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INTRO TO INTEGRATED MARKETING CAMPAIGN techniques, and retail stores' experience. Everything about
the brand, from product to promotion, shares one look and
Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) - coordinates communicates with one voice.
the promotional mix elements and other aspects of its Three traits characterize IMC:
marketing mix. All elements speak with one voice. Consistency is when the consolidated promotional
messages, content, and creative execution and the other
IMC zeroes in on the promotion aspect of the marketing marketing mix elements contain one big idea, one message,
mix. Promotion is the sustained connection of the brand and one tonality. We achieve message consistency with the
with the target market. It is the communication part of the guide of a clear positioning statement.
marketing mix. Shrimp (2013) defines communication as Example: Consistency H&M LOOP (2021 Cannes Lion)
"the process of establishing a commonness or oneness of from raw material to advocacy
thought between sender and receiver," placing importance  
on the standard message shared between a message source Relevance is when the message and creative execution are
and a receiver. responsive to consumer profiles and insights. Relevance
*Successful promotion or marketing communication Theory presents two principles: First, cognitive and
consists of consistent and relevant messages to the target communicative. The "cognition principle of relevance takes
market.  on two routes' relevance in a context' and 'relevance to an
Consistency - requirement in marketing communication, individual.' 
which delivers one message in one tonality across various Relevance in a Context refers to the mentally represented
promotional tools or marketing communication formats.  information like beliefs, doubts, hopes, wishes, plans, goals,
Relevance - relates to the quality of the message created intentions, and questions. Each is constructed or selected in
based on the target market's product knowledge or the lack the comprehension process from a range of possible
of perceived benefits. contexts available to the individual (Wilson, 2014, p.132). 
*These two marketing communication requirements are Relevance to an Individual requires that every utterance
metrics used to ensure message simplicity and clarity. communicates a presumption of its optimal relevance. It
Promotion - created and sustained to support the means the message is at least relevant enough to be worth
organization's objectives. Whether improving market share the addressee's (audience/receiver) processing effort
or increasing profitability, marketers design promotional (Wilson, 2014, p.134)."
campaigns to differentiate the product and offer more Regularity, outside the creative exercise, is accomplished
meaningful value than competitors. To accomplish this, we with a media plan. Regular exposure to an audience to a
need to understand how consumers move from an unaware message influences the forming of heuristics or mental
state to buying products in the aware stage (Fletcher, 1987). shortcuts. "In psychology, heuristics are simple, efficient
The promotional mix - the combination of marketing rules which people often use to form judgments and make
communication formats and media we used to relay the decisions. They are mental shortcuts that usually involve
brand messages. Today we classify the variety of focusing on one aspect of a complex problem and ignoring
promotional tools comprising the promotional mix into two: others." Cited in Goldenberg & Mazursky use
interruption marketing and permission marketing. morphological analysis or how consumers engage in a
Interruption marketing consists of the traditional problem-solving exercise in marketing. The regular
promotional mix: advertising, public relations, sales exposure of consumers to a brand as a solution to a problem
promotions, and personal selling.  influences their buying preferences. 
Permission marketing - consists of a digital online Example: Regularity Dunkin Donuts (2012 Cannes Lion)
promotional mix. We use permission marketing to reach out Why is IMC
to the target audience or public in a more intimate manner. essential? Most
Since it is a promotional mix that uses digital and online times, we engage
technology, social media has become the popular carrier of with content that
brand messages through its various platforms. It requires resonates, stories
permission from the social media account owner for the that remind us of
brand to interact. The social media owner grants permission life experiences or
through engagement, such as click-through, sharing, our aspirations, and
reacting, and commenting.  some of our fears.
When doing an IMC campaign, our marketing Successful
communications integrate its creative execution with the rest campaigns are essentially about understanding consumer
of the marketing mix elements. behavior. Using the Means-End Chaining model (see
Marketing mix elements are the following: product, price, below), we see the Tropicana orange juice campaign's
place, and promotion. thought process.
IMC integrates the three elements of the marketing mix.
These marketing elements product (product design and A taste of Tropicana orange juice offers quiet refreshment
packaging), price (pricing techniques and strategy), and with the ultimate value offer of satisfaction and nutrition.
place (distribution channels, particularly the retail Altering the attribute from regular orange juice to enriched
atmospherics or the overall design and layout of the retail Tropicana orange juice leads to different consumption
store) are coordinated with the different promotion tools.  consequences. With enriched Tropicana orange juice, we
The principle of one look, one voice is apparent not only in enjoy added calcium while refreshing. Different
the promotional messages and executions that we engaged consequences result in a different value offer. Enrich
in but also in product design and packaging, pricing
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Tropical orange juice is satisfying while reducing the risk of in its target market's mind and consistently delivers the same
osteoporosis. unified message across all media channels on all occasions.
  Build relationships
Marketing is creating, delivering, and communicating value It costs five to ten times more to acquire a new customer
profitably. The Means-End Chaining model allows us to than keep a current one. Promotional tools like loyalty
create value propositions. Brand stories resonate because the programs promote long-term relationships between
value offer is relevant to its target market segment. IMC is customers and brands that lead to customer retention.
essential in communicating the value offered to aid in a Experiential marketing programs can create brand
successful economic exchange.  experiences that make positive and lasting impressions on
Communication and the Marketing Communications customers.
  Affect behavior
Communication is where individuals share meaning and IMC must do more than just influence brand awareness or
establish a commonness of thought; hence understanding enhance consumer attitudes – the objective is to move
consumer preferences and behavior. people to action.
Marketing Communications collect all elements of a firm's Some changes in marketing communication practices are:
marketing mix that facilitate exchange by establishing  
shared meaning with the firm's customers, business-to-  Reduced dependence on mass media advertising
businesses (B2B), business-to-consumers/end-users (B2C),  Increased reliance on highly targeted
and non-profits. Integrated Marketing Communications is communication methods
about all the tasks we do in marketing carried out using a  Increased demands on suppliers.
single voice and tonality. Suffice it to say, in business,  Increased efforts to assess communications' return
everything communicates. on investment
Marketers are essentially communicators and engaging  
storytellers. But we create a promotional campaign Obstacles to Implementing IMC
systematically and scientifically. Systematic, because  Few providers have the skills required to execute.
promotion management requires the coordination of  Mass media campaigns are easier than direct-to-
promotional mix elements in setting objectives, establishing customer.
budgets, designing programs, evaluating performance, and  The real challenge is to make sure that tools are
taking corrective action. Scientific, because research consistently executed. 
supports our marketing ideas and decisions. Developing IMC
Generally, the objectives of promotion are to inform, IMC is part of a comprehensive business plan intended to
persuade, and induce action. But the more meaningful contribute to the attainment of corporate objectives. Just as
purpose of IMC and promotional campaigns is to the other members of an organization, marketers use tools
differentiate one brand from another. A popular and when determining a strategic direction. The most basic tools
respected brand is an invaluable asset that acts as a barrier to are SWOT Analysis, and segmenting-targeting-positioning
entry for competitors. IMC aids in establishing the brand (STP).
equity or the goodwill that an established brand has built up SWOT Analysis is a tool assessing the internal and external
over its existence. environment of a firm. It gauges the vulnerabilities and
In some cases, firms refuse to integrate. Any or combination constraints and identifies the points of leverage and
of the following fundamentally causes the non-integration: problems. SWOT guides marketers in exploring the
 The traditional sense of separating communication possibilities for the brand and where it stands with the
tools and departmentalizing communication tasks competitors and other markets
 Influence of specialized outside suppliers  
 Managerial parochialism We fit our product core functions to a particular market
 Fear of budget cutbacks segment to create brand value. We accomplish this task by
 Loss of power and authority micromarketing or customizing the products and
 The resistance of outside suppliers to broadening communications to smaller segments (e.g., toothpaste). We
their functions can achieve micromarketing with the following target
 Skeptics who consider IMC to be a fad market selection strategies:
  1. Undifferentiated Marketing, One Marketing Mix
The most meaningful benefit of IMC is synergy, the → All Markets
integration of multiple communication tools and media 2. Differentiated Marketing such as Marketing Mix A
yields more positive communication results than the tools → Segment A and Marketing Mix B → Segment B
used individually.  3. Concentrated Marketing, One Marketing Mix →
Five Key Features of IMC Segment B
Start with the customers or prospects. All Marketing Communications should be:
We start with a media-neutral approach and focus on the  Directed to a particular target market
customers who are the basis for the marketing  Created to achieve a specific objective
communication program goals. We determine the best way  Undertaken to accomplish the objective within the
to allocate the marketing budget when goals are identified. budget constraint
Use any form of relevant contact or touchpoint.  Clearly positioned
Speak with a single voice and achieve synergy        As communicators with the power to influence behavior,
To accomplish one look-one voice, we start with a brand's motivate consumption and shape lifestyle, we are duty-
positioning statement that presents a clear idea of the brand
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bound to examine business decisions related to green Cause-oriented marketing is practiced when companies
marketing initiatives, the regulation of marketing sponsor or support worthy causes (i.e., environmental
communications, and ethical Marcom behavior.  causes) in anticipation that associating the company and its
Is it sufficient to develop environmentally friendly brands with a worthy cause will generate goodwill.
packaging, sustainably source raw materials, use alternative  
materials, and ecologically balanced processes?  Point-of-Purchase Programs
  Identify and create point-of-sale based on the retailers'
How are government regulation and industry self-regulation needs, avoid waste from unused and discarded displays, and
sustain the balance between protecting the customers from use permanent displays.
deceptive advertising and unfair business practices from the  
firm's economic interest? Direct Marketing Efforts
  Reduce the printing of merchandising collaterals, e.g., fliers,
At this point, we are discussing our responsibility for the brochures, and posters, and increase the use of sustainable
pressing environmental issues, regulations on direct marketing materials.
communication, and ethical issues regarding marketing  
practices. We will try to understand how to make ethically Outdoor Advertising Responses
sound decisions as marketing communicators. Reduce the clutter outdoors by finding alternative outdoor
Environmental Marketing Communications advertising materials and avoiding tarpaulins and printed
With global regulations enforced in the business sector for banners as a waste pile. For the existing outdoor advertising
decades now and businesses complying and responding to materials, find ways to reuse them.
social pressure, the markets have become increasingly aware  
of the seriousness of the natural environment's situation. We Social Media Campaigns
have reached the point when we now challenge ourselves Maximize the social media platforms and the opportunity to
into transcending the awareness to involvement. Pieces of reach out to the social media universe on the various
research have shown the growing green market segments, ecological programs initiated on ongoing.
indicating that environmental brands are much like popular  
brands, have their market segments, and require their unique Guidelines for Green Marketing
branding approach. The guidelines for environmental marketing claims outline
  four general principles:
Green Marketing Initiatives 1. Qualifications and disclosures should be
The global business environment has embraced green sufficiently clear and prominent to prevent deception.
marketing initiatives and has gained a competitive 2. Claims should clarify whether they apply to the
advantage. Green marketing initiatives have gained a dent in product, the package, or a component of either.
today's generation of business leaders and consumers, from 3. Claims should not overstate an environmental attribute or
changes in the production processes and channel flow benefit, whether expressly or by implication.
design to appropriate positioning for green products and 4. We should present comparative claims in a manner that
brands. makes the basis for the comparison sufficiently clear to
  avoid consumer deception.
Green Advertising  
There are three ways to do green advertising: In addition to these general guidelines, Marcom
1. We can develop brand messages about the practitioners are offered four general recommendations:
relationship between the product or service and the  
biophysical environment. 1. Make specific claims. Specific environmental
2. We can influence a green lifestyle with branding claims enable consumers to make informed choices, reduce
programs.  the likelihood that claims will be misinterpreted, and
3. We must promote corporate compliance and minimize the chances that consumers will think that a
sustainable initiatives like completing annual sustainability product is more environmentally friendly than it is.
reports and developing communities through meaningful 2. Reflect current disposal options. This
trade.  recommendation aims to prevent environmental claims that
  are technically accurate but practically unrealizable due to
Reduced Packaging Responses local trash disposal practices.
We must keep finding innovative sustainable packaging to 3. Make substantive claims. Marketing
improve our brands and the firm's overall environmental communicators should not use trivial and irrelevant
effects. environmental claims to convey environmentally sound a
  promoted brand.
Seal-of-Approval Programs 4. Make supportable claims. Environmental claims
We work to earn accreditation and recognition from should be supported by competent and reliable scientific
reputable environmental agencies that validate and confirm evidence.
environmental compliance and involvement while helping  
consumers identify and distinguish environmentally friendly Regulation of Marketing Communications
products and brands.  
  Regulation protects consumers and competitors from
Sponsorship Programs: Cause-Related and Event fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices. It is
Marketing essential when consumer decisions are based on false or
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limited information. In theory, regulation is justified if the appear to be from independent third parties rather than from
benefits realized exceed the costs. Since consumers have product marketers (https://doi.org/10.1509%2Fjppm.27.1.7).
limited knowledge of the product specifications and 5. Unfair Practices - A finding of unfairness to consumers may
marketing communication tools are insufficient to provide go beyond questions of fact and relate merely to shared
perfect information, regulation is merited. values. The criteria used to evaluate whether a business
  activity is unfair involve such considerations as whether the
Benefits: act:
Consumer choice among alternatives is improved when 6. Offends public policy as statutes have established it. - Is
consumers are better informed in the marketplace. immoral, unethical oppressive, or unscrupulous. Causes
Product quality tends to improve when consumers are better substantial injury to consumers, competitors, or other
informed. businesses. The unfairness doctrine is applied in three major
Reduced prices result from a reduction in a seller's areas: (1) advertising substantiation, (2) promotional
"informational market power." practices directed at children and other vulnerable
  populations, and (3) trade regulation rules. 
Costs: Information Regulation
Cost of complying with a regulatory remedy. Regulation may also provide consumers with information
Enforcement costs are incurred by a regulatory agency and that they may not otherwise receive. The corrective
paid for by taxpayers. advertising program is the essential FTC's information
Unintended side effects that might result from regulations provision program. 
(e.g., compliance costs passed on to buyers in the form of  
higher prices). Corrective advertising aims to restore the marketplace to its
  original position before deceptive advertising. Corrective
Types of Regulations by Regulating Agency advertising is based on the premise that a firm that misleads
  consumers should use future advertisements to rectify the
Regulation by Federal Agencies  deceptive impressions it has created in consumers' minds. It
In the country, governmental regulation by way of is used to prevent a firm from deceiving consumers rather
legislation. RA 7394, The Consumer Act of the Philippines, than punishing the firm. We gave the most prominent
stipulates consumer protection from various potentially corrective advertising order issued by the USA's Federal
fraudulent and deceptive actions by the business markets. Trade Commission to Warner-Lambert's Listerine
And just as in any country, advertising is considered the mouthwash over 30 years ago. The ads for this product
most conspicuous aspect of marketing communications and misled consumers by claiming that Listerine helps prevent
receives the most attention.  colds and sore throats.
   
