Planning to fail, or failing to plan?
What are the biggest barriers to successful media planning from an advertiser’s perspective?
Lost in the Scroll? You’re Not Alone.
Ever sat down to “do your marketing” and ended up 20 tabs deep into Instagram, TikTok, and Google Ads, and a “quick check” of YouTube that turns into a deep dive on AI-powered headlines?
Don’t panic - you’re not broken. The system is.
Media planning - once linear and manageable - has mutated into a chaotic jungle of platforms, pressure, and “shall I just boost it?” guesswork.
In this post, I’m breaking down what I see as the four biggest barriers to successful media planning - from budget chaos to time poverty - and why so many brands (big and small) are struggling.
So ask yourself: Are you planning to fail… or failing to plan with purpose?
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Barrier 1 - Platform Overload and Digital Fragmentation
We talk a lot about audience fragmentation - but digital fragmentation is just as serious.
Socials, websites, ads, emails, reels, shorts… the options are endless - and yet brands are failing not thriving.
Marketers feel the pressure to be everywhere. Turning campaign planning into navigating a digital minefield.
Paul Stringer nails the paradox in his WARC Talks Podcast: more platforms don’t bring more clarity - they bring chaos. Brands are overwhelmed by abundance. Instead of strategic focus, many spread themselves thin, trying to be everywhere at once.
And in trying to be everywhere, they end up saying… absolutely nothing.
Barrier 2 - Budget Pressure and SME Constraints
Some smaller businesses try to live a champagne lifestyle on a lemonade budget.
The reality? SME’s typically spend just 5-10% of annual revenue on marketing, and nearly half aren’t confident it’s working. Meanwhile, inflation and tighter margins are pushing costs higher, meaning brilliant ideas often never reach their audience.
And let’s be real: when public spending drops and consumers are tightening their belts, what’s the first thing to get cut? Marketing - the very thing that keeps them seen.
So SME owners - often solo- end up juggling everything from designing assets to debugging Meta pixel… trust me I know.
Chaffey’s RACE framework: Reach, Act, Convert, Engage is perfect if you have the time and budget. But most small businesses are stuck on reach, occasionally dipping into act, and praying convert shows up to the party. Engage? That’s for when they have five minutes to breathe.
A killer campaign with no budget? That’s just shouting into the void and hoping someone walks past.
Barrier 3 - Measurement Chaos
WARC's Measurement in 2025 report warns, “marketers are measuring more, but learning less.” We’ve got dashboards - but no direction.
Businesses obsess over likes, impressions, views - little medals of honour, that float egos, but mean nothing without context.
How often do you see “10,000 followers reached,” when only 20 sales were made?
That screams: You’re not reaching the right people, in the right place at the right time - with the right message.
Without clear KPIs, planners risk misallocating already limited budgets.
And let’s not forget platform metrics are not made the same:
“Views” on TikTok are not the same as “views” on YouTube.
Facebook’s engagement rate means something totally different to Instagram’s.
Google Analytics and Meta Ads Manager’s might as well speak different languages.
So, until businesses are crystal clear on what success actually looks like, they’ll keep mistaking attention for impact - and motion for progress.
Barrier 4 - Time Poverty and Planning Fatigue
It’s hard to plan your next campaign when you’re still recovering from last week’s product launch.
SME owners and creatives are doing it all - with marketing crowbarred into an already crowded day - somewhere between inventory checks, vendor calls, customer interactions, school runs… if they’re lucky.
And yet - marketing is what drives your business forward. I repeat: Engagement. Conversion. Loyalty.
So what do you prioritise when everything feels urgent?
TikTok trends, Instagram Reels, Meta targeting, Podcast ads, A/B testing?
Business owners are running five campaigns at once - with half the budget, zero clarity… and barely any sleep.
This is why we’re here. Not to throw more platforms at the problem - but to help you work smarter, not harder.
Final Thoughts
Even if you do find the time, money and strategy to plan, you’re still up against:
Fractured audiences
Platform chaos
AI disruption
Planning doesn’t need to be perfect - but it does need to be intentional.
Whether you're a solo creative or small team juggling multiple clients, recognising these barriers is the first step towards doing it better.
My next two follow-up posts will explore how audience behaviour is changing - and how AI claims to be the answer.
