adv and SP ch 2
adv and SP ch 2
CH 2- Campaign Planning
An advertising campaign typically revolves around a key message or theme that aligns with
the brand’s goals, values, and target audience.
The first step in an advertising campaign is to define what you want to achieve. Campaign
objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART
goals).
Understanding who your campaign is for is crucial. Your target audience should be clearly
defined by factors like:
At this stage, the creative team comes up with the big idea—the central theme or message of
the campaign. The creative concept should:
Once you have your message, decide on the best platforms to reach your audience. Popular
advertising channels include:
Determine the budget for your campaign and allocate it across channels. Consider:
The creative concept is now turned into actual ads (TV commercials, social media posts,
radio spots, etc.) and executed across selected platforms. This step involves:
Once the campaign is live, it’s important to track performance and make any necessary
adjustments. Key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor include:
Use analytics tools (Google Analytics, social media insights, etc.) to track the success of
each platform and adjust the campaign for better results if needed.
After the campaign ends, evaluate its overall success against the objectives set in the
beginning. Was the goal achieved? What worked well, and what didn’t?
SETTING OBJECTIVES
Setting objectives for campaign planning is one of the most critical steps in ensuring that your
advertising campaign is focused, measurable, and effective. Clear objectives provide direction, help
align the team, and serve as a benchmark for evaluating success.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set SMART objectives for your campaign:
Before setting specific objectives, align them with the broader business goals. What does the brand
or business aim to achieve? This could be:
Increasing sales
Boosting brand awareness
Engaging existing customers
Introducing a new product to the market
Expanding into a new market
SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This
method ensures that objectives are clear and feasible.
Specific
The objective must be clear and well-defined. Avoid vague goals and focus on what exactly needs to
be accomplished.
Example: “Increase brand awareness” → Specific: “Increase awareness of our new skincare
line among women aged 25-40.”
Measurable
You need to quantify your goal to track progress and evaluate success.
Example: "Increase sales by 15% in the next quarter" or "Get 5000 new social media
followers."
Achievable
The goal should be realistic and within reach, based on resources and capabilities. Setting an
objective that’s too ambitious can lead to frustration.
Example: If your current conversion rate is 2%, aiming for a 50% increase in conversions
might be too high. A 10-15% increase might be more achievable in a short time.
Relevant
The objective should align with business priorities and resonate with the target audience.
Example: If you’re focusing on customer retention, your objective might be: “Increase email
open rates by 20% by offering personalized promotions.”
Time-bound
Specify a clear timeline for achieving the goal. This creates urgency and keeps the campaign on track.
Example: “Increase web traffic by 25% over the next three months.”
Once you understand the SMART framework, here are some common types of objectives that you
can set for a campaign:
Goal: Make your target audience aware of your product, service, or brand.
Example Objective: “Increase brand awareness by 30% among women aged 25-40 in
California within 6 weeks.”
Sales/Conversion Objectives
Engagement Objectives
Goal: Increase engagement (likes, shares, comments) on social media or with other forms of
content.
Example Objective: “Increase social media engagement by 20% within the next month
through interactive content and contests.”
Customer Retention Objectives
To make the objectives even more actionable, break them down into smaller milestones or key
performance indicators (KPIs). This helps track progress on the way to the final goal.
Example: For increasing social media followers, smaller milestones could be:
o Week 1: Gain 1,000 followers
o Week 2: Post 3 engaging videos
o Week 3: Run a targeted ad for lead generation
Sometimes, the results of a campaign won’t align exactly with the objectives, and that’s okay. Be
prepared to evaluate performance regularly and adjust the objectives as needed. Monitoring allows
you to refine strategies in real-time and increase the chances of meeting your goals.
Campaign Objective:
SMART Objective:
Specific: Drive more traffic to our online store to promote the new spring collection.
Measurable: Increase website visitors by 25%.
Achievable: Based on previous campaigns, a 25% increase in traffic is realistic with a solid
marketing strategy.
Relevant: Website traffic is key to driving sales, which is the main business objective.
Time-bound: Achieve the 25% increase within the next 60 days.
Milestones:
Product market analysis is the process of evaluating the market environment for a specific product
or service. It helps businesses understand their position in the market, identify competitors, assess
consumer needs, and discover opportunities for growth or improvement. This analysis is crucial for
developing effective marketing strategies, launching new products, and maintaining competitive
advantages.
Questions to Ask:
What makes this product unique or different from others in the market?
Is it a new product or an established product with mature demand?
Tools to Use:
Market demand refers to how much potential customers are willing to buy the product at a certain
price. The analysis of demand involves:
Data to Gather:
Knowing who your competitors are and how they perform is key to positioning your product
effectively in the market. Here’s how to assess the competition:
Direct Competitors: Companies offering the same product or similar products in your target
market.
Indirect Competitors: Products or services that are alternatives to your product.
Product features: What are the strengths and weaknesses of competitors' offerings?
Pricing: How do competitors price their products?
Market Share: How much of the market does each competitor control?