We are regulated by the following: Product Labeling
  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the federal
Deceptive Advertising body responsible for regulating information on food and
In a general sense, consumers are deceived by an advertising drug product packages. 
claim or campaign when the impression left by the claim or  
campaign is false (a claim-fact discrepancy) and consumers Prescription Drug Advertising
believe the false claim or campaign. Three elements provide The FDA regulates advertisements for prescription drugs.
the essence of a false claim: FDA is responsible for regulating deceptive and unfair
  advertising (including over-the-counter drugs). In recent
1. Misleading – there must be a representation, years, it has been a significant challenge with the onset of
omission, or practice likely to mislead the Consumer. A direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, a form of advertising
misrepresentation is an express or implied statement involving messages for prescription drugs directed toward
contrary to fact. A misleading omission occurs when consumers. The FDA requires prescription drug
qualifying information necessary to prevent a practice, advertisements to be balanced and share complete
claim, representation or reasonable expectation or belief information about side effects and benefits.
from being misleading is not disclosed.  
2. Reasonable Consumer – the act or practice must be Advertising and Media Self-Regulation
considered from the perspective of the "reasonable We are a primarily self-regulating sector, both advertising,
consumer." The regulating agency evaluates advertising and media. We have the following agencies and appointed
claims case by case because of the target audience's unique bodies to serve as watchful eyes in mass communication.
position—its education level, intellectual capacity, and  
mental frame of mind. The Advertising Board of the Philippines or Adboard is a
3. Material – a material representation involves governing body composed of representatives of national
information important to consumers, is likely to influence organizations involved in advertising practice who have
their choice or conduct regarding a product, and pertains to banded together to promote the advertising industry's
the central characteristics. Non-material representation development through self-regulation in harmony with
usually involves information that, even if untrue, is not industry goals.
related to the product's central characteristics (e.g., how long  
a company has been in business). The Kapisanan ng Mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP or
4. Covert Marketing Practices and Deception – is a "masked Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines) self-
marketing" involving marketing communications that
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regulates the broadcast industry. It is the foremost broadcast neither engage nor promote stereotypes, e.g., sex roles,
media organization in the country. gender orientation biases, racial distinctions, physical
  challenges, political affiliations, and social classes.
The Ad Standards Council (ASC) is a non-stock, non-profit 5. Advertising Persuades People to Buy Things They
organization that promotes truth and fairness Do Not Need - The criticism that advertising causes people
in advertising through the self-regulation to buy items or services they do not need is a value-laden
of advertising content. judgment. Is influencing consumer tastes and encouraging
  people to make purchases they may not otherwise make
Ethical Issues in Marketing Communications unethical?
Ethics in our context involves right and wrong, or moral, 6. Advertising Plays on People's Fears and
conduct in any aspect of marketing communications (think Insecurities - Some advertisements appeal to the negative
of terms such as honesty, honor, virtue, and integrity). consequences of not buying a product. However, advertising
  possesses no monopoly on this transgression. 
The Ethics of Targeting  
  Ethical Issues in Public Relations
Targeting Children and Teens   Many of the same ethical issues that apply to advertising
Advertising and in-school marketing programs urge kids to apply here. 
desire various products and brands. Critics contend that One distinct aspect worthy of separate discussion is the
many of the products targeted at children are unnecessary, matter of negative publicity. The primary ethical issue
and the communications are exploitative. concerns whether firms confess to product shortcomings and
  acknowledge problems or attempt to cover up the problems.
Targeting Food and Beverage Products – the issue of  
childhood obesity and the marketing of food products to Ethical Issues in Packaging and Branding
children is a hotly debated topic, especially the practice of Four aspects of packaging involve ethical issues: 
using cartoon characters to sell sugared cereals and non- 1. Label information (e.g., presenting exaggerated
nutritious snacks.  information or suggesting that a product contains more of
  the desired attribute or less of undesired attributes than is
Targeting Tobacco and Alcohol Products – marketers also actually the case), 
have been criticized for targeting adult products to teens and 2. Packaging graphics (e.g., when the picture on a
college students (e.g., beer and other alcoholic beverages, package is not an accurate representation of product
cigarettes). contents or the package of a store brand looks virtually
  identical to another, typically well-known, national brand), 
Targeting Miscellaneous Products – critics are also 3. Packaging safety (e.g., the packaging is not tamper-
concerned with marketing adult-oriented entertainment proof and contains dangerous products that are unsafe for
products to children and teens using violent films, video children), 
games, and music. 4. Environmental implications of packaging (e.g.,
  non-biodegradable packaging)
Targeting Economically Disadvantaged Consumers –  
makers of alcohol and tobacco products frequently employ Ethical Issues in Sales Promotions
billboards and other advertising media in targeting brands to Ethical considerations are also involved with all sales
economically disadvantaged consumers. promotions, including manufacturer promotions directed at
wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. Consumer promotions
Ethical Issues in Advertising are unethical when manufacturers offer consumers a reward
  for their behavior that is never delivered (e.g., failing to mail
1. Advertising Is Untruthful and Deceptive a free premium object or to provide a rebate check). It is
- Marcom's most straightforward ethical consideration is the also unethical to lead consumers to believe their odds of
accuracy and truthfulness of the information.   winning a sweepstake or contest are much greater than they
2. Advertising Is Manipulative - Although critics are.
assert that advertising has the power to influence people to  
do things they would not do if they were not exposed to Ethical Issues in Online and Social Media Marketing
advertising, in reality, advertising is unable to influence Privacy is probably the most important ethical issue unique
behavior when acting alone. Also, consumers have the to the online medium, along with other ethical issues.
cognitive capacity to resist efforts to motivate them in a Because online marketers can collect much information
direction they wish not to be moved. about people's characteristics and behaviors, it is easy to
3. Advertising Is Offensive and Bad Taste invade individual privacy rights by selling information and
- Advertising critics contend that many advertisements insult divulging confidential information. 
human intelligence, are vulgar, and are generally offensive  
to many consumers' tastes.   Fostering Ethical Marketing Communications
4. Advertising Creates and Perpetuates Stereotypes The primary responsibility for ethical behavior resides
- The audience is becoming increasingly involved in the within each of us. Integrity involves avoiding deceiving
development and circulation of information. With access to others or behaving purely in an expedient fashion.
information online, today's public is more informed and Marketing communications itself is not ethical or unethical
involved. We take extra care in how we represent sectors in —it is the degree of integrity exhibited by communications
society. Our brand messages and creative executions must practitioners that determines whether their behavior is
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ethical or unethical. Firms can foster ethical behavior by 3. Focus on key factors impacting your business, both
encouraging their employees to apply each of the following internally and externally
tests when faced with an ethical predicament:  4. Clearly identify future goals for your business.
1. Act in a way that you want others to act toward you 5. Spark even further analysis
(the Golden Rule Test)
2. Take only actions that would be viewed as proper If your analysis falls short of these items, it should be
by an objective panel of your professional colleagues (the reworked.
professional ethic test)
3. Always ask, "Would I feel comfortable explaining Common Challenges in Situation Analysis 
this action on television to the general public?" (the TV
test). You also may encounter one or more of these common
MODULE 1: PREPARING THE CAMPAIGN challenges:
A campaign strategy is lifted from the marketing plan. The
1. You've listed an excessive amount of strengths,
objectives we create must be responsive to the overall
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats so that the
marketing objectives. The entire campaign's success will
information appears confusing and makes it difficult to
always be measured by how much the marketing objectives
get a strong picture of your business at a glance. 
are achieved. Marketing objectives are typically about
2. You lack prioritization within your analysis. 
generating a particular sales volume or a share in the market.
3. You are too broad going through the factors, so it isn't
Imperative to achieving the marketing objectives is
easy to really focus on them.
influencing the consumers to buy, which is a game of
4. The factors you have listed are opinions, not facts. 
persuasion. Marketing communication is highly persuasive,
and it starts from knowing our consumers' preferences as Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats lack
motivated by the environment. distinguishing factors. If performed correctly, situation
analysis can be a useful tool for determining the health of
The module is about the classical tools of understanding and
your business. Once you know how your business is doing,
predicting consumer preferences as a response to the
you can set proper strategies to ensure its success in the
macroenvironment, competitors, and the firm's capabilities,
future.
as well as its vulnerabilities.
 A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool that helps a
When considering performing a situation analysis of your business owner identify his/her strengths and weaknesses
business, it is essential to look at several factors: and any opportunities and threats in a specific business
situation. A SWOT analysis is most commonly used as part
1. Product situation. Determine your current product. You
of a marketing plan. Still, it is also a useful tool for general
may want to view this definition in parts such as the
business strategizing and serves as a starting point for team
core product and any secondary or supporting services discussions.
or products you sell. Viewing your products and  
services separately helps determine how each relates to A SWOT analysis can uncover a wealth of information and
your core clients' needs. be useful in many situations when conducted thoroughly.
2. Competitive situation. Analyze your main competitors This article will walk you through conducting a SWOT
and determine how they compare to your business, such analysis and providing tips that will effectively use the tool.
as competitive advantages.  
3. Distribution situation. Review your distribution Using a SWOT Analysis Matrix 
situation regarding how you get your products to A SWOT matrix is usually depicted as a square divided into
market, such as distributors or other intermediaries. four quadrants. Each quadrant represents one element of the
4. Environmental factors - determine the external and SWOT analysis: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and
Threats.
internal environmental factors, including economic or
 
sociological factors that impact your business's
Questions to Ask During the Process 
performance. The easiest way to start filling in each quadrant is by
5. Opportunity and issue analysis - Conduct a SWOT answering a series of questions. Use the list below to get
analysis to determine any strengths, weaknesses, started, focusing on your business's most relevant questions
opportunities, and threats that may affect your business and current situation.
and its performance.  
Strengths: For this quadrant, think about your and your
 While this information may be obvious to most business business's attributes to help you achieve your objective.
owners, it can be beneficial to review the core fundamentals. Questions to consider:
Determine If Your Situation Analysis Is Useful   1. What do you do well?
2. What are your unique skills?
To determine if your situation analysis is functional and 3. What expert or specialized knowledge do you
provides value, it should: have?
4. What experience do you have?
1. Be practical and straightforward to use
5. What do you do better than your competitors?
2. Be clearly understandable to an outsider.
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6. Where are you most profitable in your business? A competitive analysis is a critical part of your company's
Weaknesses: For this quadrant, think about your and your marketing plan. With this evaluation, you can establish what
business's attributes that could hurt your progress in makes your product or service unique--and, therefore, what
achieving your objective. Questions to consider: attributes you play up to attract your target market.
1. In what areas do you need to improve?  
2. What resources do you lack? Evaluate your competitors by placing them in strategic
3. What parts of your business are not profitable? groups according to how directly they compete for a share
of the customer's dollar. For each competitor or strategic
4. Where do you need further education and/or
group, list their product or service, profitability, growth
experience?
pattern, marketing objectives, and assumptions, current and
5. What costs you time and/or money? past strategies, organizational and cost structure, strengths
Opportunities: For this quadrant, think about the external and weaknesses, and size (in sales) of the competitor's
conditions that will help you achieve your objective. business. Answer questions such as:
Questions to consider:
1. Who are your competitors?
1. What are the business goals you are currently
2. What products or services do they sell?
working towards?
3. What is each competitor's market share?
2. How can you do more with your existing customers
or clients? 4. What are their past strategies?
3. How can you use technology to enhance your 5. What are their current strategies?
business? 6. What type of media is used for marketing their
4. Are there new target audiences you have the products or services?
potential to reach? 7. How many hours per week do they purchase to
5. Are there related products and services that provide advertise through the media used in this market?
an opportunity for your business? 8. What are each competitor's strengths and
  weaknesses?
Threats: For this quadrant, think about the external 9. What potential threats do your competitors pose?
conditions that could damage your business's performance. 10. What potential opportunities do they make
Questions to consider: available for you?
1. What obstacles do you face?  
2. What are the strengths of your biggest competitors? A quick and easy way to compare your product or service
3. What are your competitors doing that you're not? with similar ones on the market is to make a competition
grid. A glance at the competition grid will help you see
4. What's going on in the economy?
where your product fits in the overall market.
5. What's going on in the industry?
Using Data Compiled in a SWOT Analysis 
  The unique space occupied by a brand in the consumer's
One of your SWOT analysis's essential parts is using the mind, "positioning is not what we do to the product, but
data you compiled to identify your business's new strategies what we do to the mind." (Al Rise)
and goals. For example, you can:
When formulating a positioning strategy, marketers must
1. Create a plan to build up your strengths even more.
understand the target segment and the value offer that
2. List ways you can work on building up your differentiates the product from the competition. It is called
weaknesses. point-of-differentiation.
3. Set SMART goals for each of the opportunities you
identified. Like any promise, the brand's value offer is realistic and
4. Devise a plan to use your strengths to decrease the achievable from the target customers' perception. We
threats you identified. cultivate that particular perception by substantiating the
5. Then, look for ways to combine data from different value promise or providing reasons to believe (RTBs) with
quadrants in even more ways: the following:
6. Explore how you can combine your strengths and 1. Product attributes and benefits
opportunities to develop new strategies. 2. Company resources and capacities
7. Try combining strengths and threats to identify
threats you can eliminate. The value offer or point-of-differentiation and the reasons to
8. Look at your weaknesses and opportunities to believe together comprise the positioning statement.
create a list of areas ready for improvement. A positioning statement is a way of designing the product to
9. Make a list of areas to avoid that fall under occupy a space in the consumers' minds (Liu & Chen,
weaknesses and threats. 2000). A brief, clear statement clarifies how the product will
Once you understand how to compile your SWOT data and be perceived in the market and focuses on the value
find ways to use it strategically, the SWOT analysis will be proposition or product promise. It serves as a guide to the
a tool that you can use over and over in your business to development of the marketing mix (Stayman, 2015).
explore new opportunities and improve your decision-
making process. The positioning statement has five parts (Stayman, 2015):
1. Definition of the target market
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2. Brand The following tasks are to create marketing communications
3. Point-of-Differentiation, the value proposition or product directing a brand to a target audience to influence behaviors.
promise that differentiates the product from the competition But the real challenge is making consumers act while we
4. The frame of reference, the product category the firm wishes carry out the marketing communications tasks.
to enter  
5. Reason-to-believe, is the evidence that the product can Brand equity consists of two forms of brand-related
deliver the value proposition or product promise. knowledge: brand awareness and brand image. Without
awareness, a consumer cannot form opinions about a brand.
  Brand image is based upon the favorability, strengths, and
uniqueness of a brand's associations. Those associations
Sample Positioning Statement may be based on the brand's actual attributes, the benefits
they receive from it, and their overall evaluation or attitude
For the male and female international students presently toward the brand. 
seeking admission to collegiate and graduate  
programs (definition of the target market), De La Salle We can consider brand equity from both the vantage point
University-Dasmarinas (brand) is a global learning of the firm and the customer. 
community set in an environment of care (point-of-  
differentiation). Among all the tertiary universities in the A Firm-Based Perspective on Brand Equity
Philippines (frame of reference), De La Salle University- From the firm's perspective, brand equity is crucial because
Dasmarinas is part of more than 1,600 Lasallian school as the equity of a brand increases, any or the combination of
networks and ministries spread in more than 80 countries. It the various positive outcomes occur: (1) a higher market
ranks 50th most ecologically balanced campus in the world share, (2) increased brand loyalty, (3) ability to charge
by the Green Metrix (reason-to-believe). premium prices, and (4) capacity to earn a revenue
premium. 
 MODULE 2: The Role of IMC in Branding  
Revenue premium is the differential between a branded item
and a corresponding private-labeled item (Revenue
Premium = Net Price x Sales Volume). A branded good
enjoys a revenue premium over a corresponding private-
labeled item to the degree it can charge a higher price and
generate greater volume.
 
