In today’s world of brand saturation and channel fragmentation, paid media can’t be planned or purchased in a vacuum. It’s critical that all media plans are created with detailed integration and flexibility, you’ve got to be able to optimize in real-time. For a plan to be successful, you need multiple paid, earned, and owned media initiatives working together and exhausting every possible relevant channel.

To ensure cohesion within all media plans, Stone Ward has created a defined process for an integrated approach to media planning and buying.

• Media Objectivity: At Stone Ward, we approach media objectively for the value it has to connect with our media targets. There is no bias for channel or strategy – paid, earned, or owned – existing or something we create. Our job is to understand how each component is used and plot a plan that assures effective reach, frequency, and engagement.
• Research and Tools:  Stone Ward’s extensive suite of proprietary media tools connects brand messaging to the right consumers at the right time. Media channels are evaluated based on their unique strengths and weaknesses as they apply to the media goals. By beginning with this research, media strategies are pulled into an efficient media mix, which makes the best use of available dollars.
• Digital Trendsetting: Stone Ward prides itself on being a digital thought leader and is a constant early adopter of emerging digital trends. Stone Ward was among the first agencies in the Southwest Region to test the Facebook Canvas placement – a tactic rolled out by Facebook and tested by trusted agency partners. Stone Ward holds certifications in all major digital platforms, which include, but are not limited to, Facebook Blueprint, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter Flight School, DSP Certification, and Snapchat. Stone Ward is also a verified Google Partner, a title only given to partners that demonstrate exceptional planning and actual client performance through all Google Ad platforms (Paid Search, YouTube, Google Shopping).  
• Media Partnerships: Our experience has taught us that finding effective media partnerships reduces overall costs while increasing media impressions, impact, and relevant added-value. When media channels are given the flexibility to combine their owned resources, they become a true partner to create custom packages that ensure campaign success.
• Rates Low, Added-Value High: Stone Ward uses a combination of national database subscriptions, professional association memberships, and our own in-house rate-sharing to guide media negotiations. Costs are estimated by market, demographic and day-parts, allowing for effective rate negotiation. These resources allow us to tap into actual and forecasted media rate trends, allowing for maximized campaign performance across all media channels.
• Measurement: At Stone Ward, we believe that if something is worth doing, it’s certainly worth measuring. Stone Ward uses a suite of proprietary tools to gather, transform, and visualize all campaign performance data. Metrics from marketing channels are analyzed in two distinct ways: independent platform data and multi-media mixing. This process allows us to make data-driven decisions across all marketing channels; delivering the most effective marketing mix to maximize campaign potential.
• Experience: From experience to relationships to market-exclusive media tools, Stone Ward’s media department exceeds in excellence. With over 20 years of planning and purchasing media nationally, regionally, and locally, our expertise provides assurances that every media plan achieves its goals while reaching the appropriate target audience. Stone Ward’s media department are proven thought leaders and pride themselves in bringing new ideas and custom solutions to all campaigns.

Want to learn more about starting your next paid media campaign? Contact us now!