In determining the five most critical aspects of a media strategy, our group immediately noticed that there was correlation between the question asked and a portion of our class notes. In class on October 15, 2007, Dr. Parrish-Sprowl identified what he believed to be the most important aspects of an effective media strategy. As graduate students, we felt it necessary to get secondary sources to confirm these five aspects and thus each section includes an additional resource that states the importance of the particular ingredient that is needed for an effective media strategy. The five most important aspects of an effective media strategy are : defining a goal, choosing the media you will use, selecting a target audience, creating and following a budget, and planning, timeline, and management. These items are all interrelated and are of equal importance, although the weight and attention given to them may vary depending on the particular media strategy.
[...] The tobacco industry created one of the most successful and long-running media strategies which spends $239 million dollars on advertising in Indiana alone and over 150 billion packages of cigarettes in the United States during 2006 (Springstun, 2007). We might also measure the success of a particular media strategy by the number of people who are persuaded by its discourse which can be evidenced through the number of new television programs or books which tout certain ideas. We have explored this phenomenon through David Brock's vehicle, Republican Noise Machine,” which documents how right-wing groups pressure the media and dominate the national discourse. [...]
[...] We know as informed students of communication that many times, media strategies fail. We will now examine a case in which the prime reason for failure was due to the media chosen to deliver the message. During the 2003 China SARS outburst, Chinese people struggled with the highly infective bacteria, and more stunningly, with the rumors and lies. The latter even accrued to the breaking point from which the Beijing government, Chinese news media, and Chinese people started the slow but continuing changes in terms of policies, news reporting, and public opinions. [...]
[...] These three cases all occur at different points in history, which helps to illustrate the pervasiveness of media as a necessary tool in an effective media strategy. Spanning the spectrum, from the print media to electronic media, the tobacco industry made a change in the ways of spending their money to do advertising and public relations. The tobacco companies were good at using the correct media in order to serve their needs during different historical periods. At various points in history, the tobacco companies were faced with different problems; in order to get their own voice heard, they took advantage of media strengths. [...]
[...] The most effective strategies are the ones that get people to change their behavior in a specific way. This is why the industry of media strategies is so complex: the goal of every product will be different and thus the strategies will also differ. While we may draw comparisons between certain media campaigns and identify strategies that work well, the goal will always need to be tailored to the specific product. The first encounter that our class had with goals was with that of the tobacco industry. [...]
[...] Thus far we have discussed highly effective media strategies in regards to considering audience; however, there are of course numerous examples where companies or organizations have failed to consider their target audience in attempting to inform, persuade or call someone to action. This failure to connect with target audiences often occurs when a media strategy is applied to the global marketplace in a universal manner. That is to say that it is detrimental and often destructive to an organization to ignore the variance of cultural relevance, geography and contexts in marketing strategy when applying the same product to various groups. [...]
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