SCRIPTIE INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS Approaching Your Target From All Angles

Tim Colman Meertalige Bedrijfscommunicatie 2007 - 2008

Table of Contents Preface Introduction PART 1 : McCann Erickson - History - Structure - Corporate Identity - Mission Statement - Vision - Strategy - SWOT Analysis - Products - Key Clients - Competitors

4 5 7 7 9 10 10 10 11 12 13 13 14

PART 2 : Theoretical Background

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1. Integrated Marketing Communication : a definition a) definition b) IMC components c) Value of IMC plans

16 16 17 18

2. Foundation of IMC a) Corporate Image and Brand management b) buyer behaviors c) Promotion Opportunity Analysis

20 20 20 21

3. Advertising Management a) Briefing the Creatives b) Media Strategy and Selection I. Media Planning II. Selecting Media III. Media Range a) Television b) Radio c) Magazines d) Newspapers e) Alternative Media

23 23 30 30 33 34 34 35 37 38 40

4. Promotional Tools a) Public Relations b) Sales or consumer promotions c) Direct Marketing

41 41 44 47

5. The Future is now: Internet in the IMC

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Conclusion

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PART 3 : CASES

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Rejuvenating the Brand : Napoleon

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A Change of Strategy : Yakult

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Changing the Brand Image : Opel

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PART 4 : REFLECTION

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Bibliography

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Appendix

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Preface The subsequent master in Multilingual Business Communication was the cherry to my educational pie. During the previous year I got to learn and experience things which I had never before encountered in my studies as a translator. Thanks to the carefully composed curriculum, the wide variety in key note speakers and extremely relevant projects I realized what I wanted to do as a professional career. That is why I would like to thank the MTB coordination, the professors, project supervisors and key note speakers for offering me a wide array of opportunities. Next I would like to thank my classmates of MTB for putting up with my often demanding way of work. I got to know some amazing people with extraordinary skills who will without a doubt go far on a professional, but also on a personal level. Two other people I would like to thank, are my parents. They have supported me in all my endeavours on a psychological, but also on a financial level. I got the opportunity to find my own way without being pushed in one particular direction. I would not be were I am today without them. That is why I dedicate this final paper of my education to them.

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Introduction In “Integrated Marketing Communication. Creative strategy from idea to implementation.” (Blakeman, 2007) Blakeman states that integrated marketing communications existed before advertising was even heard of. The first settlers in America bought their goods from small shops and craftsmen. Word of mouth was the only promotion that existed at that moment; people had a good shopping experience and told other people about it. When industrialization set in, goods could be produced in mass quantities and the way for mass markets was open. That is when a new form of communications came into life with mass advertising. Because of new technology like radio and television huge amounts of people could be reached with one harmonized message. People still believed everything what was being said on those mediums, including the commercial messages. Nowadays the consumer has become far more critical. Television and other forms of mass media have radically lost their credibility and people tend to prefer a personal approach from companies. That is where Integrated Marketing Communications (abbreviated as IMC) come in. Starting from a critical target audience profiling and a careful selection of all the different available media, a marketing manager can now surround its target with one message executed in a dozen different ways. In this paper I will explain what it takes to form an efficient IMC campaign. The first part handles all information about the advertisement company where I worked as an intern. The second part starts with a chapter defining IMC followed by chapters about the IMC foundation, the advertisement management, the promotional tools and the possibilities of online implementations. The third part consists of three cases I handled during my internship. A general situation is given, added with IMC media recommendations and a description of my role in the projects. The last part handles a reflection on my first real working experience and MTB.

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PART 1 : MCCANN ERICKSON

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History (McCann.com, 2008 & McCann.be, 2008) In 1902 Alfred Erickson, the advertisement manager at McCutcheon’s Department store in Manhattan started his own ad agency. His first clients were Fiat and Bon Ami. In 1912 McCann and four other partners establish the H.K. McCann Company. Their credo was “Truth well told”, which is until today still the company’s tagline. First clients for the H.K. McCann Company were multiple ex-Standard Oil units and Chesebrough, a company that produced Vaseline. In 1927 McCann opens up agencies in Paris, Berlin and London. For the Beech Nut Company the agency starts an investigation into the chewing gum market in Great Britain. In 1930 McCann and Erickson merge their companies in a 15 million dollar deal. The agency now provides services for the Beech Nut Company, Bon Ami, Del Monte and the Encyclopedia Britannica. In 1935 the first McCann Erickson offices open in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. McCann Erickson continues the success in the fifties, the agency is the first in the world to bill more than $100 dollar in television and radio. The McCann Erickson family keeps on growing when new agencies open in Australia, providing a branch in the Asia-Pacific area. Agencies in The Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland meanwhile expand. McCann Erickson writes history in 1965 when the agency developed an international advertisement campaign for Shell. The slogan ‘Put a tiger in your tank’ and the link between Shell gasoline and the jungle animal is a success worldwide. The sixties start of with a reorganization. The company is divided in four operational units which all report to McCann Erickson Inc. To increase their presence in the Pacific the company opens up a branch in Tokio, Japan. During the seventies the reorganization continues when McCann U.S. and McCann International are united under McCann Worldwide in 1973. Jump to 1994 when McCann Erickson tries to meet the new demands of marketers with Weber group and Torre Lazur Healthcare, who later become Momentum and MRM. In 2000 the trade magazine Adweek crowns McCann Erickson for the hird time in its history as the ‘Global Agency of the year’. Today McCann Erickson worldwide is one of the biggest ad agencies in the world. Subsidiaries in more than 110 countries and an experience that spans 8 decennia. Its biggest advantage is that all subsidiaries are real local companies that are perfectly in tune with the local values and tastes.

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McCann Erickson in Belgium saw the same success as its international partners during its history. The Belgian subsidiary made well-known campaigns for Opel, William Lawsons, Leffe, Ethias and Carglass and won several Top Spot and Effie awards. Overview Effie Awards Jaar

Award

1993 1998 1998 1998 2000 2001 2002

Silver Effie Bronze Effie Silver Effie Gold Effie Bronze Effie Bronze Effie Gold Effie

2004 2007

Silver Effie Gold Effie

Product/campaign Camel Vacature Opel Astra Leffe Corsa Carglass William Lawson’s ‘No Rules, Great Scotch’ Ethias ‘Carglass herstelt, Carglass vervangt’

Client RLR Tobacco Vacature Opel Belgium Interbrew Opel Belgium Carglass Bacardi-Martini

Ethias

Today about 91 people work at McCann Erickson Belgium, without counting the several partner companies McCann works with. During my internship the company proposed a new strategy wherein every part of the company will carry out the Mccann brand name. McCann is the Hoeilaert division, McCann People is specialized in employer branding and job ads and McCann Healthcare services the health and pharma clients. McCann Digital produces the online campaign parts, McCann Relationship Marketing specializes in database services and direct marketing. McCann Activation provides clients with solutions for brand activation and 360 degree approaches. McCann Antwerp is the Flemish counterpart of McCann and offers a hands-on approach to the Flemish and Dutch clients like Opel, Yakult, Harley Davidson etc…

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Structure (McCann.com, 2008) McCann Erickson is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies that acts as a holding for a wide array of media and advertisement companies. The Interpublic Group is considered as the grandfather of marketing communications companies. The group itself was established in 1960 as the first of its kind and the company had a severe impact on the shape of the industry today. On a national level McCann Erickson is the advertisement company working for that holding, together with a number of companies that focus on a wide array of activities within the field of media, marketing and advertisement. As lined out in the history section, a client can come to McCann Belgium and receive services from the full range of communication solutions. In June 2007 McCann opened a second advertisement agency in Antwerp called The Guesthouse. This spin-off had to service all clients from the Dutch-speaking part of the country. Getting closer to the client and involving him even more in the process was the initial set-up for the Guesthouse. But in may 2008 The Guesthouse changed names to McCann Antwerp, supporting the McCann brand in Antwerp and Flanders. Structure McCann Antwerp Vande Graveele Peter General Manager/Account Director

Vercauteren Tim Copywriter

Quix Ellen Account Manager

Van dyck Marko Account Manager

Driesmans David Account Manager

De Troyer Lennie Art-director

Vervecken Margit Account Manager

Colman Tim Intern (Intern Account Executive)

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Corporate Identity (McCann.com, 2008) McCann Erickson was founded on the motto: “Truth well told”. The company considers this vision as relevant today as it was back in 1902 in Manhattan. The agency provides services to clients from all sorts of industries. The main thing they have in common is that the clients can trust McCann Erickson to come up with creative solutions that are based on genuine strategic insights. The identity radiates trust, tradition and experience. This can also be found in the new approach to put all sub divisions under the McCann name. That way, the trust that is linked to the McCann as ad agency has a halo effect on all the sub divisions. McCann Erickson boasts upon its unique range of resources to build and expand the business of its clients. Even more McCann sees its workforce as a bunch of friendly, intelligent guys and girls.

Mission Statement (McCann.com, 2008) The mission for the McCann Worldgroup is to be recognized as a Category of One in their ability to create demand and ideas for the clients, brands and services. The company wants to bring together the right mix of capabilities in an invisible way in order to deliver the clients with visibly powerful results. McCann is able to achieve its vision with several tools: a global agency, a wide array of companies specializing in the seven marketing communications disciplines and top-tier talent in each. McCann has a full range of capabilities and a winning culture with people who love the business and who are persistent in getting results. McCann Erickson also considers its clients as an important asset because they understand the vital role of marketing communication and who want the help of McCann Erickson. All these assets are used to achieve a vision that is based on a core principle: “To be the best in each market and in every discipline in which we operate.”

Vision Because McCann Erickson changed its strategy recently, the vision the company has an advertising changed as well. McCann is perceived as a loyal, trustworthy ad agency, but advertisers today need and want more of their ad agencies. The first change in vision is bringing all subdepartments under one brand name. It used to be McCann Erickson, The Guesthouse, MRM, Universal Communication etc, now all these subsidiaries have the McCann brand name in their company name and logo. The purpose is to create a clear brand image for the advertisers. assuring that the McCann vision is upheld throughout al these subdivisions. The second change is to provide the advertisers with new ideas and concepts without succumbing to cheap award races. If a creative concept or campaign wins an award, it is a bonus. But it cannot become a goal in itself, the most important goal is providing the advertisers with creative, original and effective ad campaigns covering the whole 360° array of channels and tools.

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Strategy McCann Erickson is and has always been a successful advertisement agency, but in the last few years they saw a lot of clients leave the agency to close contracts with agencies that are perceived as being more dynamic. Once the creator of Prime Time classics such as ‘No Rules, Great Scotch and Carglass herstelt, Carglass vervangt, now faces troubles to win pitches for interesting and creative brands. To counter this phenomenon the management of McCann Erickson have constructed a new strategy for the company to become a top player again. The central strategy revolves around a one vision, one brand, one name philosophy. The creative concept is created as a circus where magic and emotion is the show and façade, but behind the scenes people are working hard and professionally to deliver the show. McCann Erickson used to be an agency that was pleasant, but not suprising. A professional and competent company that was perceived as wise, but not sexy. The old McCann was service minded, but not challenging like some of its more dynamic competitors. Their work is seen as rationally strong and effective, but on the other hand emotionally weak. The strategic team put McCann Erickson in a quadrant with the opposition conservative vs dynamic on the X-axis and Awards neutral vs Awards driven. Their analysis showed that they were positioned near the middle on the X-axis, but on the conservative side. On the Y-Axis they are positioned completely on the awards neutral side of the spectrum. The strategy McCann Erickson has put forward should bring the agency in the middle of the dynamic quadrant and a little more awards driven than their previous position.

