TABLE OF CONTENTS By the end of this chapter you should:
understand the difference between above and below the line media;
understand the commission system;
be aware of the meaning of many general media planning terms in use every day when planning above the line media campaigns;
have a detailed understanding of all the key attributes, planning criteria, research, strengths and weaknesses of television, radio, press, out-of-home and cinema;
understand the difference between intermedia decision making and intramedia decision making.
Above the line refers to all media upon which a commission is paid. It refers to television, press, posters, cinema, radio and certain applications of electronic media and direct mail. The term 'above the line' is a traditional term that goes back to the times when advertising agencies would send their bill to their client with a list of media upon which they had already received commission at the top of the page and, then, below a line drawn across the page, a list of all the other activities they had carried out on behalf of their client for which they were yet to receive...
