Media Planning & Buying Services

Media planning is the strategy: determining which channels, audiences, timing, and budget allocation will best achieve your goals. Media buying is the execution: negotiating rates, securing placements, and managing the logistics of getting your ads live. We handle both, ensuring strategy and execution are seamlessly connected.

We've owned and operated media outlets – we know how pricing works, where negotiation room exists, and what makes a placement valuable beyond the rate card. This insider perspective means we secure better rates, added value (bonus spots, premium positioning), and placements that others can't access.

All of it. We plan and buy across broadcast television, radio, streaming audio and video, print, out-of-home, digital display, paid social, and paid search. Our recommendations are channel-agnostic—we go where your audience is, not where commissions are highest.

There's no universal minimum, but effectiveness depends on market size, audience, and goals. We'll help you determine a realistic budget based on what you're trying to achieve. Our job is to maximize impact at whatever level you invest—we've delivered results for modest local campaigns and substantial regional buys alike.

We're transparent about compensation. Depending on the engagement, we may work on a fee basis, a commission model, or a hybrid. We'll explain our compensation structure upfront – no surprises, no hidden markups.

It starts with your audience. We analyze where your target customers consume media, when they're most receptive, and how they move through the decision-making process. From there, we build a channel mix that balances reach, frequency, and cost efficiency, always aligned to your specific goals.

Yes. If you've developed a media plan internally or with another partner, we can step in to handle negotiations and buying. That said, we'll always share our perspective if we see opportunities to strengthen the strategy.

Volume, relationships, and knowledge. We place significant media across the region, which gives us leverage. Our longstanding relationships with media reps create goodwill and access. And our insider experience means we know the real margins; we negotiate from a position of expertise, not guesswork.

Absolutely. Transparency is foundational to how we work. You'll receive detailed documentation of every placement: where, when, and at what cost. No black boxes, no vague reporting.

We establish KPIs upfront based on your goals – reach, frequency, impressions, web traffic, leads, conversions, or direct sales. You'll receive regular reports with clear metrics and analysis. We don't just report what happened; we explain what it means and recommend optimizations.

Media planning and buying is our focus on this service, but we also offer creative development and content production services. Many clients engage us for both, ensuring creative and media strategy work together seamlessly. Alternatively, we can place media for creative developed by your team or another partner.

Yes. While we're deeply established in Erie, PA and the surrounding PA-NY-OH region, we have relationships and capabilities to plan and buy media regionally and nationally. As your needs expand, we scale with you.

We monitor placements closely and hold media partners accountable. If a buy underdelivers, we negotiate make-goods – additional placements at no extra cost to compensate. Our relationships and vigilance ensure you get what you paid for.

We handle the heavy lifting, but collaboration makes the strategy stronger. Expect involvement during initial discovery and strategy review, plus approval checkpoints along the way. We'll establish a rhythm that keeps you informed without overwhelming your schedule.