Advertising is expensive. Whether in an agency or in-house, the media planner is the person who makes sure advertising dollars get spent effectively.

Media planning is essential to reach the right audience and get the message in front of them at the right time. But there's also a huge financial responsibility attached to it. Every bad decision can quickly run up painful costs.

This article looks at the definition of media planning, how the media planning process works, and what's important in media planning and buying.