Description
When considering marketing communications within the corporate and marketing strategies of an organization, it is necessary to emphasize the long-term and integrated nature of those communications. This requires the consideration of communication objectives which may not be achieved for several years, such as brand loyalty or attitude change, rather than a simple focus on the short term, e.g. sales figures for the next event.
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Section One
Integrated Marketing
Communications
Trafalgar Square, London. A month of free events, July 2004. 'Summer in the Square,' coordinated by
the Greater London Authority, consisted of a series of events; Bollywood Steps (dance displays),
a Children's Art day, Square perspectives (dancing on a transparent stage), Trafalgar shores (Caribbean
dance, seaside puppetry), Masquerade (Nigerian drama), Love in the Square (music performances),
the Magic Flute (street opera), and the Norwich Union London Sports Park (athletics displays and coaching).
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The four chapters in this section provide an overview of the
communications planning process and the importance of an
integrated approach. The aim is to build an understanding of
the key stages of the process.
Chapter 1 considers the process as a whole and describes the
integrated approach to marketing communications, putting into
context its application in the events industry and providing a
model of event communications planning.
The following chapters consider the three key elements of the
marketing plan: research and analysis throughout the process;
the targeting process and setting of objectives; and the forma-
tion of innovative strategies.
Marketing
Communications
Planning
Research and
Analysis
Communication
Objectives and
Targeting
Communications
Strategy
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Chapter 1
Marketing
Communications
Planning
Objectives
To introduce the concept of integrated marketing communications
To discuss the need for a marketing communications planning
process
To evaluate the models of communication planning
To provide an overview of the key stages in the communications planning
process
Introduction
When considering marketing communications within the corporate and marketing strategies of an
organization, it is necessary to emphasize the long-term and integrated nature of those communi- cations.
This requires the consideration of communication objectives which may not be achieved for several years,
such as brand loyalty or attitude change, rather than a simple focus on the short term, e.g. sales figures for
the next event. This chapter highlights the long-term nature of devel- oping successful communications
plans and stresses the need to utilize and integrate a wide variety of tools, techniques and media within
the plan.
Integrated marketing
communications
Communication is the process whereby thoughts are conveyed and meaning is shared between
individuals or organizations. A general model of communication is given in Figure 1.1. This model
recognizes the possibility of the receiver taking a different meaning from the communication than that
intended by the sender due to the encoding/decoding process and the 'noise' associated with
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4 Innovative Marketing Communications
NOISE
distractions
clutter
Sender
e.g. event
organizer Encoding
e.g. images
chosen for
Message
posters
e.g. 'an
exciting event'
Media
e.g. billboards
Decoding
interpretation/
meaning
Receiver
target
audience/
Feedback
requests for
more
information
Response
awareness,
interest
others
Figure 1.1 Major elements in the communication process.
the process. This emphasizes the need for careful planning and control of the
communication process, as even highly controllable communication methods, such as
personalized direct marketing, need to be carefully monitored to determine their effects on
the receiver.
Marketing within events relies heavily on communication whether this be in directly
informing potential customers of a product offering, in creating a brand image in the
marketplace, or through customer feedback and market research. Marketing
communications represent the collection of all elements in a brand's mar- keting mix that
facilitate exchanges by establishing shared meanings with the brand's stakeholders. The
brand can refer to an individual product (one event), a group of products (a programme of
events) or a wider organizational brand (the event organizer, the location, the sponsor).
The stakeholders will consist of a range of groups such as existing and potential
customers, employees, sponsors and the local community.
When the audience of a marketing communications message decodes or translates the
message they can do so on a number of levels. The Wirthlin Report (1999) describes
these levels as a ladder from the communicator to the audience. The lowest level consists
of rational components, the product's attributes (e.g. venue, performers,
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Marketing Communications Planning 5
date) and the functional consequences of using the product (e.g. entertainment). The higher
levels are the emotional components consisting of psychosocial consequences or personal
emotional outcomes (e.g. 'made me forget my worries') and personal val- ues or major goals
and ideals (e.g. self-esteem, peace of mind, love). Communication that operates on all
levels is likely to be more effective in building a longer-term change in attitude and
behaviour.
A number of factors have led to a move away from the traditional promotions mix for
marketing communications (personal selling, advertising, sales promotion and public
relations) to the development of the concept of integrated marketing com- munications
(IMC). Integrated marketing communications has been defined in a
number of ways:
a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a com-
prehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communications disci - plines . . . .
and combines these to provide clarity, consistency and maximum communication impact (Duncan and
Everett, 1993).
The coordination of all promotional activities to produce a unified, customer-focused pro-
motional message (Broderick and Kitchen, 2001).
The harmonization of customer-orientated promotional messages (Fill, 2002).
All consistent interactions a stakeholder has with an organization (Schultz, 1998).
An organization's unified, coordinated effort to promote a brand concept through the use of
multiple communication tools that 'speak with one voice' (Shimp, 1997).
These definitions illustrate the continuing development of integrated marketing com-
munications as a concept. Generally, it appears to be agreed that IMC came to the fore in the
1990s and evolved due to a number of reasons. First, a reduced faith in the effec- tiveness of
the mass media and, consequently, the move towards highly targeted com- munication
methods and, secondly, due to the greater demands being placed on marketing
communication suppliers and the increased need to demonstrate return on investment.
Thirdly, there is the need to coordinate and integrate the ever-widening array of
communication tools and media available to the marketer (Table 1.1).
The complexity of the reality of IMC is clearly demonstrated in Hartley and Pickton's
(1999) model of the 'mindscape of integrated marketing communications' and 'the wheel of
integrated marketing communications' developed by Pickton and Broderick (2001). These
models present the marketing communications techniques included within the traditional
categories of advertising, sales promotion, public relations and personal selling, but
illustrate the requirement for these to overlap and
Table 1.1 Comparison of traditional versus IMC perspectives
Traditional marketing communications
Separate functions: fragmentation
Starts with organization (goals, products)
Specialist practitioners
Fragmented communication programmes
Shorter-term objectives
Mass audiences
Integrated marketing communications
Integrated into one strategy: synergy
Customer orientated
Generalists
Consistent communication programmes
Relationship/brand building objectives
Targeted to stakeholder segments
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6 Innovative Marketing Communications
to be used in a number of differing ways. The use of a combination of one-to-one
communications and one-to-many communications for both image and brand man-
agement as well as customer contact management is a vital aspect of IMC. In recog-
nizing the variety of techniques, the numerous potential objectives and differing target
audiences plus the overlaps between these, the models illustrate both the potential
benefits of IMC and some of the reasons for it not being adopted within many
organizations. These barriers to IMC include the difficulties in managing the process and
the choice of whether this is done in-house or through an agency. There are also problems
in overcoming the mindset of the traditional segmentation of the promotion components
and defining the scope of IMC (i.e. does it also include corporate and internal
communications).
In order to overcome some of these issues, planning models have been developed
by a number of authors and these will be considered in the next section.
The methods for managing IMC are of lesser importance than the acceptance of the
concept that any communications plan needs to consider and use, where appro- priate, a
variety of communication tools and that in doing this it is necessary, and beneficial, to
ensure consistency of the message (shared core meaning) and comple- mentarity of the
methods.
Importance of a planning
process
In order to gain competitive advantage and to ensure added value for the customer, the
communication process needs to be planned in a systematic and controlled man- ner. With
an ever-increasing choice of communication methods and ways of com- bining these, it is
vital that any decisions made are based on accurate, up-to-date and relevant information.
