Before we can book and buy media we need to 'plan' that media - and that requires, initially, a Media Brief- and before we can produce a Media Brief we must assume that all the base information is correct regarding Brand Positioning and Target Audience.

If this is inaccurate (and believe me it often is) a great deal of your hard-earned advertising budget will drift off in the wrong direction, but assuming that it's all correct, the information that is required for a thorough Media Brief is...

What is the product? What type of product is it? What is the value & longevity of the product? What's its history?

Who are the Competitors? What size is the market and what's your market share? What are your Competitors' media patterns? What are your Competitors Market Share?

Who are the Target Audience? How old are they? Male or Female? What is their demographic profile? Are they married or single? What's their sexuality? What are their hobbies or interests? The more 'Who' information the better and the more accurate will be the media targeting.

When do we talk to them? Is there a purchasing cycle? Are there any specific sales peaks & troughs? Is there any obvious seasonality?

What's the objective?. Sell more product? Launch a new product? Develop Branding? Attract callers to website?

Is there any research available? Is there any previous research for this product? Competitive products? The complete market? Forecasts?

Is there any supporting advertising? PR? Direct Mail? Exhibitions? Trade Support? Promotions? Editorials?

What are the timing requirements? Is there a specific campaign period required relevant to a sales period? Or to a 'Sale'? Or related to product stocks? Or related to a specific event or period?

Who will be handling the Creative work? Will they be dealing direct with the media owners, or with us? Do we need to be involved? Will the work require approval by regulatory bodies such as the RACC (Radio), ASA (Advertising Standards), HFMA (Health Food products).

Creative requirements? Will we require colour? Is there be a need for a lot of copy and images? Do we need early examples of the Creative work (some publications request sight of ads prior to copy date).

What's the Call to Action? Is there a fulfillment house or a 0800 telephone number in place or a requirement for one?

What is the budget? Is there a specific budget in place?

Once this information is in place, then, using all the industry tools and knowledge available, a Media Plan can be produced that should identify the most effective way to find the maximum target audience, within the correct time frame and within the allocated budget.