Amid the massive restructure at Brainchild, which has led to mass resignations, the most interesting market rumour suggested that the Publicis Groupe affiliated agency was automating the TV media planning process.
Within Brainchild, the project is referred to as Opta and it pull information via an API from Kantar while utilising an IFTTT protocol to create a TV media plan against a client brief and pre-set target rating points (TRP).
A source at GroupM shared that they still use Excel-based macro tools, which can be prone to human error. The lack of standardisation in media planning processes leads to a high attrition rate among media planners, leading to loss of talent and client knowledge.
Reasons vary between sources, with some saying the Brainchild project was funded due to a mass annual exodus of young TV media planners seeking to move to digital media planning, as reported by first by ProPakistani. Another reason is that the tool will allow existing Brainchild planners to focus on strategic elements of their work.
The third theory, which we like the most, is that by automating the most boring part of the job out, every TV media planner will be compelled to stay or join the org, making it a distinctive play on employer branding.
What are the potential benefits of Opta?
To truly be impactful, Opta would need to constantly evolve from the use case stated above and
– use data to inform media planning decisions, reducing subjectivity.
– provide clear and transparent planning processes, ensuring accountability.
– standardise media planning processes, eliminating inconsistencies
– protect client data and ensures continuity of service despite staff changes.
Media planners that have used archaic or advanced media planning tool can share their experiences below.
Global expert POV
“Out of the total $950 billion advertising expenditure, around $650 billion can be bought with algorithms,” said Sir Martin Sorrell, chairman of S4 Capital. “The great thing about that is we’ll have better information to make better decisions. However, there are 200,000-250,000 people doing semi-automated manual media planning and buying worldwide whose
future is in question.”
