Boring media plans? These channels are worth revisiting

"I look at media plans, and I'm bored by what I see." A senior marketer said that recently. In public, in Singapore, to a room full of peers.

Don’t think it’s a problem? Recent court filings from the US revealed that 70% of a major holding company agency’s digital spend goes just to Google and Meta.

This is while research from Analytics Partners and The Trade Desk shows five-channel campaigns deliver 66% better ROI than two-channel campaigns.

Why? It’s a combination of financial incentives, inconsistent measurement standards, a tendency to go with what’s “safe” and, sadly, a loss of skills in non-platform media channels.

So… what should be on those plans to perk them up? What’s low-risk and high attention? Here are some ideas.

Linear television: Written off too soon

Linear TV is the channel the industry loves to declare dead. Admittedly, it’s not as all-powerful as it once was. However, Nielsen CMV 2025 data shows 61% of Singaporeans 15+ are reached by FTA TV every day. That’s probably a lot higher than you thought.

TV isn’t just about reach either. I like it for driving attention. Research by Professor Karen Nelson-Field in the must-read research paper “The eye watering cost of dull media” found that campaigns with heavy use of linear and connected TV are unbeatable.

13.5 seconds of active attention versus one second from newsfeed social and skippable video. Nearly 14 times more attention for my brand by some tweaks to my media plan?

Yes please.

Sports sponsorship: The last truly unmissable environment

Live sport is where audiences won’t skip, fast-forward or scroll past. Attention during live sport is demonstrably different - viewers are present, emotionally engaged and watching in real time, often in groups.

US media planners understand the power of sports occasions such as this: NBC sold out its Super Bowl inventory before the NFL season even started, paying US$10m per spot.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 starts in three months. Mediacorp has secured the broadcast rights. Their ad packages should be getting snapped up by now and creative agencies across Singapore receiving briefs to make special football-related TVCs.

Cinema: The highest attention environment in media

Nelson-Field's research places cinema at the very top of any medium for active attention. 500 people watching a pre-roll in complete darkness, unable to skip, no phones, no competing stimuli. So much more valuable than 500,000 one second impressions on newsfeed social channels.

For brand building and product launches, cinema is chronically under-represented on media plans in Singapore. Confusing as cinema is not expensive and still achieves 23% monthly reach against an audience aged 15 and above (up from 2024).

Radio: The companion medium that never left

Mark Ritson has long argued that brands should develop a distinctive colour, a brand character and a sonic identity alongside their logo. An Ipsos meta-analysis of over 2,000 campaigns found that sonic brand cues are 8.53 times more likely to appear in top-performing ads. And yet only 8% of advertisers use them.

Radio is the most cost-efficient channel for building a strong sonic identity. In Singapore, radio achieves 39% daily reach too. Get consumers humming your jingle and reap the benefits.

Don’t get me wrong, you need the platforms

Meta and Google belong on almost any media plan. The argument is about balance. Clients should challenge media plans that rely on only two platforms.

These suggested channels are complementary, not alternatives. High-attention formats that do the brand-building work that low-cost digital impressions can’t. The evidence is clear: diverse plans outperform concentrated ones.

Let’s push ourselves to be better, use a more diverse range of media channels and build brands.

This article was written by James Smyllie, founder and CEO of Taman Warna.