Planning and buying effectiveness depends on a combination of factors—understanding audience behaviour, carefully aligning strategy with budget and business goals, choosing the right mix of channels, and ongoing measurement and optimisation.
Media planning and buying in Poland for advertising campaigns
- Last update: 02/04/2025
Table of contents:
Media Planning vs. Media Buying
Media planning is the process of determining how, when, to whom, and via which channels an advertising message should be delivered. It’s tied to creating a marketing communication strategy aimed at achieving defined business results while optimising the associated costs. This process involves identifying the target audience, examining their needs and expectations, and then choosing the appropriate channels and tools to reach them. Media planning underpins advertising campaigns and other communication activities.
Media buying is the final step—putting the plan (the media plan) into action. It’s the execution of the previously developed media strategy. As is typically the case, planning precedes purchasing. Planning focuses more on analysing the situation (and perhaps predicting how it may change), while buying focuses on negotiating terms and settling the campaign once it’s been implemented.
Of course, both stages overlap. When planning media, you need a thorough grasp of the media market in order to predict future prices accurately. And when buying media, the goal is to spot cost-optimisation opportunities—though any savings must remain consistent with the strategic assumptions of the media plan.
A media agency in Poland or media house in Poland, such as ours, acts both as a consultant/adviser and a broker, securing advertising space and airtime. For us, media planning and buying in Poland are two facets of a single process, culminating in delivering—and then finalising—an effective advertising campaign.
Media planning is the process of deciding how, when, to whom, and via which channels an advertising message should be delivered. Media buying is the final stage of that process, putting the media plan into action and executing the previously devised media strategy.
Planning Advertising Campaigns in Polish Media
The goal of media planning and buying in Poland is to choose the most cost-effective communication channels. When planning a media campaign, certain realities always apply. First, you’re operating in a specific market—or across multiple markets if you’re developing campaigns in several countries.
Each market’s unique features must be taken into account. For example, Poles, like Americans, still watch television relatively often, whereas Scandinavians do so less frequently.
Second, you’re creating media plans for specific products, which means you’re operating within the market for those products. Analysing competitor activities on that product market is a key part of formulating your media plan.
When planning media, you need to factor in the intensity of competitors’ campaigns and how they allocate their budgets—looking at both the overall spend and the channels they choose. Seasonality of spending and the value of media metrics resulting from those campaigns also matter.
Another crucial step is analysing your target group’s behaviour, especially in terms of media consumption. Understanding the market’s nuances, researching competitors, and examining how your target audience engages with media are all essential elements. Equally, they inform how you develop your marketing communications.
The Role of Media in Campaigns Across Poland
Naturally, each communication channel has its own distinct qualities. Even if the same advertising material (spot) is viewed in both cinemas and on TV, the effect on consumers may vary. In a cinema, you’re in a specially prepared space—lights are dimmed, the screen is huge, and the sound is first-rate.
At home, the conditions are different; watching a film on a TV or computer offers a contrasting experience. Cinema and TV ads have entirely different characteristics. Radio is often listened to in the background while doing other things, typically for an extended period, though usually with less focus than TV or podcasts. Meanwhile, search engine advertising in Poland (Google Ads) directly addresses our immediate needs, acting like a signpost—but in a way quite unlike an outdoor advertising medium (OOH).
Online ads can more easily reach specific, even niche, audiences due to the availability of precise data about users’ digital footprints. This level of insight aids in targeting, particularly for digital campaigns like search network, display, or video advertising. Meanwhile, content marketing or influencer marketing come with their own set of conditions and best practices.
When media planning and buying in Poland, you must consider each medium’s unique features, its role in the purchase journey (customer journey), and how it fits alongside factors such as market specifics, competitor activity, and audience traits. These all inform your recommendations regarding which media channels to select.
A Four-Step Campaign Planning Process
1. Market, Competitor, and Target Group Analyses in Poland
During the early stages of media planning and buying in Poland, media agencies typically conduct:
A market analysis for the region where the advertising campaign will run
A competitor analysis
Research and analysis of how the target group consumes media
2. Defining Media Objectives Based on Marketing Goals
Here, the media agency examines and determines which media metrics correlate with the advertiser’s core marketing KPIs. Marketing objectives are translated into corresponding media objectives. Achieving these helps increase the likelihood of fulfilling those overarching marketing aims, which is why data analytics is so vital to the media strategy.
3. Media Planning – Developing a Media Strategy
A media strategy sets out how to reach the target group efficiently and effectively, encouraging them to try the advertised product or service. It must consider not only the habits of the target audience but also the distinctiveness of each medium, which can significantly influence the achievement of business goals.
Key elements of a media strategy typically include:
Which media channels to use
The message to be communicated
The intensity or frequency of communication
The timing of communication
4. The Media Plan – The Campaign Flow Chart
A media plan lays out promotional activities in a tabular format or displayed as a flow chart.
Typical components of a media plan for advertising campaigns often include:
The campaign budget
The allocation of spending across various media
The scope and scheduling of activities in each medium
Core media metrics
The purchase format (especially important in digital campaigns)
A media strategy is an action plan designed to reach the target audience effectively and efficiently, motivating them to try the product or service being advertised. If you’re focusing on media planning and buying, this strategy aligns channels, messages, and timing to optimise campaign outcomes.
Types of Media Strategies
When planning a campaign, you’ll arrive at a range of different solutions. However, certain types of strategies tend to dominate in media planning. Beyond these main types, there are many hybrid approaches, borrowing elements from multiple strategy models and falling somewhere in between.
