WHITE PAPER
Media Planning and Collaboration Platform Summary The Mindtree Media Planning and Collaborative Platform [MPCP] is a transformational initiative for the advertising industry. It attempts to automate all planning processes, development, performance evaluation and other activities involved in the complicated end-to-end process of campaign management.
MPCP is a key component in enabling advertisers, planning agencies, creative agencies, broadcasters and other monitoring agencies to collaborate and execute their campaigns in a more structured and controlled manner. It covers a wide range of processes such as pre-planning, campaign planning and creative management at a planning / creative agency. This includes the execution of campaigns through a broadcaster discrepancy resolution and invoicing. MPCP enables users to analyze historical data on campaigns, in areas such as expenditure incurred, geographical coverage, channels and target customers. This helps them arrive at a comprehensive future campaign plan. Predictive analysis on TRP data ensures optimum returns for campaign slots and channels.
Contents
Media planning process - introduction 03
Media objectives 03
Challenges in the media planning process 04
Business drivers for the media industry 04
Media trends impact 04
Media Planning and Collaboration Platform (MPCP) - overview 04
Our solution 05
Modules in Mindtree MPCP 05
Business impact 06
Solution highlights 06
Mindtree MPCP solution differentiators 06
White paper 02 The media planning process - introduction Media objectives Media planning is the process of deriving the best strategy The basic components of a media plan are: to reach the largest target audience through an effective Aligning media objectives with enterprise branding use of the marketing mix, using appropriate channels. and advertising strategy Media planning starts with an analysis of the consumer Developing campaign strategy as per the vision of behaviour patterns of a customer’s target audience. This the organization could be TV, radio, print or online. The next step is to Concentrating on urban areas frequented by the target devise a relevant advertising strategy across those audience and where the response to new ideas is quicker channels. This should ensure that the customer’s campaign Reaching target buyers through an optimum channel is the most frequently seen, with a minimum amount of mix of media to gain greater frequency and lesser cost wastage, by intended audiences. per opportunity / lead Developing creative artifacts The selection of media for advertising can sometimes Execution of the campaign prove tricky for small firms with limited budgets and Evaluation of campaign effectiveness and monitoring the know-how. Advertisements through national-level Return On Investment (ROI) television and newspapers, are often too expensive for a company that services only a small target market Market and competition analysis (although local newspapers can be used). The important Defining the campaign objectives challenge is to translate marketing requirements Defining core target group into attainable media objectives and then to execute and Campaign planning and definition monitor the strategy to achieve the desired goal. Creation of artifacts Purchase of slots The end-to-end process of media planning and execution Execution involves collaboration between various stakeholders. Invoicing This includes advertisers, planning agencies, creative Discrepancy resolution agencies, broadcasters and monitoring agencies, all Evaluation of customer of whom are involved during different stages of the process.
