CHAPTER 2:

INTEGRATED
MARKETING
COMMUNICATION
PLANNING
 Learning outcomes of the chapter

• understand the importance of developing a marketing

communication plan
• recognise the value of the situational audit/analysis
• link the relationship between objectives, strategies and
tactics
• differentiate between planning and strategy
• selecting the right blend of marketing communication mix
elements
• devise marketing communication objectives
• segment the market
• develop marketing communication strategies
• understand implementation, evaluation and control.
 Introduction

INTEGRATED INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION PLANNING

MARKETING AND IMPLEMENTATION
COMMUNICATION
PLANNING
STEP 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION
STEP 2: CONDUCTING A SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
PLANNING, STRATEGY STEP 3: DEFINING THE TARGET AUDIENCE
AND STRATEGIC STEP 4: SETTING THE COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES
PLANNING STEP 5: DETERMINING THE MARKETING
COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
STEP 6: DETERMINING THE MARKETING
PLANNING COMMUNICATION MIX
STEP 7: BUDGETING AND IMPLEMENTING, EVALUATING
STRATEGY
AND CONTROLLING
STRATEGIC PLANNING

STRATEGIC MARKETING PLANNING

STRATEGIC MARKETING COMMUNICATION PLANNING

 Introduction

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

• Communication to and with customers needs to be planned.

• If it is not planned, the marketer will waste a lot of time, energy and
resources.
• Plans are important, but planning is even more essential.
• Communication planning boils down to two fundamentals: content and
contact- this means that emphasis must be on the entire
communication process brand support, influencing, multichannel
strategies and impacting multiplatform content
• Are the right messages communicated in such a way that they
connect to the intended audience? –do they reach them effectively
• In today’s communication world, marketing communication has to be
approached from an IMC perspective.
• Every marketing communication tool or channel plays a unique role
and integrating these tools makes them more effective however
planning is required
 Planning, strategy and
strategic planning
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Planning, strategy and strategic planning

Strategy and tactics: bridging the gap

Integrated marketing communication
planning and implementation
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 1: Executive summary and introduction

The executive summary:

• is a brief summary of the entire IMC plan.
• focuses on the link between the marketing objectives and the
strategies.
• shows how communication is tied to the brand’s overall goals.
• enhances understanding of the strategic nature of the plan.

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The introduction sets the scene for the IMC plan
• What is promoted?
• Who is doing it?
• Where is it done?
• When it will be done?
• Why is it done?
• Length of campaign?
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 2: Conducting a situational analysis

“Where are we”? – Context

• Foundation of any marketing plan
• Includes the current position of the marketing mix elements
(4Ps)

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– Marketing analysis
– Brand analysis
– Communication analysis
– SWOT analysis – A thorough situational
analysis includes various actions.
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 2: Conducting a situational analysis

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SWOT analysis Click on the arrow again to hide

• identifying internal strengths and weaknesses of the organisation

(policies and procedures, personnel skills, management skills,
management’s record of accomplishments, the financial situation, brand
history and the reputation of the organisation).

• how the organisation is differentiated (competitive advantage, its

brand(s), brand equity).

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• target market’s media usage (all available media touchpoints).

• target markets and key segments (obtaining consumer insights).

• relationships (trade relations, customer relations, competitor relations

and internal staff relations) and relationship issues that might arise.

• competitor analysis (determine the brand’s positioning in comparison

with its competitors).
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 2: Conducting a situational analysis

Examining external or uncontrollable SLEPTI factors:

• Sociocultural/sociological
• Legal- Any legislation that prohibits sales of certain products
cigarettes in SA
• Economic – Limited purchasing power, economic recession
stricken markets may not be financially viable for marketers

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• Political – Marketers need to be sensitive to what emotions
their brands may evoke in consumers
• Technological- improves access and customization, ease of
purchase, personalisation (yoco)
• International- Marketers need to stay abreast with
international developments that may affect their marketing
efforts
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 3: Defining the target audience

• Segmentation
See TABLE 2.3 Bases of segmenting consumer
markets (Page 37)

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• Targeting and positioning
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 4: Setting the communication objectives

