MEDIA Â SCHEDULING
This is the final step in the media process (media plan). It refers to the timing of the  media  insertions.  A  media  schedule  is  usually  prepared  for  the  entire campaign  period,  which  is  usually  for  a  period  of  6  months  or  1  year.
The following factors are taken into consideration in preparing a media schedule:
Seasonal  patterns  of  the  products  (Monte  Carlo  advertises  more  in winters)
Repurchase cycles (FMCG’s require more advertising)
Product  life  cycle  (a  product  in  introductory  stage  requires  more advertising)
Competitor’s media schedule (Coca-Cola and Pepsi)
DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF MEDIA SCHEDULING
Continuous  Advertising:  this  refers  to  advertising  without  breaks. Products with short repurchase cycle that are purchased frequently are the examples.   E.g. HLL, Coca-Cola, Pepsi etc.
Flighting:  this is an intermittent pattern with gaps where no advertising is done. This  is a  case for seasonal products, where funding is limited  and the  products  with  a  long  repurchase  cycle.  E.g.  CRY  (Child  Relief  and You) cards and Monte Carlo woolen wears.
Pulsing:  this is continuous advertising, which gets heavy during certain periods.     Seasonal items follow this pattern of advertising. E.g. Rasna (Rozana and Utsav)
Blinkering: this  is  strong advertising  during periods  with  short  gaps  in between. E.g.  Eagle  Diaries  start  advertising  from  September  and  stops advertising  in  October  and  again  go  for strong  advertising  (bursts)  in November and December
Thus  the media  planning is very complicated  and  involves a lot of expertise. Media planners play a very crucial role in media budget decisions.
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