Media planning is the process of determining where, when, and how often an advertisement should run to maximize both engagement and ROI (return on investment). It involves every step from campaign planning, budgeting, and scheduling to launch and even beyond.

The media planner needs to acquire a solid understanding of the business, the audience, and the messaging. Digital advertising is continuously becoming more complex, and the planner must be familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of the different platforms and methods. The same is true for TV which is moving to CTV (connected television) and for radio which is now being replaced by streaming and budgets have shifted to podcasts etc..