The planning of any process allows management to assess the risks and returns of any
course of action before deciding upon it. If marketing communications are devel- oped in
an ad hoc, fragmented manner, then they will be difficult to monitor in terms of objectives,
budget and return. The risks involved, therefore, in investing relatively large amounts of
time, expertise and financial resources can be minimized by careful planning and their
investment justified by the meeting of clearly defined objectives measured through
carefully planned evaluation procedures. A further benefit is that a wrongly chosen
communication strategy is more likely to be identified at an early stage if a planning
process has been followed. This can then be modified or shelved before more serious
damage is done. Similarly, the early identification of problems in implementation can be
facilitated by the planning process.
An often overlooked benefit of planning is in its cyclical nature. Each new plan- ning
cycle benefits from the lessons learnt in the earlier plans, i.e. learning from pre- vious
mistakes and successes. This again requires systematic and objective evaluations of the
outcomes and process of the previous communications plan. Using such past experiences
in a more formalized manner can help to ensure increasing levels of efficiency and
effectiveness in any future communications plans.
In order to ensure that communications operate at a strategic rather than tactical level
within the organization, objectives need to be set for the longer term. The planning
process can help ensure that these are set within the constraints of the
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Marketing Communications Planning 7
organization's resources and the external environment and that they are set for the long, mid
and short term.
The difficult task of integrating the various aspects of marketing communications and of
ensuring a consistent core message to all stakeholder groups can only be achieved through
a well-planned communications campaign. The integration, consistency and
complementarity needed to gain synergy and hence increased customer value and
competitive advantage will only happen if a systematic and well-defined process is
followed.
There are, of course, some possible drawbacks to a formal communications process.
Successful marketing communications, to a large extent, rely on creativity and innovation.
An overly formalized or restrictive planning system could be in danger of stifling this
creativity in favour of tried and tested methods. The need to pre-test, retest, monitor and
evaluate can lengthen the development and implemen- tation time for a campaign and may
provide competitors with the information and lead-time to launch counter campaigns to
reduce any impact. A planning process needs to be developed, therefore, which does not
inhibit creativity and is not overly bureaucratic and formalized.
Marketing communications
planning
Models of communications planning generally tend to be based on the planning framework
of situation analysis, objective setting, strategy development, budgeting, implementation
and control (Cooper, 1997; Smith et al., 1997; Tucker Knapp, 2001; [**1.1] Fill, 2002).
Each model has its benefits and drawbacks. For example, Cooper (1997) clearly
demonstrates the cyclical nature of planning and emphasizes the cre- ativity needed within
communications planning. However, this model is focused on advertising and therefore
does not show the integration and coordination of other communications methods. Fill
(2002) provides a useful overview of each of the areas that need to be considered, bringing
in marketing research and agencies to the situ- ation analysis and recognizing the levels of
objectives (corporate, marketing and communication). This model usefully splits
promotional strategies into pull (aimed at end customers), push (aimed at intermediaries)
and profile (reaching a range of target groups). The key elements of Fill's (2002) marketing
communications plan-
ning framework are:
?
?
?
?
?
?
context analysis
marketing objectives and positioning
marketing communications strategy
development of the promotional mix
implementation
evaluating and monitoring performance.
However, as Kitchen (1999) [**1.2] points out there are disadvantages to structured
planning in that it can lead to 'me-too' strategies, it can encourage seeing customers as targets
rather than partners and can give sometimes a dangerous illusion of con- trol. Creativity and
intuition need to be provided for within the planning process, as
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8 Innovative Marketing Communications
does the recognition that the earlier stages of the plan (formulation of objectives and
strategies) are closely related to implementation and control and that the process is not
necessarily sequential. The process for event planning (Masterman, 2004) shows the
iterative nature of planning which needs to be adopted within the communica- tions plans
of event organizations.
A non-sequential yet structured process which encompasses all the elements of IMC
(consistency, integration and complementarity) and allows for the creativity, intuition and
innovativeness of the events industry is the ideal. These qualities may not be easy to
combine in one model, but should still underpin the communications process for events
organizations.
Overview of marketing communications planning
Situation analysis
The initial stages in any planning cycle are to gain an understanding of the current position
and the context within which the plan will operate. This involves the gath- ering, analysis
and interpretation of information from a wide range of sources.
The most important area to research is the organization's stakeholders with whom it will
be communicating. An in-depth understanding is needed of each group's cur- rent attitudes
to, opinions of and beliefs about the organization, its brands and its events. Knowledge of
purchase behaviour and each group's views of competing products will also be needed.
Specific information is required on their reactions to past and future communications
campaigns, their media preferences etc.
Other areas that need to be researched are competitor activity, the views of inter-
mediaries, suppliers and employees and the wider external environment. This includes
legal and political changes relating to marketing communications, advances or
innovations in communication technology and general social trends which may affect
communication preferences.
Although often discussed as the first stage, information gathering needs to be ongoing
and should inform each aspect of the communications plan. The research into
communication specific issues should become part of the organization's overall marketing
information system which will include competitor and market intelli- gence,
environmental scanning and wider marketing research as well as data gener- ated
internally by the day-to-day operations of the organization. The research needs for events
marketing communications are discussed in more depth in Chapter 2.
Objective setting
Once a thorough understanding of the stakeholders, external environment and the
organizational context has been gained, it is then possible to set communications
objectives for the campaign. These will often be the first part of a written marketing
communications plan and will be used to steer the rest of the process. Communications
objectives will be set within the framework of wider marketing objectives of the
organization and these in turn will have been set to achieve the corporate objectives.
Communication objectives should not include overall sales value, profit margins or
market share, but should encompass goals specific to the direct effects of com-
munication, e.g. brand awareness, response rates, attitude change, offer take-up, personal
recommendations etc.
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Marketing Communications Planning 9
The communications plan may include sub-objectives for each stakeholder or target
audience and for periods of time within the planning cycle. Separate objectives for each
communications method should not be set at this stage, as this presumes the strategic
choices yet to be made and jeopardizes the integration of the overall com- munications
strategy. The setting of communication objectives is covered in detail in Chapter 3.
Targeting
Deciding on the audiences, or recipients, of marketing communications needs to be done at
an early stage in the planning process. It may be necessary for this to be done both before
and after objective setting. As the communications plan is likely to be set within the context
of a marketing plan, target groups may well have been identified as part of the overall
marketing strategy. If this is the case then these 'predetermined audiences' need to be focused
on in the research stage and described in detail in the situation analysis. Objectives can then
be set for each group already identified. It is then necessary to apply a further breakdown of
these groups once the communica- tion objectives have been set. For example, an objective
to increase awareness of the interactive aspects of Glastonbury Festival's website may
require the targeting of dis- tinct segments, i.e. past customers, existing customers (those
with tickets) and would-be customers (those who could not get tickets), whereas initial
targeting in the marketing strategy may have been 'eighteen to twenty-five-year olds who
listen to live music'.
Targeting is an essential part of successful communications as it recognizes the
preferences and needs of each different group, which can then be reflected in the chosen
strategies. These preferences and needs will be widely different between some groups, e.g.
sponsors, attendees, local community, but may also vary within groups. For example, the
visitors to the Ideal Home Show will include couples, families and organizational buyers
and these can be further split into those who live in the UK to those from overseas, or those
who attend regularly and first time attendees etc.
