Media selection in the media plan

Relying on a single channel or a single route to deliver marketing messages simply isn't enough. A diversified channel mix is essential to maximise impact.

What's distinctive about the Icelandic market

Icelandic consumers sit in a particular position because there are fewer channels here than in many other markets, usage is highly concentrated, and people tend to pay close attention to what is on offer.

Traditional media: Television, radio and print still have considerable reach in Iceland. RÚV is a strong platform for TV advertising, the radio stations Bylgjan and Rás 2 have very high listenership among older audiences and K100 among younger ones, and Morgunblaðið and Fréttablaðið (while it was still in print) showed that print can deliver wide distribution.

Digital channels: Facebook and Instagram have very large consumer audiences, and Icelandic companies have generally found these platforms, along with YouTube, to work well for advertising. TikTok and Snapchat have gained ground among younger generations, but Icelandic brands still can't advertise directly on those platforms except through organic distribution from their own profile pages or by working with influencers who showcase the brand to their followers.

Web media: News sites like mbl.is, visir.is and dv.is are also strong channels that reach hundreds of thousands of Icelanders every day.

Out-of-home: Illuminated bus shelters, lamp-post panels and large LED screens at major junctions or near shopping centres are widely used to build brand awareness.

This mix means Icelandic companies have to think carefully about how they distribute their messages between traditional and digital channels.

Why a diversified channel mix matters

In the Icelandic market, the importance of a diversified channel mix is obvious. Even though the population is small, media use is varied and uneven across groups, and brands that lean on multiple channels at once stand a better chance of reaching a broader audience and creating more impact through the interplay of different channels: messages that talk to each other and reinforce one another.

As with so much else here, population size plays a role: although the country is small, media use differs sharply between age groups. Older audiences still read Morgunblaðið, listen to RÚV and Bylgjan, watch the broad range of programming on RÚV, and use Facebook more than any other social platform. At the same time, younger audiences spend their time on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. There is, of course, considerable overlap across all of these channels and consumer groups, but a diversified channel mix ensures that a brand reaches every group, not just those who happen to share the same consumption habits.

A diversified channel mix also lifts trust and credibility for a brand when a campaign is running on several fronts, because consumers find it more reassuring when a brand is visible everywhere. This can be achieved by combining local channels (radio, television, print, web and out-of-home) with international channels like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Google (Google Ads and YouTube). Blending the two builds a strong campaign that takes advantage of the precision of digital advertising and the broad reach of traditional media.

Traditional media still hits

There are plenty of people who will tell you that the impact of traditional media (print, radio and television) is fading. That's far from the truth. Television ads have exactly the same impact today as they ever did, for the people who watch them. Print ads are still just as credible. Radio ads still carry just as strong a message, provided the advertiser actually makes a good radio ad. None of that has changed, certainly not to the extent that the impact of these channels has shifted dramatically. A TV ad has the same effect on us today as it did in the past, well within the margin of error. The same goes for print and radio.

What has changed is how we use these channels. Fewer people read print papers than before, because we satisfy our news needs through other channels, particularly online. Fewer people listen to radio stations than before, because we have Spotify and other services like it. And fewer people watch broadcast television than before, because we have Netflix and other streamers, YouTube and so on. That's particularly true for younger generations, while older audiences have shifted their media consumption far less.

The youngest generations never had the same lifestyle pattern that older ones had, so they're not really changing anything. They've simply used different routes to entertainment. Advertisers are pinning some hope on the idea that as those audiences grow up they'll pick up some of the habits their parents have today. Their interests shift, they start following the news and perhaps become a bit more culturally engaged, or develop an interest in more grown-up television than the kind of content they chase on their current channels. If nothing changes for that group, there's a real risk that the channels we use today will fade out with the older generations.

It all comes down to CPM

What matters in the end is what we're getting for our marketing budget and for the time we spend planning and running our ads. The magic word here is CPM (Cost-Per-Mille), the cost of reaching and touching every 1,000 consumers. It's the unit used in the industry everywhere, in every market and in every channel.

The big advantage of digital channels is that brands can aim their messages at their audiences with more precision and speak to them directly. That's why CPMs have generally been very favourable when you look at how many people within the target audience a brand actually reaches for the CPM it pays. Traditional channels can also offer a strong CPM, but maybe not always against the exact audience the brand is trying to reach, because there are always more people seeing the ad who have no connection to the product or simply can't buy it.

But an impression is not just an impression, and this is where the comparison tilts unfairly towards digital. The impact of an impression is much higher in a full-page newspaper ad than in a small ad we scroll past on social. A 30-second TV or radio ad, where the focus of the person watching or listening is on a large or prominent ad that delivers very clear selling points, is more impactful than a small piece of copy on a social ad we encounter while scrolling. It's hard to compare consumer attention on a traditional-media ad with the small ads, often just a few square centimetres on our phone, surrounded by all the other content we're actually trying to look at rather than the ad. The impact is not really comparable. So the question is always: what's included in the CPM you're paying for?

How to pick the right channels

Building an effective media plan means examining and weighing several factors:

Who is the audience: Different audiences use different channels in different ways. If we're trying to reach an older audience then radio, television and print are good options, while social media is better for reaching younger consumers.

What is our goal: Is the campaign meant to build awareness, create a positive image, or is the focus on driving sales? Do the marketing messages need to convey detailed information that consumers need space or time to absorb and interpret?

What is the budget: Is there enough budget to invest in the more expensive production and placement of TV ads, or do we need more economical executions on digital channels?

Channel collaboration: Can channels work together to give consumers more detailed information or close the sale? Can television and radio be used to create interest in buying the product, while web and social channels let consumers complete the purchase?

The media plan has to be built in step with the company's marketing plan. The goals set for the marketing work as a whole shape every decision that concerns ad placement. The main purpose of the media plan is to make sure the advertiser's messages reach the right group of people in the right place at the right time. The decisions that need to be made include which types of channels to use and in what mix, which time of year to put the most weight on advertising, and how often to run the campaign. These decisions are made by drawing on the knowledge and research available on media consumption, and the plan is built with one goal in mind: to maximise what the advertiser gets for the marketing budget.