Media Buying Guidelines

Media Council Mission Statement
To refine basic practices in the media-buying business, strengthen relationships between and among those involved in the buying and selling of media time, and maintain consistency in, and enhance the credibility of, the electronic retailing industry.

The ERA Media Council Buying Guidelines seek to:

  • help define basic practices in the media buying business
  • strengthen the relationships between media buyers and sellers
  • enhance the consistency and credibility of the electronic retailing industry

Bookings/Allocations/Product Categories:

Bookings

All bookings made with broadcast stations and national/local cable networks should be made in writing. They should include:

  • Day
  • Date
  • Version number
  • Time period
  • Name of agency/company purchasing media
  • Name of advertiser
  • Show title
  • Toll-free number
  • Rate

Time period cancellations should be made at least two weeks prior to air date.

If a show is booked at the “last minute,” stations and networks prefer that buyers send the payment overnight-unless another method is mutually agreed upon.

Bookings made by multiple buyers should include:

  • Name of agency/company purchasing media
  • Name of advertiser
  • Show title
  • Toll-free number

Allocations

  • Changes made to the current schedule/allocations should be labeled “revision” and include as much information on bookings and confirmations as possible. Stations/networks should be contracted by both phone and fax.
  • To ensure that schedules run as ordered, traffic instructions should be sent to the stations/networks.
  • Stations/networks prefer to know the title when a half-hour time period is booked because:

At all times, a toll-free number should be sent with the title. Any title changes should be made in a timely manner before the air date.

In instances where there are tapes that contain questionable material, stations/networks will request a tape for review.

Product Categories

Buyers should provide stations/networks with the product category of the infomercial to help identify shows with competing products that could run consecutively.

While stations and networks should not run shows of the same product category back to back, media buyers should check at the time of booking whether similar product categories will air either immediately before or after their infomercials.

Tape Trafficking

Traffic/Instructions/Allocation Sheets

Traffic instructions sent to stations/networks should include:

  • Agency/company contact
  • Name of station/network
  • Station/network contact
  • Current date
  • First air date and/or instructions to hold for future use
  • Category of infomercial
  • Name of advertiser
  • Show title/Version #
  • Directions for existing in-house versions
  • Toll-free number
  • Show length

Tape/Identification

Air tapes sent to stations/networks should always be labeled with:

  • Name of agency/company purchasing media
  • Name of advertiser
  • Show title
  • Toll-free number

Station Communications

Any communication between buyers and stations/networks, including schedule revisions, confirmations and cancellations, should give both the show title and a toll-free number Advertiser/Client.

All communications between buyers and stations/networks should be in writing and allow appropriate time for follow up action. Buyers should establish a main contact with whom they can confirm tape delivery, cancellations, and so on at each station/network.

Programming Approval

Buyers will retain view-tapes, affidavits and testimonial releases for shows for which they purchase media. The tapes will be provided to stations/networks upon request. Buyers will check with individual stations/networks for program needs.

Multiple Agency Bookings

Buyers should provide specific toll-free numbers when communicating with stations/networks in order to prevent airing an incorrect version of a show.

Payments/Affidavits

Payments to Stations and Networks

Cash-in-advance payments should be at the stations/networks one week before a show is set to air. This recommendation varies from station to station, but some may remove a show when no payment has been received.

The form of payment required varies among stations/networks. Buyers should verify the expected form of payment.

Check stubs accompanying payments should include:

  • Name of agency/company purchasing media
  • Client name/advertiser
  • Show title
  • Toll-free number
  • Air date
  • Time of airing
  • Gross/net rate

Affidavits of Performance

Affidavits from stations and networks generally are sent monthly. Most stations/networks will list airdate, starting airtime and gross buy for every telecast on the invoice/affidavit. Stations/networks will, either automatically or by request, indicate appropriate toll-free numbers.

Buyers should request that stations/networks invoice them separately by advertiser and by product.

Reconciliation

Refund policies vary. Buyers should contact stations/networks to learn individual procedures.

Buyers are encouraged to provide specific instructions for affidavits that are invoiced at different rates. Their directions should indicate whether to:

  • Apply funds
  • Automatically reassign funds
  • Prepare a credit memo
  • Cancel a revised contract and create a new one