Ad Tech

Media Mix Calculator Tool.

Media Mix Calculator

Estimate campaign efficiency and budget allocation across channels.
Audience Size: Enter the population in your target area.
Example: Manchester, 2,900,000
For effective campaigns, aim for a frequency of 3 (average exposures per person).

Media Inputs
OOH (Classic): reach is unique people, frequency is avg exposures per person.
Route data can be found at route.org.uk or the media agency can provide.
OOH (Classic): Reach
 Frequency
Other channels: enter estimated CPM (£) and your planned budget.
Media CPM (£) Budget (£)
DOOH
Digital Media
TV/VOD

Media Mix Calculator.

Plan smarter. Spend wiser. Reach better.

What is this tool?

The Media Mix Calculator (Integrated Campaign Budget Allocation Tool) is built for brands and agencies who want to plan smarter, not just spend more. It helps you figure out exactly how much budget is needed in each channel—TV/VOD, Digital Media, DOOH, and classic OOH—to effectively reach your chosen audience with the right frequency for real impact.

How it works

  • Start with your audience size: Enter the number of people you want to reach—this could be a small geotargeted area, a city like Manchester (2,900,000), or a national campaign. Audience data can come from the Census, YouGov, or your media agency, who often use planning tools and platforms to estimate reach.

  • Enter channel budgets and CPMs: For each channel, input your planned spend and CPM (cost per thousand impressions). For classic OOH, use estimated reach and frequency—Route data, media owners, or your agency can provide this.

  • Tweak and adjust: The power of this tool is in experimenting—adjust budgets up or down to see how it affects your average frequency and overall media balance. This quickly shows you what’s needed to actually reach your audience three times or more—without overspending or missing the mark.

  • Get instant, colour-coded results: See, at a glance, whether each channel is under- or over-delivering:

    • Green: Effective (average frequency 3+ per week)

    • Yellow: Average (close to 3 per week)

    • Red: Weak (below 3 per week)

    • Dark Red: Overexposed (frequency above 7—consider reducing budget)

Why use it?

This calculator is designed for practical media planning—whether for a hyperlocal, city-wide, or national campaign. By adjusting budgets and seeing the results in real time, you can:

  • Find the minimum spend needed to achieve real audience penetration

  • See which channels are over- or under-invested

  • Build more efficient, evidence-led campaigns that match actual audience delivery

Assumptions and data sources

  • Effective frequency is set at 3 per week (the minimum for brand recall/action).

  • Impressions are additive for topline planning.

  • Classic OOH uses Route data (reach/frequency estimates), not CPMs.

  • Audience data can come from Census, YouGov, media agencies, or planning tools.

This application is purely for research purposes. If you need guidance, contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions.

  • Each channel plays a different role in your campaign. TV might drive awareness at scale, digital might deliver performance, and OOH reinforces presence. Without balance, you risk underexposing key audiences or overspending in one silo. This tool shows how each medium contributes to total impressions — helping you build a harmonised campaign that works together, not in parts.

  • The “magic sauce” is effective frequency. It’s not enough to reach someone once — people forget, get distracted, or ignore what they don’t see enough. Studies show that 3+ exposures is where impact happens. This tool ensures you don’t waste your budget on one-and-done impressions — it helps you plan for repeat, resonant messaging across the entire funnel.

  • No — it’s a planning tool. It doesn’t book media or provide live inventory, but it does help you understand what you should be buying to make your budget work. Use it before you brief media owners or agencies, or as a sense-check once a plan is in place. It’s the strategic calculator every brand or planner should start with.

Get in touch today.

Learn more about One Day Agency and our media planning expertise.