A day in the life of a media planner: Generation Media
Feature
Media planning can feel like an elusive practice to those outside of agencies. In our ongoing series, Generation Media’s Akanksha Sharma takes us through her daily routine.
Hi! I’m Akanksha Sharma, senior digital executive at Generation Media. My role revolves around campaign planning, performance reporting, and ensuring that our clients’ digital strategies deliver measurable impact.
What I love most about my job is how it blends creativity with data. Every day brings something new, whether that’s launching a campaign, attending a workshop, or collaborating across teams to bring ideas to life.
A mindful start and learning on the go
7:00am
My day begins with a glass of overnight-soaked cumin water—a simple ritual that helps me feel refreshed and balanced. I follow this with ten minutes of guided meditation and positive affirmations, which help me start the day feeling calm, centred, and focused.
8:00am
During my 45-minute train journey, I like to make the most of my commute by listening to something inspiring. Lately, I’ve been hooked on the Marketing & Margaritas podcast—a fun and insightful show where they chat about the blend of social platform trends and real-world creativity.
9:00am
Once I arrive at the office, I start my day with a homemade breakfast (most of the time), otherwise I’ll help myself to one of the many cereals we have and a hot americano.
Then I start with setting priorities and catching up with my line manager to align on key tasks. Mornings often involve diving into urgent campaign builds, optimising performance, and ensuring client deliverables are on track. Q4 (October to December) is our busiest time of year, so prioritising my day really helps.
My next big priority is completing all my reports in Camphouse, a new tool we’ve recently started using to streamline media planning and reporting. Getting those off my list is super important, since my afternoon is always busy.
Mastering the art of the pitch
12:00pm
During the afternoon, Generation Media often hosts internal workshops featuring guests from outside the agency to broaden the team’s insight with some outsider perspective. We recently heard from Stepheni from “F*ck Being Humble”, who talked to us about how to present and pitch with confidence.
My biggest takeaway from the session?
“Pitching is not one-size-fits-all – some like it slick, some like it spicy. Whatever works for you, just make it unforgettable.”
It was a refreshing, empowering session that left everyone feeling inspired.
2:00pm
Today, I’m off to an in-person Meta workshop on holiday-season go-to-market strategies. It’s an inspiring session where we explore the challenges brands face within the kids’ industry and how they can remain relevant and authentic during the festive rush.
A personal highlight – I also passed my Meta Media Buying Professional exam today, which was sponsored by Meta and Generation Media. It felt great to achieve that milestone and bring new insights and expertise back to my work and the team.
4:30pm
Alongside my client work, I’ve chosen to serve on the events committee for FamFest, our annual client event happening in November. The whole office is buzzing with anticipation, as this year we’ll even be welcoming some influencers to the panel! My job is to work closely with the creative team on social posts and promotional content in the run-up.
FamFest is one of the highlights of our year. The event brings together clients, prospects, and media partners to share insights and trends in the family and kids’ entertainment market.
Fandom fun
5:30pm
Later in the day, I attended the Fandom x Mario Kart event, which was another highlight. We hear from well-known creators and influencers about their experiences working with brands and discuss what marketers can learn from upcoming 2025 fandom trends.
We even played a few fandom-themed games and electric shuffle with colleagues—a fun way to wrap up the evening!
I ate loads of free food and laughed at our poor Mario Kart skills.
Reflections
What I love most about being a senior digital exec at Generation Media is that no two days are ever the same; one day I’m optimising campaigns, the next I’m attending workshops or industry events.
It’s fast-paced, collaborative and full of learning opportunities, and that’s precisely what keeps me motivated and passionate about what I do.
Akanksha Sharma is senior digital executive at Generation Media