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Swot Analysis McCann Erickson Strenghts • • • • • • • •

Brand Name Experience Internationally based firm Network of specialized subdivisions Able to offer full fledged package that covers above and below the line Well known new creative direction Brand portfolio with established brands and window clients Good Return of Investment and Profitability

Weaknesses • • • • • •

decreasing attractivity for advertisers lack of visibility with innovative campaigns Restructuring People leaving the company Brand name has perception of the old image ‘They used to be good’ Clients which are harder to convince of new and sharp ideas

Opportunities • • • • • •

Attracting new and/or exciting brands Making the new strategy work Attracting new creatives becoming even more profitable with new clients Guard the new positioning closely Put McCann Antwerp in direct competition with Duval/Guillaume Antwerp

Threats • • • • •

McCann Antwerp
Duval/Guillaume Antwerp + a whole series of smaller firms McCann
Famous, TBWA, BBDO/Think, LG&F The decline of traditional advertising and the rise of online solutions Decline of credibility of advertising and the increase in importance for Public Relations and other editorial solutions A big client like Opel leaving for another agency

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Products The different subdivisions within the McCann Erickson group provide its customers with a wide array of communication solutions. 1. McCann Erickson An ad agency in the traditional sense of the word, McCann Erickson provides its clients with above the line communication and advertisement products. All channels are covered from radio and TV to local papers and magazines, internet and guerilla marketing actions. 2. McCann Antwerp McCann Antwerp provides the same services as McCann Erickson, but operates from Antwerp to create a closer relationship with its Flemish partners. 3. McCann People McCann People specializes in corporate communication and especially employer branding and job ads for Vacature, Jobat and national newspapers. 4. MRM MRM services all McCann Erickson’s clients with solid and effective below the line communication solutions. Direct Marketing based on databases provided by the client or by third parties is MRM’s specialty 5. McCann Digital McCann implements digital and internet communication tools through McCann Digital which delivers full websites, banners and animations.

Key Clients 1. McCann Erickson Lufthansa Ethias L’Oreal Microsoft 2. McCann Antwerp Opel Harley Davidson Yakult Pervasco – Napoleon

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Competitors Direct Competition TBWA The creative direction at McCann is an ex-TBWA team and were recently awarded for their fantastic campaign for Eurostar ‘London is just around the corner’. Currently also one of the most successful agencies in Belgium with a varied product portfolio. TBWA is also not actively working to win awards and tries to innovate, but does not consider it a purpose in itself. This strategy puts them in the same group as McCann. BBDO BBDO is lead by Fons Van Dyck who writes a marketing/trend column in De Standaard every Tuesday. The company also has a history like McCann Erickson and is able to look back on more than 50 years of experience. Concerning awards and innovation BBDO has a similar philosophy to McCann Erickson. Famous One of the most successful advertisement agencies in Belgium at the moment. Recently underwent a name change, combined with a new strategy where they decided to stop competing in award ceremonies. They actively participate in project pitches and have Inbev, Nieuwsblad etc in their portfolio. Indirect Competition Duval/Guillaume The most successful and most popular agency in the Belgian advertising industry. Together with mortierbrigade and Famous a true advertising award star lead by a charismatic leader Guillaume Van Der Stichelen, who recently is asked frequently for television talk shows. Considering this firm has a brand awareness with people who do not work in advertising and marketing they have an advantage on the rest. Duval/Guillaume also has an Antwerp branch, in this aspect that part of the firm can be considered as direct competition for McCann Antwerp. Mortierbrigade The bad boy of the Belgian advertisement business. Jens Mortier used to be a copywriter at Duval until he left the company to start his own business. The agency is known for its innovative, daring and provocative campaigns which almost always receive attention by the media. If we look at brand awareness, the mortierbrigade is also well known with people who work outside the advertisement business.

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PART 2 : Theoretical Background Integrated Marketing Communications Approaching Your Target From All Angles

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1.

Integrated Marketing Communications : a definition a. Definition

Before I delve into the intricacies and possibilities of Integrated Marketing Communications or IMC a proper definition is necessary. In ‘Integrated Advertising, Promotion and Marketing Communications Clow & Baack define the concept as: “The coordination and integration of all marketing communication tools, avenues, and sources within a company into a seamless program that maximizes the impact on consumers and other end-users at a minimal cost. This integration affects all of a firm’s business-to-business, marketing channel, customer-focused, and internally direct communications” ‘Clow & Baack, 2007) The American Marketing Association defines IMC more as a process: “a planning process designed to assure that all brand contacts received by a customer or prospect for a product, service, or organization are relevant to that person and consistent over time.” (Wikipedia, 2008) Blakeman takes a personal and relationship building approach to IMC : “IMC, also known as relationship marketing, works to interactively engage a specific individual, using a specific message, through specific media outlets. The goal is to build a long-term relationship between buyer and seller by involving the targeted individual in an interactive or two-way exchange of information. Expertly placed media efforts and the use of computer databases play a big role in getting the message to the right target audience, as does the development of a consistent visual/verbal image for the product or service.” (Blakeman, 2007:5) If I had to give my own definition of IMC the starting point would be the purpose of an IMC : Using all marketing communication tools and channels to create a harmonious message towards the target audience and implementing the communication so that prospects are touched by the message where-ever they live, work and play. As for every marketing strategy the starting point for IMC is the marketing mix, consisting of the 4P’s. IMC tackles the Promotion side of the 4P matrix. In the traditional view on promotion, companies implemented advertising, sales promotion and personal selling. IMC offers a wide array of possibilities for the promotion component that are best all activated together. Clow & Baack list the following : Database Marketing, Direct Marketing, Sponsorship Marketing, Internet Marketing and Public Relations. (Clow & Baack, 2007). On top of that IMC also provides strategies for the other 3 P’s : Pricing, Product and Place.

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IMC always start out with a master marketing plan. A few steps are required to compose such a plan. The first one is the situational analysis, the process of all internal and external factors concerning a company. The second step is defining the marketing objectives followed by budgeting the project. The third and final step is finalizing the marketing strategies. If we look at the role of an advertisement company in building a master marketing plan, it is very dominant in the fourth step. The first three steps are usually done internally by the client and eventually briefed towards the representatives of the ad agency. In collaboration with an advertisement strategist, the agency will formulate a number of marketing objectives that could be tackled based on the information provided by the client. b. IMC Components Clow & Baack depict the various IMC components as a pyramid in five sections (Clow & Baack, 2007:133)

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If a company is able to create a strong message and implement it harmoniously throughout all these tools, it will create a strong integrated marketing communications campaign. Next to the foundation of IMC I will focus strongly on the second part of the IMC plan, namely the advertising tools. On top of that, elements like trade promotions, direct marketing and internet marketing will also be covered because the ad agency where I did my internship provided those services as well. c) Value of IMC plans Why do companies stray from the traditional view on marketing communications? What is the added value of going to the consumer with an IMC strategy? Clow & Baack list seven crucial elements and trends that make IMC essential to achieve marketing success. (Clow & Baack, 2007) I.

Information technology

Clow & Baack emphasize that new technological possibilities have changed the way companies can reach their consumers and gather information about them. One example is the UPC code (Universal Product Code), which makes it possible to closely monitor the volumes and types of products that are being bought every day. When these codes are linked to credit card information, marketers can always retrieve information on who is buying their products. II.

Changes in Channel Power

There used to be two main market channels: Producer
Wholesaler
Retailer
Consumer Producer
Business Agent
Business Merchant
Business User As mentioned, information technology has shifted the balance and consumers now have the biggest decision power. Purchases over the internet are becoming very common and on top of that information gathering and comparing products are only one click away. III.

Increases in Competition

A consequence of the changes in channel power is the increase in competition for companies. When a consumer can buy products from anywhere in the world, practically every company in the same line of business becomes a direct competitor. In this extremely competitive environment IMC is the tool to differentiate yourself from the others. IV.

Brand Parity

If we take a look at the consequence of having multiple brands that all scream for the attention of consumers, it is obvious that some or all of those brands promote the same attributes. When a consumer thinks that all brands provide the same

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advantages and attributes, the result is brand parity. Again IMC is an important tool to create a feeling of brand loyalty with consumers, to make sure they always buy the same product. When a company can become a part of the consumer’s life through all the different aspects of IMC, it has a better change of creating that loyalty. V.

Integration of Information

Because companies are able to create a wide array of contact points with consumers, it is of the utmost importance to make sure their message is clear and consistent in each and every touch point. When consumers do not understand the message immediately, they will maybe go on-line to gather more information and that way they may come in contact with other brands and companies and eventually he may switch brands. VI.

Decline in the Effectiveness of Mass-Media Advertising

In American Demographics, Jennifer Lach wrote on research that was conducted concerning TV commercials. (Lach, 1999). People listed two positive responses towards TV commercials, namely the potential to be entertaining and just the fact of sitting and watching ads. With seven negative responses as a counter reaction, it is clear that consumers cannot be reached through television alone anymore. More than half of the people gets up and does something else and 52% actually gets annoyed by commercials. These numbers clearly show that companies have to start using different approaches in their marketing strategy and what better approach then to surround your consumer 360 degrees with one clear and consistent message.

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2.

Foundation of IMC a) Corporate Image and Brand management Effective marketing communications are based on a clearly defined and strong corporate image. That image summarizes everything the company stands for and where it positions itself in the market. A corporate image comprehends tangible elements like the goods and services sold, the retail outlets, advertising, packages and employees. But intangible elements are also part of the mix, such as corporate policies, culture of country and location of company and media reports. Clow and Baack (Clow & Baack, 2007) mention four consumer benefits stemming from a good, strong corporate image. It provides potential buyers with an assurance concerning purchase decisions of familiar products in unfamiliar settings. It also provides an assurance when the buyer has no experience at all. Next to reducing decision and search time, a corporate image also causes psychological reinforcement and social acceptance. Rejuvenating an image can help a firm to sell new products to new customers. The most important factor here is to communicate a new message that is still consistent with the original image. Using old elements together with a totally new approach can put a brand back in the top of mind awareness of a certain product category. Rejuvenating a brand will be explained in the case on Pervasco – Napoleon Sweets. Changing an existing image is much more difficult because it is nearly impossible to erase old attitudes towards a certain product or company. Sometimes change is necessary to keep up with the trends in a certain industry or because market shares are dropping fast. In the case study about the new Opel it is clear that changing a corporate image with one product is not an easy thing to do, especially when the rest of the product line retains the old image. b) Buyer Behaviors Because I cover IMC from the point of view of the advertisement agency I will not be going into detail on buyer behaviors in the theoretical framework. When the advertisers brief the advertisement agency, they have a clear view on what has happened in their markets. When they see certain gaps or opportunities in the market research results, they ask the advertisement agency to use that information and provide them with a creative proposal. The research is mostly used by the strategic departments in ad agencies to build a strong creative strategy on how to position a certain brand or product in the target market. For all 3 cases that will be covered in the third chapter, buyer behaviors and attitudes were used in creating the creative briefing and the actual campaign

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c) Promotions Opportunity Analysis Where companies used to develop and implement their promotional actions themselves, more and more companies start relying on the help of advertisement strategists to work out promotional strategies. The two most important objectives in a promotions opportunity analysis are determining which promotional opportunities exist for the company and identifying the characteristics of each target audience so that precise advertising and marketing communications messages can reach them. (Clow & Baack, 2007) Clow & Baack list 5 steps to conduct a good promotions opportunity analysis: conduct a communication market analysis, establish communication objectives, create communications budget, prepare promotional strategies and match tactics with strategies. I.