Identifying target audiences, further segmenting each audience and then specify- ing their
characteristics, preferences and behaviour allows communications meth- ods to be tailored
to their needs and therefore those methods are likely to be more successful in meeting the
objectives. The additional cost involved in creating sepa- rate targeted communications
campaigns is far outweighed by the benefits gained in terms of both efficiency and
effectiveness.
Positioning and message strategies
In order to ensure the consistency and integration required, it is necessary to deter- mine
overarching strategies for positioning and for the communications message.
Positioning refers to the image in the mind of the audience of the organization, its brand,
its events or its services relative to their image of competing products. The desired position
will be developed based on the research undertaken in the situation analysis, the focus of
the communication objectives and to some extent predeter- mined from the marketing plan
objectives and strategy if these exist. As positioning reflects the perception of the brand by
the target audiences, it is important to develop appropriate positioning strategies for each
target group. For example, a corporate event organizer will recognize that being perceived
as developing the most innova- tive and creative events may be important for some FMCG
(fast-moving consumer
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10 Innovative Marketing Communications
goods) clients, whereas being seen as highly reliable with high levels of service may be
key for financial sector clients. These specific positioning strategies need to fit within the
overall image of the organization and its brand if consistency and synergy are to be
achieved. Therefore, an overarching positioning statement is developed and adapted
positioning strategies for each target market are fitted within this. Without the overarching
strategy the audiences are likely to receive mixed, confusing or at worst conflicting
messages.
The message strategy is developed from the positioning statement to provide a
consistent and repeated image to the target audiences. Again this will be adapted in form
and style for each target group, but the overall message will remain the same.
The strategic options available will be partly determined by the organization's
competitive position (market leader, challenger, follower or nicher), the product or
industry life cycle (introduction, growth, maturity or decline), the strengths and
weaknesses of the organization and the external environment. However, the most
important determining factor should always be the needs and preferences of stakeholders.
Method and media strategies
The adaptation of the overall message to meet the needs of each target audience is
achieved through the manipulation of the wide variety of communication methods and
media available to the marketer.
An initial decision to be made is whether or not the methods will involve push or pull
strategies or a combination of both. Push strategies are targeted at marketing
intermediaries (agents, distributors, brokers) and pull strategies at end customers.
Methods involve choices such as stressing the USP (unique selling proposition) of the
brand or the brand's image, creating a resonance with the audience, using rational or
emotional appeals. Other choices need to select methods on the scale of one-to-one versus
one-to-many communications, interactive versus passive and information based versus
image based.
The methods of marketing communications have been traditionally grouped into the
four categories of advertising, sales promotion, personal selling and public rela- tions.
However, with the advent of integrated marketing communications and the development
of new and innovative methods, these categories have become less useful as many
methods overlap and fit into more than one category. Pickton and Broderick's (2001)
'Wheel of IMC' demonstrates this well and clearly shows the wide variety of methods now
available.
The message and method chosen will, to a large extent, determine which media are
appropriate as will the characteristics and preferences of the target audiences. Media
choices range from the traditional use of newspapers, sales people, press releases and
prize draws to highly interactive websites, product placement in com- puter games, the use
of SMS (texting) or ever more attention grabbing promotional events. The important and
increasing role of events as a communication method used by other industries is covered
in Section 3.
Creative combinations of a number of methods and media delivering a consistent
message will ensure the success of a communications campaign. The diversity of
methods and media available mean that there are unlimited possibilities for creating the
new and innovative communications campaigns that are necessary in an increas- ingly
overcrowded marketplace. Consumers are becoming ever more cynical and selective in
their interest and responses to marketing communications and novelty and subtlety are
required to capture and maintain the interest of these audiences
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Marketing Communications Planning 11
exposed to thousands of marketing messages every day. The diverse range of methods
available for communicating with event stakeholders is covered in Section 2.
Communications budget
Any communication campaign will be set within certain organizational constraints. These
constraints will include the managerial style of the organization in terms of risk-taking,
innovativeness and creative freedom and of course the willingness to commit financial
resources. The determination of the budget for an integrated mar- keting communications
campaign can be contentious as a quantifiable financial return on investment can be
difficult to prove in accountancy terms. This difficulty again emphasizes the importance of
having measurable objectives, as the achieve- ment of these objectives can justify the
original resources invested and can also be used to secure future budgets.
The ideal form of budget setting is 'objective-and-task'. This logical process sug- gests that
if objectives have been set that are desirable, realistic and achievable then the finances
should be made available to enable those objectives to be achieved. The budget negotiation
process therefore takes place once the communications plan has been determined, i.e. this is
what we need to achieve, this is how it can be done and this is what it will cost. If the
resources are not available to meet the needs of the proposed plan then the objectives must
be revised, although this would, perhaps, suggest that the original objectives were not set
within an understanding of the organization's strengths and resources.
Although, objective-and-task budget setting is preferred, it is rarely the method used
with most organizations relying on more traditional financially based criteria. These are
likely to be based on a set percentage of last year's sales or a percentage of the overall
marketing budget. If the budget is allocated prior to the determination of objectives and
strategies then the budget becomes part of the situational context within which the
communications plan is developed and objectives should be set within this constraint.
An understanding of how and when the budget is negotiated and set is an impor- tant
element of the marketing communications planning process and has implica- tions for the
implementation, control and monitoring of the plan once determined.
Implementation
This aspect of the communications planning process is often given less emphasis with the
focus tending to be on the creative aspects of strategy development, however, the best
strategies will fail if wrongly implemented.
The practicalities of implementing a fully integrated marketing communications plan need
to be addressed through cross-functional teams within the organization often complemented
by the use of agencies and other external specialists. The coordina- tion and management of
these roles and organizations requires detailed planning and a clear delineation of duties
and responsibilities along with a shared under- standing of what is to be achieved. The key
to successful implementation is there- fore effective internal communications, as all those
involved must send a single positive message to stakeholder groups at all points of contact.
The main aspects of implementation have been defined by Smith et al. (1997) as the 3Ms;
men, money and minutes. These include the roles and responsibilities for each element of
the plan, the costs involved and the timing and flow of tasks.
The management of the communications plan involves process management, resource
management, internal marketing and communications, scheduling and
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12 Innovative Marketing Communications
budgeting with an overarching focus on the integration and coordination of a variety of
resources and expertise. These areas will be considered in Chapter 14.
Measurement, evaluation and control
In order to ensure the success of a marketing communications plan, it is necessary to
measure certain aspects both during and after the campaign and to evaluate these measures
against predetermined criteria. These criteria need to be based around the objectives of the
campaign often broken down by time-scale, target group or cam- paign tactic. The
evaluation against these criteria will then provide the necessary indicators to use for
control purposes. Control is the action taken as a result of the evaluation and may involve
the decision to maintain or amend the existing plan as well as being the basis for future
plan development.
There are, therefore, two aspects to control. First, to ensure that the plan is being
implemented as it should be and secondly, to check that the strategies being imple- mented
are having the expected effect, i.e. the control of implementation and the control of
outcome (or efficiency and effectiveness control).
