Optimizing Media Buying Amid Rapid Change (Half Day)

Tools to Navigate the Sea of Choices Facing Today's Media Buyer
(Half-Day Workshop)

Workshop Description
The explosion of new data sources and platforms for where and how to spend precious marketing dollars can seem overwhelming for media buyers and their clients. As one media buyer stated in a recent Reddit post: "One of my biggest frustrations is the lack of control – [with] so many variables [it] sometimes feels impossible to manage as a media buyer." Media buyers and their clients need to make the most effective choices on the right business partners and approaches on business intelligence, platform distribution, and technology.

The workshop begins by examining the foundational shifts in the media business, including the increasing complexity of the media landscape, fragmentation of audiences, and the consolidation of ad spending among dominant platforms, while highlighting how media buying goals have evolved from broad reach to targeted performance. It then guides participants through the entire media buying process, from strategic planning and audience segmentation to execution, optimization, and post-campaign analysis, covering key concepts such as funnel strategy, buying models, budget allocation, and vendor negotiation. The final sessions focus on the mindset and skillsets needed to succeed in today's environment, including technical certifications, AI fluency, and negotiation mastery. They also showcase how leading companies are leveraging AI and first-party data to drive speed, agility, and measurable business outcomes across the media buying lifecycle.

Led by a seasoned executive, strategic advisor, and thought leader, this workshop is highly interactive and designed for hands-on learning. Participants will engage in team-based exercises, collaborative discussions, and real-world case studies that reinforce key concepts and encourage peer exchange. In a very complex media buying environment, with ever-increasing demands made on media buyers as well as their clients, this workshop will help participants differentiate themselves and their teams in the marketplace.

Who Is This Workshop For?
This workshop is best suited for junior-to-mid-level marketers who have had exposure to leveraging insights to define audience profiles, but are newer to media planning and buying.

Specific roles that will benefit from this workshop include:

• Assistant Media Planners
• Media Planning Coordinators
• Junior Media Buyers
• Assistant Media Buyers

Workshop Benefits
The benefits of attending this workshop fall under the following key drivers of growth: improving marketing effectiveness, increasing marketing efficiencies, and maximizing marketing ROI.

This workshop helps attendees improve marketing effectiveness by teaching them:

• How to be smarter about the media marketplace today and be a resource for your team
• How to enhance their negotiation skills for dealing with business partners and sellers

This workshop helps attendees increase marketing efficiency by teaching them:
How the process and key skillsets will drive value to clients and maximize contributions to your own team

• How new tools, such as AI, can save time and money in media buying
• The foundational building blocks for structuring and managing the media buying workflow across planning, execution, and post-campaign analysis for greater clarity and collaboration

This workshop helps attendees improve marketing ROI by teaching them:

• The role of audience segmentation, media mix modeling, and in-flight optimization in improving campaign performance
• The evolution of campaign KPIs applied across channels to optimize performance and inform future planning
• How leading companies are integrating AI and first-party data to drive measurable business outcomes across the media buying lifecycle

Download Full Agenda Here