Communication market analysis

This process is very similar to the managerial SWOT analysis, the only difference is that a company only takes the element of communication into account and not the whole company of strategic business unit. The analysis is conducting in five fields: competitors, opportunities, target markets, customers and positioning. When looking at competitors, it is important to know who they are, what they do, but more importantly how your prospect buyer perceives him. What are competitors doing with advertisements, promotions, websites, annual reports etc… ? Next an advertiser has to consider his opportunities: which markets are left untouched, do I have touch point to build long-term relationships with my customers etc… When searching for opportunities in the market it’s important to leave nothing untouched, because you could be missing out on next big thing. Are there customers that the competition is not serving, which market segments are heavily saturated and which are left ignored, are the benefits of your product clear with your target audience, etc… Next part of the analysis is examining the target markets. The marketing department needs to have a clear understanding of the various needs and various consumers that are in their specific market. Linked to this is the fourth part in which a company needs to take a look at its customers. But even more important in an IMC campaign is identifying the competition’s customers and potential new customers. Based on all the previous steps in the analysis, the marketer can finally build his product positioning. The positioning is determined by a number of elements like the quality of products, prices charged, methods of distribution, image, communication tactics etc…

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A campaign can be developed more efficiently when a clear objective is set before hand. Choosing one central objective is the best strategy to accomplish the biggest return, other objectives can be reached as well, but secondary to the core objective. The key is to match the objective to the medium and the message. Most marketing objectives address sales volume, market share, profitability and return on investment. These can be accomplished by an IMC campaign that increases brand awareness, brand likeability, brand image or communicates the specific attributes or the price-quality relationship better. After the process of the communication market analysis the advertiser contacts the advertisement agency to build a complete integrated marketing communication campaign based on all the analyzed elements. The advertiser meets with the account executives and managers to explain them very clearly what their analysis was and what objectives they want to reach. It is up to the accounts to formulate this message into a clear creative briefing, so that the creative department can work out beautiful and efficient imagery as the core for the IMC campaign. In the next chapter the element of advertisement management will be explained further.

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3. Advertising management In this theoretical framework there’s a strong focus on the part an advertisement agency plays in setting up an IMC campaign. The role that an ad agency gets in the construction and development process largely varies based on the company, the product or the marketing goals. Where some companies put the main focus on advertising, other companies chose a different strategy and put ads as a secondary part of their strategy. A small portion of companies has an internal advertising department, but most companies chose to work with an external advertisement agency that manages their account. While some ad agencies adopt a boutique philosophy where they only procure one specialized system, many advertisement agencies have grown out to full service firms that provide all types of advertising and promotional activities. They offer advertisers consultancy and advice on target market development, building a strong company image, selecting logos and slogans, preparing ads, planning and purchasing media time and space. After the client has briefed the accounts working for the ad agency, everything is set in motion to create an IMC campaign based on the analysis made by the marketing department and incorporating the objectives set forth after the analysis. a) Briefing the Creatives The biggest contrast in advertisement and especially between people working in advertisement is the difference in style between the strategic and account department and the creative department. It is actually the contrast between convergent thinking and divergent thinking. The people in the strategic department are expected to think in a convergent way, making deductions and drawing logical conclusions. Creatives are expected to think divergently where they move outward from specific information to a generalization. Clow and Baack describe the role of the account executive as the key go-between for both the advertising agency and the client company. The A.E. is actively involved in soliciting the account, finalizing details of the contract, and working with the creatives who will prepare the actual advertisements. (Clow & Baack, 2007) Clients sometimes doubt if they are getting good value for their money. The account is there to keep the client company up to date on all the projects that are being executed for a certain campaign. He or she also accompanies the client to shootings and recordings to negotiate between the creatives and the client in the field. At McCann Antwerp the biggest account (Opel) had a special dedicated meeting every week to discuss the status of all ongoing projects. During this meeting even the media planner was present, so that he could immediately provide feedback on certain ideas or concepts. With convergent thinking the accounts find the core in the briefing they get from the client and that thought is transformed in a original and efficient message by divergent thinking. The creative brief is the tool to communicate the analysis of the strategists to the creatives as clear as possible to stimulate their divergent thinking.

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A creative briefing exists in various forms. It can be a loosely written and short statement or it can be a fixed form where all the available information is put into. Creative people need a kind of ignition to come up with the next great idea. The more information they get, the easier it gets to come to a great concept. Percy & Elliot (Percy & Elliot, 2007) list the following element for a creative brief: market characteristics, consumer characteristics, product characteristics, brand positioning, brand positioning, competitor’s advertising, communication objectives, media considerations. Blakeman describes the creative brief as the beginning and the end of everything creative. It lays an informational foundation on which the creative team can build al its concepts.(Blakeman, 2007:43) The account has to summarize the rationale behind the marketing campaign and line out the creative efforts that have be accomplished. I.

The Creative brief

First I will explain the model that Percy & Elliot propose, than the model Clow and Baack developed, followed by the extensive model by Robyn Blakeman and the fourth model that will be discussed is the model I used to make creative briefings at McCann Erickson. The creative brief by Percy & Elliot (Percy & Elliot, 2005:254-258) Percy and Elliot start by pointing out that most ad agencies and even marketers use a specific outline for their creative briefs. The most important element is that there is no wrong approach to a creative brief. Naturally certain key features always have to be covered: • What is the task at hand? • What are the specific objectives and strategy? • What, if anything, must the executions contain? The authors structure the document as followed: Task definition: • Key market observation • Source of business • Consumer barrier or insight • Target audience Objectives and Strategy: • Communication objectives and tasks • Brand attitude strategy • Benefit claim and support • Desired consumer response Execution • creative guidelines • requirements or mandatory content

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Percy & Elliot emphasize that the creative brief is the key document, not only in advertising,but in development of marketing communications in general. a) Task definition This section contains the general brand information. What is the most important trend that was witnessed in the market and created a situation that a new advertising is needed? Where does the brand get its source of business and what are the expectations in the future. In case 2, which is covered further on, the brand Yakult changes his expectations concerning the place in the market where it wants to do business. The consumer barrier or insight describes the one key thing the creatives need to know about the target audience to make a successful ad. The last element is a detailed and vivid description of the target audience. b) Objectives and Strategy This section is the base and the core for the creative execution. What objectives does the company want to achieve? Which attitude does the advertisement have to portray? In case 3, which covers the launch of the Opel Insignia, there is a key objective about changing the attitude towards the brand Opel. Benefit claim and support describe the unique selling proposition. The one main message the advertisement has to communicate. The desired consumer response is an overview of what the client expects his consumers to do, based on the communication. This can vary from starting to love the brand to increasing sales. c) Execution This last part is important to give all communication elements the look and feel that the client imagined during its marketing meetings. The requirements or mandatory content are purely technical and logistical. Yakult for example wanted an integrated communication campaign completely based on one TV copy made by McCann Erickson Italy. The creative brief by Clow & Baack ( Clow & Baack, 2007) Clow & Baack take a much loser approach to the creative brief with sections that are less well defined. As first step they put the objective of the campaign: increasing brand awareness, building brand image, increasing customer traffic, increasing retailer and wholesale orders, responding to inquiries from end users and channel members, providing quality information. Second step is the target audience. Clow & Baack point out that the description has to be really specific to create a successful campaign. Profiles that are too general lead to run of the mill ads that get lost in the ad clutter. Third step is the message theme, the base of the communication of the whole campaign. What has to be brought towards the target audience? In this part the account executive has to put the claim the client wants to link to the product and the actual unique selling proposition.

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The fourth component is the support; this part covers quotes from users or claims on health products. The final step contains the constraints around the message and objectives. These can be legal or mandatory restrictions, for example when advertising cigarettes or medicines. Clow & Baack give a very basic guideline to writing a creative brief, which is rather weird considering Percy & Elliot consider the document as the most important step in creating a communication campaign. The creative brief by Robyn Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:43-50) Blakeman provides her readers with the most elaborate model of the three discussed models. At minimum she proposes following elements:

• • • • •

Target Audience Profile Communication Objectives Product Features and Benefits Positioning of the Product Key Consumer Benefit

• • • • •

Creative Strategy Tone Support Statement Slogan or Tagline Logo

a) Target Audience Profile This element is to define the target audience covering demographics, psychographics, geographics and behavioristics. In addition, key internal and external factors in the target’s audience’s frame of reference are added plus a profile describing a typical target audience member. In case 2 the marketing department at Yakult had extensive research on demographics, psychographics and behavioristics of the target audience from the professions they have to the different media they read. Opel also had a detailed description of the potential buyer for its new car model. But for Pervasco in case 1 with the Napoleon sweets, profiling the target audience was much tougher, because the product is positioned towards people aged from 8 to 88. b) Communication Objectives Description of the purpose of the ad. What should the consumer do after seeing the developed ad campaign? What should he think? What should he feel? What should he do? c) Production Features and Benefits This part contains an extensive list of all the product attributes and the linked benefits. Attributes can be inherent to the product itself, for example a certain ingredient, or linked to the brand image (e.g. Chanel). The purpose of this section is to bring the creative team up to speed so that they absolutely know everything about the product. Sometimes creative teams can also sample and try out the

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product. That way they get a good idea about how the product feels and how it is exactly used. d) Positioning of the Product A comparison of the advertised product with the corresponding products of the competition. e) Key Consumer Benefit This is where the big idea of the unique selling proposition is described. This should be linked to and based on all the elements described above. f) Creative Strategy This explanation covers how the ad or complete campaign will convince the target audience to give the expected response. In the Opel case, teasing is an important element to get the target audience excited and curious, with the expected effect that they will go to the dealer’s showroom to get more information. g) Tone How will you execute your strategy and which technique will be used? Will a rational or a more humorous approach be used? h) Support Statement This statement functions as a support for the unique selling proposition. Which benefit comes second to the most important feature of the product? i) Slogan or Tagline The slogan the company uses at the moment of the ad campaign. l) Logo The company’s logo Comparison between the three models The three covered authors all have a different approach to constructing a creative brief. The first and third models are very elaborate, whereas the second is rather basic. While Percy & Elliot have a clear three-way division, the other two concepts just list a point of elements that have to be tackled. Percy & Elliot dedicate much attention to the task definition in four different parts. Clow & Baack completely skip this part and start immediately with the communication objectives. The section of task definition is completely integrated in the target audience part. Blakeman also describes the target audience in the beginning, but does not mention key market observations, source of business or consumer insight.

