Courtesy of Professor Kent Lancaster
and the Media Research Institute.
Key information on marketing,
advertising, media situation
Key advertising recommendations--target audience, budget,
creative, media
Marketing Goals
Current sales and market
share
Sales and market share goals
Consumer Target Markets
(Market Segments)
Why consumers buy (needs,
goals, problems, motivation, constraints, perceived alternatives,
individual factors, social and cultural factors)
Primary consumers
Demographic characteristics
Geographic concentration
Product usage patterns (individual and total)
Purchase habits
Business Users
Principal industry
categories (type of business)
Size--sales, shipments, assets, number of employees
Purchase decision-making process (who, how)
Distributors
Number and type of
distributors
Amount of product distributed through each type
Potential Markets
--consumer, business,
distributor groups not currently in market system
Market Opinion Leaders
--individuals who influence
target market, but are not themselves target market members
Non-market Publics
(Public Relations audiences)
Internal publics
--employees, stockholders
External publics
--voters, pressure groups
Physical product/service
--unique factors, competitive
differences, problem-solving attributes, physical makeup,
varieties, operation, manufacturing process, packaging,
capacity, output cost, installation, service, flexibility,
warranty, delivery, credit terms
Proposed product/service
changes
--advantages and limitations
Perceived product attributes
Pricing
Selling price, costs,
profit margin
Competitive prices and norms
Price incentives
Discount structure
Distribution channels
Structure, volume
Problems and conflicts
Special agreements
Product availability
Promotion
Nature, relative importance,
effectiveness of promotion elements--personal selling,
advertising, sales promotion, publicity, public relations
Marketing Resources and
Constraints
Capital resources (dollars,
physical plant)
Executive and/or sales force experience, abilities, attitudes
Special consumer/user loyalties
Distributor loyalty and support
Patents or technology denied competitors
Market Potential
Market definition
--products and areas
included
Industry/segment, competitive
and own sales
--size/share (units
or dollars), past and expected growth, segment size, distribution
and growth, seasonal patterns (percent or index), geographic
distribution (percent or index)
Environmental Factors
--likely to affect consumer
choice, total market and segment growth, geographic market
location, ability to supply market
Economic factors
--level of economic
activity, discretionary income, population, technological
advances, work force composition, time utilization and leisure
Regulatory factors
--government constraints,
subsidies, agencies, applicable laws and policies
Social and cultural factors
--status, work, impulsiveness,
expression, rationality, intuition, sex, attire
Target Audience(s)
--consumers, users,
distributors, non-market publics Advertising goals for each
target
Attitudes toward product and advertiser
Result of previous promotions
Advertising expenditures invested in each target
Budget
Total advertising expenditure(s)
for previous year(s)
Advertising expenditure(s)
as a percent of sales (units and dollars) for previous year(s)
Competitive comparisons
Budget breakdown
Budget level tests
Messages--to each target
audience
Basic selling proposition(s)
Promotional theme(s) and actual ads
Evaluation of message effectiveness
Competitive comparisons
Media
Media mix employed for each target
audience
Total dollars spent in each medium
Evaluation of effectiveness of each media mix
Competitive comparisons
Scheduling patterns
Geographic concentration
Organization of the Advertising
Function
Advertising Department
Reporting pattern--to
whom does the advertising manager report (marketing director,president,
sales manager)
Organizational level--centralized,
decentralized
Internal department structure
Work mix--specialization,
cooperation, vital functions, personnel needs
Organizational pattern--functional,
product geographic, customer
Qualifications of advertising
manager and subordinates
Outside specialists--availability,
economic factors, control of staff specialists
Characteristics of relationships
with other departments--legal, product development, production,
accounting, marketing, marketing research
Advertising Agency
Agency size, philosophy,
tenure, product conflicts, special skills, location, record,
growth, client turnover, facilities
Functions performed--creative,
media, research, merchandising, planning
Personnel--cooperation,
compatibility, coordination, available time
Relationship between
advertiser and agency
Compensation system--commission,
fee, percentage
Promotional Problems
and Opportunities
Opportunities and/or
problems which advertising can be used to resolve
Promotional
strategy match unique product/service attributes with
consumer (market segment) goals, problems, needs
Target Audience(s)
Identify and select
potential consumer, user, distributor, and/or non-market
prospects
Summarize key characteristics
of target which should be considered in developing message
and media strategy--demographics, attitudes toward product,
consumption and shopping behavior, media habits
Segment potential--total
number of individuals/households/companies in the target
audience and expected consumption rate
Sales Concept (for each
target audience)
Prospect problems, needs,
goals
Overt behavior(s), subjective
response(s), and situation(s) in which target prospect experiences
"problem"
Specific behavior(s)
advertiser would like prospect to take to solve "problem"
Benefits--solution(s)
product offers to help prospect solve "problem"
Selling points--evidence
to convince target prospect to believe and accept product
benefit(s).
