Brand Communication
- campaign objectives (may be about changing or effecting attitudes or behaviors)
- Brand Building (the effect on brand awareness)
- If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.
- The strength of brand communication is understood through testing, monitoring and measurement.
surrogate measures for sales impact (IMC Message)
Brand awareness
Knowledge of what a brand offers
Liking of a brand
Intent to purchase a brand
Category Norms are used to determine whether a message has preformed above or below the category average
Tracking studies (IMC Message)
Conducted from the campaign launch to its conclusion.
Collects information from random samples of consumers who live in markets where exposed to a campaign.
Scanner analysis (IMC Message)
retail outlets use scanners to tally purchases and collect consumer buying information.
also examines sales spikes created when certain ads/promotions are used in a given market
Message Evaluation Techniques
Single-source data
-measuring media/marketing exposure, purchase behavior, and loyalty for the same individual or household
Memory tests
- recognition test (people are asked whether they remember having seen a message before)
- recall test (respondents who have seen a message report what they remember from the ad about the brand)
Inquiry tests
-measures the number of responses to an advertisement or brand communication (Calls to a toll-free number, An e-mail or website visit, A coupon return, A visit to a dealer, ect.)
Evaluating the Performance of Various IMC Tools
Advertising
- how has this increased awareness or improved image
- posttesting is the most common evaluation technique used to evaluate advertising
Public Relations
-track the impact of a public relations campaign in terms of successful output (shares, mentions, tweets) and outcome (attitude and behavior).
Point of Purchase
- Today, digital communication is multichannel and multiplatform.
- Page views
- Click-through rates
- Cost per lead
- Conversion rate
payout analysis
compares the costs of a promotion to the forecasted sales generated by the promotion.
break-even analysis
determines the point at which the total cost of a promotion exceeds the total revenues generated.
Media optimization
A major challenge is media efficiency—getting the most for the money invested.
make decisions about media selection, scheduling, and weights
Did the plan achieve reach and frequency objectives?
Did the brand managers get what they paid for?
Magazine readership measurement
Rates are based on the guaranteed circulation that a publisher promises to provide.
Magazines also offer figures for their total audience.
Post-campaign evaluation also requires verification of the demographics and psychographics of specific readers.
Measuring the broadcast audience
Coverage is similar to circulation for print media.
Ratings are re-visited post-campaign by marketers to ensure that the medium delivered.
Households using televisions (HUT) and gross impressions help to analyze anticipated and actual audience delivery.
Creativity
the generation of fresh ideas and solutions to current problems or challenges
requires the ability to think like a problem solver and the courage to take risks and try something new.
Requires teamwork between: -Account planners -Copywriters -Art directors -Social media and content directors The team works together to generate concept, word, and picture ideas.
Concepting
the process of coming up with a new idea.
Big Ideas
creative concepts
can be risky because they are different and, by definition, untested
The ROI of Creativity
Relevant: means something to target audience.
Original: novel, fresh, unexpected, unusual.
Impact: makes an impression.
How to get an Idea
Immersion: learn about problem.
Ideation: look at the problem from every angle; generate as many ideas as possible.
Brainfog: don’t give up when you hit a blank wall
Incubation: let your subconscious work on it.
Illumination: getting an idea
Evaluation: does it work?
The Creative Brief
a document summarizing the basic marketing and advertising strategy
Includes:
- Problem (solved by communication)
- Target audience (insights into attitudes and behavior)
- Brand position
- Communication objectives (specify the desired response to the message by the target audience)
- Proposition (idea that will motivate a response)
- Media considerations (where and when the message should be delivered)
- Creative direction (how to stimulate the desired consumer response)
Hard sell
Uses an informational message that touches the mind and creates a response based on logic.
example: you can rent this car for less than any other rental company but only for a limited time, so hurry.
Soft sell
Uses emotional appeals or images to create a response based on attitudes, moods, and feelings.
