Book excerpt: The Media Handbook provides a practical introduction to the advertising, media planning, and buying processes. Emphasizing basic calculations and the practical realities of offering alternatives and evaluating the plan, this seventh edition includes greater coverage of social media, buying automation, the continued digitization of media, and updated statistics on media consumption. It covers over the top television, programmatic TV, digital advertising, and the automation of buying across all media. Author Helen Katz provides a continued focus on how planning and buying tie back to the strategic aims of the brand and the client, keeping practitioners and students up to date with current industry examples and practices. The Companion Website to the book includes resources for both students and instructors. For students there are flashcards to test themselves on main concepts, a list of key media associations, a template flowchart and formulas. Instructors can find lecture slides and sample test questions to assist in their course preparation.