Overview

This unit provides students with an introduction to the process of evaluating media options and purchasing or placing strategic communications in media outlets. This includes selection of media vehicles, scheduling media weighting, negotiating and buying, positioning and measuring the media buys impact on the targeted audience. The emphasis is primarily on paid-for-advertising media, though other areas of online and offline opportunities will be covered. The unit provides the foundation in the study and application of media planning in advertising, marketing and public relations.

Requisites

Prerequisites
ADV10001 Principles of Advertising

AND

50 Credit Points of Level 2 Units

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-March-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
16-March-2025
Census date
31-March-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
24-April-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025
Teaching Period 1
Location
Online
Start and end dates
10-March-2025
08-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
23-March-2025
Census date
04-April-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
02-May-2025
Results released date
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
03-November-2025
08-February-2026
Last self-enrolment date
16-November-2025
Census date
28-November-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
02-January-2026
Results released date

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Critically evaluate mass media and its contribution to successful advertising
  • Evaluate specific media – including print, broadcast, outdoor, digital, interactive and social – in terms of meeting specific advertising objectives
  • Analyse and apply media planning and buying strategies; and the information sources available to assist media decision making
  • Articulate audience measurement terms and statistics used to support media recommendations and post campaign analysis
  • Establish and apply key planning criteria when recommending and evaluating media campaigns

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Live Online
Class		1.00 12 weeks 12
On-campus
Class		2.00 12 weeks 24
Specified Activities
Various		3.00 12 weeks 36
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning		6.50 12 weeks 78
TOTAL150

All Applicable Locations

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Online
Learning activities		3.00 12 weeks 36
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		9.50 12 weeks 114
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Assignment Individual  20%  1,2,3,4,5 
Major Assignment Group  35%  1,2,3,4,5 
Class Exercises Individual  45%  1,3,4,5 

Content

  • The media industry - structure and stakeholders (including client, agency, outlets, planners and buyers)
  • Data sources used in audience segmentation, targeting, measurement and post-testing
  • The main elements of a strategic media plan, including objective, strategies, tactics, purchase and negotiation
  • The advantages and disadvantages of different media types
  • Placement within specific media
  • The use of planning software and basic numeracy skills in the design of contemporary strategic media plans
  • The use of traditional, digital and convergent media

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.