Relationship between media planning and creativity in an environment of media hybridization and transmediality

Introduction: The importance of media planning in advertising is confirmed by its turnover, which in 2021 exceeded eleven billion euros, which is equivalent to 0.96% of Spanish GDP. However, creativity is the object of study that is most admired by both advertising professionals and students, giving this competition most of the credit for the success or failure of advertising campaigns. Methodology: The hypothesis is proposed that creativity does not have to be a competence that is limited to professionals who work in the creative and art departments of advertising agencies, but rather that it must be postulated as a transversal competence for different profiles and departments. It reflects on how, within the framework of media hybridization and transmediality and the extensions of the narrative universes as necessary brand discourses, the increasingly complex media planning is dealt with. As a methodology, a questionnaire (quantitative technique) has been carried out to academics and professionals dedicated to creative and art tasks, as well as those responsible for media planning. Results: The results support that, given the current increasingly complex and digitized media landscape, it is reasonable for media planning functions to draw on these creative skills from the early stages of the process to achieve, in this way, the campaign objectives, in a media ecosystem marked by liquid and multiplatform communication. Conclusions: However, the sector is not headed in this direction and agencies still follow excessively conservative processes and structures in a sector where technology is key to segmenting audiences and offering them a personalized message at the right time.