‘Media planners help brands achieve top-of-the-mind recall’

Swati Anand is an experienced media planner with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. Having completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Advertising from the Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication (AIMC), Swati began her career journey with Xposure and worked with Havas Media Group for more than two years after that. At present, the AIMC alumna is working with Zenith Media as a Media Planner. In an interview, she guides aspirants on how to kick-start a career as a media planner. 

How is media planning different from public relations?

Media planning is a process in which media planners plan ads on different media platforms for brands to have maximum exposure and top-of-the-mind recall. On the other hand, public relations (PR) is more about building client relations and creating a brand image.

What is the key role of a media planner?

One of the key responsibilities includes collaborating with clients to understand their business objectives while creating strategies on how to start a particular media campaign. The idea  is to maximise advertising reach towards the client’s audience.

How can those aspiring to be a media planner plan their career?

Media planning in itself is a niche job and many people really don’t understand what a media planner does. As already mentioned, the role of a media planner is to help clients reach its target audience at the right time at the right place using the right media. Therefore, aspirants who are curious about brands have a great chance to establish a career in this profession. Moreover, brands or organisations these days are not just focused on advertising. They are adopting and exploring new techniques to create brand awareness among the consumers. And so, a career in media planning brings great opportunities for an aspirant.  In addition, data analysing is an integral part of media planning and so if you are interested in research, this is the most appropriate career to go ahead with. Other relevant skills include understanding different mediums of marketing and advertising, presentation skills, and so on.

Two tips to keep in mind when one wants to become a media planner?

Besides possessing effective communication and decision-making skills, you must be equipped with digital media planning tools as currently brands are focusing on digital approaches to reach out to the audience. At the same time, one should know how to use Microsoft Excel and make PowerPoint Presentations.