Smart media planning. Honest media buying. No agency markup hiding in the spreadsheet.
Most agencies sell you the channels they make the most commission on. I work for you. After 18 years of media planning across broadcast, streaming, digital, and out-of-home, I build a channel mix based on where your Portland Metro audience is, not where the kickback is best.
Whether you need a Pacific Northwest regional plan, a Portland-DMA-only buy, or a hyper-local Hillsboro or Beaverton campaign, I plan it, place it, negotiate it, and prove it worked. Then I report on it in plain language so you understand where your money went and what it bought you.
What media strategy actually means
Media strategy is the work of deciding, before any money is spent, where your audience is, what message will move them, when to reach them, and how much to invest. Media buying is the work of placing those ads, negotiating the rates, and managing the buys. Most businesses confuse the two and end up paying agency overhead for buys they could have placed themselves with a real plan.
A solid media strategy answers five questions. Who exactly are we trying to reach. What do we need them to do. Where do they spend their attention. When are they most receptive. How much do we need to invest to move the needle.
Without those answers, you're guessing. With them, every dollar has a job.
Why Portland Metro media planning is its own discipline
The Portland-Vancouver DMA is the 22nd-largest TV market in the country, with a media setup that includes legacy broadcast affiliates, a deeply local public radio audience, two major newspapers, dozens of community publications, regional sports rights deals, a busy out-of-home market, and one of the highest streaming and connected-TV adoption rates in the US.
It's also a price-sensitive market. Inventory rates here don't move the way they do in larger DMAs. A media planner who doesn't know the local landscape will either overpay or underbuy. I've been buying media in this market for nearly two decades. I know the reps, I know the standard rates, and I know which placements actually deliver in the Portland Metro versus which ones look great on a deck and disappear in the field.
What's included in Media Strategy
- Audience research and channel mix planning, built from real data, not panels or assumptions
- Broadcast TV planning and buying. Affiliates across the Portland-Vancouver DMA, with rate negotiation and added-value placements
- Connected TV and streaming (OTT) buys: Hulu, Roku, Samsung Ads, Amazon Fire, Sling, YouTube TV (see Targeted Digital Advertising for full digital execution)
- Streaming audio and radio: Spotify, Pandora, iHeart, terrestrial radio across the Metro, plus podcast sponsorships
- Out-of-home (OOH) and outdoor: billboards, transit, mall, airport, and place-based media throughout the Portland area
- Print and sponsorship strategy: Willamette Week, Oregonian, neighborhood publications, event sponsorships, and category-specific trade press
- Vendor negotiation and rate transparency. I show you what every vendor is actually charging and what I'm negotiating it down to
- Reporting that ties spend to outcomes, not impressions theater. Real attribution where possible, honest framing where it's not
- Annual or campaign-based planning. Full-year media plans, single-campaign flights, or anything in between
How it works
Step 1: Audience and goal alignment
Before we touch a single rate card, we agree on who we're reaching and what we need them to do. New customer acquisition, share shift, brand awareness, foot traffic to a Portland-area location, online conversions. Each of these requires a different channel mix and a different way of measuring success.
Step 2: Channel selection and budget allocation
I map your audience to the channels they use and the dayparts and content they engage with. Then I allocate budget based on reach, frequency, and the realistic cost of each channel in the Portland Metro market. You see the full plan before any money moves.
Step 3: Negotiation and placement
I go to vendors with your plan, negotiate rates, secure added-value placements where possible, and lock the buys. You get a transparent rate sheet showing what was asked, what we paid, and what was added at no cost.
Step 4: Trafficking and stewardship
I handle creative delivery to vendors, run schedule reconciliation, and watch performance through the flight. If something is underperforming, we shift mid-flight rather than waiting for the post-mortem.
Step 5: Reporting and post-mortem
At the end of every flight or campaign, you get a plain-language report. What we bought, what it delivered, what worked, what didn't, and what we'd change next time. No fluff metrics. No "impressions delivered" without context.
Channels and inventory I plan and buy
Broadcast and cable: Portland-Vancouver affiliates including KGW, KOIN, KATU, FOX 12, plus Comcast and DirecTV cable inventory across the DMA. Streaming TV and OTT: Hulu, Roku, Samsung Ads, Amazon Fire TV, Sling, YouTube TV, premium publisher direct. Radio and streaming audio: terrestrial radio across the Portland Metro, Spotify Ad Studio and DSP, Pandora, iHeart, SiriusXM, podcast direct buys. Out-of-home: Lamar, Outfront, Clear Channel, transit (TriMet), airport, mall, place-based digital. Print and sponsorship: Willamette Week, Portland Mercury, the Oregonian, neighborhood and community press, event and venue sponsorships. Streaming live sports: regional Trail Blazers, Timbers, Thorns, and college sports inventory. National packages where it fits.
Industries I plan media for in the Portland area
Regional automotive dealerships and dealer groups. Restaurants, breweries, and hospitality groups. Healthcare systems and multi-location practices. Home services, contractors, and trades. Regional retail and consumer goods. Financial services and credit unions. Tourism, events, and destinations. B2B and professional services with a Pacific Northwest footprint.
Who this is for
Businesses with real media budgets (typically $100k a year and up, though some smaller flights make sense) that want a media planner on their side of the table. Marketing directors who are tired of seeing the same vendors recommended every cycle. Founders who suspect they're being upsold by their current agency and want a second opinion. In-house teams that need senior media expertise without hiring a full-time planner.
This is not for businesses with a $5,000 budget looking to dip a toe in. The strategy work is worth doing only when the spend behind it is meaningful.
What you'll walk away with
A written media plan you can read and understand. A rate sheet showing exactly what each vendor is charging. A flight schedule with every placement, every daypart, every dollar. Mid-flight optimizations when needed. A clean, honest post-campaign report. And a media partner who's accountable to outcomes, not to maintaining a retainer.
Media is one piece of a working marketing system. The rest gets stronger when Brand Strategy and Launch, Targeted Digital Advertising, and Branded Content are coordinated with the media plan instead of operating in their own silos.