Marketing Communication

Chapter 3 : : Marketing Communication

Planning process
Dr. Nesrine ZOUAOUI REJEB
[Link]@[Link]

2024 - 2025
 Plan
Chap 1 : Introduction to Marketing Communication
Chap 2 : Buyer Behavior and How Marketing Communication work
Chap 3 : Marketing Communication Planning Process
Chap 4 : Advertising Compaign Management and Design
Chap 5 : Traditional Media channels and media planning
Chap 6 : Sales promotions, Direct Marketing, Public relations, Social Media
and Alternative marketing

Course materials :
- FilFill,. C; & Turnbull,. S. (2016), Marketing communications : discovery, creation and conversation,
7th edition; Pearson.
- Fill,. C; & Turnbull,. S. (2023), Marketing communications : fame, influencers and agility, 9th
edition; Pearson.
- Clow,. K; & Baack,. D. (2017), Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing Communications,
8th edition, Pearson
- Clow,. K; & Baack,. D. (2022), Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing Communications,
9th edition, Pearson
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process

The principal tasks facing those managing

marketing communications are to decide:
• who should receive the brand’s messages
• what is to be achieved
• what the messages should say
• how the messages are to be delivered
• what actions the receivers should take
• what image of the organisation/brand receivers
are expected to retain
• how much is to be spent establishing this new
image
• how to control the whole process once it has
been implemented
• what was achieved.
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process

Marketing communications plans should consist of

the following elements. These elements are now
considered in turn:
• Context analysis (developed from a
communications perspective).
• Communications objectives.
• Marketing communications strategy.
• Coordinated communications mix (tools, media
and content).
• Resources (human and financial).
• Scheduling and implementation.
• Evaluation and control.
• Feedback.
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process

The MC planing process

Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
1. Context Analysis

Understanding of the context in which media are

used and messages consumed is necessary in order
to optimise the impact of marketing
communications.
An understanding of context helps bridge the work
of strategists, creatives and the media team, in
order to create customer relevancy

Understand the key market and communications

drivers that are likely to influence (or are already
influencing) a brand (or organisation) and either
help or hinder its progress towards meeting its
long-term objectives.
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
1. Context Analysis

The main elements of the context analysis

Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
2. Communication objectives

Marketing objectives tend to be general because

they are for entire company.
Some examples of marketing objectives include the
following:
• Sales volume
• Market share
• Profits
• Return on investment
In contrast, a communications plan may emphasize
a specific communications objective.

The communication objectives need to be

set out in SMART terminology
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
2. Communication objectives

• Develop brand awareness

• Increase category demand
• Change customer beliefs and attitudes
• Enhance purchase actions
• Encourage repeat purchases
• Build customer traffic
• Enhance firm image
• Increase market share
• Increase sales
• Reinforce purchase decisions
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
2. Communication objectives
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
3. Marketing Communication strategy

Strategy encompasses the design, implementation and

evaluation of a course of action that leads to the satisfaction
or achievement of previously set objectives.

Strategy, objectives, tactics and implementation are discrete

activities but they are all an integral part of strategy.

Broadly, marketing communications strategy concerns the

overall approach used to realise marketing and
communications objectives, within an audience-related
context.
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
3. Marketing Communication strategy

Four interpretations of marketing communications strategy

Source : Fill,. C; & Turnbull,. S. (2023), Marketing communications : fame, influencers and agility,
9th edition; Pearson.
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
3. Marketing Communication strategy
a. Marketing communication as a position

Identifying Target Audience needs and prefrences

• Analyse what the target audience values, needs or desires in a product category

Differentiation

• Identify what unique attributes set the brand apart from competitors

Developing a core message

• A clear and consistent message is crafted that encapsulates this positioning

Communication channels

• The message tailored and distributed across various platforms

Consistency and adaptability

• Maintaining a consistent brand image

Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
3. Marketing Communication strategy
b. Marketing communication as an audience

It is essential tailor communications to each audience.

• Pull strategies – these are intended to influence end-

user customers (consumers and B2B).
• Push strategies – these are intended to influence
marketing (trade) channel buyers.
• Profile strategies – these are intended to influence a
wide range of stakeholders, not just customers and
intermediaries
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
3. Marketing Communication strategy
c. Marketing communication as a platform
Marketing communications strategy should be developed
thematically and consistently around an agreed core theme,
or a platform

3 main platforms can be identified :

Creative platforms : are strategies based on a big, core
advertising-led idea that enables audiences to recognise the
idea across different media and touchpoints.
Brand concept platforms : are characterised by their roots
within a brand. These types of campaigns can be
disaggregated into those based on tangible product
attributes and those founded on more intangible conceptual
ideas
Participation Platforms : are a modern strategic approach
enabled by digital media, allowing brands and audiences to
interact, engage in dialogue, and participate in various
events, actions, and communities.
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
3. Marketing Communication strategy
d. Marketing communication as a configuration

The configuration approach to marketing communications

strategy gives emphasis to the structural aspects
associated with the design of a message, and the way it is
conveyed and received.

This approach to communications strategy involves the

configuration of four facets of communications:
 Frequency,
 Direction,
 Modality
 Content of communications
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
3. Marketing Communication strategy

 The communications strategy can take many

different forms.
 It should always be customer, not
method/media-oriented.
 Strategy depends on whether the target
audience is a customer segment, a distributor
or dealer network, or whether other
stakeholders need to be reached.
 It is imperative that the strategy be geared to
the communications needs of the target
audience
 It requires determining the task that needs to
be accomplished
 Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
3. Marketing Communication strategy

Target Audience

Target Market Target Audience

It refers to a large group of A segment that will view specific

people who can benefit from marketing messages and
your brand’s offerings. advertisements.
people who will search for, It is more detailed and smaller
recognize, purchase, and use than your broader market and
your products or services. can be greater than your core
target.
 Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
4. Communication Mix

Advertising, sales promotion, public

relations, direct marketing, personal
selling and added-value approaches such
as sponsorship and exhibitions.

Paid media, Owned

Tools
media, Earned media.
Content can be
primarily informative or
emotional, user
Media generated or branded

Content
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
5. Budget

Types of budget
• Percentage of Sales
– Sales of current year, or next year
– Simple
– Tends to work in the opposite
direction
– Does not meet special needs
• Meet the competition
– Seeks to prevent market share loss
– Highly competitive markets
– Dollars may not be spent efficiently
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
5. Budget

Types of budget
• What we can afford
– Set after all other items
budgeted
– Do not view marketing as
important
• Objective and task
– Budgets determined by
objectives
– Best method of budgeting
– Used by 50% of firms
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
5. Budget

Types of budget
• Payout planning
– Ratio—advertising to
sales or market share
– Larger percent at product
launch
– Lower percent when
brand established
– Based on threshold effect
• Quantitative models
– Computer simulations
– Develop models based on
historical data
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process
6. Communication schedule

• Pulsating schedule : involves

advertising throughout the entire
year with bursts of additional
spending at select times, such as
holidays.
• Flighting schedule : allocates the
budget only during peak times,
with no other times during the
year
• Continuous schedule: divides the
budget equally throughout the
entire year.
Chapter 3 - Marketing Communication Planning Process

The end