Customer-Based Dimensions of Brand Knowledge
Let us look into one of the brand equity models consisting of
two forms of brand-related knowledge: brand awareness and
In this section, we will discuss the roles of Marcom in brand image.
branding. There are two essential outcomes of marketing
communication, enhancing brand equity and affecting Brand awareness is an issue of whether a brand name comes
behavior. And as we carry out our tasks, we incur significant to mind when consumers think about a particular product
investments. We need to figure out how marketing category and the ease with which the name is evoked. 
communicators can justify their investment in the  
promotional tools and demonstrate financial accountability. The brand image represents the associations activated in
  memory when people think about a particular brand. These
We start with defining the brand. A brand is a name, term, associations can be conceptualized in type, favorability,
sign, symbol, or design, or a combination intended to strength, and uniqueness. 
identify the goods and services of one seller or group of  
sellers and differentiate them from those of competition.  The Brand-Awareness Pyramid
  The progression of brand awareness is from first awareness
It is known as a trade dress, which refers to the product's to recognition, recall, and TOMA (top-of-mind awareness). 
appearance and image, including its packaging, labeling,  
shape, color, sounds, design, lettering, and style. These parts Brand-Related Personality Dimensions
of a brand provide a unique identity for a product. When From the customer experience, brands can have
promoted, the name gains brand awareness. personalities just like people. Brands reflect five personality
  dimensions: sincerity, excitement, competence,
Marketers create brands and generate awareness. Everything sophistication, and ruggedness. Some examples of brands
mentioned above is the starting point of our work. We create reflecting the personality mentioned above are:
more than just a brand name and generate more than brand  Sincerity, Hallmark Greeting Cards
awareness. Developing brand equity or the goodwill  Excitement, Victoria's Secret
building-up over its existence is the essential purpose of  Competence, Norton Anti-Virus
marketing communication. Brand equity implies that  Sophistication, Talbots
consumers are aware of and favorable attitudes toward a
 Ruggedness, Timberland boots
brand.
 
 
We can think of the brand image regarding the associations
that come to the consumer's mind when contemplating a
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particular brand. An association is simply the particular  
thoughts and feelings about a brand.  The repeated claims about the features a brand possess and
  the benefits it delivers are practical if the Marcom message
Associations can be conceptualized in type, favorability, is creative, attention-getting, and believable.
strength, and uniqueness. The type of brand associations can  
be based on the brand's attributes, both product-related (e.g., Leveraging approach
color, size, design features) and non-product-related (e.g., Brand associations can be shaped and equity enhanced by
price, packaging, user and usage imagery), the brand's leveraging positive associations already contained in the
benefits (e.g., functional, symbolic, experiential), and world of people, places, and "things" available to
consumers' overall evaluation, or attitude, toward the brand. consumers.
   
Brand Development, Brand Concepts, Brand Equity, and The culture and social systems in which marketing
Brand Loyalty communications occur are loaded with meaning. Through
Brand development consists of three ways: socialization, people learn cultural values, form beliefs, and
1. Functional needs (solving problems): products that become familiar with these values and beliefs' physical
attempt to fulfill the consumer's consumption-related manifestations or artifacts. 
problems 1. Leveraging Associations from other Brands –
2. Symbolic needs (associating the brand with alliances between two brands can enhance both brands'
symbolic objects): directed at consumers' desire for self- equity and profitability. It is called co-branding. 
enhancement, role position, group membership, and 2. Leveraging Associations from People – aligning a
belongingness brand with people, such as employees or endorsers, can be
3. Experiential needs (sensory pleasures, personal advantageous and disastrous as the brand is linked with its
experience): products that provide sensory pleasure, variety, reputation.  
and cognitive stimulation. 3. Leveraging Associations from Things – events and
causes provide opportunities for linkages with brands.
  4. Leveraging Associations from Places – the channel
through which a brand is carried (Walmart vs. Nordstrom)
or country-of-origin both serve as possible associations
through which a brand can enhance its image. 
 
Each of these approaches should be independent. A
consumer's first-hand experience with a brand should speak
for itself with a message consistent with the message-driven
approach.
 
Marketing communication creates and manages the brand Affecting Behavior and Achieving Marcom Accountability
concept through its life. By definition, a brand concept is the  
specific meaning we create and communicate to our target Marcom's efforts should be directed, ultimately, at affecting
market. Brand concept management represents the analysis, behavior rather than stopping with enhancing equity.
planning, implementation, and control of a brand concept Marcom's objective is to ultimately affect sales volume and
throughout a brand's life.  revenue and return on marketing investment (ROMI).
  Several reasons account for the complexity of measuring
Brand Asset Valuator Marcom effectiveness:
Young & Rubicam (Y&R) developed a brand equity model  Choosing a Metric, such as the following:
entitled the BrandAsset® Valuator (BAV). It is composed of o Change in brand awareness 
four components or pillars of brand equity. These include o Improved consumer attitude toward the
differentiation, relevance, esteem, and knowledge.  brand 
Strategies to Enhance Brand Equity o Increased purchase intentions 
There are three ways by which brand equity is enhanced: (1)
speak-for-itself approach, (2) message-driven approach, and
(3) leveraging approach.
 
The speak-for-itself approach is when consumers form
brand-related associations (positive or negative) merely by
consuming a brand. Through the consumption experience,
the brand informs consumers of its quality, desirability, and
suitability for satisfying their consumption-related goals.
Marketers help the brand speak for itself through point-of-
purchase materials and appealing sales promotions. o o Larger sales volume (e.g., via
  scanner data; marketing mix models)
The message-driven approach is when we attempt to build  Gaining Agreement 
positive brand-related associations through creative  Collecting Accurate Data
messages that are attention-getting, believable, and  Calibrating Specific Effects
memorable.
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Highly successful brands are measured by agencies using Brand Characteristics That Facilitate Adoption
selected criteria of quality. Two of the recognized global Five brand characteristics
award-giving body for world-class brands are EquiTrend influence the likelihood of
Survey and Interbrand Ranking. adoption, shown below.
 
The biannual EquiTrend survey uses three main dimensions Relative Advantage
to determine highly successful brands: (1) familiarity with a Relative advantage is the
brand, (2) quality, degree to which consumers
and (3) likelihood of perceive a product innovation as better than existing
purchasing a alternatives to a specific attribute or benefit. Relative
product.  advantages exist to the extent that a new product offers (1)
  better performance compared to other options, (2) savings in
The time and effort, or (3) immediacy of reward. 
annual Interbrand ra
nking determines
100 top global brands by using (1) the percentage of a
company's revenue that can be credited to a brand, (2) the
strength of a brand in terms of influencing customer demand
at the point of purchase, and (3) the ability of the brand to
secure continued customer demand. 
 
Some methods assess the effects by employing statistical
Compatibility
techniques (e.g., multivariate regression analysis) to
Compatibility is the degree to which an innovation is
estimate the various advertising and promotion elements'
perceived to fit into a person's way of doing things. A new
effects in driving sales volume. 
product is more compatible because it matches consumers'
 
needs, personal values, beliefs, and past consumption
Demonstrating financial accountability is imperative for
practices.
Marcom practitioners. We must get better at what we do
because it is increasingly difficult to justify expenditures Complexity
without knowing what works and what doesn't. Complexity refers to an innovation's degree of perceived
difficulty. The more difficult an innovation is to understand
The Brand Adoption Process
or use, the slower the adoption rate.
Marcom and Brand Adoption
Trialability
The acceptance of new ideas, including new brands, has
Trialability is the
been traditionally referred to as product adoption. Brand
extent to which
adoption occurs when customers become aware of new
we can use an
brands, undertake trial purchases, and possibly become
innovation on a
repeat buyers. The Brand Adoption Process is shown in the
limited basis.
figures below.
Trialability is
The process includes tied closely to
three classes: the concept of
awareness, trier, and perceived risk,
repeater. and the trial
experience
Make customers serves to reduce
aware ("Awareness the consumer's
Class) of the new product's existence with free samples and risk of being dissatisfied. In general, products that lend
coupons, advertising, trade shows, personal selling (B2B), themselves to trialability are adopted more rapidly.
and distribution.
Observability
Observability is the degree to which the product user or
Induce customers to try (Trier Class) the product with other people can observe the positive effects of new-product
coupons, distribution, and price. usage. In general, innovations in observability/visibility lend
Ensure repeat (Repeater Class) purchases with personal themselves to rapid adoption if they also possess relative
selling advertising, price, distribution, and product advantages. Figure 3.3 shows an ad that illustrates
satisfaction. observability.
It shows us the various Marcom tools we can use to  
influence consumers from one level to another using
information, product experience, and social interactions. The
brand adoption process occurs among the entire marketing
channels and all types of customers, business-to-business
(B2B) and business-to-customers/end-users (B2C).
 
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Brand Naming: The Start of Branding
 
What Constitutes a Good Brand Name?
Requirement 1: Distinguishes the Brand from Competitive
Offerings
Trademark laws protect owners of brand names and logos
from other companies using identical or similar names.
Failure to distinguish a brand from competitive offerings
creates consumer confusion and increases the chances that
consumers will not remember the name or mistakenly select
another brand. The objective of the legislation is to ensure
that trademarks are not at risk of losing distinctiveness.
Requirement 2: Facilitate Consumer Learning of Brand
Associations
Brand names serve as memory cues that facilitate product
attributes and benefits and predict product performance.
1. Brand Name Suggestiveness – implies particular
attributes or benefits in the context of a product
category (e.g., Healthy Choice).
Commencing our branding exercise is naming the product. 2. Made-Up Brand Names – (i.e., created or
Branding starts with a name. In the realm of human fabricated) are not actual words.
influence, each detail about a product is a touchpoint to a They may be morphemes that are semantic kernels
consumer. It is imperative we carefully select the details of a of words (e.g., Compaq, Acura).
product, limiting them to stimulating ideas and experiences. 3. Sound Symbolism and Brand Naming – research
Requirements of a right brand name include: (1) distinguish suggests that sounds made through the
the brand from competitive offerings, (2) describe the brand pronunciation of a brand name influence the
and its attributes or benefits, (3) achieve compatibility with perceptions and evaluations of brand names.
a brand's desired image and with its product design or Individual sounds called phonemes are the basis for
packaging, and (4) be memorable and easy to pronounce. brand names. They can provide meaning about the
brand through sound symbolism.
Brand naming is also a process involving steps: (1) specify
objective for the brand name, (2) evaluate candidate names,
(3) evaluate candidate names, (4) choose a brand name, and Requirement 3: Achieve Compatibility with a Brand's
(5) register a trademark. Desired Image and with Its Product Design or Packaging

 
The Role of Logos
Consumers learn logos and easily recognize products upon
which a known logo is emblazoned. Good logos are (1)
recognized readily, (2) convey the same meaning to all
target members, and (3) evoke positive feelings. The best
strategy for enhancing the likeability of a logo is choosing a
moderately elaborate design.

Requirement 4: Be Memorable and Easy to Pronounce

Many brand names are short, one-word names that facilitate
Updating Logos
ease of memory and pronunciation (e.g., Tide, Bounce,
Over time, logos become dated and should be updated to
Pledge).
reflect the times.
 
Some Exceptions to the "Rules"
Brand Naming Despite their names, some brands become successful (i.e.,
A brand is a company's unique designation or trademark, the first brand in a new product category). Some companies
distinguishing its offering from other product category intentionally use an initially meaningless brand name (called
entries. A brand name affects how consumers become aware the empty-vessel philosophy) to build positive associations
of the brand, influences brand image, and influences brand with the new name.
equity formation. Brand names have been described as
"cerebral switches" that can turn on positive associations in
Protecting Brand Names and Logos and Ultimately
consumers' minds.
Consumers
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Essential to creating names and logos, the image relays the MODULE 3: Communication Process
brand promise and what it stands for is that they are durable
aspects of a product. They are meant to last for the entire Schramm Model of Communication (1954)
brand life or at least a very long time. They are protected by
laws on intellectual property rights, including patents,
copyrights, and trademarks, preventing other products from In the standard Model of Communication by Schramm,
using the registered brand names and logos. These laws there are three fundamental parts of the communication
protect the consumers from the harm of imitation, process: source, message, and receiver. The source is
counterfeit, and pirated product versions. They further responsible for encoding the message. The message is the
prevent the legitimate product owner from legal liability if information shared by the source. The receiver is the one
such harm happens. who decodes the message and sends back feedback to the
source using a particular behavior or action consistent with
Intellectual Property the message, which may be favorable or unfavorable to the
Intellectual property refers to many different author or source. 
company creations for which a set of exclusive rights is  
recognized under the law. Common types of intellectual Two elements essential in the flow of communication are
property include patents, copyrights, and trademarks. the channel carrying the message (e.g., the medium used by
the source like TV, radio, newspaper, social media). The
 
other element is noise or the interference in the
Patents environment, both internal and external, to the message's
source and receiver that may disrupt the message's
A patent permits the owner to secure a monopoly or transmission, compromising communication flow. The
exclusive rights to use an invention for 20 years, generally model posits the following:
not renewable. There are three types of patents: utility,  
design, and plant. “Information is of no use unless and until it is carefully put
A utility patent is the most frequent type of patent. The into words and conveyed to others. Encoding plays a
utility category includes biological, business, chemical, and significant role because it initiates the process of
software patents. communication by converting thought into content.
Design patents protect the appearance or shape.  
Plant patents offer protection for discovering particular When the information reaches the recipient, his prime
naturally occurring and previously uncultivated plants. responsibility is to understand what the speaker intends to
Patent applications are filed with the Patent & Trademark convey. Unless and until the second party can understand or
Office (www.uspto.gov). decode the information that the sender wants to
communicate, the message is actually of no use.
 
 
Copyrights The channel's choice that will carry the message through is
as crucial as addressing noise in encoding. Target markets
A copyright is a set of exclusive rights, not for an actual idea have preferred mediums of communication when searching
or invention, but for the form in which something is for information and media consumption habits. Successful
expressed. It should be in a tangible medium. The focus of marketing communication uses the same media the target
copyright protection is on the originality of the expression market is consuming. Likewise, marketing communicators
by the owner. Registration is not required, but we should release the marketing messages at the time, in the format,
register the work with the Copyright Office of the Library of fitting the target market’s media consumption habit. This
Congress to receive these rights. A U.S. copyright is granted way, the target market correctly decodes and reduces the
for the author's life plus 70 years, or if "work for hire," 90 marketing message into the straightforward and clear
years from the date of publication or 120 years from information the source intended to send.
creation, whichever comes first. There are limits. The fair  
use doctrine (section 107 of the 1976 Copyright Act) states Thus encoding and decoding are the two most important
that the copyrighted work for criticism, comment, news factors of effective communication without which
reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research is not an information can never flow between two
infringement of copyright. individuals. Schramm also emphasizes that "communication
Trademarks is incomplete unless and until the sender receives feedback
from the recipient.”
A trademark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an  
individual, business organization, or other legal entity to
identify consumers' goods or services. The trademark Schramm Model of Communication
appears and distinguishes its goods and services from the  
competition. It is typically a name, word, phrase, logo, The BDO social media campaign is an example of failure in
symbol, design, image, or combination. Trade dress may CODING. It is a case of an erroneous copy “Save the
encompass these and unconventional categories such as Environment or Save up to see places.” The connecting
brand associations with color, smell, sounds, etc. A word “or” implies that consumers can choose between
company can lose a trademark if the mark becomes a saving the environment and opening/maintaining a savings
common descriptive word. Trademark dilution and account in BDO. This social media advertisement generated
trademark disparagement cases do arise.
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negative comments (reactions) from the netizens that On the other end of the consumer psychology spectrum is
resulted in the social media campaign's pull-out. the low involvement buying decision or when, according to
  Robertson (1976 cited in Fletcher, 1987), the customer’s
selective mechanism is “inoperative.” When the consumers
Screenshot of BDO Social Media Content perceive products as similar, buying decisions use very
  minimal effort to evaluate the available choices. Hedonic
We can consider a revised copy: “Save the environment by consumers are low-involvement buyers because the purpose
Saving up to see places” or “Save up to see places and Save of their purchase is to satisfy the pleasure that comes with
the environment. shopping.
    
