What is a media team in 2024?

Media teams have evolved over the years. From gin-driven to data-driven to commission-driven (wait, are some still gin-driven?!). We're in an era where planners and buyers work overlaps, where data scientists are an active part of media teams and where SEO and SEM make one with video. Do I also have to mention how AI contributes to that whole redéfinition of roles?

What's really at stake here?

When asked about their main challenge with hiring agencies, advertisers are almost unanimous: they want partners that can contribute to their objectives. Let's be honest, folks. We're running businesses where we sell ideas (beautiful ideas, but still ideas) for a bunch of money, oftento be executed in silos on TV, Web video and then web banners. All of that through a recession.

The equation is quite simple: companies have less money - therefore MUCH less for pretty videos - there fore also less for media - but still want big results

How do we solve this? Could AI help us out? Could the genius behind new performance formats - performance max, dynamic creative, shopping ads - elucidate all of this fuzzy ads cluster?

Where media agencies become business solutions

The key is to pivot from media planning towards channel planning. Towards messaging planning. How can we facilitate communications between brands and consumers, leveraging data, inventiveness and technology (in most cases, media)? And that is just it: a change in our mindset. But also a change in our deeply rooted structure and way of doing business.

What's channel planning?

Going from a good old media plan, to maximizing communication opportunities. To us, channel planning appears somewhere in-between media planning (splitting investment between media types) and strategy. We begin by thinking of the user flow, the consumers' very own behaviours towards our product, and then escaladate from that up to the brand, linking productpfirst communication with brand-first communication.

And how does a media team play a part in this? Well until more recently, medias had been quite straight forward. We could build a plan and then brief a creative team with the proper formats: a video, mid-funnel banners and then performance channels. Ez-pz. Times have changed. We have to work with a multiplicity of formats for every channel, numerous social codes, the uniqueness of every social platforms. Alongside that, the higher value of video, short video, UGC video has made this medium a non-negociable... not that it makes it any less costly. The SEO now definitely intertwines paid media and the list goes on...

So what's that 'jack of all trade' media planner?

We need people who can understand the relative value of an ad on a specific channel. We need planners who can tell if an ad has been tailored to a platform; a Reel isn't a connected TV ad. We need video planners: people who specialize in video as a crossplatform medium. We need business analysts that can really provide insights on statistical analysis of the media mix. We need production teams that can create fast and efficiently - bonus points for AI-generated assets.

In short, we need multidisciplinarity. We are in the time of people that can work together to make ideas happen and to 👏 Make 👏 the 👏 needle 👏 move. Amen to that. Whatever the solution, whatever the channel. What can people notice and what can drive success all across the funnel, in a compelling story? A brand that speaks about its values, that then align seemlessly with the consumers' core interests, which then translate into more valuable products.

Team work makes the dream work

Enough with the hyperspecific taskforces where one planner knows VERY well how to deliver dynamically-prompted ads on a shady side of a second-hand DSP. We want all platforms planners. Planners who can create experiences all across the boards.