Frazer’s Six Creative Strategies
Preemptive (we were the first)
Unique selling proposition (screen in trackpad)
Brand image (psychological differences)
Positioning (relative to the competition)
Resonance
Affective/anomalous (or ambiguous)
Rational customer-focused strategies
Benefit: what the product does for the user.
Promise: benefit the user will get by using the product.
Reason why: the logic behind why you should buy.
Unique selling proposition (USP): a benefit unique to the product and important to the user.
Stakeholders and Brand Relationships
Interactive communication is the glue that joins brands and their stakeholders in respectful long-term relationships.
Brand relationships are indicators of brand value
Negative impact (mishandling the type and amount of messages directed to stakeholders, The less relevant the messages, the more irritating they become)
Permission marketing
invites consumers to sign up for messages and self-select into a brand’s target market.
This mirrors the shift from one-way to two-way communication.
contact points
the various ways a consumer comes in contact with a brand.
touch points (contact points that touch emotions)
Message Synergy
The principle of synergy proposes that 2 + 2 = 5.
Synergy happens when all the messages work together
strategic consistency must be at the brand core and clear in every message
Strategic consistency drives synergy, and synergy drives the brand impression.
Brand Integrity
What brand says = What brand does
Spherical branding
no matter what your angle of vision, the brand always looks the same.
360° planning refers to looking at a brand from all directions and points of view.
Campaign Plan
Situation analysis (SWOT)
Key strategic campaign decisions
Marcom mix
Message strategy
IMC media and contact points
Management and campaign controls
Cross-media integration
the various media work together to create coherent brand communication.
Local initiative
A successful campaign, conceived for national application, is modified for use in other countries.
Centrally conceived campaign
A work team from around the world presents, debates, and agrees on a basic strategy as the foundation for the campaign.
Mission Marketing
When a commitment reflects a company’s core business strategy
links a company’s mission and core values to a cause that connects with customer interests.
These must work together to create integration and integrity:
- What the company or brand says about itself (say)
- How the company or brand performs (do)
- What other people say about it (confirm)
Media sources
Where and how often people get their information from (radio, tv, ect.)
Client information
Market research
Competitive advertising expenditures
Media kits: size & make up of audience
Media coverage area
Consumer behavior reports
Key Steps in Media Planning: Questions to Answer
Who (target audience) What for (objectives) Where (the media vehicles used) Where (geography) When (time frame) How big (media weight) At what cost (cost efficiency)
The four basic steps in media planning
Targeting (identify target audience, the more specific, the more appropriate the message)
Setting media objectives
Developing media strategies
Analyzing the metrics of a media plan
Media waste
When additional media weight ceases to increase the response, it produces waste.
Geographical strategies
A heavy-up schedule is advised in areas where the product is available or projected sales are higher.
CDI: Category development Index by area.
A brand development index (BDI) estimates the strength of the brand in geographical areas.
The CDI tells where the category is strong and weak, and the BDI tells where the brand is strong and weak.
Scheduling strategies
Timing strategies: When to advertise?
- Seasonality, holidays, days of the week, time of day.
- Lead time: time between thinking about purchase and purchasing.
Duration: How long?
- If the period is too short, the message may not have sufficient impact.
- If the period is too long, the ads may suffer from wearout.
Continuity: How often?
Weighting
helps decide how much to budget for each region and for each target group.
Media Metrics and Analysis
- Gross rating points (GRP) indicate the weight, or efficiency, of a media plan.
- Cost efficiency (Media allocations refer to allocating the budget among the various media chosen.)
share of voice
If we have 40% market share, we spend around 40% of the total ad spending in the category.
Cost per click (CPC)
The cost of digital advertising based on the number of clicks an ad receives.
Cost per action (CPA)
Assesses a digital ad based on how many users click it and then a certain action.
Cost per view (CPV)
Paying for an ad based on the number of times it is viewed on a website.