For example, as a part of its communication campaign a music festival advertised a free
ticket hot line in the local newspaper. Interim measurements found that only 50 per cent of
the claimed tickets were likely to be used. An evaluation of the rea- sons for this
disappointing take-up discovered that it was largely due to customer dissatisfaction with
the attitude of the telesales staff handling the ad response and that their lack of knowledge
had deterred respondents from attending the event. This evaluation, therefore, suggested
an implementation problem rather than a problem with the strategy and it was possible
to switch to a more specialized telesales agency for the remainder of the campaign.
The methods used to measure and evaluate communications strategies are varied and
can range from large consumer surveys to ad hoc sales force feedback, from complex
statistical data analysis to intuitive interpretation of anecdotal evidence. All can be valid
and useful as long as they are undertaken and interpreted in an objective, timely and
systematic way and use the campaign objectives as their main criteria for evaluation.
Methods that can be used to research campaign effectiveness will be considered in the
next chapter as well as in Chapter 14.
The written communication plan
The written plan is a vital document for internal communications and implementa-
tion and should as a minimum include:
?
?
?
?
?
objectives
goals
audience/s
timetable, tools and budget
evaluation.
In order to help achieve the shared understanding and integration of purpose needed, the
plan should summarize the main issues and details of marketing com- munications
activities, showing relevant background information and marketing communications
decisions (Pickton and Broderick, 2001).
An example of the communications planning process is shown in Case study 1.1. This
case illustrates how a well-developed communications plan helped a small- scale festival
gain nationwide recognition.
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Marketing Communications Planning 13
Case study 1.1
The DoubleTake Documentary Film Festival Agency:
McKinney & Silver
Situation analysis
This documentary film festival based in North Carolina, USA was founded in 1998. The festival
had a narrow fan base and, due to this and its regional image, was failing to attract sponsorship
investment. The lack of sponsors meant that the organization had less money to invest in build- ing
its brand to attract the better directors that were needed to attract a broader fan base and so the cycle
continued. The key problem, therefore, was in changing perception among stakeholders from being
seen as a regional festival to being a major player in the entertainment industry.
Aim: Broaden the appeal of the film festival
Objectives
?
?
?
?
Increase advanced sales of passes by 50 per cent
Increase overall attendance (seats filled) by 15 per cent
Increase sponsorship $
Gain recognition as one of USA's leading film festivals
Target audiences
?
?
?
?
Main focus: Mainstream entertainment enthusiasts (new target audience)
Peripheral: Existing loyal fans (not to be alienated by new campaign)
Existing and potential sponsors Industry
press and associations
Creative strategy
?
?
?
?
Positioning: Research found that off-centre stories with an edge were most appealing.
Needed to provide a 'taste' of documentaries as entertainment and the feeling that this style of
entertainment could only be experienced at the DoubleTake Festival.
Message: 'True reality is more entertaining than TV boardroom created reality'. Method:
Mini-documentaries showing absurd and provocative real-life vignettes.
Media: A low budget for media was provided so low cost but well-targeted cable channels were
used such as MTV, P, Comedy Central plus coverage on NBC. These television adver- tisements
were complemented by print ads in local newspapers and alternative news week- lies in order to re-
frame mainstream audience perception of documentaries.
Integrated communications
The main campaign was television based but was extended to all touchpoints via websites,
direct mail, point-of-purchase and sponsorship sales kits. Posters were also provided as premiums
for sponsors.
Budget for media: $500k
Evaluation
?
?
?
?
Advanced sales of passes up 177 per cent
seats filled up 31 per cent
sponsorship up 26 per cent and lead sponsor gained for next year gained
number of prestigious national recognitions.
Source: based on Effie Awards: Brief of Effectiveness 2003
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14 Innovative Marketing Communications
Summary
Integrated marketing communications has provided the basis for much of the continued
interest in one-to-one marketing and customer relationship management and has the
potential to bring together the concepts of integration, alignment, measurement and
accountability in communications (Baker and Mitchell, 2000). The merging of these ideas
into an approach that recognizes and takes advantage of the convergence of traditional and
new interactive marketing approaches is undoubt- edly the way forward in marketing
communications.
An integrated marketing communications programme includes written, spoken and
electronic interactions with stakeholder audiences. These interactions are used to create
awareness, interest and involvement in the organization, its activities, programmes,
people, service and products.
The integration of a variety of communications methods ensures that the message
remains focused and therefore achieves a far greater impact than traditional fragmented
promotional methods.
A successful communications plan will be based on an understanding of target
audience needs and requires the organization to spend time analysing their market position
and determining objectives. Through this analysis the planning process encourages
consideration of new marketing tactics, methods and media. The requirement for
cooperation and coordination helps to build teamwork, commit- ment and focus, both at
intra- and inter-company level, improving all internal and external communication. A
well-developed and implemented communications plan will facilitate continual
improvement through measurement and evaluation and
will ensure efficient progress towards longer-term communication objectives.
In order to ensure these benefits a process for integrated marketing communica-
tions planning is needed which should involve consideration of:
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
situation analysis
objective setting
targeting
positioning and message strategies
method and media strategies
communications budget
implementation
measurement, evaluation and control.
The communications planning process for event organizations needs to include a staged
process where the current position is researched, objectives set, target mar- kets
ascertained and communication messages implemented through a variety of methods and
media. The plan needs to be implemented, measured and controlled with the results
feeding into the next planning cycle. The whole process should be informed by continual
research and evaluation and must allow for the flexibility, creativity and innovation
necessary to produce effective marketing communica- tions. A model which incorporates
these factors is shown in Figure 1.2.
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Marketing Communications Planning 15
ntati
on
Obje
me
ple
S
ituation analysis
ctiv
e
Communications about:
Event
Event programme
Brand
Event organizer
Venue
Sponsor
Communication to:
Attendees, participants,
sponsors, media,
employees, volunteers,
community
ho
d
Evaluation, measurement
s
an
and control
g e
d
ev
e
lo
d
m
e
dia
Positio nin
g a n d m
e
ssa
Figure 1.2 An integrated planning model for marketing communications.
Discussion points
t
t
i
n
g
s e
Im
B
u
d
g
e
t
i
n
g
T
a
r
g
e
t
i
n
g
M
e
t
p
m
en
t
1 With reference to Case study 1.1 and your own examples summarize the key
elements of integrated marketing communications planning.
2 Identify and compare the benefits and drawbacks of applying a formalized market-
ing communications planning process in the following organizations:
a) a large exhibition venue
b) a community festival committee
c) an international sporting tournament organization
d) a wedding planner
e) one more event organization of your choice
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16 Innovative Marketing Communications
References
Baker, S. and Mitchell, H. (2000) Integrated marketing communications: Implications
for managers. European Society for Opinion and Market Research, November.
Broderick and Kitchen, 2001. [**1.3]
Cooper, A. (1997) How to Plan Advertising. The Account Planning Group. Cassell.
Duncan, T.R. and Everett, S.E. (1993) Client perceptions of integrated marketing
communications. Journal of Advertising Research, 33 (3), 30-39.
Effie Awards: Brief of effectiveness (2003). DoubleTake documentary film festival:
How much reality can you handle? New York American Marketing Association. Fill,
C. (2002) Marketing Communications: Contexts, Strategies and Applications. Pearson
Education.
Hartley, B. and Pickton, D. (1999) Integrated communication requires a new way of
thinking. Journal of Marketing Communications, 5, 97-106.
Masterman, G.R. (2004) Strategic Sports Event Management. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Pickton, D. and Broderick, A. (2001) Integrated Marketing Communications. Pearson
Education.
