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Chapter 2 Integrated marketing communication planning

Integrated brand communications (University of Pretoria)

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Chapter 2 Integrated marketing communication planning

1. Discuss the importance of developing a marketing communication plan

2. Differentiate between planning and strategy
3. Connect/link the relationship between objectives, strategies and tactics
4. Explain the value of conducting the situational audit/analysis (4P’s, SWOT and SLEPTI)
5. Define the target audience through segmenting, targeting and positioning
6. Formulate marketing communication objectives
7. Critique marketing communication strategies
8. Recommend the right blend of marketing communication mix elements
9. Explain budgeting and implementation
10. Explain evaluation and control

2.2 Planning, strategy and strategic

• Planning involves a basic management function in which plans are formulated to achieve
one’s goal.
• Strategy refers to the framework guiding the marketer’s choices in a specific direction. This
direction can only be maintained when specific actions are followed with a particular end in
mind.
• Strategic Planning A continuous process of systematic decision making. It is a disciplined
effort to produce fundamental decisions as well as actions that form what an organisation is
and guide it, what it does and why it does it, with a focus on the future.

Characteristics of successful strategic planning include the following

• It leads to action
• It builds a shared vision that is values based
• It accepts accountability to the community
• It is based on quality data
• It is a key part of effective management

Strategic marketing planning

Strategic marketing planning is the formulation of a marketing plan to answer these two questions in
practical and sequential manner. “what are we trying to do?” and “how are we going to achieve it”

A marketing strategy defined as a plan, usually long term, to achieve the organisations objectives
through the selections of target markets, the marketing mix and the marketing expenditure levels.

Strategic marketing communication planning

Supports the strategic marketing plan assist with achieving the goals of the plan. It is the process of
devising a strategy for the content, channel selection, frequency, reach, budget and desired
outcome.

2.3 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

• Tactical phase includes detailed action, the operations element of the communication plan
and sometimes adjustments if necessary. Tactics are more short term.
• The marketing communication tactics involve the choice the marketer makes between
different media or various marketing communication techniques to achieve the strategy.

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Principal issues of marketing communication to be considered and planned:

• Who should receive the message?

• What should the message say?
• What image of the brand are receivers expected to retain?
• How much must be spent on establishing this new image?

Marketing communication planning framework

Step 1: executive summary and introduction

Step 2: Conduction a situational analysis
Step 3: Define the target audience
Step 4: Setting the communication objectives
Step 5: Determining the marketing communication strategy
Step 6: Determining the marketing communication mix
Step 7: Budgeting and implementing, evaluating and control

2.3.1 Step 1: executive summary and introduction

A brief summary of the entire IMC plan. It focuses the reader on the link between the marketing
objectives and the strategic. It is crucial to understand the linkage of how the communication is tied
to the overall goals of the brand and management would understand the strategic nature.

The introduction establishes:

• What is being promoted
• Who is doing it
• Where they are doing it
• When it will be done
• Why it is done how long the campaign is

2.3.2 Step 2: Conduction a situational analysis

Briefly looks at the current position and history of the chosen organisation and examines the internal
and external factors affecting the business. It includes the current position of the marketing mix
elements:

• The marketing analysis contains a review of pricing, distribution and compares these with
competing brands in the same category.
• The brand analysis measures brand awareness, brand usage and perceptions of the brand
• The communication analysis examines the message, copy and communication channel with
competing brands in the category.
• SWOT analyse strengths and weaknesses analyse the internal aspects of the company, while
opportunities and threats constitute an external analysis.

A thorough situational analysis includes various actions namely:

• Identifying internal strengths and weaknesses of the organisation this includes policies and
procedures, personnel skills managements skills.
• how the organisation is differentiated (competitive advantage, its brand(s), brand equity).

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• Investigating the target market’s media usage identifying all available media touchpoints
• Investigating the target markets and key segments and obtaining consumer insight
• Identifying relationships such as trade relations, customer relations, competitor relations
and internal staff relations) and relationship issues that might arise.
• Conducting a competitor analysis to identify direct and indirect competitors and to
determine the brand’s positioning in comparison with its competitors.
• Examine the external or uncontrollable events PESTLI

- Politic and physical – refers to the issues relating to the political landscape that may affect
the brand and its marketing activities
- Economic – refers to economic variables that may ultimately affect the consumer as well as
the success of the marketing communication plan
- Sociocultural/sociological – for example, public regarding alcohol advertising or advertising
to children
- Technological – this includes new technologies such as smartphones and increased
connectivity that increase information access, customisation.
- Legal – refer legislation that restricts the promotion of types of products or services such as
cigarettes advertising, or rules and agreements concerning sponsorship deals
- International – the internet allows competitors from beyond South Africa’s borders.
Marketers therefore need to keep abreast of international developments that may affect
their brand and marketing activities.

2.3.3 Step 3: Define the target audience

Marketers use the term, target market to refer to the geographic market, while target group can
define the demographic target and a target audience can mean the media target.

Segmentation
Segmentation is the process in which marketers identify the entire target audience and then breaks
it down into small groups of people with shared values, traits, beliefs and consumption habits.

