MKTG3600 · Marketing in Practice
Execution: Media
Week 9 covers media in practice, delivered by a media agency. It sets out the modern media-agency remit, the key media metrics and their limits (reach & frequency, ROAS/CPA, view-through, CPM/CPC/CPL, brand-health tracking, MMM), the funnel-by-channels view, the media-planning process and the choice between direct and programmatic trading. In the exam expect "explain a media metric and its limitation" or "how would you plan channels across the funnel"; it drives the channel and KPI sections of the live brief. Treat named case numbers as "as taught."
What this chapter covers
- 01The modern media-agency remit (6 roles) — strategic navigator, culture decoder, data interpreter, execution engine, partnership broker, measurement architect
- 02Agency landscape — holding companies vs the rise of independents; the "agency village"
- 03Media metrics and their limits — reach & frequency, ROAS/CPA, view-through rate, CPM/CPC/CPL, brand-health tracking, MMM
- 04Marketing funnel × channels — awareness, consideration, conversion, loyalty/advocacy each favour different channels
- 05Awareness/consideration = long-term; conversion/loyalty = short-term
- 06The media-planning process — communication strategy → channel planning → execute → implement → measure → optimise
- 07Media trading — direct (negotiated, premium inventory) vs programmatic (automated, data-driven); reality is hybrid
- 08Attention by channel and the industry shift — search fragmenting, creators as media channels, AI reshaping planning
Short-answer: plan channels across the funnel and pick metrics (15 marks)
- +3LAYER 1 — Define. Explain the funnel-by-channels logic: awareness and consideration are long-term objectives served by broad-reach and storytelling channels; conversion and loyalty are short-term, served by search, social and direct channels. Match channels to the objective, not to fashion.
- +3LAYER 2 — Apply the plan. Because the brief's priority is awareness/consideration, weight toward broad-reach awareness channels (e.g. broadcast, out-of-home, online video) and consideration/storytelling channels (audio/video, partnerships, influencers), with a conversion layer (search, social) to catch demand you create.
- +3LAYER 2 (cont.) — Pick metrics with their jobs. Reach & frequency for awareness delivery; brand-health tracking for consideration/perception shift; ROAS/CPA for the conversion layer; MMM to see true channel contribution over time. Name what each measures.
- +3LAYER 3 — Application & examples. Show the plan is coherent: awareness channels build the base, consideration channels tell the story, conversion channels harvest — measured by the metric that fits each stage. Reference the funnel-by-channels case as "as taught."
- +3LAYER 4 — Critique the metrics. Reach & frequency doesn't tell you if the message landed; ROAS/CPA suffers last-click bias and misses long-term brand contribution; view-through is inflated by bots and shifting viewability standards; brand-health tracking is survey-based and recall isn't behaviour; MMM needs large datasets and lags 12-18 months. No single metric is enough — triangulate.
Key terms
- Media-agency remit
- The six roles of a modern media agency: strategic navigator, culture decoder, data interpreter, execution engine, partnership broker and measurement architect — far beyond just buying space.
- Reach & frequency
- How many people were reached and how many times. Good for judging delivery; its limit is that it says nothing about whether the message landed or changed minds.
- ROAS / CPA
- Return on ad spend and cost per acquisition — revenue attribution and conversion efficiency. Limited by last-click bias and blindness to long-term brand contribution.
- Funnel × channels
- The view that each funnel stage favours different channels: awareness (broad reach), consideration (storytelling), conversion (search/social/direct) and loyalty (email/SMS/social). Awareness/consideration are long-term, conversion/loyalty short-term.
- Direct vs programmatic trading
- Direct buying negotiates premium inventory with media-owner sales teams; programmatic automates buying via platforms with granular, data-driven targeting and real-time optimisation. Most plans are a hybrid.
- Media-planning process
- Communication strategy (brief + insight) → channel planning → execute (investment & negotiation) → implementation (assets & schedule) → measure → optimise, where learning feeds the next brief.
Execution: Media FAQ
Why is every media metric taught with a limitation?
Because the exam-able point is judgment, not recall: each metric answers one question and misses others. Reach & frequency show delivery but not impact; ROAS/CPA show conversion efficiency but carry last-click bias; view-through is gameable; brand tracking is survey-based; MMM sees true contribution but lags and needs scale. Naming the limit alongside the use is what earns the critique marks.
How do channels map to the marketing funnel?
Awareness favours broad-reach channels; consideration favours storytelling channels (audio/video, partnerships, influencers); conversion favours search, social, display and direct; loyalty favours email, SMS and social. Awareness and consideration are long-term work; conversion and loyalty are short-term. Planning is matching channels to the stage you need to move, not spreading budget evenly.
What is the difference between direct and programmatic media buying?
Direct buying is negotiated with a media owner's sales team for premium, guaranteed inventory; programmatic buying is automated through platforms (DSPs, ad managers) with granular, data-driven targeting and real-time optimisation. Neither is strictly better — most real plans are a hybrid that uses direct for premium placements and programmatic for efficient, targeted reach.
Can Sia help me plan media for MKTG3600?
Yes — Sia can explain the funnel-by-channels logic, each media metric and its limitation, and the direct-vs-programmatic choice, and check that your plan matches channels and metrics to the right funnel stage. It teaches the method and checks your reasoning; it does not complete your graded live brief or exam, and University of Sydney academic-integrity rules apply.
Exam move
Media is a match-things-correctly chapter, so drill two pairings until automatic: channels to funnel stage (awareness = broad reach, consideration = storytelling, conversion = search/social/direct, loyalty = email/SMS) and metrics to their job-and-limit (reach & frequency, ROAS/CPA, view-through, brand tracking, MMM). Always state a metric's limitation, since that is where the critique marks live. Learn the six agency-remit roles and the media-planning process as ordered lists, and be able to explain direct vs programmatic as a hybrid rather than a binary. Treat named case numbers (attention-by-channel figures, the funnel case) as "as taught," not independent fact. This chapter drives the channel and KPI sections of the live brief — use the client to practise. Confirm exam format on Canvas.
Working through Execution: Media in MKTG3600? Sia is AskSia’s AI Marketing tutor — ask any MKTG3600 Execution: Media question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how MKTG3600 is taught and assessed. Read this chapter free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.
