Media Buyer as a Job

So how can I argue with a headline that touts my greatness?

I think my co-author made a really good point about media buying and car buying. It's actually a question I asked interviewees when we were looking for an assistant media buyer. If you've ever bought a car, you've probably had an experience that is a lot like media buying. There are definitely some similarities.

1. If you're a smart car buyer, you probably did some homework before deciding on the one. You probably test drove it. In media buyer world, you watched the show, listened to the station, read the magazine, etc.

2. Then you picked up a blue book to see how much it was worth. To further my metaphor, you opened up a Media Market Guide to see what the going ad rates were.

3. Then you bought a Carfax report to see what had happened to your car in the past. For the media buyer, they examined Nielsen & Arbitron reports and looked at audits to see if circulation had gone down and if ratings had been stable.

4. And lastly, as a good car buyer, you certainly didn't settle for sticker price. You haggled. You had them throw in a free oil change and car wash. Media buyers should do the same thing. Rate card? What rate card? And oh yea, we're gonna need free color to put you in the buy.











"No way. Those rates gotta come down!"

So will my co-author make a good media buyer? I'm thinking she's on her way. It's actually a pretty fun job. I think mostly because buyers have a good idea of what media is truly worth, which makes negotiating a lot easier than it sounds.