Media planner

Media planner job description: Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses

Key responsibilities of the job include:

• producing financial and media plans and forecasts
• undertaking relevant research
• analysing and interpreting data
• liaising with clients, consumers and advertising staff
• producing briefs for media buyers.

They work closely with agency accounts staff, ensuring that campaign ideas, strategies and objectives are converted into tangible tasks. Contact with clients and colleagues is a key feature of the job.

Typical employers of media planners

Media planners are employed by advertising and media agencies. Vacancies are advertised by recruitment agencies, in national newspapers and in publications such as Campaign, The Drum, Marketing, Media Week, and Marketing Week.

Some agencies operate graduate recruitment schemes for which early applications are advisable. Contact your careers service for details or refer to the IPA's Advertising Fact File. Many posts are never advertised so speculative applications are essential - Advertisers Annual and BRAD Advertiser and Agency List may be useful for these.

Qualifications and training required

Any degree discipline is acceptable, although journalism, psychology, business studies, communications, media studies, marketing or management qualifications can be helpful.

A good appreciation of what working within advertising involves is helpful and relevant paid or voluntary work experience is desirable. A small number of agencies offer vacation placements.

Key skills for media planners

• confidence
• the ability to cope with pressure
• effective organisational abilities
• enthusiasm
• stamina
• determination
• perseverance
• good interpersonal skills
• commercial awareness
• communication skills.