Summarise issues arising from the marketing plan that will directly impact on the
communications strategy.
Company analysis
Product analysis
!" A summary of key product offerings and product life cycle issues.
!" Existing brand themes, messages and appeals.
Audience analysis
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Competitor campaigns
Communication objectives
Typical marketing objectives include sales targets, market share (%) and return on investment (ROI)
whcih are not necessarily relevant to setting communication objectives.
IMC plans although typically derived from a marketing plan do not necessarily have hard
metrics. In other words, an IMC will often have objectives that are difficult measure:
Communications strategy
Campaign impact and duration
!" Is the overall marketing strategy to penetrate the market rapidly?
!" Or, will you try to build awareness and market share over a longer period of time?
!" How long will the campaign last and what is the timing of each element?
Creative strategy
!" Develop an overall theme, appeal and message concept.
Integration strategies
This new IMC model is based on the rationale that web and new media it seems have been
elevated the role of quarterback role in marketing communications. Web and new media are
biased neither to advertising (paid for) nor publicity (free). All forms of marketing communications
are present on the web and the dyad (and battle) between television advertising and web
advertising is no longer relevant. The convergence of all media into web-like forms suggests
Promotional budget
!" Allocate budget for each promotional mix element.
!" The proportion of the budget allocated to any one promotional element should reflect
how accurately it reaches and impacts the target audience, relative to the other mix
elements.
!" Consider using the objective-task method, where appropriate budget is allocated to
each promotion al element in order to achieve the stated goal of that element. This is
most often a ideal scenario so perhaps get used to senior management never giving
you enough cash to meet a given goal. In other words, more with less is normative.
Historically the corporate website has tended to defy classification in marketing taxonomies
such as this very template. Is a web a direct marketing device? Is it for public relations? What
about sales? Is it an advertising medium? The answer of course... it's all those things, but is
a promotional element in itself? We think not... it is very much more than that.
The newness of the medium and the fact that the web traverses all of the classic promotional
elements point to its central and media neutral role as the centre of the contemporary IMC
planning.
Public
Direct
Advertising Relations &
Marketing
Publicity
Viral &
Sponsorship &
Packaging Experiential
Events
Marketing
+
!" Newsprint !" Pay per click advertising, or
Cost estimates
!" Print Magazines clickable paid for adverts in
Media plan
!" Outdoor advertising the form of text, images or
!" Radio advertising animations with websites;
!" Television: free-to-air and Google Adwords,Facebook
cable / pay TV adverts,Youtube, MySpace
+
Cost estimates !" Solicited and unsolicited !" Solicited and unsolicited
direct print mail direct email campaigns
!" Target lists !" Solicited and unsolicited
!" Printed collateral sent via direct SMS campaigns
post to target list
Sales promotion objectives Traditional sales promo New media sales promo
Tactics and executions
+
Cost estimates !" In-store sampling !"
!" Competitions Online competitions
!" Price coupons !" SMS sales promotion
!" Discounts !" SMS competitions
!" Loss-leading where CDs !" Freemium MP3 model
are priced at discount to where albums and are songs
attract customers. A common are given away (as digital
tactic used by electrical downloads) to encourage
goods retailers fans to attend gigs or buy
other merchandise that has
greater gross profit margin
Sales targets
Traditional sales force New media sales force
Sales management tactics
+
Lead management cycle !" Sales !" Business development
Employment costs !" Win-win (as a tactic) !" Solution selling
Sales commissions !" Problem solving
OTE (on target earnings) !" Win-win (as a strategy)
!" Cloud computing sales lead
management such as
SalesForce.com
Sponsorship objectives
Traditional sponsorship New media sponsorship
Complimentary brands
+
Cost-benefit analysis !" Typical naming rights !" Integration with the website
arrangements and social media pages
!" Signage !" Interaction with SMS
!" Event participation messaging at events typically
!" Share media exposure linked to competitions, sales
!" Shared exposure on printed promotion and experiential
collateral marketing events
+
Packaging as the brand !" Nothing but the best !" Integrating RFID (radio
materials and production frequency identifcation) for:
values, regardless of !" - inventory control
environmental impacts !" - sales promotion via with
!" Excessive (over packaging) bardcode recogniotion by
mobile phones.
!" - auto-resupply via online
shopping
!" Size standardisation for
greatere global shipping
efficiencies
!" Prepackaged individual
meals menas more
packaging waste
!" Minimalist packaging
!" Carbon footprint issues
!" Soy and other natural inks
!" Fibre alternatives to plastic
packaging
!" Recycled materials
+
!" Stunts !" Global positioning (GPS)
!" Events technology and location-
!" Street crew based social networking.
!" Street promotion These major proponents
!" Online viral ads of this technology trend
are Foursqaure, Gowalla
and Google Latitude.
An intersection of social
networking, actual physical
interaction away from the
PC and mobile computing
or mobile communications.
Think of viral marketing with
a twist if GPS!
Endnotes
1. http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/persona_best_practices_of_interactive_agencies/q/
id/53246/t/2
Ben OHara
Ben OHara has taught music industry business at a number of institutions across Australia
including the Sydney Institute of TAFE Ultimo, EORA College, and JMC Academy in Sydney
and Melbourne. He is currently the senior educator in Music Business at Box Hill Institute in
Melbourne.
Ben has a broad range of experience in the music industry, having worked in music publishing
and licensing as well as event and artist management. He has also been a performer for over 15
years, and runs his own booking agency, Flower Pot Entertainment Productions, specialising in
childrens and family entertainment. Ben holds a Bachelor Arts in contemporary music (Honors)
from Southern Cross University and a Masters of Business in Arts and Cultural Management from
The University of South Australia.
About TheBiz
Thebiz.com.au is designed to be a go to resource for music, entertainment and art managers,
educators and students. Originally designed to support educators using the Music Business
Educational Supplements the site has since expanded to include a variety of new features
including new text books, a regular industry news source and in-depth research papers produced
by the site principals, Mark Beard and Ben OHara.