MPCP Scope
Advertiser Agency Advertiser Agency Advertiser Agency Advertiser / / agency / agency broadcaster
Plan Buy / Reports & Pre-planning Plan Execution Invoicing authorization maintenance dashboards
Client Planner inputs Account team Agency Agency Agency Ongoing representative budget & other approves or contract with confirms the reconciles performance enters details information. rejects the broadcaster to execution of invoices from reporting while in briefing form Further, plan reserve space the ad all relevant the buy is on air chooses on-air Planners & Agency vendors Tool provides dates for each supervisors coordinates standard and type of local track progress with creative customized media of purchase agency to reports and Planner creates via media procure dashboards flowchart authorizations creative of all media created executions combined with total points & dollars
White paper 03 Challenges in the media planning process Business drivers for the media industry One of the key challenges here is that all stakeholders The media sector changes rapidly, so major players within involved are located in different locations and / or the sector will always be looking for innovative solutions geographies and communication between them is difficult. to new business challenges. Customers are more aware of In addition, maintaining a repository of all communication their needs and are therefore more demanding. Planning and documentation can be costly and time-consuming. agencies need to constantly come up with innovative new Maintenance and analysis of historical data is also campaigns to engage them. challenging as it is expensive and data retrieval is often slow and time sensitive. The key challenges Media trends impact are real-time access to campaign data and the lack of Dynamic branding environment: Advertisers, broadcasters a single interactive collaborative platform. and agencies must satisfy customer demand. They should harness new points of interaction to maintain growth in an Challenges faced during the planning process are: ever-increasing scale and complexity. People / process Multiple stakeholders: Broadcasters and planning Limited visibility between advertisers, agencies agencies must develop innovative ways to attract and broadcasters customers’ attention. Lack of alignment and collaboration between various Affluent consumers:A gencies must scale rapidly and stakeholders residing in different geographies provide innovative campaigns with proper analysis. Low level of automation and standardization of key Fragmented media: The fragmentation of mainstream business processes media and a proliferation of new media have made Lack of visible governance policies and procedures media buying and planning more challenging and creative. Communication: The message needs to be communicated Information in the most effective manner to the largest number Real-time historical data is generally not available for of potential customers, at a lower cost. timely analysis Data inaccuracy, if it is not at a centralized location Media Planning and Collaboration Lack of decision support systems, resulting in: Platform (MPCP) - overview Lack of customer insight The Mindtree Media Planning and Collaboration Platform Inability to accurately plan for future demand (MPCP) is a framework for the media planning process. Data silos / data explosion It provides a robust, collaborative platform that can be implemented with minimum customization. MPCP IT infrastructure focuses on eliminating existing pain points by providing Lack of integration between applications a single entry point for data, with a single view of No customized workflow for each activity / stakeholder the truth for campaign management. The solution also Standard reporting / analytical tools are not available enables various stakeholders to collaborate much Lack of collaboration tools between stakeholders spread more efficiently, by automating and optimizing the across geographies process flow.
White paper 04 Advertiser Process Scope
Enter strategy & indent details
Planner enter Send for review Approves Planner enters plan details for Advertiser budgetary detail annual buy & select medium
Approves Send for review Creation of RFP Planner creates Advertiser based on goal flow chart
Send to buyer
Order booking Buyer & Execute Media plan Buyer advertiser execution by system buyer
Reports, Discrepancy Confirmation of dashboards & resolution execution monitoring
MPCP gives advertisers, planning agencies, creative This solution optimizes the business process by agencies, broadcasters and monitoring agencies an integrating back-end systems. This enables users integrated view and control over the entire campaign to leverage existing technology assets which, combined management process. Media workflow is optimized, with performance tuning, leads to greater efficiencies with seamless, end-to-end integration and process from existing IT budgets automation. MPCP can be deployed with minimum effort, while ensuring the quality of data sourced via various input Mindtree MPCP also automates services to the maximum. channels. This solution addresses the pain points of the Its concrete architecture takes into consideration all business workflow such as transparency of work status, the functional and non-functional related requirements reports, the auto escalation matrix, auto validation of and key performance indicators data / forms and integration between various applications. Modules in MPCP Our solution The Mindtree MPCP provides extensive module- Mindtree MPCP provides a reliable, scalable, seamless based features that enable users to perform campaign solution, achieved via end-to-end integration and management related tasks more efficiently. automation. This optimizes media workflow for future deployment of the solution, with minimum effort. It Campaign: The advertiser provides basic information also ensures the quality of data sourced via various such as budget, location, theme and brand strategy to the input channels planner, to derive the campaign or the media strategy. The campaign is manually created in the application or Mindtree MPCP provides an excellent user experience integrated from another application. The planner views the with the help of an Ajax-based Rich User Interface (RUI) data and reverts to the user with a campaign strategy / plan.