Concentration Strategy
This strategic approach involves concentrating your spending on one chosen medium—usually a single communication channel. For instance, that could mean only TV or print, or perhaps exclusively one social media platform or an out-of-home campaign in Poland (OOH).
The advantage of a concentration strategy is stronger negotiating power when arranging placement terms with the selected medium.
Dispersion Strategy
Here, the marketing communication strategy rests on using multiple media channels at once. Campaigns might run across outdoor advertising (OOH), press, radio, and the internet. The basic premise is the synergistic effect of messages reaching potential customers from various channels.
Strategies Based on Paid, Earned, or Owned Media
Paid media refers to channels financed by advertisers—television, radio, magazines, or the internet.
Owned media are communication channels belonging to the advertiser, such as websites or blogs.
Earned media covers any channels not owned by the advertiser yet used to promote a product or service at no direct cost. These could be TV programmes or other companies’ websites that feature the advertiser’s product or message without payment.
As such, we can talk about media strategies based purely on paid media, others that revolve around earned media, and some that rely solely on owned media.
Inbound vs Outbound Strategy
Inbound marketing (or “pull” marketing) aims to attract consumers and encourage them to seek out the advertiser’s messages. This includes methods like content marketing, SEO, influencer marketing on social media, or email marketing. Thus, we find media strategies rooted in inbound marketing initiatives.
Outbound marketing (or “push” marketing) is the more traditional way of reaching customers, in which the marketer initiates contact—for example, through TV, press, or radio ads. Digital display ads can also fall into this category.
When it comes to media planning and buying in Poland, many strategies will incorporate elements of each approach, depending on factors like budget, target audience, and the nature of the product or service.
Media Planning and Buying in Poland – Media Brief for the Agency
A Media Brief is the primary communication tool between the marketer and the media house. It provides a concise overview of the campaign’s objectives, key messages, the specifics of the product, and the essential points concerning the planned media activities.
From the information contained within this document, we can determine what the campaign needs and expects, as well as its feasibility. As a media house, we’ll then be able to propose a media strategy to meet these goals, execute it once approved, and finally present the results of the advertising efforts.
A Media Brief should typically include:
Clearly defined marketing objectives for the campaign
Details about the advertised product
Key messages and promises aimed at the target audience
List of direct and indirect competitors
Definition of the target group and a profile of the consumer
The campaign’s timeframe
Information on available advertising materials and their formats
The estimated campaign budget
A Media Brief is the principal communication tool between the marketer and the media house. In the context of media planning and buying in Poland, it offers a concise description of campaign objectives, messaging, product specifics, and the key points relating to the planned media campaign.
Media Buying in Poland
Media buying is usually undertaken by specialists who work in tandem with media planners. In the context of media planning and buying in Poland, media buyers are responsible for:
Negotiating costs with media suppliers
Purchasing advertising space or broadcast time for ads within the established budget
Ensuring that correct materials are delivered for airing
Monitoring costs and managing the budget
Conducting post-buy analysis, which assesses the effectiveness of the media purchases
Media Research
Media consumption studies help marketers identify the most effective advertising channels for their products or services. They also assist in estimating how much to invest in a given channel or medium and in understanding the advertising expenditure of competing brands.
Nearly every market has standard measurements in place—tracking TV viewership, newspaper and magazine readership, radio listenership, outdoor advertising audiences, and online user engagement.
In Poland, Kantar provides data on various brands’ advertising activities, while Nielsen delivers insights into TV viewing habits – all vital information when undertaking media planning and buying in Poland.
Media Glossary
| CPC | (Cost per Click) – the cost charged per ad click, often linked to a pricing model where the publisher or service bills according to the number of clicks on an ad. |
|---|---|
| CPM | (Cost per Mille) – the cost for every thousand impressions on a page. The Latin word “mille” means 1,000. |
| CPP | (Cost per Point) – the cost of reaching 1% of the target audience. This is calculated by dividing the campaign cost by the GRP. |
| Frequency | The average number of times individuals (who have been exposed at least once) encounter a particular message. |
| GRP | (Gross Rating Point) – the total of rating points. A rating indicates the percentage of the target audience reached (multiplied by 100). For instance, if 9% of the target audience saw the advert before a TV programme and 7% afterwards, the GRP for those two events is 9 + 7 = 16. |
| PPC | (Pay per Click) – a billing model in which the publisher or service charges based on how many clicks an ad receives. |
| Reach | The number of individuals who have encountered the message at least once. Reach n+ (1+, 2+, or n+) refers to the number of people who have seen the advert at least n times (e.g. Reach 3+ is the number of people who have come across the advertising message at least three times). |
FAQ
What are the main goals of media planning?
The primary aim of media planning is to maximise a campaign’s reach at the lowest possible cost by selecting the right communication channels to reach a specific target audience.
How do you determine a budget for advertising?
Your advertising budget should reflect both your marketing goals and your company’s financial resources. It’s also important to factor in costs associated with each type of media.
How do you select the right media for an advertising campaign?
Media selection should be based on an analysis of reach, audience profile, budget availability, and other considerations such as competitor activities, seasonality, and location.
Which metrics are important when measuring advertising campaign effectiveness?
It’s worth tracking indicators such as reach, GRP, cost per reach, impressions, clicks, conversions, and ROI. Reviewing these metrics allows you to assess your campaign’s success and make informed decisions for the future.
Is it worthwhile to use social media in advertising campaigns?
Yes, social media is a valuable channel because it allows for precise audience targeting and tailored advertising campaigns. Additionally, it encourages interaction with users, providing valuable feedback.
What are the key factors influencing successful media planning and buying?
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