Competitive position
How proposition differs
from those of competitors
Likely competitive reaction
Promotional Strategy
Prospect behavior sequence--actions
prospect typically takes in learning of, believing in, taking
action on proposition (describe actual prospect behaviors
not category labels)
Information--learn-feel-do
(awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction, purchase,
regular use)
Emotion--feel-learn-do
Habit--do-learn-feel
Social--do-feel-learn
Estimate percent of target
market at various communication levels, identify opportunities
for improvement
Promotional mix--designed
to move prospect through decision sequence.
Advertising
Packaging, point of purchase
Sales promotion--exhibits, contests, deals, novelties, free
samples
Publicity, public relations
Word-of-mouth, observing others
OBJECTIVES
Marketing Goals--unit
and dollar sales, market share
Advertising Goals--measurable
effects of advertising exposure
Problem, opportunity
Target audience description
Measurable communication effect
General effect--awareness,
knowledge, belief change, behavior
Specific effect--message content in strategic terms
Percent of target audience
to be affected
Time necessary to accomplish desired effect
Evidence and reasoning supporting each objective
ADVERTISING
STRATEGY
Copy Platform
Proposition--concise
statement of selling concept
Target audience
Consumer problem, need,
goal
Benefits that solve problem,
satisfy need, achieve goal
Selling points--product
attributes offered as physical evidence product can perform
aspromised
Competitive positioning
Approach--how selling
concept will be visualized in message(s)
Dramatize prospect problem
Emphasize selling point(s)
Point out unique competitive advantage
Dramatize benefits
Appeal--basic human appeal
to which advertisements will be directed (rational, emotional,fear,
sex)
Why would this appeal
to the target audience?
How would target audience
members relate this to their own problem(s), need(s) or
goal(s)?
Theme--principal slogan,
headline, or other identifying characteristics across all
messages and media
Why would this theme
appeal to the target audience?
How would target audience
members relate this to their own problem(s), need(s), or
goal(s)?
What is the mood (feelings)
the message(s) should evoke from the prospect?