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The second part of the Elliot and Percy model is present in all three models, except for the element of Brand attitude Strategy. Choosing between a high involvement and low involvement approach is a separate thinking point according to Elliot & Percy. The other two authors do not cover this separately. As such there is no right or wrong model, but I do think that the first and third model are ideally used in situations where the ad agency is given a substantial amount of marketing research data from the client, as for example was the case in the Opel and Yakult campaigns. The second model keeps things more open and free for the creative team. This model is the ideal modus operandi for cases where the client leaves everything up to the imagination of the art directors, as was the case for Napoleon. Briefing the creatives at McCann Erickson Antwerp I will compare a creative briefing model I used for the Yakult campaign with the three models by Percy & Elliot, Clow & Baack and Blakeman. The original Dutch model can be found in the appendix, along with the original Yakult briefing and first creative concepts based on that briefing. Creative briefing model at McCann Erickson Antwerp Client Project The Brand is… The Product is… What is the Business Opportunity? What do we want to achieve? Who are we talking to and what relevant things are happening in their lives? What do they think/feel about -

The Category The Competition

Our Brand -

What is the most important message? Why would the target audience believe us? What response do we want? What do we want our target audience to do/feel/think? What incentive can we use to make them react (faster)?

What is our contact strategy? How does our communication flow look? -

At the moment? In the future?

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What is the creative approach? Practical remarks – checklist Timing Budget Other

1. Percy & Elliot The McCann model covers all the elements present in the Percy & Elliot model, except for the key market observation. I think the key market observation was that Yakult adopted a new strategy to go to the market and consumer. This fact is not needed in the creative briefing, because the new strategy itself is completely incorporated in the briefing. The McCann model does add some elements by discussing the incentive they need, to get the desired reaction from the targeted consumer. Another addition is the description of the contact strategy in the short and long term. 2. Clow & Baack Because of the basic character of the Clow & Baack model it is obvious that the McCann model covers all the elements they discuss, except maybe for the constraints and restrictions. Then again, I am not aware of any restrictions that could be held against the Yakult campaign, plus the IMC campaign had to be based on a TV copy that was already in use in the Belgian media. 3. Blakeman Blakeman constructed the most complete creative briefing model. The McCann model contains all the important elements she proposed and adds some. Similar to the Percy & Elliot model, Blakeman does not discuss a specific incentive to create a reaction of the target audience and also the contact strategy is not covered. Although the last four elements (Tone, Support Statement, Slogan and Logo) are not present in the McCann model, they were given to the responsible creative team.

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b) Media Strategy and selection When the creatives have developed their concepts and the accounts have presented and actually ‘sold’ the ideas to the client, the next step in making the advertisement campaign successful is matching everything with a strong media selection. Clow and Baack define a media strategy as the process of analyzing and choosing media for an advertising and promotions campaign. (Clow & Baack, 2007) Buying advertisement space has become extremely expensive, so a strategic selection of where to create touch points with the target audience is very important to achieve the highest efficiency. The actual media strategy is linked to the brand awareness strategy and the brand attitude strategy, which have been determined in the communication plan. For example when the goal is to create recognition it is best to avoid radio, because the audience cannot see the actual package. While working towards a recall awareness on the other hand, all forms of media are appropriate. (Blakeman, 2007:163) If we take a look at the attitude strategy, low involvement products can be used in almost any media, except radio because of the need for visual content. High involvement products are best communicated in magazines and newspapers, because people need the time to digest the information and the entire message. I.

Media planning

The starting point is a thorough analysis of the target market: • • •

Focus on consumer behavior Create plans that reflect the consumer’s purchasing process Influence consumers in the marketplace

(Clow & Baack, 2007:233) How does the target audience decide what products they will buy? Do TV ads have an influence, do they like funny and witty ads or do they need more information? Will the buying decision be made on the shop floor, at home or on the way from work? Are they sensitive towards hype, buzz and peer pressure? These are all relevant questions that need to be tackled during the analysis. After this overview the media planner proposes a strategy on where and when to place the advertisements. The judgment of the media planner determines whether the ads will be successful and in the end if the campaign will yield a competitive return on investment. After the media selection, the media buyer comes in to buy the space, negotiate the rates and schedule the ads. Although the actual media selection is based on the habits and customs of the target audience, other factors play a role. Here I will explain some terminology used to select the proper media, but also to sell the whole campaign package to the client.

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To determine the media objectives several terms and concepts are used:

• • • •

Reach Frequency Opportunity to see Gross Rating Points

• • • •

Cost per rating point Cost Continuity Impressions

Clow & Baack define these concepts as followed: Reach is the number of people, households, or businesses in a target audience exposed to a media vehicle or message schedule at least once during a given time period. That period is normally about four weeks. Frequency is the average number of times an individual or household within a particular target market is exposed to a particular advertisement within a specified time period. Instead of frequency, the term Opportunity to see or OTS is also commonly used. Gross Rating Points show the impact or intensity of a media plan. The GRP is calculated by multiplying a vehicle’s rating by the OTS. GRP gives a good idea about the odds of the target audience actually viewing the ad. Cost measures the overall expenditure of the campaign, but is used to calculate the CPM of cost per thousand. This term shows the cost of reaching 1,000 members of the targeted audience. Continuity is the actual exposure pattern or schedule that is used for the campaign. Three different patterns are possible: continuous, pulsating and discontinuous. A continuous campaign is a steady stream of advertisement communication. This demands media buys for a period of one to two years. A pulsating schedule creates a minimal level of advertising at all times, but there are increases in ads at periodic intervals. A retailer for example places advertisements throughout the entire year, but increases the level of communication during the Christmas and summer periods. A flighting or discontinuous campaign scheme is used with products that are only relevant in certain periods. Amusement parks for example only place advertisements during the summer break. Blakeman (Blakeman,2007:165) comments that achieving both a high reach and a high frequency requires a massive budget. Reaching all of the people all of the time is simply impossible for most companies. But sometimes exceptions exist; the Fortis campaign depicting a red line going up and down could be seen in almost every form of media and that for a very long period. Advertisements appear everyday on the third page of most newspapers, combined with billboards, TV ads, street advertisements etc… Apparently some companies do have the massive budget to achieve both reach and frequency. Most media plans deal with three basic variables: reach, frequency and timing. The reality of determined budgets demands careful trade-offs between the amount of members from the target audience you can reach, how many times you can reach them and when you can reach them.

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Reach determines placing your ads in one form of media or opting for a wider range of different media. Some people never read magazines, while others never open a newspaper. Some demographics stopped following the proposed TV schedule and watch pre-recorded programs or DVD’s. With the success of Apple’s iPod, people listen less radio, because they carry a personalized jukebox with them all the time. Going all out on reach has a negative effect on frequency. Frequency is crucial when the client wants to achieve a brand recall awareness or create positive emotions towards its brand. According to Percy & Elliot (Percy & Elliot,2007:166) the key to this puzzle is minimum effective frequency. Minimum effective frequency is the point where an agency can expect the advertisement to work, the point where the target audience will have had enough opportunity to process the message successfully. Blakeman advises that is better to communicate successfully with at least a portion of the target audience so they go out and buy the product instead of reaching a lot of the target audience without being able to bring your message successfully. Clow & Baack quote the theory developed by Herbert Krugman, who states that it takes a minimum of three exposures for an ad to be effective. Many advertisers disagree, because they take clutter into account. Clutter also has an effect on the types of objectives: increasing awareness is much easier than building a brand image, because grabbing the attention once is easier than holding the interest for a longer period to make your point about a certain product or service. The theory that opposes the three-exposure hypothesis is called the recency theory. The theory suggests that the consumer’s attention is selective and is focused on his or her individual needs and wants. (Clow & Baack, 2007:240). Three-exposure is bad on intrusion value, meaning the ability to intrude upon a viewer without his or her voluntary attention. Recency theory has a different approach, where consumers are expected to use selective attention processes when they consider ads. A consumer gives attention to communication that best meets their needs and wants. The closer an ad is seen to the actual purchase, the more powerful it will be. (Clow & Baack, 2007:241) The theory suggests that an ad is wasted on individuals that are not in the market for that specific product. The biggest difference between the two concepts is that recency theory states that one moment of exposure is enough to insure a sale.

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II.

Selecting Media

When making the actual selection, the media planner has to match to communication objectives to the wide range of media possibilities. Percy & Elliot propose three important consideration points: visual content, the time available to process the message and the frequency potential. (Percy & Elliot, 2007:166) Brand awareness objectives demand visual content. The available time must be high for high involvement products, while a high frequency is important to generate a high recall brand awareness. Brand Awareness and attitude strategies (Percy & Elliot, 2007:166) 

Brand Awareness

Brand recognition needs ads that show the logo, package or some other form of visual content. Brand recall on the other hand puts the emphasis on frequency so that the consumer can build an association between the brand and the need for the category. Brand recognition This strategy needs strong visual content and because not much time is needed to process the message a low frequency will do. Television, magazines, posters, the internet and direct mail are ideal solutions to build brand recognition. Radio is left out for obvious reasons and newspapers are possible, but only when a good color reproduction can be achieved. Brand recall Here the biggest concern is the frequency. Television, radio and newspapers are the best tools to create repetition. Magazines and direct mail are less than ideal options in this case. Brand Attitude Strategies (Percy & Elliot, 2007:168) Low-involvement, informational This is the easiest strategy to accomplish in deals of media selection, because any form of media can be used. Because the motivation is negative, you want the target to lay off cigarettes; one or two exposures are enough to process the information. Low-involvement, transformational Here the motivation is positive, which requires a strong visual content. Although the processing time is very short, a high frequency is needed to develop a positive brand attitude.

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Television is the best choice here, next to the internet. All other forms of media are problematic because of processing time and frequency. Radio lacks the visual aspect, but this may be overcome by strong creative teams. High-Involvement, Information strategy This strategy requires a long processing time to communicate the negative motives through extensive information. Print-oriented media seem like the best option, including the internet. High-Involvement, transformation strategy Again, the positive motives here require strong visual content, but in contrast with the low involvement no high frequency is needed.

III.

Media Range a) Television

Television is a very cluttered environment when it comes to advertisements, but it is still considered as the best mass media option to reach the target audience, build awareness and develop an image. Television also has the advantage of intrusion value, coming into the living room without the viewer’s voluntary attention. But modern television viewers have developed their own sport of avoiding television ads. The key is to be more creative and target your consumer with a higher accuracy. While modern set-top boxes allow the viewer to skip commercials, it also creates opportunities for IMC implementations. With interactive advertising, the viewer can be more involved with the brand and with the ads on television. Commercials that encourage the viewer to push the red button on his remote to get more information or see an extended version of a funny ad, is the best way to avoid getting lost in the clutter. Other more traditional options can be considered as well combining two channels at once. Showing a telephone number can create a oneto-one interaction on the phone or communicating the web address can bring the consumer to the advertiser’s web page where he is exposed to the brand yet again. Direct response advertising is immediate, creates a long-term relationship and can often close a deal when the ad is still running at the same moment. When considering television for an IMC campaign, it is very important to repeat the key benefit and project strategy every time. Television also combines perfectly with radio. The consumer sees the product on the screen and then imagines himself using it during the radio commercial. Public relations also open doors to start a sponsorship or endorsement in combination with a television charity event or a television series. What makes television so great for advertisement? Blakeman lists the impact through visuals cues, selectivity based on network or show, the audience size and the power of television to set trends and fads. (Blakeman, 2007:187) Negative characteristics for TV are the immense cost, the clutter and the short life-span.