Schultz, D.E. (1998). [**1.4]
Shimp, T.A. (1997) Advertising, Promotion, and Supplemental Aspects of Integrated
Marketing Communications, 4
th
edn. The Dryden Press.
Smith, P., Perry, C. and Pulford, A. (1997) Strategic Marketing Communications.
Kogan Page.
Tucker Knapp (2002) www.tuckerknapp.com (accessed October, 2004). [**1.1]
Wirthlin (1999) Comunications strategy toolkit. The Wirthlin Report 9 (6).
doc_699159140.docx
When considering marketing communications within the corporate and marketing strategies of an organization, it is necessary to emphasize the long-term and integrated nature of those communications. This requires the consideration of communication objectives which may not be achieved for several years, such as brand loyalty or attitude change, rather than a simple focus on the short term, e.g. sales figures for the next event.
0750663618-ch001.qxd 29/3/05 12:18 Page 1
Section One
Integrated Marketing
Communications
Trafalgar Square, London. A month of free events, July 2004. 'Summer in the Square,' coordinated by
the Greater London Authority, consisted of a series of events; Bollywood Steps (dance displays),
a Children's Art day, Square perspectives (dancing on a transparent stage), Trafalgar shores (Caribbean
dance, seaside puppetry), Masquerade (Nigerian drama), Love in the Square (music performances),
the Magic Flute (street opera), and the Norwich Union London Sports Park (athletics displays and coaching).
0750663618-ch001.qxd 29/3/05 12:18 Page 2
The four chapters in this section provide an overview of the
communications planning process and the importance of an
integrated approach. The aim is to build an understanding of
the key stages of the process.
Chapter 1 considers the process as a whole and describes the
integrated approach to marketing communications, putting into
context its application in the events industry and providing a
model of event communications planning.
The following chapters consider the three key elements of the
marketing plan: research and analysis throughout the process;
the targeting process and setting of objectives; and the forma-
tion of innovative strategies.
Marketing
Communications
Planning
Research and
Analysis
Communication
Objectives and
Targeting
Communications
Strategy
0750663618-ch001.qxd 29/3/05 12:18 Page 3
Chapter 1
Marketing
Communications
Planning
Objectives
To introduce the concept of integrated marketing communications
To discuss the need for a marketing communications planning
process
To evaluate the models of communication planning
To provide an overview of the key stages in the communications planning
process
Introduction
When considering marketing communications within the corporate and marketing strategies of an
organization, it is necessary to emphasize the long-term and integrated nature of those communi- cations.
This requires the consideration of communication objectives which may not be achieved for several years,
such as brand loyalty or attitude change, rather than a simple focus on the short term, e.g. sales figures for
the next event. This chapter highlights the long-term nature of devel- oping successful communications
plans and stresses the need to utilize and integrate a wide variety of tools, techniques and media within
the plan.
Integrated marketing
communications
Communication is the process whereby thoughts are conveyed and meaning is shared between
individuals or organizations. A general model of communication is given in Figure 1.1. This model
recognizes the possibility of the receiver taking a different meaning from the communication than that
intended by the sender due to the encoding/decoding process and the 'noise' associated with
0750663618-ch001.qxd 29/3/05 12:18 Page 4
4 Innovative Marketing Communications
NOISE
distractions
clutter
Sender
e.g. event
organizer Encoding
e.g. images
chosen for
Message
posters
e.g. 'an
exciting event'
Media
e.g. billboards
Decoding
interpretation/
meaning
Receiver
target
audience/
Feedback
requests for
more
information
Response
awareness,
interest
others
Figure 1.1 Major elements in the communication process.
the process. This emphasizes the need for careful planning and control of the
communication process, as even highly controllable communication methods, such as
personalized direct marketing, need to be carefully monitored to determine their effects on
the receiver.
Marketing within events relies heavily on communication whether this be in directly
informing potential customers of a product offering, in creating a brand image in the
marketplace, or through customer feedback and market research. Marketing
communications represent the collection of all elements in a brand's mar- keting mix that
facilitate exchanges by establishing shared meanings with the brand's stakeholders. The
brand can refer to an individual product (one event), a group of products (a programme of
events) or a wider organizational brand (the event organizer, the location, the sponsor).
The stakeholders will consist of a range of groups such as existing and potential
customers, employees, sponsors and the local community.
When the audience of a marketing communications message decodes or translates the
message they can do so on a number of levels. The Wirthlin Report (1999) describes
these levels as a ladder from the communicator to the audience. The lowest level consists
of rational components, the product's attributes (e.g. venue, performers,
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Marketing Communications Planning 5
date) and the functional consequences of using the product (e.g. entertainment). The higher
levels are the emotional components consisting of psychosocial consequences or personal
emotional outcomes (e.g. 'made me forget my worries') and personal val- ues or major goals
and ideals (e.g. self-esteem, peace of mind, love). Communication that operates on all
levels is likely to be more effective in building a longer-term change in attitude and
behaviour.
A number of factors have led to a move away from the traditional promotions mix for
marketing communications (personal selling, advertising, sales promotion and public
relations) to the development of the concept of integrated marketing com- munications
(IMC). Integrated marketing communications has been defined in a
number of ways:
a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a com-
prehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of communications disci - plines . . . .
and combines these to provide clarity, consistency and maximum communication impact (Duncan and
Everett, 1993).
The coordination of all promotional activities to produce a unified, customer-focused pro-
motional message (Broderick and Kitchen, 2001).
The harmonization of customer-orientated promotional messages (Fill, 2002).
All consistent interactions a stakeholder has with an organization (Schultz, 1998).
An organization's unified, coordinated effort to promote a brand concept through the use of
multiple communication tools that 'speak with one voice' (Shimp, 1997).
These definitions illustrate the continuing development of integrated marketing com-
munications as a concept. Generally, it appears to be agreed that IMC came to the fore in the
1990s and evolved due to a number of reasons. First, a reduced faith in the effec- tiveness of
the mass media and, consequently, the move towards highly targeted com- munication
methods and, secondly, due to the greater demands being placed on marketing
communication suppliers and the increased need to demonstrate return on investment.
Thirdly, there is the need to coordinate and integrate the ever-widening array of
communication tools and media available to the marketer (Table 1.1).
The complexity of the reality of IMC is clearly demonstrated in Hartley and Pickton's
(1999) model of the 'mindscape of integrated marketing communications' and 'the wheel of
integrated marketing communications' developed by Pickton and Broderick (2001). These
models present the marketing communications techniques included within the traditional
categories of advertising, sales promotion, public relations and personal selling, but
illustrate the requirement for these to overlap and
Table 1.1 Comparison of traditional versus IMC perspectives
Traditional marketing communications
Separate functions: fragmentation
Starts with organization (goals, products)
Specialist practitioners
Fragmented communication programmes
Shorter-term objectives
Mass audiences
Integrated marketing communications
Integrated into one strategy: synergy
Customer orientated
Generalists
Consistent communication programmes
Relationship/brand building objectives
Targeted to stakeholder segments
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6 Innovative Marketing Communications
to be used in a number of differing ways. The use of a combination of one-to-one
communications and one-to-many communications for both image and brand man-
agement as well as customer contact management is a vital aspect of IMC. In recog-
nizing the variety of techniques, the numerous potential objectives and differing target
audiences plus the overlaps between these, the models illustrate both the potential
benefits of IMC and some of the reasons for it not being adopted within many
organizations. These barriers to IMC include the difficulties in managing the process and
the choice of whether this is done in-house or through an agency. There are also problems
in overcoming the mindset of the traditional segmentation of the promotion components
and defining the scope of IMC (i.e. does it also include corporate and internal
communications).
