Brace Yourself, Media Team

Seems I haven't put you all on a hidden superpower, media planning. I won't say how long I've been doing it, but letsjustsay it's been a beat and almost half a Billion of managed spend that brings me to this point.

I cut my teeth building plans by hand, calculating reach curves manually, reading insertion orders for fun, and arguing with reps over $0.50 CPM reductions like my rent depended on it.

So when I look at destination media plans today, still buying 2015 Facebook, still reporting “engagement” like it’s economic impact, still worshiping CPM like it’s a deity, I don’t panic.

I simply… feel the old instincts waking up.

If I ran your media plan? It would look absolutely nothing like the one you’re paying for.

And your media agency would definitely need a walk-break after reading this.

If I Ran Your Media Plan (Media Director Edition)

Or: Why Impressions Are the Participation Trophy of Tourism Marketing.

1. First, I’d Fire Your KPIs

You know what I’d delete on Day 1?

• Impressions

• CTR

• Likes

• “Engagement rate”

• CPM obsession

• Vibes-based reporting

Those are not outcomes. Those are… weather reports.

Here’s what I’d actually track:

• Cost per modeled trip

• Cost per qualified session

• Cost per trip-intent action

• Partner referral conversions

• Market-level economic lift

Because “We got 6 million impressions” is not a strategy. It’s a bedtime story.

2. Stop Buying on CPM. Start Buying on Estimated Conversions

CPM is how you buy cheap. Conversions are how you buy right.

Bottom + Mid Funnel

Optimize to actions with actual value:

• Visitor guide downloads

• Itinerary saves

• Email signups in travel-planning segments

• Book-now partner click-outs

• Ticket purchases

Use Target CPA or Target ROAS like a civilized adult.

Upper Funnel (“Dreaming Phase”)

Buy for lift, not for “lots of eyeballs.”

Measure:

• Search volume lift

• Branded queries

• Feeder market booking deltas

• View-through conversions

If the channel can’t show me directional movement? It’s a cute experiment, not a line item.

3. Where the Money Actually Goes in 2025

Pinterest > Facebook

Pinterest users are literally planning trips, not arguing with their aunt in the comments.

• Optimize for saves + itinerary traffic

• Track assisted conversions

• Treat it like a visual search engine, not “social”

TikTok + YouTube > Display

Because the display ad that pops up next to “10 celebrity divorces you missed” is not your best brand moment.

• TikTok = organic search + creator spark ads

• YouTube = custom intent + 6-second “stop scrolling” pre-roll

• Measure view-through + branded search lift

Google Search + Maps > Local TV

Because intent beats interruption every time.

• Bid hard on non-branded travel queries

• Separate branded campaigns (don’t count those as wins)

• Use Maps for in-destination conversion lift

Micro Influencers > Big Names

Big influencers make pretty videos. Micro influencers move actual people.

Nextdoor > Twitter/X

Residents tell the truth there. (And your events team needs that truth.)

4. Measurement: The Part That Ruins People’s Day

Instead of 40 slides of dashboard screenshots, your media report would sound like:

“We spent $42,000.

It generated 6,412 trip-intent actions at $6.55 each.

Pinterest + TikTok delivered the strongest qualified sessions.

Non-branded search drove the cleanest last-click conversions.

Our test feeder market increased STR nights by 14% compared to the control.”

This is how grown-ups report. This is also when your media agency asks, “Wait… what exactly are you tracking again?”

5. What I’d Reduce or Cut Entirely

• Print with no trackable call-to-action

• Display with no incrementality proof

• “Awareness buys” with no laddered conversion path

• Social boosted posts that lead nowhere

• Overproduced influencer content that no guest will ever save

If there’s no next step, it’s not awareness, it’s noise.

6. Straight Facts

Most DMO media plans aren’t bad. They’re just outdated.

Good intentions. Wrong metrics. Way too many feelings about CPMs.

If I ran your plan?

You wouldn’t just get more reach. You’d get more suitcases, more tax dollars, more nights booked, and more people typing your destination into search with purpose.

That’s the difference between a media plan and a media outcome.

If this made your media team nervous, good. Because the bar is finally being raised.

🖤 I’m Jenn Barbee. I buy media like I buy champagne: cold, targeted, and only when it delivers.