How do you decide where a media budget should go?
You start with the audience, not the channels. We research who you need to reach, map how they make decisions, and build the plan around that. Channel selection comes last, once the evidence points to the mix that will move your numbers.
What we do
Media planning means deciding where and when to advertise before any money is spent. We start by working out who your audience is, how many of them there are and how they decide to buy, using recognised UK audience data. Then we choose the channels, split the budget to match your goals and give you a clear plan you can hold us to.
Because Route is independent, the plan answers to your results alone. We are just as willing to recommend a smaller, sharper mix as a bigger one - the test is always what the audience data supports.
What you get
A plan written in plain English, with every channel choice traced back to a reason. Clear objectives, a budget split you can question, and a measurement framework agreed up front so the first report compares delivery against a real target rather than a guess. When it is time to activate, our media buying team picks it up.
How we work
Brief & Proposition
We start with what you are trying to achieve and what makes you worth choosing.
Research & Insight
We study your audience, your competitors and your market before choosing any channels.
Audience & Journey
How your customers decide to buy, and what they need to see or hear at each step.
Audience Definition
Exactly who we need to reach and how many of them there are, measured using recognised UK audience data.
Channel Selection
We choose the mix the evidence supports, across search, social, programmatic, audio, AV, out of home and print.
Activation & Optimise
We book the media, manage it while it runs and report honestly on how it performs against the plan.
Planning across the full mix
A single plan often spans several channels at once. You can read how we approach each part in paid search, social media, programmatic, AV, digital audio and radio and out of home. For sector context, our work in public transportation and financial services shows multi-channel planning in practice.
Common questions
What is the difference between media planning and media buying?
Planning decides what the campaign should be: the audience, the objectives, the channel mix and the budget split. Buying executes it: negotiating, booking and managing the activity across media owners and platforms. We do both, which keeps the audience insight connected to what actually runs.
What data do you plan from?
We use recognised UK industry currencies and audience sources alongside your own first-party data and campaign history. That lets us size an audience realistically and set targets we can measure against, rather than planning on assumption.
How long does a media plan take to produce?
It depends on the complexity of the brief and how much research is needed, but we agree a timeline with you at the start. A focused single-channel plan is quicker than a multi-channel campaign that needs fresh audience work.
Can you work to a fixed budget?
Yes. We plan to the budget you have and are clear about what it can and cannot achieve. If a target is not realistic for the money available, we say so early rather than at the end.
Have a brief that needs a plan?
Call +44 (0) 191 933 7588, email info.route@route.agency, or send us your brief.