Lesson: L3 TT4 Foundations in IMC Planning (team task)

Points: 20 pts

Due date: Mon, Sep 25 at 11:59 p.m.

Resources: Google doc (template provided)

Summary: This assignment is integral to establishing the foundation for your semester-long project. It takes your initial planning process to the next level – providing greater depth and detail in your company overview, target audience and geographic region(s), key competitors and core company messaging.

Components of Integrated Marketing Communications

(1) Foundation: Articulates details about the

organizations products, services, target audience and target geographic market. The brand platform is defined, core messages are crafted, and competitors are identified.

(5) Communication tools: Earned, owned, paid media - mix of media as vehicles for delivering core messages and visual assets to their audience.

(1) Corporate culture: Shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that characterize members of an organization and define its nature

(6) Promotional tools: Tools contribute a different way to reach customers and achieve communication objectives

(2) Brand focus: A strong brand is memorable, repeatable and reproducible, implies real and perceived value, evokes a positive emotional response and serves as the center of organizational purpose

(7) Integration tools: Tools to monitor, track, modify and report on the progress, success or setbacks of their IMC strategy

(3) Customer experience: Customer decision process (awareness > advocacy)

[All covered in 310 Lesson 3] [Covered in Lessons 4-6]

Overview Integrated marketing communications is a way for organizations to conceptualize, design, execute and measure the effectiveness of core brand and message strategies or campaigns that are consistent in look, message and feel across multiple channels. The completion of this task helps establish a coordination foundation and vision for your mock company. Applying principles in integrated marketing communication, you will further develop your organizational foundation (audience, target geography, and core messaging), articulate the culture and dynamic you aim to create for your organization, craft your brand platform and map your main target audience members’ paths through the customer decision process beginning with awareness and continuing to consideration, purchase, loyalty and advocacy.

Format:

• Google doc (template provided)

• 3-4 pages

• Calibri or Times font recommended, 11-12 pt

• Citations: If applicable, use standard citations (you may choose the method, i.e. APA, Chicago, etc.)

Reference: ”Integrated Digital Marketing Campaigns” Chapter 3.1 Integrated Marketing Communications Planning

Task

1. Download the TT4: Foundations in IMC Planning template

2. Open your team’s Google Drive and select your shared folder

a. Click on “NEW” button (left top) > File Upload

b. Navigate to the template doc and select it to upload

c. It will save automatically and appear within your folder

3. Have each team member contribute to the document as determined through project management

4. When done, complete the following quality-assurance (QA) steps:

a. Review document layout and formatting – look for consistency in style (bold, ital, underline, spacing) and that your sections are clearly labeled

b. Proofread and check grammar, sentence structure and punctuation (run spellcheck)

c. Double check all elements and sections are complete

5. Turn it in:

a. When your document is complete and QA-checked, have one person on your team log in to Blackboard and access the COMSTRAT 310 course space

b. Open the Dropboxes folder > navigate to the dropbox for TT4: Foundations in IMC Planning

c. Go back to your doc in Google Drive

d. “Share” your document by clicking the “Share” button (top right)

e. Click on “Get Shareable Link

f. Using the drop down box, make sure the setting for the link is set to “can edit”

g. Copy link

h. Go back to the TT4: Foundations in IMC Planning dropbox and paste in the link (CTRL>V) or right click > paste

Outline: Foundations in IMC Planning A. Foundation

a. Brand platform: position, promise, drivers, personality

Reference: Del Favero, E. (2017, Sep 15). Brand harmony: Get in tune with your brand identity. Davies Moore. Retrieved from https://daviesmoore.com/strategy/brand-harmony-get-in-tune-with-your-brand-identity/

b. Audience personas (x2) (using Xtensio – see instructions and samples below)

c. Core Messaging

i. 5W’s for the mock company – who, what, where, when, why, how

ii. Key terms and phrases

iii. Company overview statement

B. Competitor Review (x2): Competitive reviews focus on direct competition and indirect competition and look at their effectiveness, indications of acceptance and favor by core audiences and specific media placement and overall presence in the relevant marketplaces. Identify two regional competitors (companies with similar services or who serve the same audience) and use the outline provided create profiles for each.

C. Customer Experience: customer decision process (awareness thru advocacy – see samples below)

Consumer Decision Process (aka “customer engagement cycle” is a "process by which consumers identify their needs, collect information, evaluate alternatives, and make the purchase decision.

Questions you answer with the customer decision process template

• What “problems or challenges” may customers face at each stage?

• What solutions can you provide – or will they find along the way that solve those problems or overcome barriers?

• What actions may customers take at each stage?

• What people or influencers may they encounter?

• What earned, owned and paid mediums can you use at each stage?

Grading Criteria: Your main goal with this task is accuracy and completion. Using elements of a standard “Research & Writing” rubric – you will be graded on content, completion and conventions. Your instructor is looking for the following criteria:

• Research and Preparation: Team demonstrates thoughtful preparation and research of the industry, region where mock company will be based and audience needs, attitudes, behaviors and expectations

• Content: Meets all the criteria of the assignment. All content is in the students’ own words and is accurate.

Awareness: When a prospect is just learning about the company, product or service – found it in organic search or referral

Consideration: A prospect is interested and intrigued, researching and learning more, reviewing customer feedback and comments, asking around – but not ready to buy

Purchase: A customer is ready to get involved, make purchase, donate money or sign up]

Loyalty: Customer had a good buying experience, is ready to buy again, attend again or rejoin

Advocacy: Customer wants to spread the word about the company, share stories, advocate and bring others to the party

• Complete and Thorough: All aspects and sections of the assignment are completed in full with no holes. Demonstrated ability to research to complete all tables, templates or outline requirements

• Conventions: Document is easy to read and all elements are very clearly written, labelled. Document has no misspellings or grammatical errors. All template elements or outline sections are complete and thorough.

Audience Persona in Xtensio Instructions Reference: Xtensio Tutorial slide deck by Rebecca

1. Visit Xtensio.com > create a new account

2. If it is a new account, you will need to check your email to verify the account

3. After logging in, click on Templates tab at the top > select User Persona

4. Name your canvas at the top left

5. Complete all Xtensio template elements:

a) Make up a name for your audience persona (i.e. “Mild Molly”)

b) Upload a photo that represents an image of this customer (use a photo of your own or use royalty-free image)

c) Create a quote this person would say that represents their philosophy on life (can be real or made up)

d) Identify the persona’s age, work, family, location and character (i.e. “driven” or “leader”) information

e) Set personality characteristics (low, neutral, high) by dragging bar left or right

f) Customized personality traits (4-5) by clicking on each box that appears

g) Identify persona goals (x4)

h) Identify persona frustrations (x4)

i) Create a brief bio that describes their life journey and includes background information leading up to their current use of your type of product or service. You should also incorporate information about their goals, frustrations, challenges and personality not articulated in other sections of the template. Highlight aspects of the customer’s personal and professional life that further make the case that this person is the ideal target for your campaign.

j) Adjust or customize motivations and drag the bar based on low, medium or high (x6)

k) Use Google images to search for and save product logos – upload at least three logos that represents the products this individual uses

6. Customize preferred media and drag the bar based on low, medium, high (x4)

7. Click “Preview” to view your final created persona

8. Use PC Snipping Tool or other screen capture method to screenshot your finished profile

9. Copy/paste your finished audience persona into the TT4: Foundations in IMC Planning template

Sample Audience Persona in Xtensio

Customer Decision Process Examples