Optimise the media planning process by treating publishers as partners rather than suppliers.

Intrinsic to the whole media planning process, and to the future growth of the industry are publishers -- yet their role is frequently belittled in the media planning process. Efficient dialogue with publishers can transform an average media buy into a creative spectacular with outstanding results. Improving the relationship between the media, creative agency and publisher, starts with removing dialogue associated to compliance, and is replaced with conversation associated to originality and fulfilling common objectives. 

Share media templates
Media plan formats differ by agency and by advertiser. Maintaining a consistent media template across the agency (ideally at a regional level) is beneficial to all parties. Media agencies need to share with publishers which information is mandatory, accompanied with a guide on populating the template and formatting requirements. A regional media plan populated with references to banner dimensions results in unnecessary additional work to standardise. Adopting a single standard significantly reduces unnecessary administrative tasks and allows the media buyer to focus on strategic opportunities.

Communicate updates frequently
Media plans are in a state of perpetual change, so it's no surprise information isn't always relayed in a timely and efficient manner. It is impossible to record what has and has not been communicated, and unfortunately publishers are often the last to be informed of changes. The commercial impact of any change in not always fully appreciated by the planner, forcing publishers to run house ads or offer heavily discounted prices to existing advertisers to fill the remnant inventory. The cost of this miscommunication is diminished profitability and potential damage to the longevity of a publisher. The frequency and management of dialogue is subjective, but the importance regular updates shouldn't  be undermined.  

Managing media optimisation
A common challenge for media agencies is managing media optimisation. Consider the following scenario: an advertiser has committed to a 12 week campaign, the media agency is in a position whereby they commit to the publisher for the entire 12 weeks benefiting from a lower CPM, after a period of only a couple of weeks, creative performance is diminishing, as a result of overexposure or a decline in the interest of the offer.  

When buying for prolonged periods, an alternative is to book and purchase in phases. Review location performance after each phase to determine whether future investments are justified. Admittedly this strategy results in additional man hours and possibly a higher publisher CPM, but the payoff is greater campaign optimisation based on performance with the expectation of a lower CPA and higher campaign ROI.

Billing reconciliation
Billing reconciliation is every media planners headache. The billing process between media agency and publisher needs to be defined prior to any impressions being served. Reconcile billings each month prior to monthly close-off regardless of whether the campaign is live. Match the performance totals with the latest hard copy versions of insertion order and purchase order.  Should a discrepancy be found, match each publisher total with the hard copy insertion orders.
The evolution of buying models brings gains in rich media popularity. The increase in rich media will open a Pandora's Box of creative execution opportunities, as well as increases in online spend in both brand and acquisition activities. Eliminating repetitive and time consuming mundane dialogue with discussions on creative opportunities inject new found excitement and vigour into what has become a rather stale process.

Charles Tidswell is managing director S.E. Asia for Facilitate Digital.