Newspaper Pros and Cons
Pros
- short production time
- local targeting
- Timely
Cons
- Short lived
- Limited readership
- Low resolution image
Magazine Pros and Cons
Pros -High resolution images -long lifespan -creative possibilities can be targeted
Cons
- Long production time
- limited readership
- cluttered ad environment
Radio Pros and Cons
Pros
- inexpensive
- can be targeted
Cons
- Short life
- no feedback
Television Pros and Cons
Pros
- Show demonstration
- Wide reach
Cons
-Expensive
Display advertising
dominant form
Can be any size, placed anywhere except editorial section. May be local (retail) or national (brand).
Media
the way messages are delivered to audiences, back to companies, and among audience members.
contact points in that they connect a brand with the audience, touch their emotions, and engage their minds.
Mass media
the channels through which messages are sent to large, diverse audiences.
Broadcast media
cast their audio and visual signals broadly to reach mass audiences.
Niche media
communication channels through which messages are sent to niche segments.
Measured media
the ability to analyze the cost of a media buy relative to the size of its audience.
Addressable media
Internet, mail, and telephone; sends brand messages to specific addresses (geographic and electronic).
Interactive media
Online social and mobile media allow conversations between companies and customers.
Paid, owned, and earned media
Paid media (traditional measured media, such as print and broadcast)
Owned media (channels controlled by the organization and that carry branded content)
Earned media (channels where brand communication is spread by outsiders. Publicity, word of mouth, ect)
The Evolution of Media Forms and Functions
The print era
The broadcast era
The digital era
The social media era
Targets and Audiences
Traditionalists grew up with newspapers, magazines, and radio.
Boomers, grew up with television.
Gen Xers, grew up with tape recorders, video games, VCRs. And cable TV.
Gen Yers, grew up with the computer, satellite TV, the Internet, CDs, and cell phones.
Millennials grew up with DVDs, TiVo, satellite radio, iPods, smartphones, Facebook, and Twitter.
Product placement
A company pays for verbal or visual brand exposure in some entertainment form.
Branded entertainment
Companies produce films for the Internet where the brand is integrated into the storyline.
Search and mobile marketing
Consumers control their information search, but also how they want to be connected with an organization or brand.
Guerilla marketing
Exciting and involving personal experiences are designed to reach people on the street and in public places.
Uses the power of involvement to create memorable brand experiences.
Visual Impact
Grab attention
Stick in memory
Cement belief: seeing is believing
Tell interesting stories: visual story telling
Communicate quickly
Anchor associations: to distinguish undifferentiated products
Composition vs layout
Layout is how the elements in print are arranged: Headline, art, tagline, etc.
Composition is how elements in the picture are arranged
The Language of Brand Communication
T or K, suggest effectiveness
X and Z relate to science
C, L, R, P, and S are calming or relaxing
Z means speed
Techniques for Catchy Slogans
Direct Address: “Have it your way”.
A startling or unexpected phrase: “If it’s out there, it’s in here.”
Rhyme, rhythm, alliteration: “The daily diary of the American Dream.”,
Parallel construction: “When it rains, it pours.”
Cue the product: “Good to the last drop” or “Nothing runs like a Deere.”
Music: “In the valley of the Jolly, ho-ho-ho, Green Giant.”
Double entendre: “A diamond is forever.”
Combination: “It’s your land, lend a hand.” (rhyme, rhythm, parallel)
Keep them short: “Eat Mor Chikin” for Chick-fil-A.
strategic planning
Identifying a problem that can be solved with communication.
Determining objectives.
Deciding on strategies.
Implementing tactics
The Business Plan
description of the business
vision statement describes where the business is headed
Mission statement is derived from its vision and is a concise expression of the more practical goals, purpose, and policies of the business
Research
Goals & Objectives
Strategies, Tactics, and Controls:
The Marketing Plan
Analyze (SWOT)
Set Objectives
Select Target Markets
Differentiate and Position
Develop marketing mix strategies
Design and Execute Action Plans
Account planning
the research and analysis process used to gain knowledge of the consumer.