individual is exposed to a message delivered by a media vehicle in a certain amount of time. Example:
A newspaper print ad (media class) in The Daily Athenaeum (media vehicle) targeting male WVU
students (target audience) runs for an academic week of 5 days, Monday through Friday. In that time,
it is read (received) an average of two times (frequency) by 40% of the WVU male student population.
An organization may concentrate its efforts more on reach more or frequency; it depends on their
specific communication goals and objectives. For example, a national retailer wanting to advertise a
huge upcoming sale could run a television ad one time during the Superbowl and reach millions of
individuals within the target market (this is an example of more reach emphasis). Alternatively, a
smaller, local retailer wanting to advertise their upcoming sale could opt to run a television ad locally
5 times a day for 15 days—a frequency emphasis).
You can see how the choice of emphasis is appropriate for the organization in each example if you
change them around—a national retailer would not be best served by a frequency emphasis contained
to a small geographical area, because such a strategy would quickly saturate a relatively insignificant
portion of the target market while neglecting the remaining significant portion. Similarly, even if a
small, local retailer whose customers reside in the community could afford the millions it would take to
run an ad during the Super Bowl, it would not need a nationwide reach, and thus the money spent
would be largely wasted.
Other Considerations In addition to thinking about reach and frequency, savvy communicators understand that repetition is
often needed to help gain attention and ensure people receive your message. Therefore, the repetition
of key messages and consistent campaign branding is important. The timing of messages also can be
important. Linking your messages to timely news “hooks” or events or appropriate times of the year,
when your audience may be more likely to be interested in your client’s products or services, are all
part of the strategic plan and its timetable.
Finally, one needs to keep in mind the objectives the communications are intended to achieve. Such
outcomes may include:
● Increased awareness
● Increased sales
● Positive publicity
● Increased donations
● More volunteers
● Enhanced image
● Word-of-mouth
● Healthier behaviors
● Votes for a particular issue or candidate
● Positive associations/emotions/attitudes …
Sometimes, if an organization is fortunate enough, these positive outcomes could happen even
without their trying. An example would be local Morgantown restaurant Atomic Grill, and their
Memorial Day 2014 special that they advertised via social media. The creative special helped them
realize a number of the outcomes listed above. You can read a brief version of the story in this People
Magazine article. It can be found in this week's reading collection.
References
● Beesley, C. (2010, Jun 24). Stand out from the crowd—7 tips for creating a
marketing message that sticks. U.S. Small Business Administration. Retrieved from
https://www.sba.gov/blogs/stand-out-crowd-7-tips-creating-marketing-message-stic
ks
● Heigl, Alex. (2014, May 20). West Virginia restaurant responds brilliantly to request
that servers ‘show more skin.’ People Magazine (Online). Retrieved from
http://www.people.com/article/atomic-grill-sexism-remark-response
● MarketingCharts. (2014, Aug 19). How is the marketing media mix changing?
MarketingCharts. Retrieved from
http://www.marketingcharts.com/traditional/how-is-the-marketing-media-mix-chang
ing-45058/