Six Types of Schedules

1. Steady pulse: it is the easiest. For instance, one ad/week for 52 weeks or one ad/month for 12 months.


2. Seasonal pulse: Products like Vicks Balm, Glycodin Terp-Vasaka Syrup, Ponds cold cream follow this approach.


3. Period pulse: Scheduling follows a regular pattern, e.g., media scheduling of consumer durables, non-durables, etc.


4. Erratic pulse: The ads are spaced irregularly. Perhaps, we want to change the typical purchase cycles.


5. Start-up pulse: It is concentrated media scheduling. It launches a new product or a new campaign.


6. Promotional pulse: A one-shot affair it suits only particular promotional theme. Heavy concentration during a period is the characteristic of this scheduling. For instance, financial advertising of company’s issue.


The implementation of the media plan requires media buying, i.e., buying time and space in the various selected media. The buying of media is handled by the advertising agency on behalf of the advertiser.


There are no short cuts, no rule-of-thumb methods of solving media selection problems. Each advertising situation is different and unique in its own way. Each medium has its own characteristics, and there is no single best way of advertising a product. Different solutions are appropriate in different situations for the same product.


There are, moreover, various constraints from time to time. However, the sole objective is to maximize the impact of the advertising investment. Two competitors may adopt two differing situations. No two advertisements are identical.



To ensure that advertising is effective, a host of data are required for analysis, which necessarily call for the application of the computer with a view to simplifying complex jobs and the decisions arrived at about media selection. Complex mathematical models based on linear programming and simulation are useful in making media decisions.

Advantage of Schedules

1) Streamlines Communication

2) Keeps Costs Under Control

3) Preparation for Unexpected