In order to overcome some of these issues, planning models have been developed
by a number of authors and these will be considered in the next section.
The methods for managing IMC are of lesser importance than the acceptance of the
concept that any communications plan needs to consider and use, where appro- priate, a
variety of communication tools and that in doing this it is necessary, and beneficial, to
ensure consistency of the message (shared core meaning) and comple- mentarity of the
methods.
Importance of a planning
process
In order to gain competitive advantage and to ensure added value for the customer, the
communication process needs to be planned in a systematic and controlled man- ner. With
an ever-increasing choice of communication methods and ways of com- bining these, it is
vital that any decisions made are based on accurate, up-to-date and relevant information.
The planning of any process allows management to assess the risks and returns of any
course of action before deciding upon it. If marketing communications are devel- oped in
an ad hoc, fragmented manner, then they will be difficult to monitor in terms of objectives,
budget and return. The risks involved, therefore, in investing relatively large amounts of
time, expertise and financial resources can be minimized by careful planning and their
investment justified by the meeting of clearly defined objectives measured through
carefully planned evaluation procedures. A further benefit is that a wrongly chosen
communication strategy is more likely to be identified at an early stage if a planning
process has been followed. This can then be modified or shelved before more serious
damage is done. Similarly, the early identification of problems in implementation can be
facilitated by the planning process.
An often overlooked benefit of planning is in its cyclical nature. Each new plan- ning
cycle benefits from the lessons learnt in the earlier plans, i.e. learning from pre- vious
mistakes and successes. This again requires systematic and objective evaluations of the
outcomes and process of the previous communications plan. Using such past experiences
in a more formalized manner can help to ensure increasing levels of efficiency and
effectiveness in any future communications plans.
In order to ensure that communications operate at a strategic rather than tactical level
within the organization, objectives need to be set for the longer term. The planning
process can help ensure that these are set within the constraints of the
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Marketing Communications Planning 7
organization's resources and the external environment and that they are set for the long, mid
and short term.
The difficult task of integrating the various aspects of marketing communications and of
ensuring a consistent core message to all stakeholder groups can only be achieved through
a well-planned communications campaign. The integration, consistency and
complementarity needed to gain synergy and hence increased customer value and
competitive advantage will only happen if a systematic and well-defined process is
followed.
There are, of course, some possible drawbacks to a formal communications process.
Successful marketing communications, to a large extent, rely on creativity and innovation.
An overly formalized or restrictive planning system could be in danger of stifling this
creativity in favour of tried and tested methods. The need to pre-test, retest, monitor and
evaluate can lengthen the development and implemen- tation time for a campaign and may
provide competitors with the information and lead-time to launch counter campaigns to
reduce any impact. A planning process needs to be developed, therefore, which does not
inhibit creativity and is not overly bureaucratic and formalized.
Marketing communications
planning
Models of communications planning generally tend to be based on the planning framework
of situation analysis, objective setting, strategy development, budgeting, implementation
and control (Cooper, 1997; Smith et al., 1997; Tucker Knapp, 2001; [**1.1] Fill, 2002).
Each model has its benefits and drawbacks. For example, Cooper (1997) clearly
demonstrates the cyclical nature of planning and emphasizes the cre- ativity needed within
communications planning. However, this model is focused on advertising and therefore
does not show the integration and coordination of other communications methods. Fill
(2002) provides a useful overview of each of the areas that need to be considered, bringing
in marketing research and agencies to the situ- ation analysis and recognizing the levels of
objectives (corporate, marketing and communication). This model usefully splits
promotional strategies into pull (aimed at end customers), push (aimed at intermediaries)
and profile (reaching a range of target groups). The key elements of Fill's (2002) marketing
communications plan-
ning framework are:
?
?
?
?
?
?
context analysis
marketing objectives and positioning
marketing communications strategy
development of the promotional mix
implementation
evaluating and monitoring performance.
However, as Kitchen (1999) [**1.2] points out there are disadvantages to structured
planning in that it can lead to 'me-too' strategies, it can encourage seeing customers as targets
rather than partners and can give sometimes a dangerous illusion of con- trol. Creativity and
intuition need to be provided for within the planning process, as
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8 Innovative Marketing Communications
does the recognition that the earlier stages of the plan (formulation of objectives and
strategies) are closely related to implementation and control and that the process is not
necessarily sequential. The process for event planning (Masterman, 2004) shows the
iterative nature of planning which needs to be adopted within the communica- tions plans
of event organizations.
A non-sequential yet structured process which encompasses all the elements of IMC
(consistency, integration and complementarity) and allows for the creativity, intuition and
innovativeness of the events industry is the ideal. These qualities may not be easy to
combine in one model, but should still underpin the communications process for events
organizations.
Overview of marketing communications planning
Situation analysis
The initial stages in any planning cycle are to gain an understanding of the current position
and the context within which the plan will operate. This involves the gath- ering, analysis
and interpretation of information from a wide range of sources.
The most important area to research is the organization's stakeholders with whom it will
be communicating. An in-depth understanding is needed of each group's cur- rent attitudes
to, opinions of and beliefs about the organization, its brands and its events. Knowledge of
purchase behaviour and each group's views of competing products will also be needed.
Specific information is required on their reactions to past and future communications
campaigns, their media preferences etc.
Other areas that need to be researched are competitor activity, the views of inter-
mediaries, suppliers and employees and the wider external environment. This includes
legal and political changes relating to marketing communications, advances or
innovations in communication technology and general social trends which may affect
communication preferences.
Although often discussed as the first stage, information gathering needs to be ongoing
and should inform each aspect of the communications plan. The research into
communication specific issues should become part of the organization's overall marketing
information system which will include competitor and market intelli- gence,
environmental scanning and wider marketing research as well as data gener- ated
internally by the day-to-day operations of the organization. The research needs for events
marketing communications are discussed in more depth in Chapter 2.
Objective setting
Once a thorough understanding of the stakeholders, external environment and the
organizational context has been gained, it is then possible to set communications
objectives for the campaign. These will often be the first part of a written marketing
communications plan and will be used to steer the rest of the process. Communications
objectives will be set within the framework of wider marketing objectives of the
organization and these in turn will have been set to achieve the corporate objectives.
Communication objectives should not include overall sales value, profit margins or
market share, but should encompass goals specific to the direct effects of com-
munication, e.g. brand awareness, response rates, attitude change, offer take-up, personal
recommendations etc.
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Marketing Communications Planning 9
The communications plan may include sub-objectives for each stakeholder or target
audience and for periods of time within the planning cycle. Separate objectives for each
communications method should not be set at this stage, as this presumes the strategic
choices yet to be made and jeopardizes the integration of the overall com- munications
strategy. The setting of communication objectives is covered in detail in Chapter 3.
