Media Buyer Job Description
Media Buyer Job Profile and Description
Media space is very much in demand as it can be used to reach millions of people and thus is a powerful medium of communication. Companies or organisations purchase space for ads for promotion of a product, print quarterly results, for political campaigns etc. Media buyers work for advertising or media agencies to negotiate, buy and scan media space on behalf of their clients. They play a critical role in generating revenues or to mould public opinion, so their target is to reach the most number of people at the lowest cost possible. For this, they buy media space in newspapers, magazines, television channels, radio, internet and nowadays, also movies.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- A media buyer specialises in a particular area or works across a range of media, with one or more than one client account at a time
- Sometimes, he also has to work as a media planner and the responsibilities overlap
- The buyer must identify the appropriate target audience for a media campaign and work out strategies on how to reach the maximum number of people
- He must also be up to date with industry research figures, statistics, distribution numbers of newspapers and magazines, TRP ratings of channels etc
Skills and Specifications:
- Like any job in media, a media buyer must have good communication skills to build contacts with both his clients and media sales companies, as he has to bring more and more business to his client
- He must book media spots well in advance to beat his client’s competition to get the maximum visibility of a product or campaign
Education and Qualifications:
- A course in media management will help him know about the nature of the job and the responsibilities
- A mass communication degree with specialisation in advertising is also helpful