Marketing and Branding: How do competitors promote their products?
Customer Reviews and Reputation: What are customers saying about them?
Economic Conditions: Is there a recession or boom that will affect consumer spending?
Legal and Regulatory Factors: Are there regulations that might impact how you produce or
sell your product?
Technological Advancements: Is technology changing the way consumers interact with or
use your product?
Social Trends: Are there cultural shifts or social trends that could affect demand?
6. SWOT Analysis
A SWOT Analysis helps you evaluate your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in the
context of your product and the market.
SWOT Breakdown:
To gain a deep understanding of your product’s position in the market, it’s important to gather
feedback directly from customers:
Market positioning defines how your product is perceived in the market relative to competitors. This
positioning is often communicated through your value proposition, which clearly states why
customers should choose your product over alternatives.
Key considerations:
Unique Selling Proposition (USP): What makes your product stand out?
Pricing Strategy: Are you positioning your product as a premium or budget-friendly option?
Branding: How do you want customers to feel about your product (trustworthy, innovative,
fun, etc.)?
Using the data from your market analysis, you can predict future market trends. This could include:
Trend Tools:
Market Research Reports: Use industry reports to gain insights into upcoming market shifts.
Customer Data: Analyze your customer’s evolving behavior and preferences.
The DAGMAR (Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Results) approach is
a model that helps advertisers set clear, measurable objectives for their campaigns. It was
introduced by Russell Colley in 1961, and it focuses on establishing specific goals for
advertising and measuring their effectiveness.
The DAGMAR approach is designed to ensure that advertising goals are not only clear and
specific but also measurable and focused on the desired outcomes. This allows for more
effective evaluation of a campaign’s success.
DAGMAR is centered around four key stages of consumer awareness and understanding:
1. Awareness
2. Comprehension
3. Conviction
4. Action
The model suggests that advertising should move a consumer through these stages, from first
becoming aware of a product to ultimately taking action (making a purchase, for example).
1. Awareness:
Example: A new toothpaste brand runs TV ads to ensure consumers know it exists.
2. Comprehension:
Goal: Ensure the audience understands the features, benefits, and advantages of the
product.
Once consumers are aware of a product, they need to comprehend its value. The
advertising message should clearly explain what the product does, how it works, and
why it’s beneficial.
Example: The toothpaste brand now explains in its ads why it’s better at whitening
teeth compared to competitors.
3. Conviction:
Goal: Create a desire in the consumer's mind to buy or use the product.
At this stage, the focus is on building trust and preference. The consumer not only
understands the product but also becomes convinced that it offers value and should be
considered over competitors.
4. Action:
Goal: Encourage the consumer to take a specific action, such as purchasing the
product, signing up, or visiting the store.
This is the final step in the DAGMAR model, where the goal is to push consumers
toward taking action, which usually involves making a purchase. Clear calls-to-action
(CTAs) like discounts, limited-time offers, or easy ways to buy are used here.
For each stage of the DAGMAR model, objectives must meet the following criteria to be
effective:
1. Clear Definition: The objective should be specific and clearly state what is being
measured.
o Example: “Increase awareness of the brand among men aged 25-35 by 20% in
3 months.”
2. Measurable Results: Objectives must be quantifiable, so success can be tracked.
o Example: “Achieve a 15% increase in product comprehension, as measured by
consumer surveys.”
3. Target Audience: The objective should define who the campaign is aimed at.
o Example: “Reach 500,000 women aged 18-45 in urban areas with TV ads.”
4. Time Frame: There must be a specific timeframe for achieving the objective.
o Example: “Achieve 30% action rate (sales conversion) within 90 days.”
Benefits of the DAGMAR Approach:
Limitations of DAGMAR:
1. Narrow Focus: The model might be too narrow for campaigns aimed at building
long-term relationships or brand loyalty, as it focuses on short-term actions.
2. Limited Applicability: Some products or services may not fit neatly into the four
stages of the DAGMAR model.
3. Time-Consuming: It requires detailed tracking and measurement, which can be
difficult to implement and analyze in real time.
Let’s say you’re launching a new fitness app. Here’s how you could apply the DAGMAR
model:
1. Awareness:
o Objective: Increase awareness of the fitness app among people aged 18-34 in
urban areas by 30% within 6 months.
o Tactics: Run online ads and influencer campaigns to generate brand
recognition.
2. Comprehension:
o Objective: Ensure 50% of target users understand the key features of the app
(workout tracking, nutrition guide, etc.) within 3 months.
o Tactics: Educational videos, in-app tutorials, and website landing pages
explaining the app's features.
3. Conviction:
o Objective: Achieve 40% of users showing interest in subscribing to the
premium version within 3 months.
o Tactics: Share customer success stories, offer testimonials, and demonstrate
results via case studies.
4. Action:
o Objective: Generate 5,000 paid subscriptions to the app within 3 months.
o Tactics: Offer a limited-time discount on premium memberships, use strong
calls-to-action in ads.
