Chapter 5

Setting Objectives
for IMC

Prepared by Maria Vincenten, Red

River College Polytechnic (retired)

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited

Learning Objectives
1.Distinguish among marketing, behavioural, and
communication objectives and identify the value of
setting each type of objective
2.Describe the historical approaches for setting
communication objectives for advertising
3.Evaluate the options for setting behavioural
objectives and apply them when constructing a
promotional plan
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Learning Objectives (cont’d)
4. Choose among the options for setting
communication objectives and apply them when
designing IMC recommendations
5. Assemble the best combination of behavioural and
communication objectives for each stage of the
consumer decision-making process

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LO1 Objective Setting
 Settinggoals and objectives are the foundation on
which all marketing communication decisions are
made
 Provide a standard against which performance is

measured

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Value of Objectives
 Communication function
 Facilitate coordination among the groups working on the
campaign
 IMC Planning and Decisions
 Offers a guide for creative, media, and budgeting
 Measurement and Evaluation
 Benchmark against the effects of the campaign

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Marketing Objectives
 Statements of what is to be accomplished by the
overall marketing program within a given time period
 S.M.A.R.T.

 Function of unique market conditions

 Defined in terms of sales, profit, or market share

 Achievement depends on coordination and

execution of all marketing mix elements

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Sales Objectives Debate
1)Sales are a result of all marketing variables and
not just promotion
 Advertising can make consumers aware of a brand, but it
cannot make them buy it
 Uncontrollable environmental factors influence a sales

forecast even with strong IMC program

2)Carryover Effect – time delay between exposure,
communication effects, and consumer behaviour
 Counterargument is these two do not exist

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Behavioural Objectives
 Increase in sales growth can arise from:
 Brand loyals – more purchases from current consumers
 New category users – new entries into the category

 Other brand switchers

 These behaviours are different and have different

target audiences and therefore different campaigns

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 Figure 5-1 Marketing objectives, audience,
and behaviour
Marketing Objective Target Audience Behavioural Objective

Sales volume New category users Category and brand trial

Market share Other brand switchers Brand trial (switching)

Repeat purchase
Profit Brand loyals
(amount)
Favourable brand
Return on Investment Repeat purchase (rate)
switchers

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Exhibit 5-3 This ad encourages a trial purchase
with its
funny message

Source: J. Walter Thompson Sydney Advertising Agency

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Communication Objectives
 Statements of what the communications will
accomplish
 Usually based on a consumer response model
 Particular communication tasks required to deliver the

appropriate messages to the specific target audience at

a relevant point within the target audience’s purchase
decision-making process and consumption experience
 IMC plan, program, or specific ad

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LO2 From Communication Response Models
to Communication Objectives
 Numerous methods exist to set communication
objectives for advertising – related IMC programs
and complete IMC plans

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 12

Dagmar
 Defining Advertising Goals for Measuring
Advertising Results
 Communication effects are the logical basis for

advertising goals and objectives which success or

failure is measured
 Advertising goal involves a communication task (based
on a response model) that is SMART

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Dagmar (cont’d 1)
 *Target audience – based on behavioural variables
(customer status, usage rate, benefits sought) and descriptive
variables (geography, demographics, socioeconomics, and
psychographics)
 *Measurable tasks
 *Benchmark – researched measurable task to get

a current state value prior to implementation of

campaign

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Dagmar (cont’d 2)
 Target audience – based on behavioural variables
(customer status, usage rate, benefits sought) and descriptive
variables (geography, demographics, socioeconomics, and
psychographics)
 Measurable tasks
 Benchmark – researched measurable task to get a

current state value prior to implementation of campaign

 Degree of change sought

 Specified time period

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Hierarchy of Effects Model
 Widely used for setting communication objectives
 Promotional planners determine the communication

effect step of the target audience depending on

factors uncovered in the situational analysis looking
at “response”
 Collected survey responses, proxies based on internal
records, or research from a syndicated supplier

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 16

 Figure 5-2
Application of the hierarchy of effects model
Response Examples of Relevant Messages Examples of Relevant IMC Tools
Copy to ensure consumers remember brand Mass media and digital advertising
Awareness
Brand identity imagery such as logo or jingle Event marketing or sponsorship
Long copy to fully understand offering Brand’s website
Knowledge
Demonstration copy Content community (e.g., YouTube)
Imagery copy Visually appealing media like video or print
Liking
Positive emotional appeals Blog, radio jingle
Comparative or argumentative copy Word-of-mouth communication
Preference
Popularity appeal Social networking brand fan (e.g., Facebook)
Closing copy Take-away brochure
Conviction
Recapitulate all previous copy Specialized digital app
Importance of buying now copy Point-of-purchase display
Purchase
Value or minimize perceived risk copy Sales promotion incentive, loyalty program

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Information Processing Model
 Effective
framework for setting objectives and
evaluating the effects of a promotional campaign
 Presentation, attention, comprehension, yielding, and
retention, behaviour (Figure 4-2)
 Research to measure each step assessing the
existing communication effects for current state
 Look for areas to focus  objective

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 18

Exhibit 5-7
The imagery,
copy, and
brand
information of
this ad suggest
a few avenues
to assess its
effectiveness
©Fontaine Santé

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 19

Application Confusion
 Advertisers do not state appropriate objectives, do
not state SMART objectives, and executives do not
know whether advertising was working
 R&P perspective:

