If the company intends to conquer the market or even part of it, then large-scale advertising campaigns cannot be dispensed with. Given the competitive environment, consumer selectivity and the specifics of marketing measures in general, a strictly scientific approach should be followed.
The main stages of planning an advertising campaign
Distributing a new product, brand or idea to the masses is a lengthy and costly process. To achieve the goals of the company, complex promotion measures will be required: advertising on different media, image publications in the media, participation in various events, not even of an advertising nature.
What are the stages and how are they different?
Planning an advertising campaign follows the following sequence of actions:
- Research.
- Budget.
- Definition of goals.
- Definition of a place.
- Determining the duration for each campaign.
- Format selection.
- Design and development.
- Correction and revision.
- Planning the company’s work during campaigns.
- Launching an advertising campaign.
- Efficiency mark.
Given the specific features, each of the stages deserves special attention.
Market research and target audience
Planning an advertising campaign begins with a thorough study. They should be carried out in several directions: market research, customer needs, marketing situation on the market, approaches of competitors - what they emphasize and how they promote their product. The market should be considered by segments.
Also, the strategic planning of advertising campaigns should focus on drawing up a portrait of a potential client: what he does, what problems he has, from what channels he receives information and how the advertising campaign can get into his field of vision.
If the staff has specialists, then the company can conduct these studies on its own. This is usually how large corporations work. If the company is small, then it can order research work from special agencies specializing in collecting such information.
Budget definition
Planning an advertising campaign moves to a new level when a budget is laid for upcoming events. There is no concrete example of an estimate, since the cost of services in each case is purely individual. The overall budget also depends on the following factors:
- Placement of advertising. Traditionally, these are television, newspapers, magazines, radio and special publications.
- Terms of placement. Media resources encourage serious advertisers. In practice, the majority is ready to provide discounts and bonuses for the volume of advertising or the length of the placement period.
- The budget of the enterprise. How much is the company willing to spend on advertising? What system are the funds allocated to? Typically, the budget for marketing and advertising measures is approved at the beginning of the year. Based on this, it makes sense to plan campaigns as early as possible.
- The scale of the campaign. Is there a campaign planned for one city, for the whole country, for a certain circle of clients, or internationally? In each case, the budget will be very different.
The stages of planning an advertising campaign are closely tied to the results of the second step - determining the budget. Not every company can allocate such an amount that can be spent on the classics of the genre. Therefore, you should know in advance the maximum level of costs and plan the remaining steps with an eye on these figures. It is important to remember that expensive advertising does not always guarantee high performance.
Goals
Each measure in the field of marketing and advertising should have its clearly defined goals. Having big ambitions is good. But for efficiency it is more important to rely on the real state of affairs.
If the first stage of planning an advertising campaign is carried out as detailed and clear as possible, then it will be easier to determine the goals. There may be several. But for one campaign it is advisable to choose only one goal. It could be:
- Increase brand awareness.
- Formation of a positive opinion about the company.
- Introducing consumers to a new product.
- Increase sales.
- Expanding market coverage.
- Elimination of competitors.
The specificity of the goal simplifies the task of achieving it. For example, if a company runs an advertising campaign in order to increase sales, then it should choose the place of placement where the consumer will be most located to purchase - a supermarket or a store. Product design, presentation of information and advertising format will have to take into account behavioral factors.
If we are talking about improving the image of the company, then the placement will be radically different. It will be a television, newspaper or magazine. The format of the presentation can be in the form of a video clip or an article about the company, an interview with the head or a press release about the company's achievements.
If a company produces or sells several types of product or service, then planning and conducting an advertising campaign is carried out for each type separately.
Where to place?
The industry offers a variety of types of advertising space. Traditional options:
- TV channels.
- Newspapers and magazines.
- Radio.
But the trends in the world of advertising are changing and virtual advertising space can be worthy of competition:
- Web sites.
- Social networks.
- Advertising portals.
- Contextual advertising.
- Affiliate networks for advertising.
In addition, high performance indicators continue to be provided by street billboards, advertising on vehicles and other media.
When choosing a placement, there is one criterion. The optimal place will be where the attention of the target audience is riveted. It is difficult to make clear distinctions, since no one in the modern world is limited to one type of information source. Every active citizen watches TV, reads newspapers and spends time on social networks. The strategic planning of advertising campaigns must certainly take these factors into account.
Campaign Duration
At the next stage, the duration of marketing activities is decided. Planning an advertising campaign will be inferior if you do not determine the exact duration.
When deciding the time factor, one can be guided by two criteria: budget and efficiency. If funds are limited, then this is already a determining condition. In that case, if the emphasis is on efficiency, then one should listen to the advice of specialists.
Thus, the theory of advertising perception says that a person remembers an advertisement after viewing at least 28 times. However, this does not mean that it is enough to advertise within 28 days. Two factors must be taken into account: the coverage ratio of the advertising space (channel or newspaper) and behavioral factors.
Media coverage ratio refers to the number of viewers, readers, or listeners. Before posting, you should request statistics from the source itself or order from independent companies.
The process of planning an advertising campaign is difficult to imagine without taking into account behavioral factors. There are a few basic rules that you can take into account. But they are not the rule.
