PAVLOV
Digital Media Channel Guide
A plain-language reference to the digital channels we plan and buy: what each one is good at, why we would recommend it, where it falls short, and what it costs to run properly.
PAVLOV
A plain-language reference to the digital channels we plan and buy: what each one is good at, why we would recommend it, where it falls short, and what it costs to run properly.
How to use this
When a media plan lands on your desk, each line on it was chosen for a specific purpose. This guide is where those reasons live. If you are reviewing a plan and want to understand why a particular platform is on it — or why one you expected is not — find the channel below and open it.
Nothing here is a pitch for a channel. Each entry sets out what a platform does poorly alongside what it does well, because the limits of a channel are what make the plan built around it credible.
Cost and performance figures throughout are 2026 industry benchmarks, included to set realistic expectations. They are not quotes. Actual pricing depends on category, geography, timing, and how competitive the audience is.
The thinking behind a mix
Business buying has three qualities that shape every plan we build. Only about 5% of a market is actively buying at any given moment. Purchases are decided by groups rather than individuals — research places the typical buying committee between six and thirteen people. And roughly two-thirds of a decision is complete before anyone speaks to a salesperson, with larger purchases often taking close to a year.
Channels are therefore not interchangeable. Each does a different job, and a sound plan covers more than one of them without doubling up.
Builds familiarity with the 95% who are not buying yet, so the brand is already known when the need arrives.
Reaches buyers inside the conversations where they compare options, troubleshoot, and ask peers for recommendations.
Meets demand that already exists and is announcing itself through a search or another clear signal.
Keeps the brand present with a known organization across a long decision, and re-engages people who already showed interest.
At a glance
Ordered by the monthly investment a channel needs before it produces results worth acting on. Select any channel to open it.
Channels
Filter by the job you need done, or open any channel for the full picture.
Investment levels
The left column is each platform's own technical floor — the least it will accept. On self-serve platforms those floors are very low, and on some there is no floor at all, which is why they are a poor guide to what a campaign actually needs. Channels sold through a media partner have no self-serve option and carry real commitments instead.
The right column is what we recommend: the level at which a channel earns its place on a plan and produces results worth reviewing. Where budget is limited these are also the sensible entry points to start from and build on.
| Channel | Platform minimum | PAVLOV recommendation | Note |
|---|
Platform minimums are current as of August 2026 and change periodically. Recommended levels assume a single market; multi-market campaigns scale from there.
How we plan
Compliance
Public agencies, destinations, and member organizations sometimes run campaigns that platforms classify as issue advertising even when that is not the intent. Where that applies, these are the rules that govern it. We confirm current policy with each platform before launch.
| Platform | Political ads | Requirement |
|---|
About these figures