Marketing objectives focus on:

• market share
• market growth
• service targets
• relationship targets
• relationship issues

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• sales

Marketing objectives support business objectives,

and then the communication objectives, which
derive from the marketing objectives. Media
objectives support the marketing communication
objectives.
Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 4: Setting the communication objectives

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 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 4: Setting the communication objectives

Communication objectives focus on:

• creating awareness
• achieving advertising recall
• achieving product recognition
• informing the target audience
• establishing or reinforcing desirable attitudes and perceptions

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• creating an image
• eliciting liking and trust
• integrating integrated marketing communication
(IMC) tools
• persuading the consumer.
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 4: Setting the communication objectives

Devising marketing communication objectives fall into three

broad fields
• knowledge-based (e.g. comprehension and awareness)
• feeling-based (e.g. desire, liking and interest)
• action-based (e.g. sales)

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Each objective should be SMART.

See TABLE 2.4 Examples of marketing, marketing

communication and media objectives (Textbook page 41)
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 5: Determining the marketing

communication strategy

• How are we going to get there?

• The way an organisation chooses to communicate with their
targeted audiences.
• Marketing communication strategies include sub-strategies
for specific marketing communication tools/elements (such

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as public relations strategies, advertising strategies, sales
promotion strategies, digital marketing
communication strategies, etc.) or they may
be cross-discipline, for example, a media
strategy or a creative strategy.
• tactics are the operational element, the details
of the communication plan and are short-term.
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 5: Determining the marketing communication strategy

Before any communication strategy can be decided on,

the marketer needs to establish the following:

• Who is the target audience and how do we communicate to

them?
• How is the brand positioned, or where might it be re-
positioned to?

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• Which distribution channels are used?
• Who are the competition and what are their
communication strengths and weaknesses?

Marketing communication strategies should be

customer- orientated and not media-orientated.
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 5: Determining the marketing communication strategy

Three types of marketing communication strategies:

• Push (for trade and channel intermediaries)
• Pull (for end-user markets)
• Profile-designed (to reach all significant stakeholders)

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Media strategy
• Support the marketing communication strategy
• Involves the allocation of resources
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 5: Determining the marketing communication strategy

Push and pull strategies

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 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 5: Determining the marketing communication strategy

Media strategy
• Support the marketing communication strategy

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• Involves the allocation of resources
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 6: Determining the marketing

communication mix

See TABLE 2.5 Integrated

marketing communication
plan (Textbook page 46)

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 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 7: Implementation, evaluation and control

implementation

Implementation
• Strategy section describes direction.
• Implementation section is the actual list of ‘do’s’.
• The who, where, when and how of reaching the marketing

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communication objectives.
• Strategic objectives will not be achieved if the
implementation fails to be scheduled and
completed. The implementation phase of the marketing
communication plan ensures the marketing activities happen
sequentially and at the right time.
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 7: Implementation, evaluation and control implementation

Evaluation
• This section focuses on analysing – measuring the success
of the implementation of the strategy
• Evaluating means interpreting and examining data to
conclude whether organisation achieved strategy objectives.
• Ongoing process used throughout entire development and
implementation of marketing communication

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campaign.
• Various methods of testing.

See TABLE 2.6 Methods for evaluating the success of marketing

communication techniques
 Integrated marketing communication planning and implementation

Step 7: Implementation, evaluation and control implementation

Control
• Monitoring campaign during evaluation phase is important,
therefore controls are necessary.
• Controls ensure that there is no major irregularity from the
plan.
• Controls ensure that opportunities exist to put the campaign

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back on track as soon as possible if it does deviate.
• Controls are benchmarks to assess how well the
plan has achieved its goals.
• Controls need to be compared with the marketing
budget and market share measures.
 Conclusion
• IMC is the combining of selected marketing communication
tools to communicate a consistent message to the target
audience.
• IMC is all about coordinated messages and consistent
delivery.
• This co-ordination needs to take place through all offline, or
otherwise known as traditional media, as well as all online
media.
• First strategic planning before commencing to
implementation.
• Focus on seven steps that comprises the IMC plan.
• All elements play an integral role to deliver the right
message at the right time to the right target audience.