Mass-Mediated Communication: Coca-Cola Let us compare the high involvement from low involvement
  buying decisions using Ehrenberg’s (1974, cited in Fletcher
Coca-Cola’s mass-mediated communication shows us that 1987) Attention-Trial-Reinforcement Model. The model
producing a message is a collective output of various social shows us that low-involvement consumers are more likely to
agents. The interaction is imperative in ensuring that the move from attention to trial immediately. Contrary to the
marketing message is relevant, accurate, and suitable high involvement, consumers are most likely to devote time
following social, cultural, psychological sensitivities. evaluating the product choices. Low involvement consumers
Supporting the Coca-Cola model with Schramm’s Model of appear motivated to buy based on the brand's idea and less
Communication teaches us that a sender can be a group of on its original features.
institutions and agencies producing a universal message.
  Ehrenberg’s Attention-Trial-Reinforcement
Receiving the message is a process in itself. It shows that it  
is hardly possible for the message to be received in its The level of commitment exists at the same time. The
original form because the factors both internal and external standard of participation by the consumers varies according
to the audience interferes with the decoding of a message. to the risk involved in buying a product. If the risk is
Noise is an inevitable encounter when sending and receiving perceived to be high, most likely, customers will have high
a message. It multiplies as we communicate. involvement. Given the same product, another set of
  consumers who consider purchasing said product less or
Addressing the “noise” and ensuring accuracy and clarity of risk-free most will most likely one little engagement when
message, both the sender and receiver (production and buying. The previous lesson discusses the different ways
reception) accommodate and negotiate factors influencing consumers make trade-offs when buying a product.
their coding and decoding, such as value system, beliefs,  
prejudices. The final form of a message is the collective and There are two types of customers grouped according to the
individual meaning formed in the audience's consciousness. level of involvement spent on buying decisions. Marketers
  create a marketing message and deliver the same message in
The richness of message interpretation shows that two different ways. High involvement consumers will
communication is a social process. One message will always require promotional materials that communicate the product
generate different meanings, different meanings to different features, benefits, and attributes. The functional benefit of a
individuals. product differentiates the value offered. Low involvement
  consumers need brand messages that convey positive images
about the product reinforcing their personal beliefs,
Mass-Mediated Communication: Coca-Cola (O'Guinn, aspirations, and values. The brand image closest to the
Allen, & Semenik, 2012) personal belief, aspirations, and values is a
  more meaningful value offer to the low involvement
The Psychology of Consumer Buying Decision consumers.
  Product Life Cycle
According to Howard’s Cognitive Psychology (1977, cited We begin with our Product Life Cycle and ask the simple,
in Fletcher, 1987), consumers are rational decision-makers fundamental question, “Where is our product concerning its
and consider products a solution to problems. Buying life cycle?”
follows a problem-solving approach.
 
The problem-solving approach requires high involvement
from the target market and premises that individuals search
for solutions to problems by searching and gathering
information pertinent to the problem. The relevant
information is evaluated as alternative solutions until we
attain a satisfactory solution. It is an approach that functions
in circumstances where there are choices, and the search is
limited to the available options.
 

 Sample of Appeal to Rational Consumers 

 
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CPM considers consumer behavior as rational, highly
cognitive, systematic, and reasoned.  This behavior is
apparent when choosing a product based on its features,
attributes, and capabilities.
 
The Consumer Processing Model (CPM) or McGuire’s 8
Stages of Information Processing has the following stages:
 
1.  Exposure to Information
2.  Selective Attention
3.  Comprehension
4.  Agreement
5.  Retention in Memory
6.  Retrieval
7.  Consumer Decision-Making
8.  Action 
 
Stage 1: Exposure to Information
According to the Mere Exposure Hypothesis (“Truth
Effect”), repeated exposure to a stimulus like a TV ad,
package, radio commercial, among others, may generate a
positive effect toward the object such as an advertised brand
through enhanced familiarity. This stage emphasizes the
crucial role of regularity in the IMC. The frequency of
exposure to a stimulus generates a behavior beneficial to the
brand being marketing.
 
Stage 2: Selective Attention
Traditional marketing communication is designed to capture
the attention of an audience. The conditions influencing our
command over attention are twofold: 1.) The varying
degrees of attractiveness about the object; and 2.) The
energy of the mind. There are two levels of attention:
 
Voluntary Attention
Voluntary Attention is the complete control over
our thoughts and our ability to command a
particular mental state's expulsion or detention at
different times and objects. A representation of the
imagination, a strong emotion, a worrying train of
thought, no less than some distracting external
  stimulus, may sometimes render nugatory repeated
With the following stages of the PLC, we can logically spot efforts to apply our minds to some other topic. The
the promotional needs of our product, see Table 1 below: power of the brain to automatically drift with and
actively struggle against the natural current of
The Product Life Cycle in Marketing Communications thought.
   
The basic foundation of sustainable marketing tactical Non-voluntary attention
approaches is to identify suitable objectives. Failure to Non-Voluntary Attention occurs when the mind is
determine the appropriate goals may result in unexpected awakened and continued without any effort. There
results that are most of the time unnecessary and undesirable are two levels of non-voluntary attention: 1.)
(Figure 4 below).  Spontaneous or automatic is when the process of
  attention flows along in a smooth, facile manner
Product Life Cycle and Marketing Strategy without any consciousness of constraint. 2.)
  Involuntary Attention is when we feel our
Models of Consumer Behavior attention is extorted from us or constrained against
There are two models of consumer behavior used to predict our will when an idea forcibly intrudes into our
our target market's possible responses to the marketing consciousness and defies our best attempts to eject
messages relayed to them: 1.) Consumer Processing Model it. Involuntary attention results when the conscious
(CPM) and 2.) Hedonic Experiential Model (HEM). mind changes focus to sudden changes in the
  environment (big sound, the intensity of the light,
Consumer Processing Model (CPM) unique situation, among others.). We are
  unprepared for the attention, and the attention is not
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under our control. Our focus is less concerned with stimulus and unless we allocated attention to the stimulus,
motives, interests, and needs, and the stimulus is the sensory store's information is rapidly lost (See Stage 2). 
usually more critical than any functional factors. Short-Term Memory (STM)
  When we focus on the information, it goes to our short-term
Several factors are causing selective attention: memory. Short-term memory has limited processing
  capacity. If the information is not thought about or
Stimulus intensity or the loudness of a sound, attractiveness rehearsed, we will lose it in 30 seconds or less. An example
of color, and pleasantness or unbearable smell. is, suppose the receiver immediately shared information
Novel stimuli or the pleasure and pain principle, an idea or with another. Most likely, that information will proceed to
object that reminds us of a pleasant experience, directs our long-term memory storage. 
attention, while painful experience suspends our attention.  
Novelty pleases. Long-Term Memory (LTM)
Experience (reward/reinforcement) that once rewarded or The long-term memory store is a virtual storehouse of
an act reinforced calls for our attention. unlimited information. We organize the information into
Needs may be cognitive. For example, suppose you have coherent and associated cognitive units called brand schema,
been searching for a particular brand of office supplies and memory organization packets, or knowledge structures. Our
came across a display. Needs may also be hedonic. For job is to provide positively valued information that
example, after hard work, you came across an expensive consumers will store in LTM.
restaurant and thought of rewarding yourself with a nice  
meal. Multiple Store Theory
Expectations (product interest) fueled by the aggressive  
promotion of a product, we attend to the details of its Levels of Processing Model
features and capabilities. According to this model, there are three stages or levels to
Values (families, culture) our social development which information passes. We allocate our retention
influences the attention we give to an idea, object, or capacity to yield processing from simple sensory analysis to
message. complex semantic and cognitive elaboration.
    
Stage 3: Comprehension Example: Using a female hand in a J & J baby shower gel
Comprehension is understanding and creating meaning out TVC is a stimulus that gets our attention to notice a soft
of stimuli and symbols. Interpreting stimuli involve hand touching a baby’s skin. The image creates a complex
selective perception affected by expectations, context, semantic translated into the softness or tenderness of a touch
needs, personality, attitudes, and mood. According to that we give meaning to like a bit of love. As the storyboard
studies, the average miscomprehension rates have as high as progresses, the frame shows a full picture of a mother
30%. Aside from the challenge of comprehension, our lovingly touching her baby, which we interpreted as a
message receivers have selective perception; each individual mother’s touch is a touch of love.
is likely to perceive images differently.
   Levels of Processing Model using J&J Big Idea
Stage 4: Agreement  
Comprehension by itself does not ensure that the message Spreading Activation Model
influences consumers’ behavior. Agreement depends on: This model argues that there exists only one memory store,
  and we can only activate a limited portion of that store at
1.  Whether or not the message is credible  any one time. We use the active part in processing memory.
2.  The quality of arguments Another way of saying is that we store in mind those we use
3.  Whether or not the information is compatible with immediately and repress those we put-off.
the values that are important to the consumer  
   Learning and Learning Types
Stage 5: Retention and Search/Retrieval of Stored When learning transpires, the stored information changes in
Information the content or organization of information in a consumer’s
  long-term memory. Using the classical conditioning model,
Retention and information search and retrieval both involve we can understand how we change the previous data stored
memory factors related to consumer choice. Three memory in the long-term memory to a different behavior using
storage theories: 1.) Multiple Store Approach, 2.) Levels of another stimulus or cue to changed behavior.
Processing, and 3.) Spreading Activation Model.  
   Example:
Multiple Store Approach to Memory Tardiness is an offense. We penalize an offense (negative
  reinforcement). 
According to this memory theory, the information in our We can minimize tardiness if we correctly
brain passes through three “stores” or “storages.” They are communicate the policy and the sanctions.
the sensory store (SS), short-term memory (STM), and  
long-term memory (LTM). Punctuality is a virtue. We reward virtue (positive
  reinforcement). 
Sensory Store (SS) We can minimize tardiness by encouraging
When we receive information, it passes through our sensory punctuality with incentives. In the theory of loss
receptors and to the sensory store. Depending on the aversion, losses weigh greater than gain.
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Individuals respond more with positive  
reinforcement because the possible loss associated The receiver or consumers decode the message, which is
with missing the incentive is higher than merely transforming message symbols back into thought.
avoiding sanctioning tardiness.   
   
Stage 6: Search and Retrieval of Information The process of communicating with our target market
New information is best learned and more accessible with includes several stages, and it starts with setting our
concrete examples and claims (as opposed to abstract). An communication objective that we transform into a message,
example is the Apple computer versus other brands. Apple delivered using selected channels. 
is evident with its capabilities and functions as opposed to  
other brands. The message is received by the consumers who experience
  the products the first time and manifest a specific
The use of imagery or a mental event involving the communication outcome (e.g., brand awareness, attitude
visualization of a concept or relationship has a dual-coding change, behavioral effect), who will provide much-sought
benefit (Dual-Coding Theory). Pictures are represented in feedback. In every stage of the process are interruptions or
memory in verbal and visual form, whereas words are less noise that we need to address to accomplish oneness of
likely to have visual representations. thought.
Stage 7: Decision Processes  
  As communicators, we must always remember that we
High Involvement Decision Making write, design, and compose for our audience. We are not
Takes on a problem-solving approach; thus, individuals communicating for ourselves. The intent is to reach out to
strive to attain goals and solutions to problems, gather our audience. It is important that when creating our
information, and evaluate various alternative solutions to message, we understand the various ways we can transform
achieve a satisfactory answer. Individual choices occur in an our words into symbolic forms.
environment of “givens” – premises accepted by the subject  
as the basis for his selection, and behavior is adaptive only  
within limits set by these givens. Semiotics
  Let us begin constructing our message with semiotics, “the
Low Involvement Decision Making study of meaning and meaning-producing events.” There are
Behavior and decision processes are determined by the three areas of concern in semiotics: meaning, sign, and
belief, opinions, and “facts a person processes by the needs, socialization.
goals, and values he has and the momentary control he has  
over his behavior by given features of his cognitive and Meaning is a constructive process that the communicators
motivational structure. determined as much as by the receivers of the message. Our
  internal responses (thoughts, feelings) are presented with a
High-Low Involvement Matrix sign, stimulus, or object.
(https://manifestedmarketing.wordpress.com/tag/consumer-  
buying-behaviour/) Denotative Meaning versus Connotative Meaning
     
Stage 8: Action Denotative is the exact meaning of a symbol, a word, or a
Our desired action from our consumers is responsive and phrase.
consistent with our call to action. Connotative  is the implied meaning of a symbol, a word, or
  a phrase.
 Hedonic, Experiential Model (HEM)  
HEM model argues that emotions drive consumer behavior. Structural versus Contextual Meaning
The act of purchasing is in pursuit of “fun, fantasies, and  
feelings.” Structural is a sign to sign a relationship, like a traffic sign,
  red stops, and green is a go.
CPM – HEM Continuum  
The rational consumer processing model (CPM) and the Contextual is a description of signs like the UP Oblation is a
hedonic, experiential model (HEM) are not mutually sign of academic freedom. 
exclusive. Instead, they exist on a continuum.  
The sign represents something in a given context.
Now that we can identify our communication purpose, let us  
understand the process we are engaging in. We learned from Example: When a consumer sees a Coke logo, it will have
the Schramm Model of Communication. From that, we different meanings depending on the context:
know the following:
 
1.  Dining, Coke logo may remind the consumer of a
Communications is the process of establishing a
cold, sweet beverage to go with the dish.
commonness or oneness of thought between a sender (e.g.,
an advertiser) and a receiver (e.g., a consumer). 2. While waiting in line under the heat of the sun, the
  Coke logo is something that quenches thirst.
The sender or advertiser encodes the message, which is the  
process of putting thought into symbolic form (e.g., words, Signs
sentence structure, symbols, non-verbal cues).
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There are three ways of looking at signs: signals, signs, and 3. Reminding and Increasing Salience. Advertising is
symbols: necessary to keep our target market connected with
  our brand. Advertising reminds the target market
A signal is when the product is a cause or effect of and increases the salience or noticeability of our
something else (e.g., SUVs the result of large families) brand. What about known brands?
  4. Adding Value. Advertising creates value with the
A sign is a product and referent belonging to the same information it shares. Accurate and truthful
cultural context (e.g., SUVs part of the upper-middle class, information and deliverable promises are key to
children, suburbs) adding value to our brand.
  5. Assisting Other Company Efforts. Advertising is
A symbol is a product and object that have no prior also a tool for other company efforts, like when
relationship yet are now associated with one another (e.g., Public Relations implements a special event,
Ford trucks and “tough guy” image/ads promoting it makes use of advertising.
 