Budgeting and Creative Strategy in Campaign Planning
Both budgeting and creative strategy play pivotal roles in ensuring the success of a marketing
campaign. Effective planning in both areas ensures that the campaign is cost-efficient, impactful,
and aligned with the brand’s objectives.
Budgeting involves allocating the necessary resources for the campaign while balancing costs against
potential returns. It ensures that the campaign is executed within financial constraints and supports
the most effective activities.
Before establishing a budget, clearly define the campaign’s objectives (e.g., brand awareness, lead
generation, or sales conversions). The budget will depend on the scope and ambition of these goals.
Small Goal: If the goal is modest (e.g., a localized event or digital campaign), the budget will
naturally be lower.
Big Goal: Aiming for national reach or launching a new product will require a larger budget.
1. Percentage of Sales Method: Allocate a percentage of your past sales revenue to the
advertising budget. This is a common method, but it can be conservative and reactive.
o Example: If your business makes $1M in revenue, and you decide to spend 5% on
advertising, your budget would be $50,000.
2. Objective and Task Method: Set the budget based on what is needed to achieve the desired
objectives. This is a more flexible and strategic method, focusing on the actions necessary to
meet the campaign’s goals.
o Example: If the goal is to increase brand awareness by 20%, determine how much
money you need for digital ads, content creation, promotions, etc.
3. Competitive Parity Method: Set the budget based on what competitors are spending. This
approach can be useful when the competitive environment is intense, and you want to stay
on par with others.
o Example: If a competitor is spending $100,000 on a similar campaign, you might
decide to allocate a comparable budget to remain competitive.
4. All-You-Can-Afford Method: This method involves setting the budget based on what the
business can afford to spend after accounting for other operational costs. It’s often used by
businesses with tighter cash flow.
o Example: A small business might have $10,000 left after covering fixed costs, so that
becomes the budget for a digital campaign.
C. Components of a Campaign Budget:
The campaign budget should include the costs associated with the following areas:
1. Creative Development:
o Concept creation, ad design, video production, photography, copywriting.
2. Media Placement:
o Digital: Social media ads, Google ads, email campaigns, etc.
o Traditional: TV, radio, print, billboards.
3. Research & Testing:
o Market research, focus groups, A/B testing for ads.
4. Influencer/Partnerships:
o Fees for influencers, collaboration costs, sponsorships.
5. Technology & Tools:
o Marketing automation tools, analytics platforms, CRM software.
6. Miscellaneous Costs:
o Contingencies, promotions, event expenses, etc.
Throughout the campaign, continuously monitor how funds are being spent and adjust the budget if
necessary. If some areas (e.g., paid search) are performing better than others, you may decide to
reallocate funds for optimal performance.
The creative strategy is the foundation for developing the advertising message and guiding how the
campaign will engage the target audience. It involves deciding the core message, tone, visual
identity, and key content that will resonate with the audience.
1. Target Audience:
o The creative strategy is driven by a deep understanding of the target audience’s
psychographics, demographics, and behaviors.
o Who are you talking to? What are their pain points, aspirations, and interests?
o Example: A campaign targeting millennials might use casual, humorous content,
while one targeting professionals might focus on efficiency and trust.
2. Brand Positioning:
o The creative strategy should reflect the brand's position in the market. How does
the brand want to be perceived in the minds of consumers relative to competitors?
o Example: A luxury brand might opt for a premium, elegant, and sophisticated tone,
whereas a budget brand might focus on value and affordability.
3. Campaign Message:
o What core message do you want to convey? This message should align with the
brand’s positioning and the campaign’s objectives (e.g., increasing sales, raising
awareness).
o Example: For a fitness product, the message might be: “Achieve your personal best
with our state-of-the-art gear.”
4. Creative Concept:
o This refers to the big idea or theme that drives all the creative executions (ads,
visuals, copy, etc.).
o Example: Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign centered around personalizing
bottles with names. This concept generated emotional connections with consumers.
5. Tone and Style:
o Decide on the tone of the message (funny, serious, inspirational, etc.) and the style
(minimalist, vibrant, bold, etc.).
o Example: Old Spice's humorous and offbeat tone is part of its strategy to position
itself as a fun and quirky brand.
6. Content Formats:
o Identify the types of content that will be used to communicate the message (videos,
social media posts, blogs, interactive ads, etc.).
o Example: Short, punchy video ads for social media vs. longer, informative content
for email marketing.
Smart Budget Allocation: Allocate a larger portion of the budget to creative development if
the campaign is driven by a strong, attention-grabbing idea. For example, a viral video
campaign may require significant funds for production but can achieve massive reach.
Cost-effective Creative: Use existing assets (e.g., customer-generated content) or leverage
partnerships (e.g., influencer collaborations) to create impactful ads on a smaller budget.
B. Optimize for ROI:
Tracking: Measure the performance of both creative and media strategies regularly to
understand what’s working and what isn’t.
Iteration: If one creative approach is performing better (e.g., a certain video format),
allocate more funds to boost that format.