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Keywords: media-neutral planning, confusion, basic principles
Abstract
'Media-neutral planning' has recently replaced 'integrated marketing' as the buzz phrase of the moment. Specialist agencies have built up business on the back of the cachet of this phrase with marketers. But this is arguably just the latest example of marketers reinventing the wheel. This opinion piece argues that the confusion stems from poor attention to the different decisions that are made in channels, communication mixes and finally media themselves. A process of media decision making is offered that suggests media decisions, though important, are among the last to be made, after first deciding on the broad marketing strategy and then the communications mix.
Media-neutral planning: Politics and power plays?
According to the International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 'the current phrase to let slip when two or more marketing communications specialists are gathered together is "media-neutral planning" '.1 Looking around, it looks like there is plenty of wind still in these sails. Here is the CIM knowledge centre: 'The CIM is focusing one of its major Canons of Knowledge on media-neutral planning (MNP): almost certainly the most important new idea for change across the marketing communications industry at the moment.'2
So what is MNP? Here is the CIM again: 'It is both an idea and a practice. It is a means of achieving marketing and communication goals, such as greater brand equity. Media-neutral planning is a customercentric, inclusive and merit-based review of media options during marketing communications planning.'3 In other words, choosing media neutrally. But wait. Here come the smoke bombs. There is the Interactive Advertising Bureau: 'It's simply about getting the balance right. That's the theory in the media-neutral planning world and the massive rise in internet audiences continues to challenge existing media balances.'4 So MNP is about the online media threat to advertising hegemony, then? Not necessarily. For instance Simon Francis of OMD posited that MNP is an integrated process where media and creative unite.5 Another grenade is dropped by IBM. Big Blue reckons that 'MNP de-silos the communications process, enabling previously competing departments to work together and stops departments fulfilling their own objectives without knowing the overall objectives of the company and of the particular campaign. "That's a change for...