Socialization in semiotics is how people learn cultural With the huge investment involved in developing and
values, form beliefs, and become familiar with “physical implementing an advertising campaign, it is important to
cues” representing these values and beliefs. understand the many ways that guarantee effectiveness.
  There are six criteria for effective advertising material. 
Symbolic Relationships in marketing communication are 1. Sound Strategy. Each brand, depending on where in
developed using different figures of speech. the product life cycle it belongs, the competition's
  aggressiveness, the quality of its relationship with
The metaphor is a speech figure that makes an implicit, the market, and dynamism of the market, the
implied, or hidden comparison between two unrelated things advertising strategy must be appropriate at all
but shares some common characteristics. In other words, a times. Suitability is measured based on its practical
resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is and most logical direction. There is one most
made based on a single or some standard features. suitable to the brand with several advertising
Examples: “Wheaties – the Breakfast of Champions,” strategies available.
“Budweiser – the King of Beers” 2. Consumer's View. Advertising messages respond to
  consumers' least expectations. The consumers of
A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, shampoo, regardless of brands, have a minimum
showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a requirement of "clean hair." This basic functional
metaphor, an analogy draws resemblance with the words product benefit needs to be communicated all the
“like” or “as.” Therefore, it is a direct comparison. Example: time. Other consumer demands like soft, shiny,
“Trailblazer – like a rock.” long, and healthy, etc., become a point-of-
  differentiation from one brand to another. The
Allegory is an extended metaphor in which we describe advertising message focuses on clean + the point-
abstract ideas and principles in terms of characters, figures, of-differentiation, suddenly the market segment
and events. It is a parable that tells a story. becomes clear to us, and the focus of our IMC
  campaign is properly directed towards one
Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an objective.
idea where we give animals human attributes. We portray 3. All marketing communications are designed to
non-human objects in such a way that we feel they have the influence behavior favoring our brand. We avoid
ability to act like human beings. the voluntary disregard of our advertising
  messages. We want our target market to notice our
Moral conflict is a literary element that involves a struggle brand and connect with the brand. The initial step
between two opposing forces. Examples: Mr. Clean  to the persuasive message is relevance
(makabuluhan).
MODULE 4: Pull Strategy 4. Don't Overwhelm. One of the worst failures of
 Advertising is a paid communication with an identified advertising is the overwhelming creative execution.
sponsor using broad-scale media targeting a mass audience. Advertising material is intended for brand
It is a promotional tool designed to interrupt the market awareness, knowledge, and recall. There are cases
requiring significant investment. Its tools are intended as an when an advertising material is recalled because of
above-the-line strategy (ATL).  its entertainment value but failed to earn a brand.
When this happens, advertising fails.
There are five basic functions performed by advertising: 5. Deliver on Promises. Advertising is where we
1. The most basic advertising functions are to inform promote our promises in the form of a value
the market that our brand exists in the market, proposition or point-of-differentiation. We must
offering specific attributes and benefits. guide ourselves with our positioning statement
2. The significant investment in an advertising because it guarantees that our advertising message
campaign is largely due to its ability to influence is communicating deliverable promises.
consumer perception and behavior. Advertising 6. Break Clutter. The sheer volume of information in
messages are used to persuade the market of a various media channels and platforms makes it
particular need that can be satisfied by our brand. difficult for the human brain to absorb information.
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Relevant, clear messages in clean, creative 4. Credible. Credibility is anchored on different
execution allow our advertising message to break aspects of a product, i.e., the functional
the clutter. performance of a product, quality of customer
service provided by the channels, and the simplest
  yet most reliable source of credibility is corporate
  reputation.
5. Emotional. Consumer buying behavior takes on
Elements of Effective Advertising both the CPM and HEM approaches. When buying,
consumers first ask, "Does it work?" (Core level,
 
functional attribute), and when convinced of the
Aside from being effective, an advertising campaign must product's functional attribute, they ask, "Does it
be successful in achieving its objectives. There are three feel good buying it?" (Intangible and augmented,
simple qualities of successful advertising: newsworthiness, emotional attribute). An advertising message is also
responsiveness to the rational stimulus (high involvement), created first to address the consumers' need to
and emphasis on hedonic or visceral stimuli (low assure that the product delivers its functional
involvement). attributes and moves towards searching for the
emotional connection.
What does "being creative" mean? Being creative means 6. Storytelling. We connect because of conversations
accomplishing our objectives with limited resources, about moments. However simple each moment,
responding to the diversity of lifestyle, cultural beliefs, and those are short stories worth sharing and listening
values with a singular idea, and transcending a singular to. A good message, any message for that matter, is
promise to a range of market segments with varying best shared in a storytelling fashion.
demands and expectations.
 
The CAN Elements gauge the creativity of an advertising
message. According to CAN, a creative advertising message
is characterized by 1.) Its ability to connect the brand with
the target market (connectedness), 2. ) The message is  Elements of Sticky Ads
appropriate to the community, and 3.) Interestingly, the  
execution is related, saying the same promise differently
each time (novelty). Impression Hierarchy 
  When formulating the advertising message strategy, we
consider the impression hierarchy and choose which layer
connects with our target market.
 The CAN Elements of Creative Ads  
   Brand Name. There is a reason why we do branding
Another criterion that we need to satisfy when creating an campaigns and work hard to create and sustain strong brands
advertising message is the stickiness of the message. The for our products because strong brands are the simplest to
sticky message is achieved with six elements called the communicate. We use them with ease when our products
SUCCESS principle, an acronym for the following: enjoy a firm brand name. The brand name becomes the
strongest single-minded proposition and the strongest
1. Simple. The message must be simple. Clarity and
product attribute. 
brevity are achieved when messages are simple.
Simplicity in sentence construction, visual peg, and We can also create an advertising message that allows our
overall layout leaves minimal noise to set and products to own a category and makes their name generic. In
results in varying meanings. the country, Colgate is successful in making the brand
2. Unexpected. The novelty of the idea brings color synonymous with toothpaste that when consumers ask for a
and life to the advertising message. We are actually toothpaste, they immediately ask for Colgate but actually
sending our target market the same singular meant another brand, "Pabili po ng Colgate, yung
message that we have been sending for the past Happee." San Miguel Corporation is also successful in
many years, some brands even for more than a making a generic claim over a beer for their Pale Pilsen,
century, but we can sustain interest because we can which was challenged by Asia Brewery when they launched
send the same message repeatedly differently. their own beer and named it Beer. 
3. Concrete. The concreteness of an idea comes from
the logical pattern of the expected cause-effect Attitudinal Response. When we create an advertising
message intended to influence the attitudinal response, we
relationship.
want to change people's opinions and feel positive about our
a. Example: When one is soaked in rainwater
product. The attitudinal response is a cognitive approach to
(cause), they may sick (effect). Logically
communication that makes use of our sensory motors as
we will avoid the sickness by drying and
stimuli. Example: Imagine a guy that most likely is labeled
warming up. Concreteness uses visual
as a geek, walks on the street, and gets glances and smiles
elements like dripping clothes and hair, a
from women simply because he smells good with Axe
towel to dry, and a soup or coffee to
cologne.
warm-up.
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Commercial Specifics. We can also explore the commercial volume of consumption is only about half
specifics of our product in our advertising messages. We can a teaspoon each time.
encourage our target to read the labels for food and beverage  The lacks a single-minded proposition
products (Nestle) to emphasize our products' nutritional because of the many uses outside its core
value or be as clear as saying a verifiable fact like 78% function.
vitamin C in an orange-flavored beverage. Mountain Dew is
so clear of their product attribute, the energy drink with the Step 3: State the Communication Objectives
highest level of caffeine, resulting in the ability to do
extreme physical activities.  What effect is the advertising intended to have on
the target market, and how should it persuade
Specific Sales Message. The strongest impression is when consumers?
we create an advertising message using a specific sales  
message or the product's value proposition. It transforms the  Example: Baking Soda
value statement into a clear message intending the target
audience to create a meaning consistent with the value we  The advertising message is intended to
are trying to generate from the communication process.  encourage increased consumption of
baking soda.
The advertising plan provides the framework for the  The advertising message is aimed at
systematic execution of advertising strategies. Like a introducing to the target market the many
marketing plan, it involves analysis, planning, uses of baking soda.
implementation, and a measure of control. Each time we
create an advertising plan, the creative process that we go  Step 4: Implement the reactive message strategy.
through guides an advertising campaign. It is equally With our advertising objectives, we now decide on
important to remember that an advertising message the message strategy using our creative Platform
communicates its primary benefits and how it can solve a (our positioning statement) guided by the four
consumer's problem. elements:
1. Define the target market (Customer profile)
 
2. Identify the primary competition (Frame-of-
Advertising Strategy Reference)
3. Choose the promise (Point-of-Differentiation)
We have explored the ways we can create a promisingly
effective advertising message. But it is also important to 4. Offer reasons why (Reasons-to-Believe)
know that we must also decide first our advertising strategy.  Step 5: Establish mandatory corporate/divisional
There are five simple steps to remember when formulating requirements
an advertising strategy. This last step reminds the advertiser to include the
  corporate slogan or logo, headlines, claim
substantiation, contact details, distribution centers,
Step 1: Key Fact and any other regulatory requirements, etc.
Stating the key fact means a single-minded Creative Strategies
statement from the customer's perspective identifies
why consumers are not purchasing the brand. This Several creative strategies are available, and there is a
requires knowing the customers from their suitable strategy for each product.
demographics, psychographics, behavioral, and Generic Strategy
how and why they do what they do with our
product. This allows us to explore the many The generic strategy involves making a claim made by any
moments where our product is in our target company that markets a brand in that product category.
customers' lives.  There is no attempt to differentiate its brand from
competitive offerings or to claim superiority. This creative
 Example: Baking Soda
strategy is most appropriate for a brand that dominates a
 Baking soda is used for cooking. product category and enjoys a large share of any primary
 It is used for cleaning sinks, cooking demand stimulated by advertising.
wares, and laundry.
Preemptive Strategy
  ENT doctors prescribe it for decongesting
the nasal passage, while dentists The preemptive strategy is used when an advertiser makes a
recommend it for whitening teeth.   generic-type claim but does so with an assertion of
superiority. This is so because the advertiser is trying to
Step 2: State the Market Problem preempt a competitive claim and effectively precludes
competitors from saying the same thing. Example: 7-Up is
State the problem from the marketer's point of view.
the un-cola, barring Sprite to differentiate itself from other
  Example: Baking Soda sodas.
 The product is consumable for food This strategy is most often used in product or service
preparation for only 30 days, and the categories where there are few functional differences among
competitive brands.
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Unique Selling Proposition Means-End Chaining
This creative strategy claims superiority based on a unique The means-end chaining framework shows us that every
product attribute representing a meaningful, distinctive product attribute is a logical consequence. That when we do
consumer benefit. The advertiser translates a unique product our creative work, we must be able to determine the logical
feature into a relevant consumer benefit provides a unique consequence correctly because these two elements are our
selling proposition. This strategy is best suited for a means to our end (communication objective). Also, it makes
company with a brand that possesses a relatively lasting the advertising message coherent, logical, and concrete.
competitive advantage. An example is Surf in the
Philippines with the USP laundry powdered soap for Means-End Chain
the wais housewives, a brand personified by Lumen, who Let s assume that we are doing means-end-chaining for a
can provide the best care for the family without spending so product in the healthy choices category. As a healthy choice,
much.   we say that our product's attributes are low fat, many
Brand Image Strategy flavors, and high quality. Notice that each attribute is a
logical consequence, and altering the consequence does not
This strategy involves psychological rather than physical simply make sense. Also, the correctly paired attribute and
differentiation of a product. It attempts to develop an image consequence lead us to a credible value(s). These values can
for a brand by associating the product with symbols from be used for our creative execution.
which customers draw meaning from the culturally
constituted world and transfer that meaning to the brand.    Means-End Chain and Advertising Strategy

This type of advertising is believed to be transformational MECCAS* Model Conceptualization of Advertising Strategy
by associating the experience of using an advertised brand Much like the means-end chain, MECCAS also follows a
with a unique set of psychological characteristics that linear creative exercise to draw from the process the most
typically would not be associated with the brand experience suitable value(s) that can be used as an advertising message.
to the same degree without exposure to the advertisement. 
MECCAS Model Conceptualization of Advertising
Resonance Strategy Strategy 
Resonance strategy does not focus on the product claims of Some universal values used in advertising messages:
brand images but rather seeks to present circumstances or 1. Self-direction
situations that find counterparts in the target audience's real
2. Stimulation
or imagined experience. An example is the Dove soap bar,
where beauty is defined differently from the universally 3. Hedonism
prescribed Barbie-look. Instead, beauty is not limited to size, 4. Achievement
age, color, and even gender preference.  5. Power
6. Security
Affective (emotional) strategy
7. Conformity
This creative strategy aims to reach the consumer at a 8. Tradition
visceral level through the use of emotional strategy. 9. Benevolence
Emotional advertising works especially well for products 10. Universalism
that naturally are associated with emotions (hedonic), e.g., The promotional mix is evolving right before our eyes. 
food, jewelry, cosmetics, fashion apparel, etc.  Today we get to decide on the communication route with the
Corporate Image Advertising following choices strategically:
 
This creative strategy attempts to gain name recognition, Interruption Marketing
product goodwill, and identification with meaningful social Traditionally, we develop our creative communication skills
activities.  intending to capture attention. Interruption Marketing refers
to the traditional promotional mix: advertising, public
Corporate Issue Advertising relations, sales promotions, personal selling.
Meanwhile, corporate issue advertising is "paid  
communication concerned with propagating ideas and Permission Marketing
explaining controversial social issues of public importance." The technological innovation on information and
When public relations campaign is supported by advertising, communication allowed faster, more accessible means to
PR materials take this form. connect with people: internet 1.0 emails, version 2.0 social
media, soon, 3.0 artificial intelligence, all provided digital
Advertising Creative Frameworks online platforms to share brand contents. These platforms
allow brand touchpoints through presence and connection
We can use two models to help us appreciate the creative with the subscribers of each platform.
strategy. Means-End Chain or the MECCAS can guide us.  
Both models recognize the product attribute, resulting in Advertising is a paid, non-personal, one-way
consumer purchase perception. We can draw our product's communication from an identified sponsor using mass
value using these two elements, which can significantly media to influence an audience. Television commercials,
mean our target consumers. These two models teach us that magazine print ads, and even social media ads are all paid
even creative exercise has a structure and scientific process.
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by advertisers. The premise is that the use of airtime and When a company plans to increase its market share, we can
print pages intends to generate a sale for a product.  consider an aggressive promotional campaign to reach
  consumers.
Bases for advertising costs:   
  Availability of Media and their Characteristics
 Television and radio spots (the 30s or 30 second- One of the considerations in media planning is the
spot, 15s, 10s) availability of media in a particular location promotion will
 Newspaper per column inch (width= no. of take place. We also consider the type of media commonly
columns used x length= inches) used by the target consumers and the cost of media
 Magazine pages (Inside Front Cover, Full Page, placements for a specific location. The choice of media is
Outside Back Cover, etc.) also geographically influenced. 
   
The primary purpose of advertising is to create awareness Industrial and Competitive Practices
and bring the target consumers from unawareness to Due to the barrage of information, many of which are
knowledge by capturing the audience's attention. considered clutter by the target consumers, it is still more
  practical to follow the existing industrial norm in media
Media and Vehicles choices. These are the three reasons for the preference over
  industry standards, according to (Hou 1997): 
Advertising uses mass media. Media is the carrier of  
advertising messages like television, radio, newspaper,  There is no need for media research because the
magazines.  selected media have been used for a long
Vehicles are the specific TV programs like the 6:00 pm significant time.
news program of different broadcasting networks. Time  
magazine is an example of a print vehicle in the print  Target consumers have formed a search habit using
medium.  a conventional industrial press.
   
When choosing for the media and vehicles, consider the  It is costly to introduce to the target consumers new
following (Hou, 1997): media as their search alternative.
   