1) Provides guidelines for specific behavioural objectives

2) Consistent with DAGMAR
3) Provides guidelines for communication objectives

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 20

LO3 Setting Behavioural Objectives for IMC
 The link between marketing objectives and
communication objectives is behavioural objectives,
since the buying behaviour of each customer sums
to a firm’s overall sales
 Trial purchase, repeat purchase, shopping, and

repeat consumption

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Trial Purchase Objectives
 TrialPurchase - occurs when a consumer buys a
brand not previously bought
 Relevant for non-customer groups
 New category users, other brand switchers, and other
brand loyals
 Is
contingent upon time, competition, and product
category
 Brand trial, brand re-trial, category trial, and brand switching

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Brand Trial
 Defined as a consumer’s first purchase of a brand
 This objective is considered when a large number

of consumers enter the market

 Paramount for a product launch

 Used for brand extensions

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Exhibit 5-9 Smart strives for a consumer trial
purchase of its electric car

©Mercedes-Benz Canada

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 24

Brand Re-Trial
 Tryingto recapture past customers who have not
purchased the brand for a period of time (time
delay)
 Length of delay focus when setting objective
 Depends on purchase frequency and situation analysis

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 25

Exhibit 5-10 Coca-Cola desires brand re-trial from
lapsed users who gravitated to other soft drinks for
a while

Source: The Coca-Cola Company

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Category Trial
 Consumer’s first purchase in a product category
 Dual challenge of a category trial and a brand trial
 So that it is your brand tried first
 Ensure category is properly defined
 Dandruff shampoo vs. shampoo (subcategory)
 Change from user to purchaser
 Children’s toys
 Very large time delay and want back
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Brand Switching (Exhibit 5-12)
 Couldbe a brand trial or
brand re-trial
 Dr. Oetker tries to switch
over consumers of other
frozen pizza brand to
consider a better-quality
alternative

Dr. Oetker Canada Ltd.

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 28

Repeat-Purchase Objectives
A consumer’s continued purchase of a focal brand
within a specified time period
 Important for customer retention
 Purchase Frequency – increase, maintain, decrease
 Purchase Amount – increase, maintain, decrease

 Purchase Timing – maintain, accelerate, delay

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 29

Shopping Objectives
 Shopping Behaviour is an action consumers take
that will lead to a higher probability of purchasing
the brand. Usually concerns:
 Brand information shopping - the consumer seeking
information (e.g., visiting a website) about the brand
 Brand experience shopping - an experience with the

brand (e.g., participating in an event, watching a

demonstration, consuming a sample)
 Brands look to achieve WOM objectives

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 30

Exhibit 5-14
White Oaks
directs
consumers to its
website and
proves a phone
number

©White Oaks Resort & Spa, photographer: Jason Dwyer

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 31

Repeat-Consumption Objectives
 The continued consumption of a brand once
purchased
 Objective is to modify how often to consumer the

brand, how much to consumer on each occasion,

and when to consume

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 32

LO4
Setting Communication Objectives for IMC
 Options apply to one target audience or multiple target
audiences:
 Specific communication

 Specific campaign

 Complete IMC program that includes all promotional

programs
 Flexible enough to apply all communication objectives to

each stage of the buyer decision-making process

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 33
Category Need
 Category Need – whether the target audience
believes that purchasing within a specific product
category will fulfill their consumer need
 Remind Category Need
 For lapsed users
 Emphasized Category Need
 Competing technologies and substitute products

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 34

Brand Awareness
 BrandAwareness – target audience’s ability to
recognize and/or recall the brand within a specific
product category in sufficient detail to make a
purchase
 Universal objective
 Brand Recognition – at point of purchase

 Brand Recall – away from point of purchase

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Brand Attitude
 Brand Attitude – every aspect of a firm’s IMC program
should contribute to the overall evaluation of the brand
from the perspective of the target audience (universal
objective)
 Establish Brand Attitude
 Maintain Brand Attitude

 Increase Brand Attitude

 Modify Brand Attitude

 Change Brand Attitude

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Exhibit 5-22 Coors Light Ad Attempts To
Influence Attitudes

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Brand Purchase Intention
 Brand Purchase Intention – optional
communication objective that may be omitted,
reminded (low involvement) or emphasized (high
involvement)
 Remind Brand Purchase Intention – strength of purchase
intention is consistent
 Emphasize Brand Purchase Intention – requires the

target audience to have a plan to purchase a brand

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LO5 IMC Planning: Objectives for Buyer
Decision Stages
 Marketers require specific communications
programs and messages that resonate with each
target audience as they proceed through the
decision-making process
 Assess key variables for each step and design

accordingly

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 39

 Figure 5-5 Assessing the consumer decision-making
process
Post-
Need Information Alternative Purchase
Analysis and Conclusions purchase
Recognition Search Evaluation Decision
Evaluation
Who? (roles)
Where? (location)
When? (time, timing)
How? (shopping
behaviour)
Why? (key motivator)
Behavioural objectives
Communication objectives
Message options
Communication tool
options

© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 40

Chapter Summary
1. Distinguished among marketing, behavioural, and communication
objectives and identified the value of setting each type of objective
2. Described the historical approaches for setting communication
objectives for advertising
3. Evaluated the options for setting behavioural objectives and
applied them when constructing a promotional plan
4. Chose among the options for setting communication objectives
and applied them when designing IMC recommendations
5. Assembled the best combination of behavioural and
communication objectives for each stage of the consumer
decision-making process
© 2023 McGraw Hill Limited 41