Wow,
It seems like a lifetime since I last blogged (Sumitra here). So much has happened in such little time! I have had my first client meeting! This has allowed me to understand how a client brief develops and where we go once we’ve got the brief.
So, The Brief – where it all begins…
Through a meeting with a client, we are able to understand their needs and concerns and a time frame within which we should begin to tackle these issues. Whether this takes five hours to five minutes, this is a crucial process. Once we’ve worked out what problems our client would like to solve and what areas our client would like us to develop we are good to go.
This does not mean we can come up with a whole new media plan to tackle the outlined problems. This means that we must decipher through the client’s previous media results and work out why problems have occurred and it is only having done this that we can work out how to solve such problems. This is a long process - the answers do not just jump out immediately, but when we eventually find the root cause to a client’s problems it is incredibly satisfying!
So having identified the cause, or rather the causes to a client’s problem, we must work out how to fix it. But it is important to note that we only come up with suggestions. Nothing will happen without the client’s agreement, and nothing will happen unless the client has fully understood the entire process we have undertook in order to form our media suggestions. The client does not suddenly leave the picture having given us a brief.
So basically, we get our brief, we work on it, we go back with suggestions, we work through those and it is with the client that we work out any concrete solutions. The client is integral to every process of media planning. I love this aspect of our company as it seems so fair handed and objective. So here we are on a Monday, beyond the initial briefing and initial planning and I fear I better go as I have a feeling there will be a mass to do. I hope this blog has given you an insight into the initial stages of media planning and I will fill you in as the process continues. Happy Halloween!!!