Target audience Legal and Statutory Constraints
The key to the persuasiveness of an advertising message is The law protects consumers from any false information.
relevance. We create advertising messages to engage the Although we accept puffery or exaggerated advertising
audience. messages, too much puffery leading to incorrect information
  is against it. 
Characteristics of the Product or Services  
Advertising is suitable for products or services with Another advertising consideration is the space and time
information or messages deliverable in at most 30 seconds, needed to implement a successful advertising campaign,
or even a quarter of a page in the newspaper. Complex referring to reach and frequency.
products or services like medical equipment, drugs, and  
surgical procedures require more space and time for their Deciding on the combination of media and vehicles is
features and attributes. Advertising is not a suitable primarily based on the promotional campaigns intended to
promotional tool. reach and frequently create awareness and influence
  consumer buying behavior effectively.
Stage in the Product Life Cycle  
The choice of media for an advertisement must also be  Shrimp (2013) defines reach as the percentage of a target
appropriate to the stage in the product life cycle; otherwise, audience who has seen, heard, or read an advertising
we may either fail to optimize the market growth potential message. Frequency is when a target audience sees, hears, or
for the product or waste too many resources on the wrong reads an advertising message from the exact vehicle. We
combination of media and vehicles. determine the span of advertising reach with multiple media,
  different vehicles, and varying time slots and print spaces. 
Availability of Financial Resources  
Promotion requires significant investment. Promotional  Measuring media implementation uses the Gross Rating
policies depend on the allocated budget. Media planning Points (GRP) or the weight of a particular advertising
must be responsive to the available financial resources of the schedule. We can calculate GRP using the formula: GRP=
company. reach x frequency. 
   
When choosing for the media and vehicles, consider the GRP is essential in deciding the possible combination of
following (Hou, 1997): media and vehicle (reach) and the number of times
  (frequency) required for the advertising campaign to achieve
Corporate Objectives the objectives (Shrimp, 2013).
There are two company objectives types: improved  
profitability or increased market share. If a company decides  There are three media implementation alternatives. Product
to improve profitability, we make the most efficient and type (seasonal) and budget are important considerations
cost-effective promotional activities for media planning. when selecting the media implementation method.
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   Public interest. PR activity should be mutually
1. Continuous Media Implementation is when the beneficial to the organization and the public; it
advertisement is given the same budget throughout aligns its self-interest with the public's interests.
the campaign period.  Two-way communication. PR is more than one-
2. Pulsing Media Implementation is when there are way dissemination of informational materials. It is
selected periods during the advertising campaign equally essential to solicit feedback.
with more media placements.  Management function. PR is most effective when it
3. Flighting Media Implementation is when there are is an integral part of decision-making by top
periods in the advertising campaign when there are management. 
no placements or ad breaks.  
  PR involves counseling and problem-solving at high levels,
 During media planning, reach strategy is generally suitable not just disseminating information after rendering a
when the following conditions are present (Hou, 1997): 1.)  decision.
   
 When the target market is undefined Public Relations include all ongoing activities of an
 When the brand is secure, and competition is weak. organization geared towards earning a positive public
  image. The nature of PR activities includes helping the
 When the product purchase cycle is infrequent public understand the organization and its products by
  responding to public expectations, behavior, judgments, and
Frequency strategy is more appropriate in the following opinions, impacting its operation and development
situations (Hou, 1997):  (Newsom, Turk, & Kruckerberg, 2000). 
 Product is complex or requires more time devoted  
to information on its product use. Ten Basic Principles of Public Relations
 When competition is intense  
 For frequently purchased products A strong reputation and public image follow a standard of
 When there is resistance to the brand behavior. Building and sustaining a solid reputation and an
 When there is a well-defined target market. excellent public image is a conscientious effort to act
  according to a given set of values and acceptable moral and
  social standards introduced by the British Institute of Public
More Terms:  Relations. 
 Advertising spots: media space and time purchased 1. PR deals with facts, not fiction. PR deals with
by advertising reality, not false fronts. Conscientiously planned
 Publics: people with specific interests in the programs that put the public interest in the
organization's impact on business operations. forefront are the basis of sound public relations
policy.
 Puffery: exaggeration in creative execution
2. PR is a public, not a personal service. PR is a
 Media Planning: allocating the space and time
service-oriented profession where public interest,
needed to accomplish the promotional objectives.
not its reward, should be the primary consideration.
 Sales Performance: generated sales for a business 3. The PR practitioner must have the guts to say NO
year. to the deceptive program. Since the public relations
 Sales Pitch: sales force presents the product practitioner must go to the public to seek support
features, attributes, and benefits, and the for programs and policies, the public interest is the
transaction price and value-adding services central criterion for selecting programs and
included in the product's sale. policies.
 Sales Quota: amount or volume of sales required 4. The PR practitioner should never lie to the news
from the sales force at a given sales period media, either outright or implied. The PR
(monthly sales targets, quarterly sales target) practitioner reaches many publics through mass
Public Relations (PR) is the management of corporate media. We cooperated to preserve the integrity of
reputation. Wilcox & Cameron (2006) summarized the the communication channels.
many PR definitions with the following keywords: 5. The PR practitioner probably was the original
deliberate, planned, performance, public interest, two-way ombudsman/woman. The PR practitioners serve the
communication, management function.  interest of both the organization and its public.
Individually described below as (pp. 6-7):  They must be effective communicators –
 Deliberate. PR activity is intentional. Its purpose is conveying information back and forth until we
to influence, gain understanding, provide reach a public understanding.
information, and obtain feedback. 6. PR cannot afford to be a guessing game. Public
 Planned. PR is an organized activity. It is relations practitioners must extensively use
systematic, requiring research and analysis. scientific public opinion research to expedite two-
 Performance. Actual policies and public opinion on way communication and be responsible
PR decisions and activities are the success communicators.
parameters of PR. No public relations will generate 7. Intuition is not enough. To reach and understand
goodwill and support if the organization is what the public says, PR practitioners employ the
unresponsive to community concerns. social sciences – psychology, sociology, social
psychology, public opinion, communications study,
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and semantics, for a meaningful understanding of  
human behavior. Industry Relationship is an organization's relationship with
8. The PR discipline requires multi-disciplinary its employees. Its task is to help attract and retain good
applications. The PR practitioners adapt the work employees by working closely with the human resources
of other disciplines to appreciate human social department to improve employer-employee relations. We
interactions and self-protection. recognize that employees are motivated by their growth
9. The PR practitioner should alert and advise so that potential. A solid relationship with the employees can be a
people are never surprised. Public Relations competitive advantage. 
practitioners are obligated to explain problems to  
the public before these problems become crises. Customer Relationship is responsible for creating and
10. The PR practitioner is only as good as the maintaining valuable products and services to satisfy
reputation they deserve. A single standard, decent customer needs and wants while managing customer
performance measures us. expectations. 
   
The Critical Roles of PR Investor Relationship with stockholders, dealers, and
  distributors intended to maintain the highest possible
PR practitioner as a problem finder, solver, and preventer investor confidence.  
PR practitioner as an interpreter and communication link  
(Newsom et al., 2004, p16-17): Financial Relationships harmonize the public and private
  interests as a primary requisite of partner lending banks and
PR as Problem Finder, Solver, and Preventer other financial institutions. The economic relationship is
This role demands the ability to identify issues concerning fundamentally the organization fulfilling its financial
the organization that may be of vital concern, immediately obligations with its internal sectors and its relationship with
or possibly becoming a cause of interest in the future. The its external publics. 
tasks directly attached to this role are (a) conscientious  
scanning of the environment and (b) consistently conducting Community Relationship maintains a friendly relationship
public perception research.  with the neighboring community or immediate community,
  interest groups, through lobbying or promoting interest by a
PR as an Interpreter and Communication Link  group and individuals or groups of racial or ethnic
It is a role requiring connecting with other people, listening, minorities. 
and empathizing skills.   
  Educational Linkages is a way of recognizing schools as the
The heart of the PR work is its duty to reach out to many wellspring of talents. If organizations desire to attract
public (stakeholders). According to Seitel (2007), "PR competent and competitive employees, they might also
practitioners must communicate with many different publics develop these talents. Organizations can participate in
– not just the general public – each having its own special educational initiatives by way of 1.) Research Grants, 2.)
needs and requiring different communication types. Often Meaningful On-the-Job Training Programs, 3.) Financial
the lines that divide the public are thin, and the overlap is sponsorship to educational programs, 4.) Participate in the
significant. Therefore priorities, according to organizational development of the curriculum, and 5.) Participate in the
needs, must always be reconciled." (p.9)   delivery of the instruction by way of the speaker's speaker's
  Government Relationship is dealing with and
Publics: The heart of PR work communicating with government agencies. Besides dutifully
  paying taxes, business organizations ensure that taxes are
Publics are "an active" audience, encompassing any group collected and disbursed.  
of people who are tied together, however loosely, by some  
common bond of interest or concern and who have Media Relationship is maintaining contact and giving
consequences for an organization (Newsom et al. 2004, information to the media via various communication forms,
p.90).  namely: 1.) news releases, 2.) press kits, 3.) media
  advisories, 4.) news conferences, 5.) press tours, (personal
Facing a similar indeterminate situation, recognizing what is letters or phone calls to editors and reporters, among other
indeterminate in that situation and organizing to do possible media requirements. 
something about the problem (Lattimore, Otis, Heiman, &  
Toth, 2007, p.100)."   The key to a well-managed media relationship is to maintain
  the accuracy, timeliness, relevance, and accessibility of a
 Three categories of public, according to James Grunig, credible person to speak for the organization.
grouped and behaving in similar ways (cited in Lattimore,  
D., Baskin, O. Heiman, S. & Toth, E. 2007, p101): PR Tasks
Latent – a group faces an indeterminate situation but does  
not recognize it as a problem. Publicity – is a write-up or a news story broadcasted or
Aware – the group identifies and is aware of a problem. printed. Its purpose is to increase the public's awareness of
Active – the group organizes to discuss and do something the organization and its products and services. It must be in
about the problem. a positive tone all the time. The benefits of publicity are: 
 It is free because the press or media is in the
Types of PR Relationships information business, and a good story is a minefield. 
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 PR is more believable than advertising because sponsorship of an organized event. The acknowledgment
people tend to believe news stories than a 30-second TV comes in any of the following: 1.) advertising of the
commercial. Publicity must be newsworthy, accurate, and sponsored event, 2.) programs, 3.) uniforms, 4.) posters, and
truthful. Its purpose is to strengthen a person's o person's 5.) other promotional materials. 
zati organization's n and not destroy a competitor. The press  
or media cannot be an instrument of inflicting harm to PR Tasks
another.  
Annual Report – is a written financial report released Special Events – is the planning and staging of events that
usually at the end of a fiscal or business year. It is for the attract a person, institution, idea, or product. Some of the
stockholders, Securities and Exchange Commission, popular annual events in the country are SMC Oktoberfest
suppliers, and customers. Its objective is to report the and Milo Summer Clinic.
closing year's business year's performance and the market  
forces circumstances that affected the operation. Charitable Contributions – is a consistent commitment to
Requirements for an annual report: 1.) accuracy of the giving back to the community by supporting local charities,
information, 2.) accessibility of copies, and 3.) transparency local communities, or other non-profit organizations created
of reports.  to solicit a collective effort to promote a cause. 
   
Merchandising Collaterals – are planned communication Public Service Announcements – are non-paid, either aired
materials. Some of them are: brochures, flyers, newsletters, or printed communication on a non-profit organization's
press kits, point-of-purchase (POPs) or point-of-sale (POS), event or ongoing services. Many television networks, radio
audiovisual presentation (AVPs), websites, posters, stations, and newspapers (magazines) will run free of
streamers, tip sheets, thank you notes, official business charge. Usually, a script for TV and radio comes, while
letters. What to remember about merchandising collaterals? publications require a prepared article.
Merchandising collaterals supplement advertising. The  
merchandising collaterals provide information excluded in a Public Perception Research – is either customized or
full-page advertisement or a 30-second TVC and RC.   syndicated research about public opinion. It is suitable on a
  need basis, like during a crisis brought about by an accident
Merchandising collaterals are selling materials. The design or significant management decisions that primarily and
follows the "One Look, "One Voice principle" of integrated broadly impact the public.
marketing communications. Its tonality, mood, and message  
must be consistent with the rest of the marketing  
communications initiatives. PR is the custodian of public opinion. The quality of public
  opinion measures the PR program that we implement. It
Speakers' Bureau is an arranged speaking engagement of ensures that everything we do creates positive public
individuals in the organization. They are usually invited as opinion and sustains it.
guest speakers to seminars, conferences, conventions, or  
guests to render expert opinions in meetings of professional Dealing with public opinion means ensuring that we know
and trade associations, service clubs, civic organizations, what they say about our organization how and where they
community groups, schools, on-campus seminars, or say their opinion. It is achieved with public opinion
conferences. As an invited resource person, do the research. We reinforce positive public opinion, and we
following:  rectify negative opinion. We accomplish this with two-way
 Find out the profile of the participants and match communication, a particular feedback mechanism, e.g.,
the company official to be sent to the participants. public consultation, open customer feedback tool, among
 When there is an opportunity to promote the others. These communication exchanges are free. The
organization and its products, do so with AVP and corporate following uniqueness of PR that we must remember is:
kits. 1.  Free – PR is more credible than advertising
 Find out if Sponsors can set up a booth for 2.  The information must be accurate—no sugar
promotion. coating.
  3.  Two-way Communication
Issue Management – is a proactive and systematic approach 4.  Directions come from the Top Management. PR is
to predicting problems, anticipating threats while more than a promotional and communication tool.
minimizing surprises, resolving issues, and preventing It is a strategic tool.
crises. Managing the problems requires two-way  
communication, formal environmental scanning, and active PR is known as one of the busiest and highly interactive
sense-making strategies (Wilcox & Cameron, 2009, p.256). strategic management tools for having more than ten tools
Issue management is essential because of the need to create used at any given time. Few of those tools are popularly
a strong reputation and maintain public trust. The elements used in brand activation campaigns:
of reputation and trust are what set other organizations 1.  Publicity/News Releases
apart.  2.  Special Events
  3.  Merchandising Collaterals
Sponsorships – is resource-based support to an event which  
may come in any of the following forms: 1.) monetary Those unfamiliar with PR commit the most popular mistake
assistance (must not be self-liquidating), 2.) Barter of using corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs as a
agreements (exchange deals in-kind), 3.) Acknowledged PR program.
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  desired results. If the firm is on retainer, ask for
News release detailed monthly invoices. 
The oldest tool of PR is publicity or news releases. There  
are two types of news releases: hard news and soft news. Parts of a news release
Hard news is publicity written similar to a news article.   Identifies the story's origin by city and state and
Some examples of hard news are: country; if the city is well-known, such as New
1.  Announcing the opening of a new branch York, the dateline does not need to include the
2.  Announcing the appointment of a new CEO (chief state.
executive officer)   It indicates page number and story in each page's
3.  Announcing the acquisition by another company  upper-hand corner (after page 1).
    Optional heading for release; usually rewritten by
Soft news is a human interest story, publicity written similar publication editors
to a feature article. Some examples of soft news are:    -more- or –next-. Centered at the bottom of the
1.  Featuring the CEO in a fashion magazine as one of page; means the story goes to the next page
the well-groomed executives   -end-, -30-, or ###. Indicates close or end the story
2.  Featuring the motivation and vision of the owner  Format. Refers to the spacing between lines;
on their business idea double-space so editors can make notes. 
3.  Featuring the story of the logo or design principle  
of a store  Merchandising Collaterals
  Merchandising collaterals are planned communication
These publicity materials or news releases are sent to the materials. Some of them are: brochures, flyers, newsletters,
editors-in-chief of major dailies, magazines, and social press kits, point-of-purchase (POPs) or point-of-sale (POS),
media groups for publication. These news releases are audiovisual presentation (AVPs), websites, posters,
published free of charge. The only requirements are the streamers, tip sheets, thank you notes, official business
accuracy and truthfulness of the information contained in letters (usually in templates to conform to consistency
the article. It is the reason for PR's ability to create a demands of the IMC) and even booths for trade show and
favorable public opinion for the company, create corporate other events.
credibility and generate goodwill.  
  Special Event 
How do we get our news releases published? Make sure we A special event is one of the popular PR tools used when
satisfy the following: activating a brand. A special event varies in size from a
1.  Make it newsworthy. The information must be simply organized meeting, e.g., Kapihan with the GM, to a
relevant, timely, and valuable. yearly brand activation event, e.g., San Miguel Beer
2.  Include who, what, when, where, and why in the Oktoberfest. The most important criteria of a successful
lead paragraph. brand activation special event are: unique, the sustainability
3.  Customize releases for each trade publication and of the idea, ability to mobilize and tribalize the nation.
know what's important to editors. Remember, the special event intends to group the target
4.  Close each release with general information about market into one memorable event. When organizing a
the company. special event, consider the following:
5.  Use solid quotes from the experts to provide reader 1.  Memorable 
interest and product/service credibility. 2.  Well planned and organized
6.  If you are your company's person for news 3.  Appropriate for your community
releases, return phone calls within the hour if at all 4.  It fits the capacity of your organization.
possible. People may be on a deadline, and the 5.  Fun for the participants — both those attending
more responsive you help them meet their needs, and those organizing the event. 
the more likely they will be willing to work with 6.  Don'tmakeDon'tooo complicated.
you. Your checklist includes the following:
7.  If you send a photo, affix a label to the back with a 1.  Type of event. 
description and caption ad the headline from the 1.  Based on your capacities, your
news release. Do this in case the photo becomes community, and your goals
separated from the release. If you send the text file 2.  Select a date and time. No conflict with
electronically, you can save postage costs and other events to ensure maximum
speed up delivery. participation and keep a realistic lead time
  2.  The place. 
Depending on the set-up of the PR group in the 1.  Size (big enough, not too big)
organization, you must know the following: 2.  Are you serving food (a type of set-up,
1.  If you handle public relations internally, ensure the floor layout, and menu)
media database is appropriate and accurate. 3.  The plan. 
2.  If the internal PR program is ongoing and  Develop a written plan accomplishing the following:
aggressive, invest in a clipping service to track 
coverage, quantity, monetary value, among others. o  Discuss the concept and objectives of the
Doing so will save you time and money.
event.
3.  If you hire a PR firm to assist with your PR needs,
  Why are you holding the event?
mutually define expectations, projects, and the
  What kind of event fits best?
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  When should we hold it?   Follow-Up.
  Where should you hold it? You'veehadYou'veeventt, and it
  Whom should you ask to work was a success! You probably
with the team? think it could have been more
  How to organize a special event? successful, and you can see room
o  Detailing the tasks involved for improvement. 
  Tasks  o  Evaluate
  Timelines and deadlines   Get all your ideas down on
  Who is responsible for each paper.
task? One person, at most, two   What worked? 
people working together as co-   What needed
leaders, needs to assume overall improving? 
responsibility for seeing that   What would you do
everything gets done.  again? 
o  The invitees.    What will you avoid at
  Whom should you invite?  all costs next time? 
  Sponsors   Look at both the
  We must professionally do the immediate results —
invitation. and the longer-term
  RSVP, phone number, or email results. 
address o  Post Event
 When mailing or emailing, we   Send more information to
allow enough time for the anyone interested in knowing
invitees to plan to attend. more about the organization.
Generally, this is about two   Send a thank-you note.
weeks before an event. But not so   Create a database of attendees,
much time that they set the send newsletters, and include
invitation aside and forget about them in the social media
it. database. Engage them.
  Invitation follow-up.   
o  Make telephone calls to invitees who The Event Concept Paper
have not responded.  1. Title of the Event
o  Personalize the invitation 2. Brief Description of the event
o  Offer to pick them up and take them to 1. Why are you holding the event?
the event. 2. What kind of event fits best?
o  A close personal connection can make all 3. When should we hold it? 
the difference.  4. Where should you hold it?
o  Table assignment is planned that guests 3. Objectives of the event
can interact with one another. Know your 4. Lead time (see table below) 
attendees well.  Rules on Design (canva.com)
 
