The Planning Gap
In the search for improved ROI on media investments, there has been intense focus on both the upstream process – high level strategy to define advertising’s role in solving the business problem, and the downstream process of media buying – making buying audits a regular feature of media agency evaluation. Little or no attention has been given to the objective assessment of the media planning process and planning resources.
The planning process translates the imperatives of the client’s defined business problem into concrete media objectives and strategies that form the directives for media buying. This is crucial to ROI because it:
- Specifically identifies sources of revenue growth
- Requires collaboration of marketing, media and creative
- Identifies required data resources and systems to develop key market insights
- Identifies and prioritizes target segments
- Incorporates a rational, data driven channel planning process
- Creates an integrated and reasoned allocation of funding for traditional and digital media
- Sets desired target segment behaviors that will drive revenue and profit
- Establishes measurable accountability metrics and timeframes
- Provides the framework for effective media buying
In collaboration with Steve Fajen Consulting in New York, we are offering a Best Practice Resource and Strategic Planning Audit to help advertisers and agencies assess their media planning capabilities in relation to competitive industry standards. Our new audit is inexpensive and designed to be completed in 10 weeks.
Contact me at Michael.AtkinLLC@gmail.com
Background articles on the media planning process gap
"Squeeze More Savings or Make More Money"
by Steve Fajen Published in The Media Village April, 2018 |
"Watch The Gap!"
by Michael Atkin Published in The Media Village April, 2018 |
Regular consulting services
|
Fast Track is our exclusive, efficient process for developing an enduring strategy to differentiate the brand from competitors, and provide a sure foundation for rapid and profitable growth. The resulting brand strategy documents create the blueprint for detailed product, creative, operations and customer service initiatives.
Fast Track Brand Strategy is designed for start-ups, and new brands/brand extensions for small and mid-sized businesses. They don't want to spend many months and hundreds of thousands on brand strategy. They do want a thoughtful, relevant and sophisticated approach to creating or refining their brand foundations. Our proprietary system was developed for and tested by clients in the real marketplace. It's rooted in the belief that the client team already has most of the data and business insight to develop a strong brand strategy. But the team needs a proven system to bring that knowledge out. An efficient, rigorous system that creates a strong, consistent brand that appeals rationally, emotionally and culturally to its target consumers. Our fast track process has been completed in as little time as 8 weeks. The system consists of three main modules that are stepped through in stages: |
Fast track modules
Stage One - Discovery Process Individual interviews with team members selected by client to explore essential brand background data, competitive frame, and positioning insights. Interviews can be in person, or if necessary, by phone or Skype call. Stage Two - Work Sessions Two half-day work sessions with the designated team are scheduled at the client's location. These sessions develop a model of the brand's proposed customer influence segmentation and create brand promise statements for each segment. Stage Three - Document Creation Based on the above modules, consultant writes a comprehensive document that lays out the brand strategy in detail and summarizes the development work and strategic insights. In addition, consultant writes the Brand Manifesto, a one-pager that captures the essential features and benefits of the brand. This is for use externally, for briefing outside resources, and internally, to sharpen brand focus for every employee of the company. |
Once the Brand Strategy and Brand Manifesto are written by the consultant and approved by the client, they serve as the basis for detailed brand direction, including product, creative, brand operations and customer service initiatives:
Detailed direction documents
The specific directions for guiding the development and growth of the brand flow out of the Brand Strategy and Brand Manifesto. Depending on the client's own resources, these directions can either be completed independently by the client's teams or consultant can be engaged to create and document any or all of them.
These items, together with the work already completed in the Fast Track process, are essential inputs to the brand's Business Plan.
These items, together with the work already completed in the Fast Track process, are essential inputs to the brand's Business Plan.
Hand-off document for the creative team or agency
Strategies for use of individual media for the brand
The brand as a person
Categories consumers would consider reasonable for the brand to be in Guidelines for:
|
Also, depending on whether the situation calls for more of a tune up or validation of an existing strategy, versus starting from scratch, any of the above core offering items can be put together a la carte.
Other consulting services
In addition to the core offering outlined above, brand marketers, ad agencies, media agencies, research organizations and media engage consultant for the following kinds of projects: