Chapter 6

Advertising Objectives & Planning

Advertising Plan should address the following issues:

Who is the target audience? What does the firm want to achieve from the ad campaign? What message should the advertisement convey & how?

Advertising Plan should address the following issues:

How much resources should be committed to implement the ad campaign? Which media should be used to reach the target audience?

What should be the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of a campaign?

Advertising Plan
An advertising plan is something that gives a detailed outline of the objectives that an advertising campaign has to achieve, the strategy to accomplish those objectives, and the means to determine the success of the campaign.

Stage 1: Establishing Objectives

-General Objectives Create awareness and encourage information search Persuade/prompt direct action Reminding/reinforce Relate to needs Modify attitudes -Sales oriented objectives -Communication objectives: Do not ensure immediate purchase but try to create positive image.

Stage 2: Selecting the Advertising Message

Soul of an advertisement Used to convey product features, utility, benefits. Various appeals are used. Various types of creative strategies are used: -Generic, Pre-emptive, USP, Brand image, Positioning, Resonance strategy.

Stage 3: Setting the Advertising Budget

PLC: Depending on different stages. Competition: No. of competitors Product Differentiation: Scope for differentiation is less-spend more. Market Share

Stage 4: Developing a Media Strategy

It refers to the action plan for delivering the communication message to the target segment effectively. -Determining the target audience -Media Selection: Selecting the right media & media vehicles. -Media Scheduling: Determining the time & frequency of the campaign. -Media Buying: Buying of time on any media

Stage 5: Evaluating Advertising Effectiveness

Evaluate the level of change brought about in consumers -Awareness -Knowledge -Preference -Sales

Selecting an Advertising Agency

The quality of the people assigned Agreement between agency & company on advertising objectives. Reputation of the agency Interaction b/w agency & company at creative stage. Compatibility of the agency & company people. Creativity of the agency staff. Stability of the advertising agency.

The Briefing Process

A good brief should contain: -Project management -Present Situation/Background -Desired Situation -Plan of action -Target Groups -Parameters for measurement -Practicalities -Approvals

The Advertising Production Process

Conceptualization: Decide on the ad obj., target market (PDM & PDI), budget, message, media strategy. -Target audience can also be defined through: (a) Need identification (b) Factor identification (Demographic & Psychographic) (c) Select the audience (d) Position the product (e) Decide on the advertising budget

The Advertising Production Process

Execution: Implementation of strategies formulated in the conceptualization stage. -Creation of an advertisement: message, illustration of ideas and getting them approved. -Production: Differs from media to media Evaluation: Pre Testing & Post Testing