Targeting
Deciding on the audiences, or recipients, of marketing communications needs to be done at
an early stage in the planning process. It may be necessary for this to be done both before
and after objective setting. As the communications plan is likely to be set within the context
of a marketing plan, target groups may well have been identified as part of the overall
marketing strategy. If this is the case then these 'predetermined audiences' need to be focused
on in the research stage and described in detail in the situation analysis. Objectives can then
be set for each group already identified. It is then necessary to apply a further breakdown of
these groups once the communica- tion objectives have been set. For example, an objective
to increase awareness of the interactive aspects of Glastonbury Festival's website may
require the targeting of dis- tinct segments, i.e. past customers, existing customers (those
with tickets) and would-be customers (those who could not get tickets), whereas initial
targeting in the marketing strategy may have been 'eighteen to twenty-five-year olds who
listen to live music'.
Targeting is an essential part of successful communications as it recognizes the
preferences and needs of each different group, which can then be reflected in the chosen
strategies. These preferences and needs will be widely different between some groups, e.g.
sponsors, attendees, local community, but may also vary within groups. For example, the
visitors to the Ideal Home Show will include couples, families and organizational buyers
and these can be further split into those who live in the UK to those from overseas, or those
who attend regularly and first time attendees etc.
Identifying target audiences, further segmenting each audience and then specify- ing their
characteristics, preferences and behaviour allows communications meth- ods to be tailored
to their needs and therefore those methods are likely to be more successful in meeting the
objectives. The additional cost involved in creating sepa- rate targeted communications
campaigns is far outweighed by the benefits gained in terms of both efficiency and
effectiveness.
Positioning and message strategies
In order to ensure the consistency and integration required, it is necessary to deter- mine
overarching strategies for positioning and for the communications message.
Positioning refers to the image in the mind of the audience of the organization, its brand,
its events or its services relative to their image of competing products. The desired position
will be developed based on the research undertaken in the situation analysis, the focus of
the communication objectives and to some extent predeter- mined from the marketing plan
objectives and strategy if these exist. As positioning reflects the perception of the brand by
the target audiences, it is important to develop appropriate positioning strategies for each
target group. For example, a corporate event organizer will recognize that being perceived
as developing the most innova- tive and creative events may be important for some FMCG
(fast-moving consumer
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10 Innovative Marketing Communications
goods) clients, whereas being seen as highly reliable with high levels of service may be
key for financial sector clients. These specific positioning strategies need to fit within the
overall image of the organization and its brand if consistency and synergy are to be
achieved. Therefore, an overarching positioning statement is developed and adapted
positioning strategies for each target market are fitted within this. Without the overarching
strategy the audiences are likely to receive mixed, confusing or at worst conflicting
messages.
The message strategy is developed from the positioning statement to provide a
consistent and repeated image to the target audiences. Again this will be adapted in form
and style for each target group, but the overall message will remain the same.
The strategic options available will be partly determined by the organization's
competitive position (market leader, challenger, follower or nicher), the product or
industry life cycle (introduction, growth, maturity or decline), the strengths and
weaknesses of the organization and the external environment. However, the most
important determining factor should always be the needs and preferences of stakeholders.
Method and media strategies
The adaptation of the overall message to meet the needs of each target audience is
achieved through the manipulation of the wide variety of communication methods and
media available to the marketer.
An initial decision to be made is whether or not the methods will involve push or pull
strategies or a combination of both. Push strategies are targeted at marketing
intermediaries (agents, distributors, brokers) and pull strategies at end customers.
Methods involve choices such as stressing the USP (unique selling proposition) of the
brand or the brand's image, creating a resonance with the audience, using rational or
emotional appeals. Other choices need to select methods on the scale of one-to-one versus
one-to-many communications, interactive versus passive and information based versus
image based.
The methods of marketing communications have been traditionally grouped into the
four categories of advertising, sales promotion, personal selling and public rela- tions.
However, with the advent of integrated marketing communications and the development
of new and innovative methods, these categories have become less useful as many
methods overlap and fit into more than one category. Pickton and Broderick's (2001)
'Wheel of IMC' demonstrates this well and clearly shows the wide variety of methods now
available.
The message and method chosen will, to a large extent, determine which media are
appropriate as will the characteristics and preferences of the target audiences. Media
choices range from the traditional use of newspapers, sales people, press releases and
prize draws to highly interactive websites, product placement in com- puter games, the use
of SMS (texting) or ever more attention grabbing promotional events. The important and
increasing role of events as a communication method used by other industries is covered
in Section 3.
Creative combinations of a number of methods and media delivering a consistent
message will ensure the success of a communications campaign. The diversity of
methods and media available mean that there are unlimited possibilities for creating the
new and innovative communications campaigns that are necessary in an increas- ingly
overcrowded marketplace. Consumers are becoming ever more cynical and selective in
their interest and responses to marketing communications and novelty and subtlety are
required to capture and maintain the interest of these audiences
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Marketing Communications Planning 11
exposed to thousands of marketing messages every day. The diverse range of methods
available for communicating with event stakeholders is covered in Section 2.
Communications budget
Any communication campaign will be set within certain organizational constraints. These
constraints will include the managerial style of the organization in terms of risk-taking,
innovativeness and creative freedom and of course the willingness to commit financial
resources. The determination of the budget for an integrated mar- keting communications
campaign can be contentious as a quantifiable financial return on investment can be
difficult to prove in accountancy terms. This difficulty again emphasizes the importance of
having measurable objectives, as the achieve- ment of these objectives can justify the
original resources invested and can also be used to secure future budgets.
The ideal form of budget setting is 'objective-and-task'. This logical process sug- gests that
if objectives have been set that are desirable, realistic and achievable then the finances
should be made available to enable those objectives to be achieved. The budget negotiation
process therefore takes place once the communications plan has been determined, i.e. this is
what we need to achieve, this is how it can be done and this is what it will cost. If the
resources are not available to meet the needs of the proposed plan then the objectives must
be revised, although this would, perhaps, suggest that the original objectives were not set
within an understanding of the organization's strengths and resources.
Although, objective-and-task budget setting is preferred, it is rarely the method used
with most organizations relying on more traditional financially based criteria. These are
likely to be based on a set percentage of last year's sales or a percentage of the overall
marketing budget. If the budget is allocated prior to the determination of objectives and
strategies then the budget becomes part of the situational context within which the
communications plan is developed and objectives should be set within this constraint.
An understanding of how and when the budget is negotiated and set is an impor- tant
element of the marketing communications planning process and has implica- tions for the
implementation, control and monitoring of the plan once determined.
Implementation
This aspect of the communications planning process is often given less emphasis with the
focus tending to be on the creative aspects of strategy development, however, the best
strategies will fail if wrongly implemented.
The practicalities of implementing a fully integrated marketing communications plan need
to be addressed through cross-functional teams within the organization often complemented
by the use of agencies and other external specialists. The coordina- tion and management of
these roles and organizations requires detailed planning and a clear delineation of duties
and responsibilities along with a shared under- standing of what is to be achieved. The key
to successful implementation is there- fore effective internal communications, as all those
involved must send a single positive message to stakeholder groups at all points of contact.
The main aspects of implementation have been defined by Smith et al. (1997) as the 3Ms;
men, money and minutes. These include the roles and responsibilities for each element of
the plan, the costs involved and the timing and flow of tasks.
The management of the communications plan involves process management, resource
management, internal marketing and communications, scheduling and
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12 Innovative Marketing Communications
budgeting with an overarching focus on the integration and coordination of a variety of
resources and expertise. These areas will be considered in Chapter 14.