  Registration and Display Tables
Don't forget to kern
  We attractively display all the materials.
Kerning is the adjustment of space between characters. We
  Sign-up sheet or cards so that attendees can kern to ensure that each letter's spaces are visually even to
request more information or sign up to volunteer make for a neat and orderly piece of text. 
  Staff the table with board members or friendly and  
outgoing volunteers to respond to questions and Don't disregard readability/legibility for aesthetic reasons.
talk with people who come to look at the material.  
  The program. 1. Lacking contrast between elements in the design
  Master of ceremonies (introductions) compromises readability or legibility. Such that a
  Presenter (plaques of recognition, tokens) low color contrast between the text and
  Provide an annotated agenda to the speakers background. Keep the distinction between design
showing how much time each speaker is allowed elements high to provide clarity.
and the main points you hope they will make.  2. The overuse of capital letters hinders the eye's
   The spokesperson. ability to distinguish letterforms. All caps renders
  Choose an inspiring and engaging spokesperson to each letter the same height and block-like shape,
represent the organization.  whereas, in lowercase, we allow more uniquely
 We ensure there is someone at the entrance to the shaped letterforms. The lowercase allows for the
event to greet people warmly as they come in. It eye to more easily identify each letter and word.
sets the tone for the time that you will spend 3. The type size is too small. It is best to do test prints
together.  and ask for feedback. While your eyes may read it
 The same goes for when they perfectly fine, others may not.
leave; have someone at the door Keep your line lengths short.
to say goodbye and thank you.
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The thumb rule is a minimum of six words per line and an columns, allowing for a few different-sized text
average of about 30-40 characters (including spaces) on boxes and images without abandoning the
each line. Any less, and the sentences will be too choppy. If alignment.
there are more, we cause the sentences to become tedious There is no hard and fast rule on gridlines, and we suggest
and challenging for the eye to get through. that we play around with a few different grids and find what
  works for the design.
Have purposeful hierarchy Always design for your audience.
We take special notes on the arrangement of visual elements While the design may look good, it might not be the best
and place them in order of importance. We make the more possible communication for the audience. When in doubt,
essential elements distinguishable to hold the most attention always refer back to the creative communication brief.
through scale, color, type, etc., and we tone down the least  
essential elements to hold less attention. Avoid widows and orphans.
  A widow is a line within a paragraph that has moved over to
Practice appropriate word spacing the next column. An orphan a single word on the last line of
There are two main points of spacing: tracking and leading. a section (Drew de Soto).
Leading is the adjustment of space between vertical lines of  
type with the following: Have a logical color palette
 Choice of typeface According to the color theory, certain hues have specific
 The volume of text you have to work with etc.  effects on consumers as orange is thought to stimulate an
The rule of thumb is the longer line lengths often require a appetite, so we see orange commonly used in fast food
bit more leading than shorter line lengths. designs.
   
Tracking is getting rid of rivers or awkward line lengths in There are specific codes and conventions when it comes to
type. We use tracking in the body text. Similar to lead, a color. While experimenting and thwarting expectations can
good rule to stick by is to keep longer line lengths tracked make for a punchy design, be sure that color is not too
'loosely' and shorter line lengths tracked a bit 'tighter' for distracting or confusing to the message.
maximum readability.  
  Avoid color discord
Use the correct alignment. Color discord is 'color clashing.' It occurs when we pair two
1. Left-aligned is the most easily legible and gives a colors widely separated on the color wheel. Discordant tones
nice, neat left edge to the text. When in doubt, left create a muddy or 'vibrating' effect that makes it a struggle
align. for the eye to find the line between each color.
2. Right-aligned is mostly suitable for decorative Correcting discord requires the use of hues that have a
purposes within branding or small pieces of type in reasonably high degree of contrast. The eye can easily pick
specialized publications. Right-alignment is not up on the line between each color, and there is little to no
recommended for large chunks of text, though as it 'vibration' or muddiness as there is in the discordant colors
can get hard for the eye to follow, the ragged left to the left.
edge makes it slightly more challenging to find a  
new line. Have a consistent font palette
3. Centered text is for posters, invitations, branding, Fonts have certain 'moods' or 'emotions' associated with
and other similar materials. It is easy to balance out them. To avoid confusing moods or emotions, we follow the
a bit of type and make for an aesthetically pleasing rules:
type arrangement. We do not recommend it for 1. A maximum of two to three fonts to avoid over-
larger font-type bodies because it lacks a neatly complication. 
aligned edge making it tricky for the eye to move 2. Choose fonts that complement each other and the
from one line to the next. communication to make for a logical and practical
4. Justified text is fantastic for novels. But it presents design. 
a spacing problem. We find that towards the end of Never use display fonts for body copy.
paragraphs where there are fewer words, the words Display fonts are fonts that are better suited to smaller areas
and letters often spread awkwardly from left to of text rather than body copy. They are usually a bit flashier
right, leaving awkward word and letter spacings. than typefaces designed for body copy purposes. Often,
Always use a grid display fonts are more appropriate for a short title,
Gridlines help transform the design from something average sometimes a subheading, but never a bulk piece of text.
to something clean, clear, and compelling. Gridlines come in  
many shapes and sizes, and we can build them to be flexible, Never stretch type
adaptable, and suit the design. It helps align the page Fonts are (most of the time) built with careful care and
elements with each other, which often produces a neater, attention to the shapes and proportions of each letterform.
more logical layout.  To distort this by stretching can take away the effectiveness
  of the font.
What to expect?  
1. The fewer columns the grid has, the more uniform Don't think of white space as space.
the design will be.  White spaces help put more focus on a specific aspect of the
2. A 4-column grid to the right, some elements stretch composition. It allows the design to 'breathe' and balance out
over a few columns. Others remain within the set the elements or add some sophistication to the layout.
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Likewise, it adds meaning to the design without adding in 2. San Miguel Oktoberfest
another physical component.  3. Sponsorship of activities, a cheaper way to activate
  a brand
Don't follow design trends.
Design trends lack sustainability. Just as quickly as trends When we completed a positioning statement, we proceeded
come, they also leave. Instead, let us explore why it was with creating our product. Using our existing product
popular. What could we take from these logos to enhance attributes, we create brand meaning for our product and
the designs?  occupy a space in our consumers' minds. We start with the
  existing product features, attributes, and benefits.
Use the right tools Understand the many meanings derived from the product
One common problem in the layout is the rasterized logos. features, attributes, and benefits.
There are two types of digital graphic files: raster and Using Bench Body as a working case, we are most likely to
vector.  focus on a few of its product attributes. We give attention to
1. A raster graphic composes of a grid of many pixels. the attributes that have strength and relevance to our targets
2. A vector graphic consists of many lines of "paths."  such as fabric and other materials used, design (structure
The difference is the ability to scale the graphic. Since a and design), weight, and overall feel.
certain amount of pixels makes for a raster, the image will
become pixelated at a certain point of scaling. A vector is Look closely at your selected partner and identify relevant
scalable to just about any size without losing the sharp edge product attributes. Service companies, service time, waiting
of its shapes. It is generally the more favorable option for line, cleanliness, supply sources, chef competency, hotel
logos, which often have an extensive range of sized management team, teaching faculty, medical practitioners,
applications, such as from the side of a pencil to the wall of etc., are compelling evidence of the brand's claim for
a building. A logo using a raster graphic limits the branding differentiation.
uses. Raster logos is a prevalent but easily avoided mistake.
  MODULE 5: Pull Strategy
Adobe Photoshop is the tool that produces raster graphics, Store Atmospherics 
while Adobe Illustrator creates vectors. 
  Store atmospherics are the controllable retail space
Learn the rules of grammar characteristics that entice a customer to enter the store and
Aside from the necessary subject-verb agreements, are designed to influence a customer's mood to increase the
punctuations and symbols are also an essential part of the odds of a purchase being made. It calls the attention of the
written material. customers. It makes customers move around the store, check
1. Take the case of ampersands. Ampersands do not out the items on display, try them on, and buy.
belong in body copy. Avoid substituting an 'and'
Atmospherics include layout, noise level, temperature,
for a '&.' We commonly use ampersands for
lighting, and decorations. They are designed to set the store
organization titles (e.g., "Johnson & Johnson") or
apart from its competitors positively. It is part of an overall
stylistically within logo/identity design.
company branding and image.
2. The practice of hitting double spaces after
punctuation is no longer acceptable. A single space All retail stores have atmospherics, even if they are subtle.
is enough. If it is a space problem, we can adjust
the tracking or switch to a new font. Examples:
3. Hyphens and Dashes are also confusing. There are 1. Office Warehouse is a big box office supply store
three types of a hyphen (-), the en dash (–), and the known for its well-lit aisles and bright red signs.
em dash (—). Each has the following use:  2.  A clothing retailer targeted teenagers, which uses
 We use the hyphen when joining two words, e.g., contrasted lighting and loud music.
"custom-built." 3. Ukay-ukay, a recognized retailer of used clothing,
 We use an en dash when connecting numerical is designed as "bagsakan ng damit" or a specific
values, e.g., "1984–1998." receiving area in a supermarket at the back office,
 We use an em dash, which is the length of 'an,' to which may also replicate a warehouse.
stand in for a comma, e.g., "Grammar is hard — or
so I once thought." A word of caution, we cannot be too aggressive in
Don't use too many effects. atmospherics because it can drive away customers who
Refrain from using Word Art. In communicative designs, prefer a more nuanced interaction with their environment.
simple is best. There are specific labels, values, or elements Even in atmospherics, we must include in the consideration
that we cannot take out. Taking out as much as you can consumer profile.
without compromising the communication can refocus the Sales Promotions are short-term activities intended to
information. So, we keep it simple because, most of the generate incremental and temporary sales growth. Sales
time, less really is more. promotions are implemented in a limited time because these
  promotional activities involve provisional price discounting,
Brand Activation, Special Events, Event Sponsorships are add-ons, or bundling that, when prolonged, may harm the
organized activities with targeted participants that allow company's profitability, defeating its purpose.
brand interaction. Examples are the following:  
1. Coke in Australian malls for the printing of names Types of Consumer Sales Promotion
on the label of Coke bottles or cans  
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 Free Samples, given out for free to encourage complicated functions and features requiring a field expert
product trial to relay the product features and benefit in a sales pitch.
   
 Premium Offers are items either given out for free  Tasks performed by the sales force:
or heavily discounted offered along with a product  
purchased at its transaction price.  The gathering of information involves sourcing
  customers or prospects. Part of the task is
 Loyalty Programs are rewards based on customers' determining the prospect's propensity to buy and
accumulated shopping points. It is useful when the capability to pay. 
encouraging repeat purchases (e.g., SM Advantage  
cards, Petron Value Cards)  Identifying needs means knowing and limiting the
  offer to the customer's actual and future needs, such
 Contests or Raffles are given away after purchasing as technical specifications, the volume of work,
a product (e.g., Trip for 4 to Singapore). It etc., and offering the product specifically designed
encourages repeat and volume purchases. to the customers' needs.
   
