I challenge anyone who says this is not a fascinating time to be in media planning. Our lives have been radically disrupted by the internet (how we socialise, shop, work, eat) and planners need to evolve to keep up.

By combining big and small data, like BARB does, companies like Itison can understand their customers’ media habits like never before. Their planners can use search data to know what their audience wants and focus groups to understand why.

There is an argument that as media fragments, planning gets overly complex. But we also have the opportunity to speak to our customers in a way that resonates with them better.

Itison could sync to Calendar, letting customers know that they have booked a restaurant that has a deal available. Or, in the brave new world of Open Banking, connect to their bank accounts to serve them deals for activities they’ve previously paid full price for.

This fragmentation means “mass media is more effective than ever” (Binnet & Field, 2017). Brand awareness campaigns become more effective when underpinned by clever targeted digital activity.

And as for more complex, we know from programmatic how sophisticated media planning needs can be supported by algorithm-based platforms, so things can only get better: “we have reached peak complexity” (MediaSense, 2017).

The future of media planning is in creating moments. We’ve already seen how McDonald’s and Gordon’s have used context to create deeper engagement. Just last week Channel 4 announced it is starting to use AI to understand what is happening in program, to match adverts in the break (WARC, 2018). Itison could serve ads for date nights or family activities based on what viewers had just seen.

Understanding these advancements mean forging deeper connections between brand and consumer, and greater ROMI for the business. But above all, it means creating a world where brands can judge the wants and needs of the customer before they themselves realise there is a need. And that is truly exciting.