Factors affecting Advertising Media Selection

The advertising medium refers to the means  through which the advertiser can convey his message to audience.  Proper selection of the media  enables the advertiser to achieve the desired results. Hence, advertising media selection  is vital for the success of  an advertising campaign.

An advertising medium is any object or device that carries the advertising message. It  should be capable of accomplishing following three objectives:

1. To reach the largest number of people possible.
2. To gain their attention.
3. To be less expensive.

The character of the medium is largely determined on the objective and factual basis  such as whether the coverage of the medium should be national, regional or only local.

Factors Governing of Advertising Media  Selection

Selection of a suitable medium for advertising is really a complex problem to the advertiser. There are  a number of kinds and classes of media in the modern advertising. Hence, the advertising media selection means not only the choice of the right classes of media out also the individual  medium within the class or classes. Besides there is no single medium that is best  suited for all advertisers. In reality, a medium which is best suited for one may be almost  useless for another. The medium once employed for advertising a particular product  itself may be found unsuited subsequently. Therefore, the right choice of a medium calls  for a careful analysis. If the medium is unsuited the whole amount of money spent on  the advertising campaign shall turn to be a waste.

The advertiser, therefore, while selecting the media, should consider the following  factors:

1. Class of the audience: Firstly, the advertiser must note the class of the  audience to be influenced by the medium. The audience can be classified into different  groups by their social status, age, income, educational standard, religion, cultural  interests. They may also be divided into men and women.
2. Extent of coverage: Secondly, the advertiser must consider the number of  audience to be covered by the medium. Every media has a general as well as an  effective circulation. The general circulation is made up of the total number of people  who read or subscribe to the media. The effective circulation is the number prospective  customers who read it and the number of those who influences sales, though they may  not buy for themselves. Effective circulation must be considered while estimating the  number of people to be covered. The extent to which the medium reaches the same  audience as that covered by some other media i.e., the percentage of over-lapping must  also be taken into account.
3. Nature of the product: Nature of the product itself is a principal factor  governing the selection of the medium. Products can be classified into various kinds –  consumer’s products and manufacturer’s products etc.
4. Nature of the competition: The nature of the competition exerts greater  influence of the selection of the media. If the competition is stiff utmost care is needed in  the selection of medium and a larger advertising budget is also required. In many cases  where the advertising copy is similar or the choice of the media solely determines the  effectiveness of the campaign as compared with that of the other competitors.
5. Reputation of the medium: Newspapers and magazines can offer a beautiful  illustration for the reputation of the media. There are a few newspapers and magazines  which have international reputation with a high readership. Advertisements in such  magazines and newspapers are generally  recognized  and believed as true. Such  advertisements also add prestige to the product.
6. Cost of the media: Cost of the medium in most cases, is an important factor in  the selection of the medium. Advertisements in certain media are expensive. For  instance, TV and Radio advertisements. Magazines and newspaper advertisements are  generally considered as less expensive. Yet, certain magazines and  newspapers,  having larger circulation and high reputation charge higher rates. The rates also differ  depending upon the space occupied and the preferential positions. The first page of a  newspaper is rarely missed by the reader. Hence they have more attention value, than  the advertisements presented anywhere inside the newspaper.
7. Time and location of buying decisions: The location of the audience and the  time by which it should reach them must also be looked into. This consideration also  enables the advertiser to keep his retail outlets in the proximity of the customers.