 Coupons are take-away discount offers for the next  Presenting products is when salespeople show the
purchase commonly used by fast-food retailers. offer of product features, attributes, benefits,
  transaction prices, and value-adding offers like
 Discounts are a percentage of the transaction price training on product use, after-sales, warranties,
taken out, either offered in volume purchases or a payment terms, etc.
product purchased at total price.  
   We are leveraging the product's comparative and
 Rebates are the return of a portion of the competitive advantages, addressing objections, and
transaction price upon presenting proof of overcoming buying resistance.
purchase. To the customer, a rebate is a discount.  
   Closing a sale convinces the customer to purchase
 Point-of-Purchase Promotions are activities done at and has the sale contract signed.
the retailer's floor where customers experience the  
product benefits, like Eden Cheese cooking show at  After-sales/Follow-up takes good care of the
the supermarket or Pond's facial cleaning at the customers by maintaining a productive relationship
department store's hygiene section, etc. after the product is sold and delivered. It may
  include the sales force arranging for the
 Although a task handled in Public Relations, Event maintenance services for the product, monitoring
Sponsorship is also a form of sales promotion when the proper functioning of the item sold, or just
sponsors give exclusive rights to sell their products keeping in touch with the customers. When another
at the event venue. need arises, the salesperson assigned enjoys an
  opportunity to bid or deliver a sales pitch.
Types of Trade Partner Sales Promotion  
   
These are sales promotions conducted for the distribution Managing the Salesforce
channels in exchange for stocking, displaying, and pushing  
for the products to the end-users. We also encourage our Personal selling is vulnerable to human conditions affected
distribution channels to promote and sell the products to the by physical, emotional, and psychological well-being
end-users because, most likely, our distribution channels changes. The salesforce must be cared for and managed
carry the competitors' brands. well.
   
 Trade Allowances are the price discounts, refunds,  Establish sales objectives and targets to provide the
or contributions to promotional efforts given to sales force with clear direction for a sales period.
trade partners.  
   Determine the right size and location of the sales
 Gifts and Premium Money are rewards in kind or force to create and maintain proper sales coverage.
cash given to retail partners.  
   Recruit and train the sales force to guarantee
 Cooperative Advertising is shared media costs. product competence and ethical practices ensuring
  the corporate reputation and product performance
 Dealer Listings is when the manufacturers promote are uncompromised.
the products' availability in the distribution  
channels, encouraging customer traffic in the  Assist in managing their time because sales work is
dealers' outlets.  stressful with the sales quota and other
Personal selling is a person-to-person promotion of the deliverables.
product. It creates a sales team that handles a product. This  
promotional tool is appropriate for products with
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 Monitor and motivate the salesforce, especially Kessler, Co-Founder Velocity Partners, says, “Traditional
when sales season is down and the stress to deliver Marketing talks to people. Content Marketing talks with
the sales quota builds up. them.”
 
 
 Compensate them fairly and agree on the incentives
they will receive, remember that our sales force is Finding the Content for Content Marketing
promotional machinery and a distribution channel.
They are significant in the revenue generated by  
the company.
What isn't it?
1. Using the voice of another website (and putting
your content there)
2. Time investment is less than 3 months.
3. Inconsistent content production and publishing.
Storytelling with a Strategy: The Story of Summit Media
What is it really?
The heart of social media marketing is our brand story. It is 1. Uses your own voice/personality in your content
no longer only about our products and what they can do. It is pieces
more about what stories my brand tells to my audience. 2.  The longer time investment to create traction and
People respond to stories because it is organic, down-to- build an audience.
earth, within anyone’s reach. 3. The consistent churn of content (daily/weekly).
Summit Media, one of the leading publishers and In Figure 5, Summit Media shows us how content marketing
distributors of magazines on paper and online, teaches us and native advertising[i] can support a product’s marketing
storytelling that sells. campaign. While maintaining the content churn regularly,
According to Summit Media, if we can imagine a story, we some of our content pieces can support our entire campaign.
should ask ourselves, “Would I remember the story at the  
end of the week?” This tells us that a good story will always
stick. And we must know how to create stories and tell them  
in ways that will stick because this is how we can effectively
tell our brand message. Summit Media Media Schedule

Brand stories are not about the products being marketed.  

Otherwise, our story becomes a mere product brochure. With content marketing, brands have the opportunity to tell
Why Stories? unique and compelling stories that serve a purpose in our
consumers’ lives by establishing thought leadership in a
Consumers today need more than interruption marketing. topic that our brand believes in and engaging audiences that
Here are some statistics: develop into our own community, brand, and product
1. 73% of consumers select brands that offer useful loyalty, which ultimately drives purchases.
information regularly
What we have to address as major challenges are the
2. 86% of people skip television ads following realities:
3. 91% of consumers unsubscribe/unlike a brand’s 1. 46% of the brand challenge is lack of
page if it does not offer relevant content. time/bandwidth to create content
We know that consumers have the power to choose when, 2. 42% of the brand challenge falls on a useful,
where and how they interact with brands. And so brands reliable metric to measure content effectiveness
must find ways to attract their target market’s attention to 3. 41% of the brand challenge consists of producing
engage with a two-way reciprocal relationship with them engaging and quality content
because an engaged audience can leverage a business goal. 4. 39% of the brand challenge is on
regularly producing a variety/volume of content
So amidst interruption marketing that we are so used to, be
interesting, stop interrupting and start becoming what our Particular on content churn (39%), there is a pressing
customers are interested in through content marketing. challenge in keeping both the speed and quality of content.
“It is important to have a consistent churn of content, but if
What is content marketing? Content Marketing is “a
it’s not quality content (not relevant or valuable to your
strategic marketing approach focused on creating and audience, poorly written), your strategy will be a bust.”
distributing valuable relevant and consistent content to
attract and retain a clearly-defined audience – and ultimately  
to drive profitable action (Content Marketing Institute).” “It
is about creating and delivering your brand story to relevant How do we use content marketing as a strategy?
audiences when they need it through channels that they are Step 1. We identify who our consumers are and what they
always in (Summit Media).” need.
Content Marketing is the overlap between what your brand Step 2. We build our objectives based on how we can
wants to say and what your customers want to hear. Doug address those needs.
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Step 3. We stick to our message, keeping in mind that which costs millions of dollars for mere seconds of airtime.
“having a brand story that our content will leverage on and While this type of advertising reaches many people, it is not
be consistent with it adds credibility to our brand over time. focused, and many of the ad's recipients are likely not target
It should also help in addressing our consumer’s needs. customers. (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/below-
Reinforcing this over and over using different content the-line-advertising.asp)
formats engages our readers and holds their attention.”
Below-the-line (BTL) advertising is an advertising strategy
  in which a product is promoted in mediums other than radio,
television, billboards, print, and film. Types of below-the-
What makes stories work? Remember the statistics below: line advertising commonly include direct mail campaigns,
1. 62% audience relevance trade shows, catalogs, and targeted search engine marketing.
2. 60% engaging and effective storytelling triggers a This advertising type tends to be less expensive and more
response/action focused. (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/below-the-
3. 46% effectively delivers the message line-advertising.asp)
To reiterate what we mention in our previous online classes,
it is important to 1.) always be Authentic, “strategy should Content curation is the process of gathering information
lead with content, not product. Our foci are needs and pain relevant to a particular topic or area of interest. Services or
points of the audience to build a loyal audience to be used as people that implement content curation are called curators.
leverage towards a business goal. And 2. Be Consistent, Businesses, as well as end-users, can use curation
scale coverage, and sustain your churn by using a mix of services. (https://www.google.com.ph/webhp?
original and syndicated content (40:60) and branded and sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-
non-branded (40:60). Example: Huffington Post uses “rule 8#q=curated+content)
of thirds.” See Graph 1 below.
Experimental content[i] is content created in a style that
  departs from what is “normal” or expected of a company or
in a new and untested format. Such content may present
both risks and opportunities.
Huffington Post “Rule of Thirds” (https://www.imaginuity.com/digital-dictionary/experimenta
l-content/#sthash.8BZPfP7m.dpuf
 
Social curation is the collaborative sharing of
Summit Media shares their Scalability + Web content organized around one or more particular
Sustainability model below: themes or topics. Among the oldest social curation sites are
Digg and Reddit. (https://www.google.com.ph/webhp?
 
sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-
  8#q=curated+content)

Summit Media Scalability + Sustainability Instagram is a social photo-sharing platform. It allows

people and brands to create visually appealing and easily
  spreadable
  content. (https://contently.com/strategist/2011/12/02/five-
experimental-platforms-you-need-to-be-using/)
In summary, Summit Media teaches us content marketing is
what the consumers today expect from our brands. Figure 7 Native Advertising is material in an online publication that
guides us into our own storytelling journey.   resembles the publication's editorial content but is paid for
by an advertiser and intended to promote its product.
  (https://www.google.com.ph/webhp?sourceid=chrome-
instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-
8#q=native+advertising+definition)
How to do Content Marketing? Original content is content that is new and unique. Such
  content is more useful to website visitors and is also favored
by search engines, with duplicated content often penalized
As a closing note, Summit Media wants us to take this with by most search engine algorithms.
us, “Make me think, make me laugh, inspire me, or teach me (https://www.imaginuity.com/digital-dictionary/original-
something new. And I’ll remember you when it comes to content/#sthash.HnMJAN5j.dpuf)
buying.” (Your Future Customer).
Pinterest is a site dedicated to collecting inspiration. Brands
  and individuals can create thematically intriguing pages for
communities looking to discover new
Definition of Terms: things. (https://contently.com/strategist/2011/12/02/five-
Above-the-line (ATL) advertising is designed to reach a experimental-platforms-you-need-to-be-using/)
mass audience, typically through mediums that reach many Spotify is a music-sharing platform that offers users access
people at various engagement levels. Perhaps the epitome of to millions of songs. The platform just started allowing
above-the-line marketing is a Super Bowl television ad, brands to build discovery apps on its API, and there are also
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creative and low-cost advertising  Declining response rates. Consumers are
opportunities. (https://contently.com/strategist/2011/12/02/fi increasingly ignoring conventional online
ve-experimental-platforms-you-need-to-be-using/) marketing such as banner and email advertisements
due to disinterest and spam.
Tumblr is a free blog hosting platform dedicated to easy to
 Technological developments. The developing IT
upload, shorter form content.  The site comes with a built-in
infrastructures, new tools, and the increasing online
community, making it particularly easy to connect using
population contribute to social media
simple, shareable content. (https://contently.com/strategist/2
attractiveness.
011/12/02/five-experimental-platforms-you-need-to-be-
 Demographic shifts. People, especially young
using/)
individuals, have moved online, and traditional
Quora is a platform dedicated to interactive collections of media channels have declined.
questions and answers. The site is great for personal and  
industry-related queries but is still relatively unexplored as a Dimensions of Social Media in an International Context:
marketing The point of success
tool. (https://contently.com/strategist/2011/12/02/five-   
experimental-platforms-you-need-to-be-using/) There are three crucial success points which social media
leveraged on: 
Five social media platforms for experimental content 1. Network capability
marketing, tumbler, quora, Instagram, Spotify, and Pinterest. 2. Image transferability
The internet-based, digital online technology offers new 3. Personal extensibility
media. When the audience, also called subscribers claim a  
personal space in the digital online universe, we refer to Network Capability
social media. "…a web of personal connections and relationships to
  secure favors in the personal and organizational action."
The internet-based communication platform, known as (Zhou et al. (2007) p.74). Firms can develop routines within
internet version 1.0, allows for the brands to send emails and their networks that generate "new resource configurations
place banner ads on the website. What could have been a and firm's capacity to integrate, reconfigure, gain, and
targeted communication was not very successful. Sadly, release resource combination." Firms must align with
subscribers considered email blasts as pervasive, and banner individuals considered as central modes, such as bloggers or
ads on a site a clutter on the corporate branding space. critical users.
   
Technological innovation in information and Image Transferability 
communication gave way to the internet version 2.0, known Social media is beneficial in branding and brand
today as social media. From the subscribers' point-of-view, construction. It creates a uniform brand image across
the social media platforms work the same way - such that it cultures and geographies and simplifies the process without
is a personal space. Social media's beauty is the range of requiring a standardized strategic aspect and execution
reach available for a brand if only subscribers allow the aspect of an ad. Social media for branding can sustain
brand presence in their digital area. favorable emotions, perceptions, and brand image across
  international borders.
Unlike in traditional media, where we all share public space,  
social media is a private space. What works with Personal Extensibility. The third crucial dimension of social
conventional media is pervasive in social media. Hence, the media is its ability to shrink the world, remove the barrier of
need for permission. time and distance, and allow a fluid social interaction.
  Extensibility shortens this distance and expands the activity
Social media is the most popular communication technology domain. The same applies to time or the extent consumers
today and has changed the way we interact.  want and need immediacy.
  Undeniably, social media has given us the following
Social media is a group of internet-based applications built benefits:
on the ideological, technological foundations of Web 2.0. It 1. Develop and enhance the relationship between the
allows the creation and exchange of user-generated content, brand and customers
facilitating user interaction, content communities, discussion 2. Firms can reach out to people that otherwise
boards, chat rooms, product/service reviews, virtual worlds, impossible.
and social networking sites. It collects online tools and 3. Establish and raise brand awareness.
platforms that allow users to interact and collaborate on 4. Boost sales for online channels.
content, share insights and experiences, and connect for Reasons for joining social media:
business or pleasure. The most significant uniqueness of 1. Social media is the fastest-growing internet trend.
social media is its content that has been created by its 2. Social media is viral and suitable for the brand's
audience. presence.
  3. Competitors are on social media.
More than altering the way we interact socially, there is a 4. Alignment with the headquarters' social media
notable change in consumer buying behavior. The causes of strategy.
the shift to social media-related purchase habits are the 5. Reduce cost pressure.
following: 6. Most important, we are online, and so are our
brands.
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  inbound marketing. The content you are creating should be
Social Media Marketing (SMM) is the process of gaining in line with the goals and challenges of specific segments of
website traffic or attention through social media sites, such your audience. 
as:  
  Don't forget the persona.
 Creating buzz through: videos, tweets, or blog  
entries that may become viral Kusinitz (March 2014) defines buyer or audience persona as
 Enabling fans of a brand to promote a message "a semi-fictional representation of our ideal customer based
themselves on market research and real data about your existing
 Conversing online with the customers. clients." 
   
Social media is a recognized part of a broader media How do we create an audience or buyer persona? We start
ecosystem of owned, paid, and earned media used in with customer demographics, behavior patterns,
marketing when used in marketing. motivations, and goals. We dig deeper into their thoughts,
  desires, aspirations, motivations, values, etc. The more
detailed we describe our audience and buyer, the better.
   
According to the Content Marketing Institute, Content As content creators, the audience or buyer persona provides
Strategy helps organizations provide the right content to the structure and insight, helping us determine our focus, guide
right people, at the correct times, for the right reasons. These product development, and allow for alignment across the
strategic components are basics when creating content. organization.
   
 The right content. We create useful and relevant Brand messages pull the consumers closer to the product.
social media content to generate the desired
response from our audience.  The secret to persuasiveness is relevance. If the brand
  message is relevant, create relatable content
 The right people. Our marketing discipline trained  
us to think in segments. The same with social The secret to persuasiveness is relevance. If the brand
media, we create our content for a particular message is relevant, create a platform that becomes one's
audience. best friend.
   
 The right times. Consistent with being relevant, it The secret to persuasiveness is relevance. If the brand
is essential that we understand our audience's needs message is relevant, you can always communicate the value.
for specific materials and provide them at the time
required. So know our audience well.
 
 The right reasons. We learned over and over to
make our content engaging. But engagement is not
the sole purpose of using social media. Marketing
communications and the content shared for its
purpose must be responsive to the business  
objectives and goals. The success of the campaign  
is on our ability to respond to the overall corporate
objectives and goals.
 
There are four aspects considered when creating content:  
substance, structure, workflow, and governance. The first
two elements are the substance, which refers to what the
content is about, and the structure, which refers to
organizing our content. The other two factors include the
workflow or what people and processes are needed to
support content creation and management, and lastly,
governance, or the individuals who will decide over content
strategy. These four aspects are determined using a core
content strategy statement guided by the answers to the
following questions:
 
1. What is the organization's mission?
2. Who is the target audience?
3. What are the business goals?
4. What are the content objectives?
  
Why You Need Content Strategy Before Editorial Planning?
Creating relevant, valuable content is a significant tenet of