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Clow & Baack consider the following advantages and disadvantages: Advantages • High Reach • High Frequency potential • Low cost per contact • High intrusion value • Quality creative opportunities • Segmentation possibilities based on network

Disadvantages • Great clutter • Low recall • Channel surfing • Short copy • High cost

I found it peculiar that Clow & Baack mention short copy, because the option of a voice over is always possible and creates a touch point even when the viewer is not in the same room as the television. b) Radio Radio is obviously less glamorous than television and requires great creative talent to develop effective ads. Then again, an effective radio commercial functions as a one-to-one message with the consumer. In contrast to television, radio is almost present everywhere: the living room, the car, at work and sometimes even in shops and high streets. This opens opportunities to reach the consumer very close to the moment of purchase. The key is to get the message from the short term memory to the long term memory. This can be achieved by using sound effects, tunes and off course jingles. Jingles become a part of the collective memory; most Flemish people can finish popular jingles without even having purchased something at the advertised store. While the ads can be segmented based on the audience of the radio shows or networks like with television, radio stations are more flexible and the lead time is extremely short. A radio ad can be produced, mixed and put on the radio in less than two weeks. This opens opportunities towards creating top topical ads that use current events to present a creative approach. The biggest advantages are the link to the moment, intimacy and the local aspect. Ads can be developed with links to the morning ritual, commuting or traffic jams. The excellent ‘fokkie-machine’ ad made Duval Guillaume played with the idea of needing coffee to get started in the morning. A large part of the listeners creates a feeling of intimacy with the radio presenters, because they accompany them in several moments during the day. This aspect gives radio a high level of credibility. With local radio stations, the creative teams can play with local elements and dialects. Negative elements are the short exposure time frame, low attention, clutter and the use of words only.

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Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:172) lists the following advantages and disadvantages: Advantages • Cost • Targetability • Portability • Quick Turnaround • Interactivity • Imaginative Aspect • Local and National Adaptability • Frequency

Disadvantages • Background noise • Sound only • Fleeting message • Fragmented audiences • Clutter

Clow & Baack (Clow & Baack, 2007) have a slightly different view on radio’s pro’s and con’s. Advantages • Recall promoted • Narrower target markets • Ad music can match station’s programming • High segmentation potential • Flexibility in making new ads • Able to modify ads to fit local conditions • Intimacy • Mobility • Creative opportunities with music & sound

Disadvantages • Short exposure • Low attention • Few chances to reach national audience • Target duplication when several stations have the same format • Information overload.

Where Clow & Baack see the high segmentation as an advantage, Blakeman puts the fragmented audiences in the disadvantages’ section. Blakeman sees sound only as a problem, Clow & Baack consider this as a creative opportunity. What role can radio play in an IMC campaign? Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:171) considers interaction as the key aspect. Let the audience sing, clap or hum a tune. That way the message can intrude upon the unconscious whether the ad is airing or not. Contests, sweep stakes and sponsorships are also ideal tactics to integrate the message even better. The combination of radio and newspaper can act very strong, because implementation can happen fast and is virtually inexpensive compared to other solutions. The key benefit, objectives and strategic approach will determine whether radio is the right component for your IMC campaign. A product that can be brought to the consumer in story form is extremely suitable for a radio ad. The message gets an immediate character and spokespersons really come to life through sound. Radio is the perfect medium for a product-based approach, when going for a consumerbased tactic radio needs other IMC components to fill in the image. When the

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advertiser wants to communicate a unique selling proposition, radio is best left out of the mix, the USP needs visual content to intrude upon the mind of the consumer. c) Magazines Clow & Baack (Clow & Baack, 2007) describe magazine advertisements as the quality option that yields a higher return on investment than other IMC components. The main advantage is the efficient targeting that magazines make possible and this on a demographic as well as on a lifestyle level. The higher segmentation is linked to the specific topic the magazine tackles. Specific to magazines is the higher attention of the consumer when flipping or reading through them. When a consumer buys a magazine about fashion, he or she will likely be interested in fashion and will focus his attention on the editorial as well as on the advertisement content. Some readers even do a separate read for the ads alone and because magazines are often read in waiting or leisure situations, exposure normally lasts longer. Avid magazine readers keep the booklets around for a whole month and flip through them several times, which increases the time of exposure. The magazine itself also has a longer life expectancy, publications are read and reread and passed on to other readers. Depending on whether the product is long-lasting or belongs to a volatile market, this becomes an advantage or a disadvantage. The high quality color print gives the creatives the opportunity to develop enticing advertisements. One example is the scratch and sniff ad often found in beauty magazines, such as Elle and Vogue. There are a few disadvantages such as declining readership, ad clutter and the fact that the lead time is often six months, which forces ad agencies to think far ahead before creating an ad. Clow & Baack list the following pro’s and con’s: Advantages • High Market segmentation • Targeted audience interest by magazine • Direct-response techniques (coupons, phone numbers) • High color quality • Availability of special features • Long life • Read during leisure time

Disadvantages • Declining readership • High level of clutter • Long lead time • Little flexibility • High cost

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Again Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:161) has different emphasizes in her analysis: Advantages • Select target market • Printing capabilities • Life Span • Image • Informative Copy • Creative options • Geographic Selectivity

Disadvantages • Lengthy Deadlines • Cost • Clutter • Publication Deadlines

Blakeman adds that high involved products, which requiring extensive explanation are best placed in magazines where informative copy can really shine next to a beautiful visual. Also the geographic selectivity in the case of regional issues can be used as a benefit. What value do magazines have for an IMC campaign? Magazines are slightly better for consumer focus than newspapers says Blakeman (Blakeman,2007:160). Because they have such a high targeted character the ad becomes interactive and educational. That way it is much easier to tap into the consumer’s self-image and create a bond with brand loyalty. Some readers have a relationship with magazines. When readers see ads in their favorite magazine, the credibility increases. In the first step of magazine advertising there is no dialogue, just like with TV a dialogue can be created through web addresses and phone numbers. Direct marketing solutions can be used with postal reply cards and sales promotions are initiated with coupons. Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:163) considers magazines as time capsules that capture lifestyles, values and immortalize trends. A campaign designed towards the special interest and needs makes isolating the key benefit more individualistic. Magazines should be avoided with small budgets or if your product is not image based. Publications are essential in consumer-based campaigns where brand image, lifestyle or brand attitude need to be established. d) Newspapers Newspapers are non-personal mass media, which means they reach a large number of consumers making them the ideal media solution for new product launches for homogenized and inexpensive products. In Belgium most newspapers have local editions, which retailers are happy to take advantage of. They can communicate promotions, business hours and store locations. Newspapers are also known for their high flexibility, an ad can be placed very quickly and that way top topicals are easy to implement. Because the ads are placed next to informational facts they receive a higher credibility. Like with magazines most readers have a personal relationship with the newspaper and their staff, creating the perception of “If they place this ad, it must be true.” Newspaper readers are used to wading through large texts and read with high attention, so ads can be more elaborate.

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The ad agencies also receive large discounts for placing large ads, which renders the whole operation less expensive. Disadvantages are the lack of targeting, except maybe for the sports and entertainment pages. Then again the several sections make it possible to completely skip a certain topic causing the reader to never see the ad. Short lifespan, poor production quality and the higher cost for color printing make glamorous ads impossible. Weekend editions on the other hand often contain glossy magazines that allow luxurious products to be advertised towards the newspaper reader. Some newspaper decline controversial ads, such as visuals with half-naked models or offensive copy. Clow & Baack list the following advantages and disadvantages: Advantages • Geographic selectivity • High flexibility • High credibility • Strong audience interest • Longer copy • Cumulative volume discounts • Coupons

Disadvantages • Short life span • Clutter • Poor quality • Internet competition

Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:151:152) makes the following analysis: Advantages • Getting it there (short deadlines) • Sized to fit • Believability • Loyal readers • Cost • Geographic concentration • Frequency • Coupons

Disadvantages • Mass Media • Creative disadvantage • Clutter • Life Span • Declining Readership • Limited viewing • Passive medium • Price based

Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:152) states that mass media alone cannot build a relationship with individuals or create dialogue, but instead it works to inform the target audience and create awareness. This aspect is necessary for an IMC campaign, but cannot create the IMC effect on its own. A newspaper can also be used for maintaining brand loyalty, building and sustaining brand image, creating sales incentives, announcements on product changes or increasing store traffic. A new trend in newspapers and magazines is the use of advertorials. These are ads that look like real magazine sections or newspaper articles, which are placed among the regular editorial content. By some considered as a cunning way of fooling the reader making him think it’s an article written by the staff, by others seen as the new future for ads because they keep the flow going and do not break up the reading pattern by placing large ads in between articles. American magazines already contain one or more advertorial in each issue, but also in Belgium the concept has popped up in several newspapers. The bank ING for example places investment advice in the form of a column. These advertorials are

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accompanied by a disclaimer which clearly states that the content is a commercial message. Custom publishing magazines go even further and are published as real magazines, but are filled with commercial messages, articles and ads. As mentioned in the magazine section, magazines have a large lifespan and tend be passed around and read by several persons. A publication with a large variety of ads can create a massive exposure period with a group of people. e) Alternative Media Clow & Baack (Clow & Baack, 2007) also discuss a wide range of alternative media that can help in sustaining the message of the IMC. Here is a list of examples: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Leaflets, brochures, and carry-home menus Ads on carry-home bags from stores Ads on T-shirts and caps (promotional giveaways and products sold) Ads on movie trailers both in theaters and home video rental products Small freestanding street or mall signs Self-run ads in motel rooms on television, towels, ice chests and other places. Yellow pages and phone book advertisements Mall kiosk ads Ads sent by fax Ads shown on video replay scoreboards In-house advertising place by airlines in seats Ads on the walls of airports, terminals and inside cabs

Other tactics are guerilla marketing, which are low-cost and creative strategies to reach the individual consumer. The set-up is usually implemented in such a way that the consumer has no other choice than to notice the brand communication. Another big component of alternative media is the use of product placement, which has become more popular the last few years. Whereas in the beginning the products were shamelessly shown and positioned in movies and television series without any purpose, product placements nowadays are more subtle and have a purpose in the story or scene. Off course there are other means to fill up the media mix, but magazines, TV, radio and newspapers together with outdoor billboards are the most important media for traditional advertisement. In the next chapter, promotional tools, other components of the media mix such as PR, direct marketing and sales promotions will be discussed. Internet ads and virals will be discussed in the fifth chapter, Integration tools.

