The most frequently asked question I get is, “What does a media buyer do?” The simple answer is we buy time and space. Which sounds super cool, but I know they’re really asking for the juicy details. So here I go…
With JP being ROWE-certified, heading into the office isn’t always at 8:00 a.m. — which is amazing. I usually use my mornings to get ready for the day, have a breakfast shake and check my email and Slack before preparing my to-do list for the day.
9:00 a.m.
I get to the office around nine and it’s a few minutes of saying my good mornings and grabbing a cup of tea, because who doesn’t love getting told good morning with a smile?
From there, it’s off to my desk to get ready for my first meeting of the day with the rest of the media department. Our department is a powerful team of three. Our meetings usually consist of client updates, what we’re working on, what deadlines we have coming up, and seeing if anyone needs help.
Now, let the research begin. Ever wonder why a baby shampoo commercial doesn’t air on MTV, or why you see them on Nick Jr. instead? That’s where the research and media strategy comes in.As a media buyer, it’s up to us to make sure we’re strategically placing ads in front of our client’s target audience. The research helps us develop the best strategy of where to place the ads, and when and how often to place them.
Noon
In between the research, I’ll make lunch in the kitchen, surrounded by more of the JP team.
After I’ve gotten enough research on tv networks and programs, it’s time to develop the media plan! This is where I’ll compile the research I’ve collected and combine it with dates, times and program ratings into our media buying software Strata, to create a television and radio schedule.
A couple cups of tea and maybe a snack from the kitchen later, the plan is ready to be reviewed by our senior media buyer before I send it to the account manager.
3:00 p.m.
Now that the media plan is complete, it’s time to do daily management on the campaigns I have currently running. Depending on our client’s goals and needs, we use a variety of platforms such as Google AdWords and Choozle. It’s mostly optimizing digital campaigns to ensure they’re performing well.
I also take this time to follow-up with any reps on future media opportunities, check-in on pending projects, send out traffic for current campaigns, and reply back to emails.
5:00 p.m.
It’s time to pack up. But not before preparing everything I need to do/know for tomorrow.
That pretty much sums up my normal day, but we all know that no two days are the same while working at an agency. If you want to learn more about JP and what we do, check out our services page!
–Christina Chann, Assistant Media Buyer