Measurement, evaluation and control
In order to ensure the success of a marketing communications plan, it is necessary to
measure certain aspects both during and after the campaign and to evaluate these measures
against predetermined criteria. These criteria need to be based around the objectives of the
campaign often broken down by time-scale, target group or cam- paign tactic. The
evaluation against these criteria will then provide the necessary indicators to use for
control purposes. Control is the action taken as a result of the evaluation and may involve
the decision to maintain or amend the existing plan as well as being the basis for future
plan development.
There are, therefore, two aspects to control. First, to ensure that the plan is being
implemented as it should be and secondly, to check that the strategies being imple- mented
are having the expected effect, i.e. the control of implementation and the control of
outcome (or efficiency and effectiveness control).
For example, as a part of its communication campaign a music festival advertised a free
ticket hot line in the local newspaper. Interim measurements found that only 50 per cent of
the claimed tickets were likely to be used. An evaluation of the rea- sons for this
disappointing take-up discovered that it was largely due to customer dissatisfaction with
the attitude of the telesales staff handling the ad response and that their lack of knowledge
had deterred respondents from attending the event. This evaluation, therefore, suggested
an implementation problem rather than a problem with the strategy and it was possible
to switch to a more specialized telesales agency for the remainder of the campaign.
The methods used to measure and evaluate communications strategies are varied and
can range from large consumer surveys to ad hoc sales force feedback, from complex
statistical data analysis to intuitive interpretation of anecdotal evidence. All can be valid
and useful as long as they are undertaken and interpreted in an objective, timely and
systematic way and use the campaign objectives as their main criteria for evaluation.
Methods that can be used to research campaign effectiveness will be considered in the
next chapter as well as in Chapter 14.
The written communication plan
The written plan is a vital document for internal communications and implementa-
tion and should as a minimum include:
?
?
?
?
?
objectives
goals
audience/s
timetable, tools and budget
evaluation.
In order to help achieve the shared understanding and integration of purpose needed, the
plan should summarize the main issues and details of marketing com- munications
activities, showing relevant background information and marketing communications
decisions (Pickton and Broderick, 2001).
An example of the communications planning process is shown in Case study 1.1. This
case illustrates how a well-developed communications plan helped a small- scale festival
gain nationwide recognition.
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Marketing Communications Planning 13
Case study 1.1
The DoubleTake Documentary Film Festival Agency:
McKinney & Silver
Situation analysis
This documentary film festival based in North Carolina, USA was founded in 1998. The festival
had a narrow fan base and, due to this and its regional image, was failing to attract sponsorship
investment. The lack of sponsors meant that the organization had less money to invest in build- ing
its brand to attract the better directors that were needed to attract a broader fan base and so the cycle
continued. The key problem, therefore, was in changing perception among stakeholders from being
seen as a regional festival to being a major player in the entertainment industry.
Aim: Broaden the appeal of the film festival
Objectives
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Increase advanced sales of passes by 50 per cent
Increase overall attendance (seats filled) by 15 per cent
Increase sponsorship $
Gain recognition as one of USA's leading film festivals
Target audiences
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Main focus: Mainstream entertainment enthusiasts (new target audience)
Peripheral: Existing loyal fans (not to be alienated by new campaign)
Existing and potential sponsors Industry
press and associations
Creative strategy
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Positioning: Research found that off-centre stories with an edge were most appealing.
Needed to provide a 'taste' of documentaries as entertainment and the feeling that this style of
entertainment could only be experienced at the DoubleTake Festival.
Message: 'True reality is more entertaining than TV boardroom created reality'. Method:
Mini-documentaries showing absurd and provocative real-life vignettes.
Media: A low budget for media was provided so low cost but well-targeted cable channels were
used such as MTV, P, Comedy Central plus coverage on NBC. These television adver- tisements
were complemented by print ads in local newspapers and alternative news week- lies in order to re-
frame mainstream audience perception of documentaries.
Integrated communications
The main campaign was television based but was extended to all touchpoints via websites,
direct mail, point-of-purchase and sponsorship sales kits. Posters were also provided as premiums
for sponsors.
Budget for media: $500k
Evaluation
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Advanced sales of passes up 177 per cent
seats filled up 31 per cent
sponsorship up 26 per cent and lead sponsor gained for next year gained
number of prestigious national recognitions.
Source: based on Effie Awards: Brief of Effectiveness 2003
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14 Innovative Marketing Communications
Summary
Integrated marketing communications has provided the basis for much of the continued
interest in one-to-one marketing and customer relationship management and has the
potential to bring together the concepts of integration, alignment, measurement and
accountability in communications (Baker and Mitchell, 2000). The merging of these ideas
into an approach that recognizes and takes advantage of the convergence of traditional and
new interactive marketing approaches is undoubt- edly the way forward in marketing
communications.
An integrated marketing communications programme includes written, spoken and
electronic interactions with stakeholder audiences. These interactions are used to create
awareness, interest and involvement in the organization, its activities, programmes,
people, service and products.
The integration of a variety of communications methods ensures that the message
remains focused and therefore achieves a far greater impact than traditional fragmented
promotional methods.
A successful communications plan will be based on an understanding of target
audience needs and requires the organization to spend time analysing their market position
and determining objectives. Through this analysis the planning process encourages
consideration of new marketing tactics, methods and media. The requirement for
cooperation and coordination helps to build teamwork, commit- ment and focus, both at
intra- and inter-company level, improving all internal and external communication. A
well-developed and implemented communications plan will facilitate continual
improvement through measurement and evaluation and
will ensure efficient progress towards longer-term communication objectives.
In order to ensure these benefits a process for integrated marketing communica-
tions planning is needed which should involve consideration of:
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situation analysis
objective setting
targeting
positioning and message strategies
method and media strategies
communications budget
implementation
measurement, evaluation and control.
The communications planning process for event organizations needs to include a staged
process where the current position is researched, objectives set, target mar- kets
ascertained and communication messages implemented through a variety of methods and
media. The plan needs to be implemented, measured and controlled with the results
feeding into the next planning cycle. The whole process should be informed by continual
research and evaluation and must allow for the flexibility, creativity and innovation
necessary to produce effective marketing communica- tions. A model which incorporates
these factors is shown in Figure 1.2.
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Marketing Communications Planning 15
ntati
on
Obje
me
ple
S
ituation analysis
ctiv
e
Communications about:
Event
Event programme
Brand
Event organizer
Venue
Sponsor
Communication to:
Attendees, participants,
sponsors, media,
employees, volunteers,
community
ho
d
Evaluation, measurement
s
an
and control
g e
d
ev
e
lo
d
m
e
dia
Positio nin
g a n d m
e
ssa
Figure 1.2 An integrated planning model for marketing communications.
Discussion points
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1 With reference to Case study 1.1 and your own examples summarize the key
elements of integrated marketing communications planning.
2 Identify and compare the benefits and drawbacks of applying a formalized market-
ing communications planning process in the following organizations:
a) a large exhibition venue
b) a community festival committee
c) an international sporting tournament organization
d) a wedding planner
e) one more event organization of your choice
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16 Innovative Marketing Communications
References
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Hartley, B. and Pickton, D. (1999) Integrated communication requires a new way of
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Masterman, G.R. (2004) Strategic Sports Event Management. Butterworth-Heinemann.
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Schultz, D.E. (1998). [**1.4]
Shimp, T.A. (1997) Advertising, Promotion, and Supplemental Aspects of Integrated
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th
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