Campaign Planning Strategies Quiz

Campaign Planning - Task 1B

• The purpose of a marketing campaign is to communicate the value a business provides.

Campaign Plan Components

• A campaign plan includes:
  • Creative brief
  • Situation analysis
  • Campaign objectives
  • Communications strategy development
  • Campaign messages
  • Media plan and budget
  • Campaign tactics
  • Campaign scheduling and tracking
  • Campaign evaluation

Planning Frameworks

• Any plan involves Goals, Objectives, Strategy, and Tactics (GOST).
• A common model is APIC: Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Control.

A - Audit and Analysis

• The audit and analysis process generally quickly leads to initial business planning and objective/goal setting.

B - Planning

• Actual planning follows the audit and analysis.
• This stage produces the marketing plan.
• It includes audit and analysis results, objectives, strategies, and tactical plans aligned with the overall corporate mission.

C - Implementation Stage

• The implementation stage involves the marketing and promotional mix.
• It includes communications and delivery of activities derived from media plans.

D - Control/Evaluation

• Marketers evaluate overall performance in meeting objectives using metrics.
• Metrics include customer expectations, strengths, weaknesses, vulnerabilities, future opportunities, threats, and needed actions.

2-P.R. Smith's SOSTAC® framework

• SOSTAC stands for:
  • Situation - current state
  • Objectives - desired future state
  • Strategy - how to achieve objectives
  • Tactics - specific actions
  • Action - implementation plan
  • Control - evaluating results

3-Marketing Communications Planning Framework (MCPF)

• Eight key steps:
  • Context analysis
  • Communication objectives
  • Marketing communication strategy
  • Co-ordinated communications mix (tools, media, content)
  • Resources (human and financial)
  • Scheduling and implementation
  • Evaluation and control
  • Feedback

Situation Analysis

• For a situation analysis, consider:
  • Market situation
  • Industry situation
  • Internal situation

Analysis Needed

• SWOT analysis
• PESTLE analysis
• Industrial analysis (5 forces)
• Customer insights
• Competitor analysis
• PLC (product life cycle) analysis
• BCG (portfolio analysis)

You End Up By

• Evaluate the performance of communication mix elements (what works well, what doesn't)
• Reflect on past unsuccessful campaigns: Why did they fail? How could they have been better?

YOU Is the Problem

• Common reasons for marketing campaign failure:
  • Incorrectly defined persona
  • Insufficient research
  • Unrealistic success metrics
  • Wrong message for the audience
  • Incorrect timing of content delivery
  • Insufficient campaign duration
  • Noncompliance with regulatory or brand guidelines

2-Marketing and Communications Objectives

• Objectives outline what's wanted to be achieved.
• Objectives should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound.
• Examples of marketing objectives: Increased brand awareness, brand/product repositioning, rebranding, sales, new product launch, crisis response.

3-Communications Strategy Development

• Develop a strategy to achieve chosen objectives via:
  • Target markets: clear identification of markets
  • Objectives: defining clear campaign objectives
  • Positioning: understanding target market perception positioning

3-Communications Strategy Development (cont.)

• Additional strategy components:
  • Partnerships
  • Sequence of actions
  • Integration of customer data and communications
  • Tactical tools
  • Level of engagement sought

The Communications Strategy (De Pelsmacker et al., 2010)

• Sequence for communications strategy development:
  • Marketing/Advertising strategy
  • Creative strategy (creative ideas, creative appeals)
  • Media strategy (media types, time, frequency)
  • Evaluation of alternatives
  • Implementation
  • Evaluation of campaign

Communication Strategy

• Target group + Vision + Brand Objectives = Strategy

What are 3Ps strategies?

• Push Strategy: Promoting the product to retailers/distributors to drive it through the distribution channel.
• Pull Strategy: Targeting end-customers directly to attract them to purchase the product via retailers/distributors.
• Profile Strategy: Satisfying stakeholder needs through communications.

