Media Buying for the Medical Professional
February 1st, 2013Our media manager, Pam Myers, answers the most frequently asked questions about agency media buying. Pam oversees media planning and buying for MassMedia’s health care accounts, including HealthCare Partners of Nevada, Women’s Cancer Center, United Blood Services and Red Rock Fertility. She brings more than 11 years of strategic marketing and advertising experience to the department.
Q: What is the most important aspect of putting together an effective media buying strategy? 
A: The foundation for any successful media plan is identifying the target audience and focusing on the mediums that will reach them. MassMedia uses the industry’s top research tools, such as Scarborough, to dig deeper into the habits and behaviors of patients in Southern Nevada. Many of our clients are surprised to learn the profile of their target audience. For example, men are consumers of health care but research shows that women are the primary decision makers. This key information allows us to target the right audience effectively.
Q: What are the benefits of using an agency to plan and buy media?
A: It’s beneficial for businesses to use an agency for many reasons. For one, they can tap into the agency’s buying power. MassMedia purchases millions of dollars in advertising each year, which means all of our clients benefit from the low rates of our large overall spend. We also maintain great relationships with the various vendors to secure the best rates as well as added value and premier placements. MassMedia also uses SmartPlus, a media buying software, to make the buys more efficient, monitor our clients’ campaigns and track success.
Q: What would people be surprised to know about the media buying process?
A: My job doesn’t stop once the buy is placed. We account for all of our clients’ placements and spots to ensure they are running according to contract. Just because a buy is finalized, it doesn’t mean the campaign will run 100 percent accurately. Much of our time goes into verifying our campaigns and we sometimes catch discrepancies, such as missed spots or print issues. This would otherwise go unseen and calling attention to these errors means we can negotiate additional exposure at no cost to our clients.
Q: Any final thoughts or words of wisdom?
Media planning and buying is actually fun! With sufficient time allotted for planning, strategy and negotiating, the final buy is symbolic of all the hard work that has gone into it. I also really enjoy the positive feedback from my clients and hearing how their advertising positively impacts their businesses.
By: Pam Myers
