Media buying
Planning and buying media space — broadcast, outdoor, print, digital — with rigour, transparency and efficiency, so that every resource invested reaches the right audiences.
Who it is for
Campaign leadership teams, treasurers and communication managers.
When
Ahead of broadcast periods, with early negotiation to secure the best placements.
Key deliverables
Media plan, allocation recommendations, negotiations, broadcast tracking, financial review.
Investing methodically
Media buying is often one of a campaign’s largest budget items. Poorly planned, it concentrates on familiar outlets that are ill-suited to target audiences, or is spread too thinly to reach the frequency needed for recall.
Media planning rests on proven concepts: reach (the share of the target audience exposed at least once), frequency (the average number of exposures) and cost per useful contact. How they are balanced depends on objectives: building name recognition, establishing a message or mobilising in the final days.
In politics, media buying is also subject to specific obligations: spending caps, declarations in campaign accounts, poster rules, digital platform policies and mandatory sponsor identification.
What the engagement covers
Complete and traceable management of media investment.
Media plan
Choice of outlets, placements and periods according to audiences and objectives.
Budget allocation
Split between broadcast, outdoor, print, community radio and digital.
Negotiation
Securing transparent terms that comply with applicable equality rules.
Digital advertising
Sponsored campaigns that follow platforms’ political advertiser verification procedures.
Outdoor
Planning authorised sites and complying with electoral poster rules.
Tracking and justification
Checking actual broadcasts and keeping supporting documents for campaign accounts.
Plan, buy, verify
Every spending commitment is justified, approved and traced.
Analysis
Study of the media habits of target audiences and available rates.
Planning
Building the media plan and budget scenarios.
Buying
Negotiation, contracting and approval by the financial agent.
Verification
Checking broadcasts and reviewing effectiveness.
Explicit, verifiable methods
Every tool we use is documented: its sources, assumptions and limitations are known to our clients.
Audience analysis
Use of available audience measurement and, failing that, surveys of media habits.
Reach/frequency optimisation
Finding the best balance between breadth and intensity of exposure.
Monitoring and proof of airing
Verifying actual broadcasts and collecting proof.
Ad libraries
Tracking digital political ads in platforms’ public libraries.
Measuring honestly
Every indicator is labelled by status — target, calculated estimate or measured result — in line with our principles of rigour
| Indicator | What it shows | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Target audience reach | The share of target people exposed at least once. | Calculated estimate |
| Compliant broadcasts | The proportion of airings actually delivered according to plan. | Measured result |
| Budget committed vs cap | Compliance with legal caps and the planned budget. | Measured result |
| Target frequency | The average number of exposures sought. | Target |
Financial transparency and respect for the rules
Media buying engages the campaign’s money and legal responsibility.
Sponsor identification
Every advertisement is clearly identified as coming from the campaign.
Caps and declarations
Every expense is included in cap tracking and campaign accounts.
No disguised advertising
We refuse paid content presented as independent information.
No kickbacks
Negotiations are conducted transparently, without hidden advantages.
Every space bought must be justifiable to voters as well as to oversight authorities.AXIOME working principle
In what contexts do we work?
Illustrative situations: they do not describe actual engagements.
A tight budget
A campaign must choose between television, radio and outdoor to maximise impact.
The end of a campaign
A leadership team wants to step up its presence in the last authorised days.
A first sponsored campaign
A team is learning digital platforms’ political advertising procedures.
Frequently asked questions
There is no universal norm. The split depends on starting name recognition, audiences’ media habits and applicable rules. We build several scenarios to inform the choice.
Yes, by national legislation where it exists and by platform rules, which often require advertiser verification and a public ad library.
The financial agent or the person designated by the campaign. We prepare recommendations and supporting documents without committing expenditure on their behalf.
Related expertise
Let's discuss your project
Every political context is unique. A first, strictly confidential conversation allows us to understand what is at stake and define the most relevant support.
