24210 Chap.6 IMC Planning, Objectives and Consumer Insight
IMC Planning, Objectives and Consumer Insight
Planning
Lecture 5 defines planning as deciding now what to do later, and IMC planning as the process that links organisational direction to IMC decisions and tactics, starting with a review of the marketing plan.
Models and objectives
Inside-out planning starts from what the marketer wants to say; outside-in starts from the customer.
Zero-based planning works through six steps with the budget after the objectives. Objectives address the real problem and follow RTTT or SMARTT rules.
Analysis and insight
The situation analysis examines internal capabilities and external customers, competitors and trends, an IMC audit exposes gaps between what managers say and do, and account planners turn research into consumer insight.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Reviewing the marketing plan
- 02
Inside-out and outside-in planning
- 03
Six steps of zero-based planning
- 04
RTTT and SMARTT objectives
- 05
The IMC audit
- 06
Account planning and consumer insight
Worked example · free
Put a gym’s planning tasks in zero-based order
- 1Identify targets first: shift workers. Analysing strengths and weaknesses follows, then the objective on awareness of 24-hour access.
- 1Strategies and tactics come next, and only then the budget, because zero-based planning lets the money follow the tasks.
- 1Measuring sign-ups is the last step, evaluating effectiveness, which feeds the next round of targets.
Key terms
- IMC Audit
- An in-depth research method that checks whether key IMC processes are managed well and exposes gaps between claims and practice.
- Account Planner
- The agency role linking account service and creative teams, using research and intuition to inspire creativity.
- Inside-Out Planning
- Planning that starts from what the marketer wants to say and the media it prefers, the traditional mass-marketing approach.
IMC Planning, Objectives and Consumer Insight FAQ
What is the difference between inside-out and outside-in planning?
Inside-out planning starts from the marketer’s own agenda, its preferred message, timing and media, which the lecture calls the traditional approach of mass marketers. Outside-in planning starts from the customer and works back to the brand, which suits the audience-first logic of the creative brief.
What are the steps of zero-based communication planning?
Identify targets, analyse strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, determine IMC objectives, develop strategies and tactics, determine the budget and evaluate effectiveness. It decides which tasks need doing and which tools to use rather than repeating last year’s spending.
What makes a good IMC objective?
It addresses the real problem rather than a symptom, it is measurable and benchmarked, and it targets a well-defined audience. The lecture gives two checklists: RTTT, realistic, targeted, task-oriented and timed, and SMARTT, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, targeted and timely.
What goes into an IMC situation analysis?
Internally, the firm’s IMC capabilities, prior programs and results, brand image, product strengths and weaknesses, and packaging and labelling. Externally, customers, competitors and environmental trends, asking who, what, why, when, where and how. Assessment 3 suggests PESTEL for the macro factors.
What makes a consumer insight worth using?
The lecture lists qualities to test it against: fresh, new, relevant, innovative, resonating, enduring, internally inspiring and versatile, and built on deep understanding of the audience. A statement any competitor could make fails most of them.
How should budgets relate to objectives?
The lecture frames budgeting as a balance between what the firm is willing and able to spend and what it needs to spend to reach its objectives, approached top-down or bottom-up. Zero-based planning places the budget after objectives and strategy so money follows the job.
What does an account planner contribute to a campaign?
The lecture describes account planning as bridging the gap between account management and the creative team. The planner uses research and intuition to develop consumer insight that inspires creativity, which makes the role the natural owner of the insight statement in a brief.
Assessment move
Rewrite each objective in your group plan with a baseline, a target, an audience and a deadline, and check it against SMARTT. Run a short IMC audit on your brand by listing what its marketing claims and what its service actually delivers. Test your insight sentence against the lecture’s list of qualities. Then draw the six zero-based steps as a cycle and mark where your group currently is in it.
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