Media planners make sure that advertising campaigns are seen by as many people as possible. They decide the best ways of using media like television and radio, press adverts, posters and the internet to reach the target audience.

Their work involves:

• working with the client and the account executive to understand the client’s advertising needs
• researching the target audience’s TV viewing habits, the newspapers and magazines they read and other lifestyle issues
• planning the best times and places to show advertisements
• presenting plans and costings to clients
• working closely with creative teams, researchers and other members of the advertising team
• working with a media buyer to cost and book advertising space
• building relationships with the media.

Media planners usually work on several accounts at the same time. In smaller agencies the roles of planner and media buyer may be combined.

Hours and Environment

As a media planner you will usually work office hours Monday to Friday, although you may have to work longer hours to meet deadlines.

You will be office-based but may also travel to meet clients and media owners.

Skills and Interests

To be a media planner you should:

• have good spoken and written communication skills
• have strong presentation and negotiation skills
• be confident, persuasive and tactful
• be able to analyse and interpret statistics
• have good computer skills
• work well as part of a team and with a range of clients
• be able to work under pressure and to deadlines
• be smart and professional
• understand business and the media.

Entry

There are no specific entry qualifications, but advertising is a very competitive industry and most people have a degree or higher national diploma (HND).

Your degree or HND can be in any subject, but the following subjects may increase your chances:

• advertising
• marketing
• statistics or operational research
• communication and media studies
• business or management
• psychology.

Contact colleges or universities for advice about entry requirements for degrees and HNDs.

You may have an advantage if you have previous work experience in the media, marketing, communications or sales. Some agencies offer short work experience placements – contact individual agencies directly.

For more information on getting into advertising, see the Advertising Association and Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) websites (contact details in the Further Information section).

The IPA website includes a list of member agencies offering work experience, plus the IPA Graduate Recruitment Agency.

Training

You will usually be trained on the job, possibly through a structured graduate training scheme.

You may also be able to work towards qualifications from the professional associations, such as:

• IPA Foundation Certificate, an online course for junior staff with at least six months’ experience in any area of advertising
• IPA Excellence Diploma, for middle managers with at least three to five years’ experience
• Communication Advertising and Marketing Education Foundation (CAM) Diploma in Marketing Communications – for this you will need a degree or equivalent, or at least two years’ relevant work experience.

The Media Research Group (MRG) offers a two-day course in communications planning, which you may find useful ff you have around 18 months’ advertising experience but are new to media planning.

The IPA and Account Planning Group also offer a range of short courses for continuing professional development.

See the Further Information section for all contact details.

Opportunities

Advertising is a very popular career among graduates, and there is a lot of competition for jobs. Most advertising jobs are based in London. Other major centres for advertising are Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Manchester.

Jobs are advertised in the national press, trade publications such as Campaign and Creative Review, the IPA website (at IPA Jobs Online) and specialist recruitment agencies. However, not all jobs are advertised, so it is also a good idea to approach agencies directly. It can also be useful to network and make contacts within the industry.

As an established media planner you could move into account management. Freelance planning work is also possible. With experience and a good track record you could become a senior planner or manager. It is common to move between agencies to gain promotion or work with larger accounts, and head-hunting is common for senior jobs.

Annual Income

The annual income section is intended as a guideline only. Salaries vary depending on the size and type of agency, location and experience.

Trainee planners usually start on £15,000 to £20,000 a year.
Experienced planners usually earn between £25,000 and £40,000.
Senior planners can earn £50,000 or more.

Further information

11 Southwark Street
London
SE1 1RQ
Helpline: 0800 093 0444 44 Belgrave Square
London
SW1X 8QS
Tel: 020 7235 7020 16 Creighton Avenue
London
N10 1NU
Tel: 020 8444 3692 Moor Hall
Cookham
Maidenhead
Berkshire
SL6 9QH
Tel: 01628 427120 7th Floor North
Artillery House
11-19 Artillery Row
London
SW1P 1RT
Tel: 020 7340 1100