White paper 05 A configurable workflow to approve, reject, delegate or Administrator functionality: Features such as creation reconsider details, by any user, is also possible. of the enterprises, its users mapping of products and geographies can be controlled through the admin module. Plan: In this stage, the campaign artwork is created. Dashboards and reports: Users can generate reports based Users can link it to other campaigns or provide additional on controlled input criteria and export to MS Excel or information to the creative planner. They are published other relevant packages, to do the analysis. The user has to the broadcaster after a final approval. the option of analyzing the data in different chart formats Execution: The broadcaster downloads artifacts and such as bar graphs or pie charts. Dashboards are provided executes them based on the contract. Spot details can be to highlight graphical comparisons between various viewed along with rates and / or discounts. campaigns, products, locations and channels. Dashboards Invoicing and discrepancy resolution: Details of the can be drilled down for further analysis. execution are obtained from the broadcaster and can be Access-based home page: Users can view data based on compared with the execution module. After discrepancy their roles. They can directly navigate to the work items that resolution, invoices can be raised based on the invoicing are awaiting review. Graphic views of data / dashboards are date and credit period applicable. also available. The home page therefore provides data in a structured manner for users, enabling decision, making.
Media indent
Media indent Customer
Pricing
Creative Campaign artifacts Planning Channel agency agency
Contracts Dash boards Analysis Analytics reporting agency
Scheduler Monitoring agency
White paper 06 Business impact Reduced redundant data inputs with process owner The Mindtree MPCP is designed to have a positive impact entering data at a single source on all stakeholders involved in the process. Secure data storage and selective role-based access for Advertiser high security Enables translation of brand positioning through an Dispute minimization by timely and unalterable effective mix of advertising and reach to the desired data capture target audience Bulk storage of project information and documentation Convenient interface statistics keep the advertiser Linkages of all modules provide end-to-end visibility updated on the campaign performance and tracking Provision to compare various campaigns with Business audit trail, to track end-to-end history and respect to expenditure, geographical coverage, track changes for a particular campaign or user channels and target customers enables comprehensive User-defined business rules to trigger certain validation future campaign plans and business logic Option to extend, suspend or terminate a campaign / Planning agency plan / pre-buy Facilitates centralized planning and buying processes Option to view reports on different types of charts that can ‘execute and activate’ at a localized level. It for better analysis of data also provides a unique media service delivery platform through its micro-marketing infrastructure and analysis Mindtree MPCP solution differentiators of historic data Readily available adaptors for most known ERP and Categorization of various broadcasters, advertisers back-end solutions and agencies, based on various filter criteria like Quick deployment with preconfigured processes business type, number of campaigns executed and and functionality budget for each campaign Forecasting capabilities for efficient Reduction in cycle time from the planning stage to the campaign management execution, leads to increased productivity Reliable, scalable and seamless solution for achieving end-to-end integration and process automation Creative agency Optimized media workflow and deployment with Improves skills with creativity, strong visual designs, minimum effort, while ensuring quality of data sourced perceptive user interface, logically organized structure via various input channels and technical know-how Enables users to explore various options before Enables creative agencies to develop and align committing valuable time and effort campaigns to overall campaign vision. Thus, Customized workflow that enables quick deployment in communication to all stakeholders is improved any environment and controlled New processes can be introduced in a short time Comprehensive implementation of business rules that Broadcaster can be customized for different users Provides real-time access to artifacts and contract details, Complete lifecycle integration from the inception of the to provide more visibility on agreed schedules and rates campaign to the execution and monitoring Reports and dashboards enable decision- making through: Solution highlights Analyzing budget, expenditure for a The Mindtree MPCP provides the following features: product, campaign or geography Dynamic, configurable and flexible workflow, to meet all Comparison between various media channels, business needs products, brands or geographies Workflow automation based on SLAs
White paper 07 MINDTREE MPCP offerings
Reporting Planning & execution Workflow Integration
Expenditure budgeting Pre-planning Approval workflow Back-end-system Dashboards Planning (campaign) Approval mix User authentication Performance reports Pre-buy (execution) Creative archives Business rules Invoicing management
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