- Morning hours are not the best time for advertising: the target audience is in a hurry to work and it is difficult to attract attention.
- Daytime is notable for low rates: CA is still at work.
- Starting from the afternoon to 23:00 at night, it is considered the most optimal time, since most viewers gather at the TV at this time.
- On weekends, the coefficients increase slightly, but depending on the general conditions in the region. For example, if this is the holiday season, then the coefficient compared to weekdays does not change much.
The stages of planning an advertising campaign should also take into account behavioral factors in the field of print advertising:
- Prints are strongly tied to the season of the year. In January, February and during the holidays, circulations are reduced, sales of print media are falling, and accordingly, the effectiveness of advertising will be lower.
- Before the holidays and on holidays, the profit falls. It makes sense to pause the campaign.
For this reason, at the planning stage of an advertising campaign, it is imperative to consider such factors.
Format selection
There are several formats:
- Videos. If earlier they were placed on television, then over the past few years, with the same success, you can set up targeted advertising on social networks. High efficiency is ensured by sound and visual effects on the target audience.
- Printable advertisement. Simple ad module or banner. Particular attention should be paid to design. Recent trends are storytelling. This format involves an interesting story about a product or a company, where events should unfold around the advertised product. Compared to the design module, it provides ten times more profit.
- Audio format. Its main disadvantage is that it is not possible to convey pictures, airtime is often limited. There are few solutions left: the audio version of the video, reading out as a simple ad or storytelling with voice acting.
- Digital solutions. They are distinguished by high indicators, if the site is chosen correctly. A win-win option - social networks. Here, advertising can be in both video and text format. Significant advantages are the possibility of feedback and involvement of target audience in the process.
Design
Performed by a full-time designer or order from the studios. What is important? It is important to consider the characteristics of perception. Ideally, each company has its own style and design logo. If it is not, then you should pay attention to the effect of colors.
Warm colors - red, yellow and orange colors - attract attention, stimulate the imagination, affect the emotional sphere. But it is important to dose them as accurately as possible, otherwise it will give the opposite effect. These colors should be used in advertising food, clothing and gadgets. For an ideal result, you need to apply to products for impulse purchases.
The next point that strategic planning of advertising campaigns should take into account (Percy L. emphasizes this point in his universal manual) is the effect of cold tones. Cold tones - blue, black, cyan and green - affect the logical part of the brain. It is noteworthy that these colors are preferred by people with higher intelligence, respectively, and with a higher level of solvency. Therefore, cold tones are used in the design of expensive goods, such as cars, real estate, luxury goods, alcohol and tobacco products. The successful implementation of black demonstrated the planning of an advertising campaign on the example of BMW and Mercedes.
Adjustment and revision
Ideally, an advertising campaign for the coming year should be developed first. Then the costs are calculated and budgeted. However, not all companies, especially small firms, cannot afford this approach. The reasons are many - underestimation of the role of marketing measures, lack of funds, unstable situations in the country and the like.
Given these realities, the planning of advertising campaigns of an organization is often carried out according to the residual principle: it is necessary to keep within a limited amount. However, for experienced professionals this is not a barrier. Standard solutions:
- Reduce the duration of the rollers.
- Reducing the frequency of launching on air. The emphasis moves from frequency to the choice of effective time per day.
- Reducing the size of advertising modules or banners in favor of increasing the number of publications.
- Media partnership with sources.
If we are talking about social networks or any other digital advertising, the strategic and tactical planning of an advertising campaign has many options for optimizing the budget.
How should a company work during campaigns?
The launch of an advertising campaign means an instant influx of demand flow. Its support, and in general the format of the company’s work during active marketing activities, goes beyond the activities of the advertising department. Coordination of work should be placed on the shoulders of top management or another responsible department.
If this is a production, then the company must take care of a sufficient amount of stocks of products. When a campaign for a retailer is running, it should also take care of having the advertised product in stock with sufficient inventory.
It is also important to consider the case when the product can be sold out before the end of the campaign. The logistics department in this case must first take care of the mobile delivery of goods. The main criterion is that the whole company should be ready to increase the flow of customers, since the opposite case reduces the effectiveness of future advertising campaigns.
Launch
From the moment of launch, specialists should work in two directions: monitoring the progress of the campaign and its effectiveness. For this purpose, statistics are collected for specific periods of time from the sales, sales, logistics and accounting departments.
By analyzing the sales schedule, you can determine the degree of effectiveness of the launched campaign. If the desired effect is not achieved, then you should look for flaws and record in the reports.
Finally
The main stages of planning an advertising campaign are not limited to this. Any advertising move is multifaceted and does not obey uniform rules. On the contrary, the advertising industry loves exceptions to the rules, unconventional approaches and original solutions. Moreover, these requirements apply not only to the format of the filing. The ways in which the costs are minimal and the profit is high are encouraged.
A decade earlier, it was believed that the creation of viral advertising is the destiny of exclusively professional specialists. The development of digital technologies, in particular social networks, has opened up great opportunities for business. The rate of dissemination of information has increased hundreds of times.
Gadgets today are confidently competing for the role of an effective advertising plane, leaving television behind. Such conditions create the most favorable conditions for the business to be able to easily achieve their goals at minimum cost.