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4. Promotional Tools a) Public Relations During a short internship at Public Relations firm Hill & Knowlton I got a little taste of how public relations are used to promote products and to offer an alternative to expensive advertisement implementations. In this section I will discuss the theoretical basis of PR and add elements from assignments I had to complete during my internship. “There is no such thing as bad publicity” This phrase maybe true for actors, singers and other celebrities, but for brands bad publicity is worse than no publicity at all. Clow & Baack (Clow & Baack, 2007) define a public relations bureau or department as a unit that manages publicity and other communications with every group that is in contact with the company. The PR staff often functions as a consultancy group to the marketing department in a company. Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:125) defines PR as a mostly nonpaid form of communication that builds relationships with both internal and external audiences through communication efforts that reinforce, defend, or rebuild a corporation’s or product’s image. External audiences are the company’s or organization’s “publics” or targets. Internal audiences are referred to as stakeholders or those who have a stake or vested interest in the company’s success and reputation. The common goal for all PR professionals is to get hits. Clow & Baack define a hit as the mention of a company’s name in a news story (Clow & Baack, 2007). They can be positive, negative or neutral in terms of their impact on the firm, the brand, and the product. The more hits the PR department can generate, the higher the awareness for the brand or product will be with the general audience and more importantly with the target audience. Public Relations Functions Clow & Baack (Clow & Baack, 2007) identify five different functions     

Identifying internal and external stakeholders Assess the corporate reputation Audit corporate social responsibility Creative positive image-building activities Prevent or reduce image damage

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All the recipients of company communications are considered as important. Everyone who comes in contact with the company should receive a clear, unified message. General topics are: o o o o o o

Profits paid as dividend Loan repayments Sales to the company or purchases made Wages paid to employees Community well-being A special-interest topic

Blakeman sees the voice of public relations as very diverse. (Blakeman, 2007) PR defines action. Getting the word out about what a corporation is doing on all levels, what products they make and what relationships they want to build with their target is the core business of PR professionals. Especially the relationship they build with journalists is impossible in all the other components of the IMC. That ability to attract journalists and press attention to events, press releases, press conferences and interviews is the strength of PR. According to Blakeman PR is best put to use in following situations: • • • • • •

Launching a new product Positioning or repositioning a product or service Generating ‘”buzz” Affecting and reaching specific target groups Handling scandal or negative publicity Building or maintaining the image of a product or brand

How can PR help an IMC campaign? Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:133) considers PR as an essential element to support an IMC campaign, because it is compatible with IMC components such as: -

Relationship building

An IMC is based on a tightly defined target audience and PR is capable of taking that to the next level by including internal stakeholders in the planning and execution. A strong segmentation reveals smaller and more manageable groups that can be approached individually and based on their specific wants and needs. -

Tone of voice

IMC focuses on delivering the message with one tone of voice and one image. Public Relations are able to reflect the key benefit, the strategy and the visual/verbal message on all forms of communication.

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-

Databases

As I have personally seen during my internship, all PR is based on well-defined and exhaustive databases. An IMC campaign also uses databases to reach individuals within their target audience. PR can help building an effective database to build a relationship with the consumer in one-on-one interaction. Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:134) considers this list as the advantages and disadvantages of PR communications: Advantages Disadvantages • Elevated corporate or brand image • Short shelf life of news items • A well-developed interactive • Difficult to modify behavior relationship with the target • Inability to measure results • More communication outlets • Low cost • The ability to present believable technical or scientific evidence through credible news source I do not fully agree with the disadvantage of the ‘inability to measure results’. While it is true that PR does not ask the target audience to go out and actually buy a product, a news article that reviews or covers a certain product has a much higher credibility than an advertisement. On top of that, getting an article published about a product costs the advertiser nothing on ad space or production. The fee for the PR bureau is the only cost. I have personally witnessed that efficiency and ROI is closely monitored in PR bureaus. Clippings are gathered of all news content that has been generated by the PR bureau, but also articles, which are not the result of their database or contacts. The size of the article is taken in consideration and based on the price for a one page ad, the value of the article is calculated. That way a PR agency can show the coverage they generated together with the price of the same space in advertisement value. I believe that PR will grow in importance with consumers becoming increasingly more critical and aversive towards advertisement communications. Another strength of PR is to create touch points with the core target audience in trade and topical magazines, but also with the general population through popular interest articles. I saw a clear example with a technology client, which has a series of remote controls in its product portfolio. The company had recently launched a new remote control with which you are able to control all sorts of devices, ranging from the television set to the amplifier of a hi-fi system. The device was picked up in reviews of several technology and computer orientated magazines. Around the same time an article was published in several newspapers based on a study investigating remote control use in households. The results showed that having two or more remote controls for all technology appliances causes stress. In the article the new all-in-one remote control was explicitly mentioned accompanied by its retail price. That way the launch of the device was communicated towards the target audience in computer magazines

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and at the same the general population could read about the product in an article that tackled a problem they probably also coped with. b) Sales or consumer promotions Clow & Baack (Clow & Baack, 2007) state that sales promotions are used to create incentives towards the customers of a product. They have to be convinced to take the final step and go out to make the actual purchase. Advertisements create interest, excitement and get the customer to the store. Advertising takes longer to make a sale and has no personal or immediate effect on the individual consumer. Sales promotions are used to help him make the final decision, but are also very effective in creating store traffic and building brand loyalty. In an ad the consumer finds an answer to the question “What’s in it for me?”, a promotion communicates “Run out and get to the shop now!” Clow & Baack make the distinction between consumer franchise-building promotions and consumer sales-building promotions. The first increase the brand awareness and create loyalty towards the promoted brand. Sales-building promotions are merely used to immediately increase sales instead of building equity. Discounts and sharp prices are the best tactics to accomplish this goal.(Clow & Baack, 2007) Marketers used to shy away from sales promotions out of fear of eroding their brands, but nowadays sales promotions are valued for their differentiating effect. Franchise-building promotions make the brand stronger, increase awareness and loyalty. Sales-building promotions also increase the awareness, but in the long run they have a negative effect on the brand. To use sales promotions in an IMC campaign, it is crucial to closely evaluate the brand positions. In the early stage of the product life cycle the promotions have to match the advertisements to increase awareness and create trial and additional purchases. In a later stage the goal has to shift towards brand strengthening, opening new markets, fend off competition and increasing overall consumption. Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:224) lists the following sales promotions: In-store promotions o Coupons Whatever a coupon offers, it always creates incentive and represent over 70% of all sales promotions. Coupons can be found almost anywhere from newspapers to the internet. Some coupons are also sent personally based on databases. Some supermarkets even print coupons on the receipt; the type of coupon is then based on the current purchases. Clow & Baack list four different problems concerning the use of coupons. Coupons eat away at the full price revenues. Then there is mass-cutting and counterfeiting. With mass-cutting a fake supermarket is set up and all coupons are being redeemed form the manufacturer without any product ever being sold. The last disadvantage is misredemption, this happens when the retailer allows a discount on a different package or size. A higher face value, a better distribution method or a coupon for an attractive brand can improve the coupon efficiency.

•

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o Bonus packs Bonus packs give a percentage more content or offers a try-me size package of a related product. Bonus packs can have a negative influence on the price perception. The consumer thinks that the price has not really changed or with twofor-one promotions they think that the price has been increased. o Price-off offers Price-offs are different from coupons because the discount is communicated on the packaging or on the shelf space. Although price-off orders can create a sudden positive impact on sales numbers, it usually has the same effect on the profit margin. Another consequence is that consumers become very price conscious and either wait for a promotion or opt for another brand that offers a promotion. The target with price-off orders are new customers by lowering their out-of-pocket contribution. Current customers will be attracted to, but they usually stock up during a promotion which has negative effects on the full price revenue. o Specialty packaging Can be useful when the packaging has changed or the product has changed. Special editions are also common during the holiday season. They usually do not attract new customers, but increase loyalty with existing customers. o Sampling Customers can use and try the product on the shop floor. That way they can taste it, feel the quality and smell it. Sampling is very effective when a manufacturer wants to introduce a new product, but the high cost is the main disadvantage. Most samples are mailed to the customer and a special sample-size packaging has to be developed. On top of that, the packaging has to closely resemble the regular-size packaging for recognition reasons. o Point-of-Purchase All the advertisements that are visible on the shop floor itself. •

Out-of-store promotions

o Refunds and rebates A refund pays the cost of the product back to the consumer. A rebate gives a portion back. These promotions usually require the customer to fill in lengthy forms to give out their personal details. For the company it is the ideal way to build up a database, on the other hand most consumers will not go trough the trouble of filling out the form. o Continuity programs Consumers can save up points, which can later be used to buy items from a catalogue or receive special discounts. o Trial offers Usually implemented for larger products, the consumer can use the product at home. o Special events o Product warranties or guarantees

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•

In-store or out-of-store promotions include:

o Contest and sweepstakes Among all the discussed promotions, contests and sweepstakes are one of the few where no actual purchase is strictly needed. Consumers love the interaction and the participation. Again cost is the main disadvantage, closely followed by consumer indifference due to clutter. The biggest factor to success is choosing the right prize. o Premiums Premiums are small usable gifts that are often packed in with the product or given to consumers outside the store. The items are branded most of the time and act as an advertisement tool on their own. Because most companies want something hip and trendy to give away, time is very much of the essence. On top of that premium give-aways can become very expensive for the company. Choosing the right premium all comes down to finding a match with the target audience. A premium is also more effective when it reinforces the company’s product and image. When used in an IMC campaign, the prize should be chosen so that it fits perfectly in the whole concept. o Giveaways Giveaways are very similar to sampling except for the fact that rarely the actual product is given away. Mostly it is an item that complements the product, like you buy a bottle of Bacardi and get a glass for free. Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:233) lists a few advantages and disadvantages: Advantages • Time Limit • Trackable • Product Visibility

Disadvantages • Negative Sales effect • Damaged Brand image • Equity depletion • Cost

More disadvantages than advantages does not necessarily mean that sales promotions should not be implemented. I think the biggest advantage is the strategic value against the competition. More and more customers shop without a proper shopping list and make their final purchase decisions on the shop floor. Promotions are a way to draw attention to your product and away from other offerings in the category. How can promotions help an IMC campaign? Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:232) states the sales promotions are crucial to bring the customer into contact with the whole IMC. Promotions are an interactive direct response vehicle that often initiates a one-on-one dialogue with the consumer. With sampling the product can be tested on site and customers can immediately give their feedback.

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Some people will never be tempted by promotions and stick to their favorite brand, on the other side of the equation are consumers who are constantly looking for new promotions and do not care what brand it is for. In between there are switchers who can be attracted to try out something new with a sales promotion. Promotional tools are useful tools for any products where the sales team can prove the key benefit at the point of purchase. Sales promotions are a way to round an IMC and make the concept complete by reinforcing the other components. Again everything depends on the product life cycle, new products work best with coupons, sampling, bonus packs or contests to encourage trial purchase. A product that has been on the market for a while and is still standing strong relies on advertising alone and has no real need for sales promotions. A mature brand on the other hand that sees its interest decrease can use sales promotions to reinforce its position and get back into the mind of the consumer. In combination with other IMC components, a mature product ideally starts off with a bit of PR to announce the renewal of an old brand, next advertising can build towards increasing awareness and introducing the new image. A coupon can then be placed in print media or on the internet. Sales promotion works perfectly with direct mail solutions or free telephone numbers to order a sampling kit. Promotion should not be used to say what the key benefits are, but to really show them to the customer. c) Direct Marketing According to Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:205) direct marketing is everything that traditional advertising is not. Direct marketing is the ideal tool to create a one-toone approach and start a dialogue and interaction with the targeted consumer. The communication is coordinated and individualized through the use of multiple media vehicles and databases. These databases contain extensive information on the past buying history, demographics, psychographics, buying behavior and geodemographics. The personalized message that direct marketing brings to the target uses his or her language register and talks about a topic where he or she shows interest in. This approach can create an interpersonal relation between client and marketer, the product and the client. In general traditional advertising requires more time to create an actual sale, but direct marketing completely cuts out the middle man and usually generates a quick response. To achieve that response sales promotions are often offered with coupons, samples or contests. Direct marketing can also be easily measured, because the reaction of one person can be tracked from contact to the actual purchase. Although DM is rather expensive in comparison with traditional advertising it has a great effect on the interest towards the product and the information gathering that a target will start.