Bases of segmenting consumer markets

• Lifestyle and life stage – a consumer who lives in an upscale city suburb has a very different
lifestyle from that of a consumer living in a small farming community. This type of analysis
suggests that you need different media approaches to reach different lifestyle groups.
• Heavy user consumers in this regarded are segmented based on their consumption.
Consumers can be classified as heavy, medium and light users of a brand.
• Purchasers vs Influencers - Purchasers do not always consumer the product. Marketers
need to do research to determine who the influencers re and who the actual user of the
product is.
• Geographic – this consists of segmenting by region, city, country or any other geographical
basis. The marketer would consider this segmentation basis for unique messages that are
targeted at consumers within a specific geographic location.

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Targeting and positioning

Once the segment has been identified, the communication strategies are decided upon a positioning
strategy is developed and targeted specifically to that segment.

Target audience – is the specific audience is the specific person, people, group of people or
organisation to whom the message should be addressed.
Positioning statement frames the strategy and could be something like ‘we provide the highest-end
quality organic fabrics materials in trendy, customised fashions for the teen to young adult market’

2.3.4 Step 4: Setting the communication objectives

Marketing objects support firstly business objectives, and then the communication objectives, which
derive from the marketing objectives. Media objectives support the marketing communication
objectives.

Marketing communication objectives focus on:

• Creating awareness
• Achieving product recognition
• Creating and image
• Persuading the consumer
• Informing the target audience

Devising marketing communication objects fall into three broad fields

1. Knowledge-based communication objectives look to stimulate awareness and gain interest.

This may require creating attention-seeking strategies.
2. Feeling-based objectives are about developing the ‘personality’ and the ‘aura’ of the brand
through Growing its reputation by developing associations and strengthening brand
preference.
3. Action-based objectives involve the sale: however, they also include building competence in
areas such as database management.
Each objective should be smart

2.3.5 Step 5: Determining the marketing communication strategy

Communication strategies ask, ‘how are we going to get there?’. It is the way an organisation
chooses to communicate with their target audience.

Tactics are an operational element; the detail of the communication plan and they are short term
(example sales promotion vs advertising)
Marketing communication strategies may include sub strategies for specific marketing
communication techniques or elements (such pas public relation strategies) or they may stretch
across disciplines, for example a media strategy or a creative strategy. E.g. sales promotion,
advertising

Before any communication strategy can be decided on, the marketer needs to establish the
following:
• Who is the target audience and how do we communicate to them?
• How is the brand positioned, or re-positioned to?
• Which distribution channels are used?
• Who are the competition and what are their communication strengths and weaknesses?

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Three types of marketing communication strategies: PUSH, Pull, Profile-designed

1. Push strategies (for trade and channel intermediaries)

A push strategy relies mostly on personal selling done by sales representatives and account
managers. Also known as outbound marketing as the brands are pushed int o the distribution
channels. If a push strategy is used in a manufacturing setting, the objective is to convince a
wholesale or an intermediary to carry and sell the merchandise.

2. Pull strategies

Are those strategies that aim to influence the end user. Thus, a pull strategy targets the
consumer directly. The marketers for over the heads of distributors to stimulate demand.
The goal is that the consumers seek out the products or services.

A pull marketer needs to cultivate the following traits

• Patience: it is important that the supplier accepts the prospects time frame for purchase
• Flexibility: pull marketers require maximum flexibility, as prospects and current customers
continually search for information on various platforms and at various places
• Curiosity: the supplier should be interested in the prospects characteristics as well as their
desires, hopes, and needs.
• Service orientation those who really have the desire to serve their customers will succeed.

3. Profile design strategies targets all relevant stakeholders. It is the overall communication
started with the goal to satisfy the needs of the stakeholders. For example, if an organisation
its name, or has just merged or acquired another company, it may choose to use a profile
strategy with the primary objective of information its prospect and customers.

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4. Media strategies suggest support the marketing communication strategy. If for example the
objective was to reach 8 per cent of university students between the ages of 18 and 24 at an
average of one time per week, the media strategy could ne to achieve this by using a mix of
print television, online and social media and gaming.

2.3.6 Step 6: Determining the marketing communication mix

The right mix of marketing communication techniques needs to be chosen to reach each audience
with the right message.

The process of choosing the right mix of elements

1. Consider each mix elements strengths and weaknesses
2. Scrutinise the available budget
3. Consider the target audience and their characteristics
4. Consider the message
5. Select the marketing communication mix elements

Step 7: Budgeting and implementing, evaluating and control

Budgeting and implementing

The implementation section is the actual list of “dos” that will be done. This phase involves the
allocation of an actual ‘jobs’ or assignments, including the who, where, when and how of reaching
the marketing communication objectives. Implementation steps may include designing, production
and running ads.

Evaluating

Evaluation of the marketing communications plan is focused on analysing, thereby measuring the
success of the strategy. Evaluating means interpreting and examining the data to conclude whether
the organisation achieved its strategic objectives from the implementation phase.

Control

Monitor the campaign during the evaluation phase and therefor contribution is necessary. Controls
ensure that there is no major deviation from the plan, and that opportunities exist to put the
campaign back on trach as soon as possible if it does deviate. Controls can be viewed as benchmarks
to assess how well the plan has achieved its goals.

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