Campaign Tactics

• Detailed plans for communication tools, including timing and duration.
• Tools include:
  • Advertising
  • Direct/digital marketing (email, social media, websites)
  • Personal selling
  • Public relations
  • Sales promotion

Campaign Tactics (Components)

• Message
• Content
• Channel
• Schedule
• Budget
• Frequency

Campaign Evaluation

• Assessing campaign success against objectives.
• Key questions for evaluation:
  • Were objectives met?
  • Was the wrong market targeted?
  • Were competitors a factor?
  • Was positioning accurate?
  • Was the audience appropriate?
  • Was the intended audience reached?

1.2 Explain the role of the creative brief

• Determining SMART communication/campaign objectives
• Defining functional/directional elements:
  • Sustainability, brief title, target market, objectives, target audience, and strategy
• Defining emotional/inspirational elements - Message, tone, style, call to action, budget, and timescale.

Creative Brief

• A concise document outlining campaign rationale, objectives, target markets, positioning, and messaging for the marketing team or external agency
• Includes:
  • Brand differentiators
  • Brand promise(s) to the customer

Creative Brief - Involved steps

• Deciding on a project name
• Background summary of project
• Establishing communications objectives
• Describing the target audience
• Assessing the competitive landscape
• Defining the key message
• Determining consumer benefits
• Establishing a campaign attitude
• Defining the distribution plan
• Sharing the creative brief with stakeholders

A-Functional/directional elements (Target Market)

• Identifying target market type (consumer, business, not-for-profit) and factors, such as
  • Demographic factors: age, gender, income, occupation
  • Lifestyle characteristics: motivation, culture, and values
  • Activities, Interests, and Opinions (AIO): how consumers spend time, interests, and beliefs.

A-Functional/directional elements (cont.)

• B2C/B2B/Non-Profit product attributes:
  • Product usage/attributes: usage rates, benefits sought, geographic location
  • B2B: type of purchase (new, modified re-buy), degree of product standardization, significance of the purchase, degree of risk, loyalty to the supplier

B2B factors

• Demographic/Industry: products used, company size
• Geographic: target areas
• Operating variables: technology, user type, customer capabilities

Message Content

• Differentiating the offer from competitors
• Reminding people about a well-known product
• Informing about technical features
• Persuading the audience to take action

Call to Action

• Guiding the target audience on what to do after receiving the communication
  • Sign up for a trial
  • Contact the organization
  • Visit a web intermediary
  • Register for information updates
  • Follow social media accounts
  • Change behaviors

B-Emotional/Inspirational elements

• The emotional/inspirational message is as important as the functional/directional message.
• The message content tone can include serious, technical, light-hearted, or emotional.
• The message tone depends on the message topic, the target market, and the organization/product/service

The Role of the Creative Brief

• Outlining suitable creative messaging for the brand
• Detailing expectations (deliverables)
• Ensuring all parties understand the brand, vision, org/product
• Identifying the target audience
• Inspiring effective communications
• Projecting expected campaign results

1.3 Discuss the role of External Agencies in Campaigns

• Advantages of external agencies:
  • Creativity
  • Expertise
  • Resource release
  • Success
• Disadvantages of external agencies:
  • Cost
  • Conflicting visions
  • Lack of experience
  • Low priority (beyond due dates)
  • Poor quality

How to Manage External Agencies

• Defining requirements
• Listing potential agencies
• Shortlisting potential agencies
• Sending the creative brief
• Conducting agency pitches
• Selecting an agency

Briefing Criteria for External Agencies

• A clear, concise, and comprehensive brief is crucial
• Avoid overwhelming detail in the brief

Pitching Criteria for External Agencies

• Agencies should impress and explain how they would meet the creative brief requirements.
• Ensure the agency understands the brief.

Remuneration Criteria for External Agencies

• Establish payment terms upfront - commission, fees, result-based payments.

Managing and Developing Agency Relationships

• Long-term agency relationships improve commitment to relationship success.

Test your knowledge on campaign planning concepts with this quiz! Explore key frameworks such as APIC, GOST, and Push Strategy, and understand the importance of budgeting and communication in marketing campaigns. Challenge yourself with questions that cover the essential elements of effective campaign planning.