A Data Scientist Sitting Next to a Media Planner
The Beginning: Parallel Lines
For years, one of our founders worked in the media industry, sitting right next to a media planner. Day in and day out, they shared the same office space, breathing the same recycled air, and yet, their worlds couldn’t have been more different. It was a relationship defined by routine but not by connection—until time had its way of bringing them together.
“What Are You Doing?”
As a marketing analytics professional inside a media agency, our founder’s computer screen was always in view of his media-planning desk neighbor. One day, curiosity (or perhaps sheer frustration) got the better of the planner.
Media Planner: “What the hell is that on your screen?”
Data Scientist: “It’s coding.”
Media Planner: “Why are you coding?”
Data Scientist: “I’m analyzing last quarter’s campaign.”
Media Planner: “Why analyze it?”
Data Scientist: “Because I need to support your media planning.”
Media Planner: “Well, thanks for your kindness… but I really don’t need it.”
Data Scientist: “… I know, but if I don’t do it, I’ll be in trouble. This is why they hired me.”
Media Planner: “Alright… You do your thing, I’ll do mine.”
Data Scientist: “Cool.”
And so they moved forward, like two parallel lines, seemingly destined never to cross.
“What Are You Doing?”
But curiosity is a two-way street.
One day, the data scientist glanced over at his neighbor’s screen.
Data Scientist: “What the hell are you doing?!”
Media Planner: “I’m replicating this quarter’s TV plan from the previous quarter.”
Data Scientist: “Why not start fresh? TV markets and audiences change all the time.”
Media Planner: “Ideally, yeah… but I have a lot to do. After TV, I have to do Radio, then OOH…”
Data Scientist: “But does copying an old plan really make sense?”
Media Planner: “Well, last quarter’s plan got approved. If I keep it similar, this one will probably get approved too.”
Data Scientist: “Wow. That’s… an efficient way to work.”
Like a snake biting its tail, they were chasing the same problem from different angles, stuck in a loop of habit and expectation.
Breaking Bread, Breaking Barriers
Their professional worlds remained distant, but their lunch breaks brought them together. Every day, over hurried bites of food, they complained about their jobs, their workload, and the absurdities of agency life.
One day, the conversation took a turn.
Media Planner: “You know, I actually think your data could be useful. It could tell me which TV genres and programs perform best—by audience size, timing, network, all that.”
Data Scientist: “Exactly! That’s why I analyze it and build automation for the process.”
Media Planner: “Can I see what you’ve got? If it’s as objective as you say, I want to check it out.”
Data Scientist: “Absolutely. Let’s finish lunch and I’ll show you.”
Back at the office, the data scientist presented two things:
- An Excel file—a meticulously crafted dataset with every TV program’s network, station, genre, timing, ad placements, audience size, and even sales impact. The media planner was stunned.
- A software tool—a model built to simulate different TV ad settings and predict their future impact. This one left the media planner speechless.
After a moment of silence, he spoke: “We need to show this to the strategist.”
The Turning Point
The media planner integrated the tool into his planning. Together, they presented it to the head of strategy. After rigorous testing, tweaks, and validations, the entire media planning team adopted it into their workflow.
The data scientist was shocked—his once-skeptical desk neighbor had become a champion for data-driven planning.
The media planner was equally surprised—planning didn’t have to be based on instinct and past approvals; it could be guided by real insights.
They were no longer parallel lines.
They were now part of the same process, each depending on the other to refine their craft. The media planner needed insights to shape future plans, and the data scientist needed feedback to refine the models.
They worked shoulder to shoulder, making things happen.
Where Are They Now?
You already know how this story ends. The data scientist became one of the founders of More Than Data, building core media measurement solutions.
And the media planner? He climbed the ladder—from junior planner to senior planner, to account manager, to strategy director.
No matter where he worked, he always brought his old desk neighbor with him. To him, that data scientist was still the same guy—his lunch buddy, his sounding board, the one who made media planning better.
Sometimes, time doesn’t just change things. It connects them.