The Media Handbook: A Complete Guide to Advertising Media Selection, Planning, Research, and Buying

By Helen Katz

Book Overview

Now in its 9th edition, The Media Handbook introduces students to the media planning and buying process with a concise and industry-informed approach.

The book takes readers through the fundamentals of each media channel, leading to the creation of a media plan. This edition features a revised and expanded chapter on digital media for both planning and buying (including programmatic), with additional material on artificial intelligence, the metaverse and augmented/virtual reality, and streaming. It also includes more charts and tables to provide additional visual appeal and understanding. Newly updated data, more international brand examples, and a summary of key media calculations round out this thoroughly updated edition.

This text remains ideal for courses in media planning and buying in advertising and mass communication departments.

Supplemental online resources for both students and instructors are also available. To assist in their course preparation, instructors will find lecture slides and sample test questions while students will benefit from chapter overviews and new sample media planning exercise scenarios with accompanying practice spreadsheets. Please visit www.routledge.com/9781032671369.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1032698322
• ISBN13: 9781032698328
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 1.08 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Media Handbook a Handy Reference to Media Planning

Helen Katz' The Media Handbook is an easy to follow guide which will help a wide range of marketing/advertising students and practicioners gain a basic understanding of the media planning process. I feel comfortable making this observation as a former media planning executive at DDB Chicago advertising agency and now as instructor teaching two media planning courses at Loyola University Chicago. This book begins with chapters on "What is Media" and "Media in the Marketing Context" then moves through the steps of the media planning process before it concludes with chapters on media buying and media plan evaluation/accountability. It provides a good overview of media planning yet spares the reader exhaustive explanations of media terminology and media math calculations found in may college media textbooks. Author Katz has authored this 3rd Edition to stay current with the rapidly changing media environment. To a reasonable extent, she has succeeded although today's digital media technology changes are occuring at such a breakneck pace that any media textbook is somewhat out of date a week after it has been written. A broad cross section of the marketing/advertising community will find The Media Handbook to be a useful reference source in understanding the role of media planning in the marketing communications process.