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Direct marketing tools Blakeman lists six different approaches within direct marketing. (Blakeman, 2007:208) •

Catalogs

Catalogs, whether they arrive on request of the target or not, are always flipped through by at least one person. Most of the time though, catalogs are passed on to family and friends and are sometimes read and studied several times. It is also the ideal tool to make ordering easy through phone numbers and the internet. •

Direct Mail

Direct mail is a highly targetable, personal and measurable form of direct response. The target can respond through an order form, telephone or a web site. He or she can ask for information, give feedback and ask questions about colors, size, shipping and guarantees. Direct mail can be sent out in any shape or form, but most of the time the kit contains a special envelope, a pitch brief and an order form. As an informational tool it can be used to announce products, build the brand, entice switching behavior, and give incentive to try new existing products to new and loyal product users. As an involvement tool it can be sent out to let the target flip through brochures, play with fold-outs or scratch something away. The longer the target spends with the package, the better. Another form of direct mail is the statement stuffer. For example a pitch brief send out together with the credit card bill. •

Infomercial

An infomercial looks like a traditional TV ad, but it contains all the information the viewer can use to immediately response like a web address, postal address or telephone number. To be successful a few key elements have to implemented. Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:211) proposes following recommendations : o o o o o o o

Place facts into a storyline that speaks to the target’s interests Break down potentially complicated information Use a celebrity or expert Summarize key features and benefits Repeatedly tell the target what to do Make ordering easy Outline the guarantee or return policy

• E-mail This is the newest form of direct mail. It’s more cost effective, faster and can be done more frequently.

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•

Direct Response

The use of mass media to entice a response from consumers. Direct response communication can be done on television, radio, in newspapers and magazines. •

Telemarketing

The use of the telephone to start up a dialogue with the targeted consumers.

How does DM work in an IMC? (Blakeman, 2007:213) Because customers nowadays demand a personal and individualized service, direct marketing has become very important. Brand loyalty is no longer build solely on product quality alone, but also on the quality of the interaction. If consumers have a problem with a product, they want to be helped as fast as possible. The internet has created a transparent market for most categories where consumers can go out and gather information and make comparisons based on that info. Direct marketing provides them with even better information that can be controlled by the company. Contrary to popular believe, consumers actually like direct marketing. Going out and seeking out the best product for your needs takes time and effort. Receiving and reading a letter and filling in your credit card number on the internet is conveniently easy. On top of that you do not have to deal with pushy sales clerks while you are at it. Like with all advertisement, creativity is the key. Today most products in a category are practically the same and the only way for a company to differentiate itself from the competitors is a creative and original approach. Advantages • Personalization • Measurable • Database Use • Customer Response • Attention Getter (Blakeman, 2007:215)

Disadvantages • Cost • Annoyance clutter • Limited Reach • Time Constraints

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5. The future is now : Internet in the IMC Internet is the perfect integration tool for an IMC campaign. Brands can really come to life through words, images, movies, forums, games etc… At the same time, it is a tool for gathering information about your consumers by letting them fill in forms, reviewing products, making their own movies and describing their product experience. The famous American cookie brand Oreo’s did such an internet campaign wherein people could post a small movie clip about how they ate their Oreo’s. An Oreo is a small round cookie and consists of two dark brown biscuits and a special white cream in the middle. You can eat your Oreo’s like they come out of the package, but most people deconstruct the cookie and eat the white cream first and after that the two biscuits, sometimes dipped in milk. Oreo’s got a massive response where people demonstrated how they made double oreo’s, towers of oreo’s and all kinds of different product use. That kind of consumer participation was unthinkable a few years ago. Internet has not only changed the marketing profession, but also the way most companies conduct their business. The internet is still growing and the role of online applications is still evolving from a marketing perspective. While in some campaigns it functions as a secondary support tool, other campaigns focus solely on internet advertisement and integration to get in touch with a certain target or niche audience. The internet itself is as interactive as any medium can get. The consumer finds his or her own way through the multiple outings of communication. To attract and keep the consumer on one topic or webpage, the key is to stick out and offer something new and original. To marketers the internet has become an informational tool that ideally becomes a tool for two-way communication if the consumer opts to delve in deeper. The internet offers a wide variety of tools (Blakeman, 2007:397) •

Banners Ads

The entry gate to a sponsored web page. While it used to be just an image on top of the webpage or in the side banner, today creatives come up with innovative ways to integrate the banners into the website and to work with personalized messages, skinning and top topicals. The technology company Apple for example had ads on the New York Times site where two characters changed the headlines. Skinning is a concept where the user can choose between several lay-outs covering the whole website and containing commercial, but subtle messages. •

Pop-up Ads

These are actually banners that open in a separate window. In contrast to banners, most people find pop-ups extremely annoying and most web browsers have developed a pop-up blocker so that no new window can be opened by itself. A new form of pop-up is an ad that comes over the site, but does not open in a new window. Sometimes they are even more annoying than the original pop-up, because the ‘close’-button is usually well hidden. Eventually it all comes down to

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originality; a new, fresh idea will not annoy the user but instead attract him to click further. •

Downloads

High speed connections have opened the gates for downloading all sorts of branded material. Desktop backgrounds, ring tones, sound sets for the operating system, new software and updates. The newest trend is the widget download. Widgets are small programs that can be run from the desktop. Examples are a countdown clock for the release of a new movie, a small branded puzzle game, a talking character from a kids movie etc… Some of these widgets are actually quite useful. Bloomberg and the New York Times released widgets where you can easily access the newest articles without opening your web browser. •

Streaming audio and video

The movie and music industry have suffered a lot from piracy over the internet. The best way to fight this problem is giving people the chance to try out a small snippet before they actually make the purchase. Some music websites offer 30 seconds samples, while other artists offer you a two hour trail period in exchange for some personal data. Another beautiful tool is the podcast. Companies can publish a radio show every week where they can inform their consumers on news, new products, events, promotions etc… It’s even better than radio because consumers choose themselves which podcasts to download and they will show a high attention during the show. Streaming video took a quantum leap with the launch of youtube. Virtually every piece of moving image material is now available in seconds from the youtube website. Some companies have experimented with a branded youtube channel, guerilla internet marketing and viral videos. Ad likeability is becoming extremely important and the internet plays a big part in this. A funny, original or shocking ad will end up on blogs and be sent around to thousands of people •

Wireless communication

Cell phones are the new step for internet and wireless marketing. Text messages are being used already to communicate promotions, store hours or events. With more and more cell phones getting access to the internet, this tool will become immensely important. For some people their cell phone has become an additional part of their body, they always carry it with them. For marketers this opens massive opportunities. The new iPhone 3G for example allows companies to develop their own piece of software that can be used as a small application on the iPhone. Already hundreds of branded applications have been released going from news readers to simple games.

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Internet & the IMC? Blakeman (Blakeman, 2007:245) considers the interactivity and the voluntarily use of the internet are the most important advantages. The internet is as close a marketer can get to his consumer, without resorting to personal selling. One of the disadvantages is that it is not readily available at the same technological level to all consumers. Subscription for internet access, a powerful computer for the newest applications and on top of that the knowledge to work effectively on the internet. Internet users show less apathy towards internet advertising, because they start the interaction from their own free will which creates a positive attitude towards the communication and brand. Advantages • Individualized messaging • Database lists • Cost • Flexibility • Interactive • Simple integration • Engaging

Disadvantages • Clutter • Niche Segmentation • Reach • Privacy issues • Measurement • Unbalanced technology • Cost

(Blakeman, 2007:334) I think another big disadvantage is that internet users are very critical. Although they enter the communication with a positive feeling, negative feelings towards a brand are expressed much stronger on the internet. Also if a website does not function properly, this can create an aversion as well. But in a period where customization is so important, the internet opens many possibilities. All Star Sneakers for example let customers design their own shoes in a dedicated application on their website. Two weeks later your truly unique sneakers arrive at your doorstep.

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Conclusion Surrounding your target audience with a multitude off advertisement and promotional messages and using the abilities of the media landscape to create touch points is the most efficient way to create the best results. By implementing touch points ranging from mass media to personal and one-to-one interaction, the consumer cannot help, but notice what a company has to say about itself or its products. Although an IMC requires detailed planning, extensive research and a lot of man hours to be successful, the results will certainly pay off in the short and long run. With consumers becoming more critical each day and the decreasing credibility of mass media communications such as television advertisements and billboards, support is needed from public relations, direct marketing and internet marketing. But what is the next step for Integrated Marketing Communications? I think the internet will become the most important element with more and more consumers getting access to the World Wide Web. The internet communications will start working like a hub or a sort of headquarters for all the other components of the IMC. A large portion of consumers already start their information gathering or search for products on the internet and with web 2.0 applications such as user’s reviews, the opinion of other consumers will start to have a greater effect than celebrity endorsers or experts. The internet will be the starting point and all other forms of media will help support the online message. After that process the consumer will return to the internet to make the actual purchase online or search for shop addresses. Another important element that will become more important is consumer participation. In an interview in De Standaard (De Standaard, 2008:E12) renowned creative director Mark Tutssel says the innovative integrated campaigns are the future of the advertisement business. He thinks that letting the consumer take the initiative will be the key factor in the coming years. When the consumer himself will engage in interaction, the power of advertisements will become even greater. Tutssel says that all successful campaigns of the future will have a viral character. A great example was the hype with coca-cola light and mentos sweets. Putting a whole roll of mentos in a coke bottle causes a volcanolike effect. Youtube was stormed with all sorts of videos by consumers executing the fun experiment. Mentos tried to fuel the hype even more by encouraging consumers to come up with crazy installations. Tutssel considers ‘encouraging consumers to get to work’, the most important factor. Let them make commercials themselves and even allow negative advertisements. These offer a great opportunity to execute a counter move and to communicate in a powerful way about the criticism. But Tutssel is not afraid negative commercials will take the upper hand. Volkswagen let consumers make their advertisements and spoofs were openly allowed. Only 16% of all concepts were negative., which proves Tutssel’s opinion.

