Next in our “Get to Know Us” series of interviews is Vice President of Media Askin Emir. Today we are discussing the media process.

What would you like clients to know about how we buy media?

We use different strategies and tactics for different clients.

For our direct response clients we go after the remnant rates and inventory on the best direct response properties and platforms. When buying remnant we are already paying the lowest rate possible but negotiation comes in when securing bonus spots, no charge schedules, and buy one get one deals which require very creative tactics!

For branding clients we set our CPP, CPM, GI, goals and buy accordingly. We definitely use the knowledge we gain from direct response buys. Knowing the performance of every property/station we’ve tested is a plus. When putting together branding buys we can use that knowledge and come up with a plan that consists of the mix of properties that we know will get great response and allow our message to definitely be heard.

What happens when you are looking for clients that are looking for a DR/Branding mix in their campaign?

These are the most fun. With this kind of client we buy a combination of remnant and rate-to-clear properties and deliver great response. There are some properties that are not usually available at remnant but when we can test them we do and we can be confident in their results when a branding client paying rates to clear comes along. There are some great properties where there is inventory almost all the time and we include them on the plan at remnant rates.

What are some hard to spot pitfalls that are critical for clients to avoid?

They need to make sure that the offer people hear on the radio and what they see on the client’s website match!

Clients shouldn’t try to optimize the buy reflexively by just looking at the results. They shouldn’t prematurely ask us to cancel certain properties because they are not performing right out of the gate. They should leave it their agencies to optimize. In the end we want to deliver great results for them because we want them to stay.

Clients should share with us all the information about their product, consumer behavior, and general observations so that the agency is fully aware of everything and able to put that knowledge to work in assembling and managing their media buy.

Looking out three to five years beyond the obvious trends what do you think will be the next big change in how media is purchased?

Radio used to be terrestrial – local and network – and then satellite joined them and now streaming. Streaming will get a huge share of the pie and will be a very efficient complement to the mix. Online radio buys will become even more integrated and complicated.

Askin Emir is Vice President of Media at The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog “Sounding Board” by subscribing to the RSS link above. Visit our website TheRadioAgency.com