Activation & operations
RFP (request for proposal)
In media, an RFP is the structured request an agency sends to publishers or vendors asking them to propose inventory, ideas and rates against a brief. Responses are compared, negotiated and confirmed through insertion orders, forming the buying workflow for direct and offline media.
In practice
RFPs matter where inventory is negotiated rather than auctioned: sponsorships, premium direct, broadcast, print, out-of-home partnerships.
For digital-first teams buying through platforms and DSPs, the RFP workflow is occasional; for full-service buying operations it is daily infrastructure.