One commercial plan, before the channels start competing for budget
Most marketing problems presented as channel problems are actually strategy problems. Without an agreed view of the audience, the proposition and the role of each channel, every platform optimises towards its own report.
Reviewed by Andrew Dixon, Co-Founder, 15+ years leading integrated media strategy across digital and traditional channels. About DBC Solutions · Last reviewed 22 August 2026
What is media and marketing strategy?
Media and marketing strategy is the work done before campaigns launch: understanding the market and the customer, defining the proposition, deciding which channels have a role and what that role is, allocating investment against commercial return, and designing how success will be measured.
Done properly it prevents the most expensive mistakes in marketing, which are not poor ad copy or a weak bid strategy. They are investing in the wrong audience, competing on a proposition the market does not value, or scaling a channel that was never going to carry the objective.
DBC has planned integrated strategies spanning television, BVOD, connected TV, outdoor, radio, search, social and video, as well as focused digital-only plans. The scale differs; the discipline does not.
DBC Solutions is a Melbourne-based marketing strategy consultancy working with brands across Australia. Strategy is developed directly by a co-founder with more than 15 years of senior media experience, whether the plan covers one Melbourne market or a national rollout.
What our strategy service includes
Market and category research
We analyse category trends, seasonality, competitor positioning, share of voice and the structural forces shaping demand, so the plan responds to the market rather than last year's budget.
Audience and customer insight
Priority segments are defined by commercial value and behaviour, not demographics alone. Research frequently surfaces audiences a business has been under-serving or paying too much to reach.
Proposition and message architecture
We establish what the brand is claiming, why it is credible and how the message should adapt by audience and funnel stage without fragmenting into contradictions.
Channel roles and media planning
Each channel receives a defined job: create demand, capture demand, build trust, drive retention or support local activity. Channels without a clear role are removed from the plan.
Budget allocation and sequencing
Investment is distributed against opportunity size, margin, competitive pressure and the time each channel needs to produce a return. Sequencing matters as much as the split.
Integrated online and offline planning
Where scale justifies it, broadcast, outdoor and audio can be planned alongside digital so awareness activity measurably lifts search, site traffic and conversion rather than being judged separately.
Measurement framework
We agree the commercial measures that define success, the diagnostic measures that explain performance, and the reporting cadence, before spend begins rather than after.
Implementation roadmap
The plan is delivered as a practical sequence of actions with owners and timing, whether DBC executes it or an internal team and existing suppliers do.
No media commissions, no platform incentives
Traditional agency models can create quiet conflicts of interest, where the recommended plan happens to favour channels the agency is rewarded for selling. DBC does not take media commissions or platform incentives.
That means the recommendation to reduce a channel, delay a launch or invest in the website rather than more media is available and gets made when the evidence supports it.
Strategy-led results in practice
Each of these began with research and a plan rather than a channel brief. Results vary by category, market, offer and investment.
How a DBC strategy engagement works
Research and diagnose
We examine the market, audience, competitors, current performance, margins and the commercial objective, and establish what is genuinely constraining growth.
Build the plan
Proposition, channel roles, budget allocation, sequencing and the measurement framework are agreed as one document rather than assembled channel by channel.
Execute and adapt
The plan is implemented, measured against the agreed commercial outcomes and revised as evidence accumulates. A strategy that cannot change when the data changes is not a strategy.
Strategy questions, answered
Can DBC build a strategy without also running the channels?
Yes. A strategy engagement can be delivered as standalone work for an internal team or existing suppliers to execute. The recommendations are written to be actionable by whoever implements them.
Does media strategy include offline channels?
It can. Where the audience and budget justify it, planning may cover television, BVOD and connected TV, radio, outdoor and print alongside digital, with online and offline touchpoints measured together rather than in isolation.
How is a marketing strategy engagement priced and scoped?
Scope depends on the decisions the business needs to make: market and audience research, channel planning, budget allocation, measurement design or a full go-to-market plan. Engagements are month to month and tailored rather than packaged.
How do you decide how much budget each channel should receive?
Allocation follows the commercial objective, the size of addressable demand in each channel, current performance, margin and the role each channel plays in the customer journey. Existing spend patterns are a starting reference, not a justification.
What happens if the strategy shows a channel should be cut?
We say so. DBC is not compensated by media owners or platform partners, so there is no commercial reason to recommend activity that will not earn its place in the plan.
Do you work with businesses outside Melbourne?
Yes. DBC Solutions is based in Melbourne and develops marketing and media strategy for brands across Australia, including plans that cover several states or a national market.
Start with the plan, not the platform
The strategy session establishes what is actually constraining growth before anyone recommends a channel.
- An honest diagnosis of where the current plan is misallocated
- The strategy we would recommend for your business, yours to keep either way
- A clear 90-day plan with commercial targets
Engagements are month to month. Related services: Google Ads and Paid Search · Meta Ads and Paid Social · YouTube Advertising · All digital marketing services
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