The Media Plan Isn’t the Strategy (And Why That Matters)

Smart marketers know the difference between a strategy and a plan however your stakeholders have got their own priorities and opinions and they often de-rail any long-term strategic thinking. Media may be seen as a costly tactic and the first on the chopping block in your budgets, so we’ve put our heads together to present a number of angles that will help you level-up the conversation.

Media budgets are under pressure - we get it!

Today’s marketers face relentless pressure: smaller budgets, higher expectations, and the need to prove ROI before the first ad even runs. We’re helping brands go beyond media plans to build strategy-first frameworks that scale. Because without strategy, media can appear to some, as expensive noise.

A media plan is logistics. Strategy is leverage.

Your media plan says what’s going live, where and when. But strategy answers why it matters, and it links creative, context and commercial intent. But it’s interesting to learn that only 32% of marketers measure media holistically across digital and traditional channels (Neilson 2025 Marketing Report). That’s a lot of disconnected dots! But when strategy leads, performance follows.
Neilson 2025 Marketing Report

Stop talking spend. Start talking value.

Media isn’t a cost. It’s an investment, and when you can connect it to revenue, margin or growth you’ll start to see expressions change in those budget conversations.

You’ll be at an advantage if you can also present data that is meaningful to the finance guy – that’s why we use:

Channel planning needs purpose, not guesswork

One-size-fits-all doesn’t cut it anymore and your efforts will largely go unnoticed if you’re not putting in the effort to be smarter and more targeted. We look at a number of important factors such as:
  • Audience behaviour
  • Intent and attention spans
  • Context and environment.
The right mix might be Total TV, radio, high-intent digital — or all of them. What matters is strategic fit, not channel cost.

Build in learning loops, not just wrap-ups

It’s important to start as you mean to go on and building robust test and optimisation methods are critical to optimise spend. So, we believe the key measures and approaches should include:
  • Pilot campaigns
  • Geo splits
  • Custom attribution
  • Continuous feedback.
It’s not about chasing perfection; it’s about building a media muscle that flexes.

Measure what actually moves the needle

There are so many opinions on which metrics are important for measuring marketing and media advertising success, and for us it’s not about the vanity metrics. The key media advertising metrics we believe matter are:
  • Revenue attribution
  • Brand lift
  • Margin impact
  • Customer lifetime value.
Because clicks are cute, but they don’t pay the bills.
Sun | HabitatM

Strategy is your sharpest tool

Media strategy isn’t an afterthought; it’s your competitive advantage in an incredibly crowded and splintered-channel world. It’s important to adapt and be clear on the outcomes that are intrinsically linked to your business success.

At Habitat M, we specialise in helping start-ups, challenger and established brands navigate media investment with strategic planning and execution.
Download our new guide SHARP STRATEGY - a Practical Guide to Media that Means Business.
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Article written by:
David Ross
  • July 23rd, 2025
David Ross:
0448 533 090
Sam Brownbill:
0427 994 418
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