Product portrayal--how
product is physically symbolized, justify
Characters--who or what
will be the dominant characters, justify
Shopping information--how
to purchase product (where it can be found, price, size,
colors, styles), justify
Facilitators--information
useful in overcoming constraints to purchase or action (special
purchase incentives, payment terms, return privileges, purchase
assistance, toll free numbers, coupons), justify
Reassurance--information
provided to those who have already purchased the product,
justify
Message executions--rough
layouts, storyboards, scripts, tapes, mock-ups
Message evaluations--diagnostic
information on the ability of messages to communicate (recognition
scores, day-after-recall scores, tracking study results)
Activity of key competitors--strategy,
sample advertisements, effects
MEDIA
STRATEGY
Target audience--profile
primary and secondary audience groups, use variables appropriate
to media selection, match with media categories and vehicles
which selectively reach prime prospects
Geographic emphasis
Selected markets
Levels of market support--BDIs,
CDIs, market weight
Media objectives
How media must contribute
to marketing, advertising, creative goals
How messages should be
distributed among prospects through time (reach, effective
reach, frequency, continuity, number of markets), justify
Creative requirements--media
attributes most likely to improve message effectiveness,
how do creative decisions influence media choices
Activity of key competitors--budgets,
strategies, media and market effects
Media categories which
accomplish goals most effectively; within media categories,
media classes, sections, dayparts, formats, that should
be used--highlight creative, exciting, innovative uses of
media
Schedule timing--introductory,
roll-out, sustaining, heavy-up, seasonal (lead, parallel),
pulsing, flighting, continuity, competitive (neutralize,
offset, combat, avoid)
Duration (start/stop
dates)
Macro schedule--timing
over entire planning period
Micro schedule--timing
within segments of planning period
Budget constraints, allocation
Minimum cost of entry
for each media category compared with available funds
Allocation to targets,
markets, media, months, quarters, campaigns, contingency
Efficiency goals--CPM, CPP
Media vehicle options--selection
criteria for matching media categories and vehicles with
strategy requirements
Probability of message
exposure given vehicle exposure
Efficient single/multiple
target audience delivery--demographic, product use, life
style, ratings, CPM, CPP
Compatible editorial/programming
environment, special editions
Quality, color reproduction
Audience and circulation
trends, primary versus secondary readers
Geographic flexibility
Production capability,
requirements--page size, commercial length, color
Immediacy, news value
Position, location, competitive
separation, clutter
Response measures
Marketing promotion support
Quantity discounts
Media imperatives
Page openings, reading/viewing/listening
time/days
Qualitative, subjective
criteria--reputation, credibility, copy checking, tone,
atmosphere, excitement, prestige, leadership, believability,
impact
Media schedules in tabular
form for each target audience, media category and combination
(monthly plan summaries, flowcharts)
Media vehicles purchased
within media categories
Time lengths or page
sizes
Insertion dates and times
Anticipated costs
Monthly plan effects--reach,
effective reach, frequency, exposure distributions, GRPs,
gross impressions, CPM, CPP
Yearly flowchart--media
categories, vehicles, insertions, total/monthly cost, total/monthly
reach, effective reach, frequency, GRPs, CPM, CPP
Merchandising value--ability
to promote selected media categories, vehicles
Alternative strategies,
obvious strategies not used, justify
Advertising Budget
Total advertising appropriation
Total amount to be spent
on all advertising
Justification--reasoning
and evidence that support the size of the total advertising
appropriation
Ability to support advertising
objectives
Method used to determine
total appropriation (given, task approach, advertising-sales
ratio, competitive parity)
Likely effects of expenditures
(awareness, recall, coupon redemption, sales)
Is the budget affordable?
Relation to past and
anticipated competitive activity
How and why does the
budget differ from previous appropriations in size and relative
to sales units and dollars
Is there a need for multiple
budgets?
What is likely to happen
with appropriation increases, decreases
Budget Allocation
Detail cost estimates
Geographic allocation
Selected advertising media
Message(s)--size, length, content
Target market (audience) segments
Seasonal allocation
Message production
Research
Contingency
Justification--rationale
and evidence that support each allocation decision
Administration--how advertising
budget will be controlled.
Measuring Advertising
Effectiveness
Define elements and decisions
to be evaluated--budget, message, media
Effectiveness evaluation
procedure(s)
Specific measurable standard
for evaluation
Technically sound and
valid means by which actual performance will be measured
Corrective procedures,
timing, responsibility
Evaluating Consumer Benefits
and Legal Effects of Advertising
Legal standards to be
met
Consumer standards to be achieved
Relevant and useful information
content
Efficient use of advertising
detailed numerical and
other data (support concise summary tables and graphs in
media plan text, presentation)