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PART 3 : CASES

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Rejuvenating the brand a) Introduction Napoleon sweets have been around as long as most people can remember. For some people the little yellow sweets are part of their childhood memories. A brand can build on such nostalgic feelings, but when market research shows that your product is only being bought by pensioners, your target audience is literally dying of old age. The best way to keep up sales and even increase and sustain a market share in the category of sweets, is to create a connection with a younger audience. The only difficulty is that your communication has to maintain the existing nostalgic feeling and at the same time add new elements into the mix. Pervasco, the Dutch company that produces Napoleon sweets, faced a challenge which could only be conquered by rejuvenating their brand. b) The company (website www.Napoleon.be, 2008) The infamous Napoleon sweets were made for the first time in 1912 by a Belgian baker in Antwerp. Louis Jansen wanted to imitate a colleague by making sweets. It all started in his bakery ‘The Golden Globe’, where Jansen developed the now beloved Napoleon globes. His colleague named his candy: Boules Caesar after the notorious Roman emperor. Jansen adopts the name of another great warlord, Napoleon Bonaparte. After a couple of successful years, the production facility in Antwerp became too small. The production moved to Schelle and in 2003 Napoleon crossed the northern border to Breskens in the Netherlands. At the moment consumers can buy Napoleon sweets in nine different flavors and different skews. The fruit flavors lempur, fruit mix and sinas pur remain classics in the hard candy category. The assortment has been extended with wine gums, lollipops and two liquorice varieties. In May 2008 Napoleon launched two new flavors to take up opportunities in the market : cappuccino and caramel-créme became part of the Napoleon family. These two new varieties will play a crucial role in the rejuvenating strategy. c) The brand and its competitors Napoleon is predominantly active in the subcategory hard candy. Because of low budgets and a modest market share, the product cannot rely on large shelf spaces to make itself noticeable to the consumer. Brand awareness is still strong in audiences between 35 and 55 and the 55 and older, but sees a strong decrease in audiences younger than 35. These audiences are the biggest consumers of today or will become the important consumers of tomorrow. It is important to enter their mindset for the coming years to maintain profitability and market share. The brand positions itself as something that is part of the consumer’s life and world. ‘Each his own Napoleon’ refers to the different flavors, but also to the fact that everybody can enjoy the sweets and that everybody has a different experience while using the product. At the same time the feeling of collectivity

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also exists, because everybody knows it and everybody has at least enjoyed a Napoleon bonbon once in his life. The historic figure of Napoleon with his colorful and eventful life adds to the overall brand image and gives the experience something naughty and forbidden. d) The Product Next to the multifaceted brand, the product itself possesses some strong distinct features. The round shape combined with the strong color and taste, makes Napoleon an easy to recognize product. These elements can all be used in a new strategy, because distinct features make it easier, especially towards a young audience, to position a product between all the other flashy products. Next to the visible features, using the product is the real experience and as they say the proof is in pudding. The hard globe with his soft heart of lemon, orange or even cappuccino or coffee always surprises the consumer, because he never knows when exactly the taste is going to kick in. A Napoleon never tastes the same twice and always has a surprise in store. This last element adds to the naughtiness. The packaging of Napoleon can be looked at on two levels. The wrapper around the yellow globes is again a part of the product experience. People have certain habits when opening one and twisting the bonbon out of the plastic is actually the beginning of the Napoleon product experience. The only problem, market research showed, was the overall product. Interviews pointed out that the packaging is not really attractive to the newly targeted audiences. It looks fairly traditional and in comparison with other products in the category it even looks painfully old. To catch the consumer’s eye in the overload of impulses on the shop floor, the packaging had to be changed or strong POS material had to be developed. e) Rejuvenating the brand After being briefed by the client, it became clear that the Napoleon needed a new communication strategy and a rejuvenation to remain profitable. Napoleon had to enter the mindset of children and their parents, young people and pensioners. Napoleon sweets wanted again to be a product that everyone of every age can enjoy. Because the brand still had a nostalgic link with a large audience, rejuvenation was only a matter of using the brand attributes and product attributes in a more contemporary and modern setting. Another advantage is the historic figure of Napoleon, who with his colorful life could function as the core icon for the whole campaign. The potential was al there to get the brand back on top in its category and to achieve the sales and market share target. The only problem was that Pervasco could not free up a large budget to develop a long and intensive IMC campaign that covered all aspects. It was up to the advertisement agency to make a strong media selection combined with economical store floor promotions.

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f) Proposed Strategy to the client After the initial briefing, the account department went through Nielsen & GFK data and the information given by the client to formulate a strategy and write a creative briefing. The briefing was based on the previous slogan used by Pervasco during a previous campaign. ‘Each his own Napoleon’ (Elk z’n Napoleon) would portray a product experience wherein the brand is property of everyone because everybody knows the brand and it creates a collective feeling like ‘this thing of ours’. Napoleon is a Belgian brand and it has products that were originally produced on Belgian soil. Next to this collective feeling, everybody has his own personal relationship with the product and everyone has a different product experience. Building on that original concept the ad agency added the element of naughtiness. Napoleon had to become something that you enjoy on your own during your personal ‘Napoleon’ moment of the day. The duality between collectivity and familiarity was expanded with the element of an individual experience and a habit that you have to hide a little from others. To get the most awareness and exposure with a small budget, an original tactic had to be applied. During a meeting with a client, the accounts and a creative director had to discuss the advertisement strategy, it became clear that generating free publicity through a stunt was the best option. The campaign would set off with a stunt that would generate coverage in the news through TV, radio and newspapers. Next to that the stunt would become a topic in radio shows, on websites, on blogs and between employees at the water cooler. The stunt would function as a tease immediately followed by communication and promotional tools. One of the ideas was to let Napoleon come down from a helicopter in Waterloo accompanied by a giant banner saying ‘Napoleon is back’. Because TV ads were too expensive for the budget, radio ads on strategically selected radio stations and shows were the best option. The last part of this mini IMC campaign would be a heavy promotional presence on the shelf, in the sweets corridor in the supermarket and a presence on the shop floor as well. Promotion in the shop is extremely important for the category of soft and hard candy, because more than 70% of candy sales is being decided in the shop itself. Candy is rarely on the shopping list and is a very important impulse buy. Drawing the consumer’s attention by POS material will influence sales in a positive way, especially when a buzz is going around about the brand. g) Why an IMC campaign When a company needs rejuvenation for its brand, but is not able to free up a large budget to use all the elements of a full IMC campaign, choosing a toned down IMC strategy is still the best choice. Even if you generate less touch points with your targeted customers, an original concept combined with a well timed and developed stunt can generate more buzz than a full IMC strategy. Especially in the case with Napoleon, it was crucial to develop a collective feeling and get people talking about the sweets and maybe even about memories they have eating the candy when they were young. Children will certainly like the figure of Napoleon and will act as decision makers for buying sweets during shopping.

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h) IMC Recommendations Pervasco could only free a little budget to start the rejuvenation of the Napoleon brand. The budget of 100,000 EUR immediately rules out some components of an IMC campaign. Television ads are just too expensive, because only the advertisement space would cost more without even thinking about the actual production. Because the company wanted to increase brand awareness together with a rise in sales, promotional tools would work best. As mentioned before, the purchase decision for candy is rarely taken before shoppers enter the shop floor. Creating visibility with point-of-purchase material combined with a promotion would be the most sensible tactic in this case. If costs could be held low for the POS and promotional materials, this could easily be combined with an above the line implementation like a radio commercial or a guerrilla marketing stunt. Stimulating brand awareness outside the shop and giving the shopper a reminder with original material in the shop would be a great way to achieve the objectives set forth. i) My role in the project My role in this project was to construct a first proposal for the client. I had to wade through all the information that was provided to us by the client. GFK & Nielsen data gave me a good idea of how the candy category was composed and how well it performed in the market as a whole. Next to that I got a good idea of what competitors were doing and how they were positioning themselves. I also got to take a look at photos from the shelves in several supermarkets. I found it very interesting to see because it gave me a good insight in the visibility and attractiveness of the packaging and the placement of the product on the shelf. That market research data I then combined with the original briefing that the client had given to McCann Erickson. The objectives were clear: an increase in brand awareness, a rise in sales and the launch of two new flavors for the Napoleon brand. The next step was to get a better look at the brand image to construct the best strategy for the brand. Considering previous advertisement campaigns used the slogan ‘Ieder z’n Napoleon’, the best way to tackle this puzzle was to play with a contrast between individual experience and a collective feeling. In the end I made a power point containing the market information, a recapitulation of the client objectives and a real first proposal to present to the client. The meeting gave the marketing team from Pervasco the chance to comment on our proposal and to give us input. Attached Documents in Appendex Proposal PowerPoint to the client

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A Change of Strategy : Yakult a) Introduction Yakult is a beautiful brand to develop an IMC campaign for. The marketing department had come up with a new strategy for the brand to go to market and needed a new campaign and positioning. The most interesting part was the target audience or niche, which was dubbed: “the engineers” b) The Company (source: www.Yakult.be, 2008) The Yakult company started out in the previous century in Japan under the expertise of doctor and scientist Dr. Minoru Shirota. He produced the very first Yakult bottle, one of the first probiotica products in the world, in 1935. His idea became a success, because millions of people drink Yakult products daily. Yakult came to the Belgian market in 1995. Shirota’s mission was to contribute to a healthy lifestyle for everyone. He developed a fermented milk based drink with the Lactobacillus casei bacteria. The name Yakult actually comes from the Esperanto word “yahurto”. c) The brand and its competitors Yakult is a brand that is active in the market segment of the probiotica. The brand has always had a rational relationship with its customers. Yakult covers 3 different products: Yakult, Yakult Light and Bifiene. Yakult wants to create a perception that, in comparison with its competitors, it offers a product that is scientifically developed with expertise in the field. Direct competitor Danone goes for a collective, family approach with Actimel. The product has flashy colors and comes in big white plastic bottles. It also comes in different flavors, which makes it easier for parents to give it to their kids. Yakult chooses a more individual image, their consumers use Yakult because they know it has a positive effect on their body and health and not because they like to drink it. Another benefit Danone has, is its brand awareness and connection with a wide array of other products. On top of that Danone is connected with milk, which immediately gives it the perception of being healthy. A consumer perception, which is not valid for the whole product portfolio under the Danone brand. Another important competitor is Benecol. The brand is not considered a direct competitor, because it is positioned at people who suffer from high cholesterol. Benecol’s customers have to drink Benecol everyday and will not be as inclined to go out and buy Yakult. Then they have to drink two healthy add-ons a day. Danone is also active in this marketsegment with Danacol. Where Yakult used to have the strategy of becoming the Coca-Cola in their market and becoming market leader, the company has not been able to surpass the point of 90.000 units sold a day, but with a new strategy the company is convinced it will be able to generate a significant growth in sales.

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d) The product As previously mentioned, Yakult is a fermented milk based drink, produced with the Lactobacillus casei bacteria. It is meant to be drunk in the morning, when it has a positive effect on the digestive system. It is important that Yakult is drunken everyday to create a sort of curing effect. Yakult can be bought in packages of seven small bottles, giving consumers exactly their weekly dosage. Most people do not particularly like the taste of Yakult and mention a medicine like taste and aftertaste. This may be considered a weakness against its competitors, but it remarkably fits into the new proposed strategy. The biggest problem Yakult faces is that consumers cannot stock Yakult, because it has a very small period before expiring. After market research it became clear that the brand can trust on a large number of mid to heavy users. The problem regarding the mid to mid heavy users is that they want to drink Yakult everyday but sometimes cannot find the time or simply forget to go get their weekly dosage of Yakult in the supermarket over the weekend. The IMC campaign should remind users and give prospects an incentive to pick up a package of Yakult while shopping. e) A New Strategy The marketing department at Yakult came to the conclusion that the company had to abandon the idea of becoming market leader. Only a new strategy opening up a new connection to a new target audience could insure the company of future growth. To become a big fish in a small pond would become the tagline of the marketing strategy. In the Censydiam model the profile of recognition seeker seems to best fit the Yakult product. A recognition seeker is a person who wants to be approached rationally with strong arguments. He believes in science and likes an individual experience with the products he buys. If this profile is linked to the media, publications such as De Standaard, De Morgen and De Tijd appear. The recognition seeker or also ‘the engineer’ as Yakult themselves named their target consumer, watches Canvas and has a critical view on all things he encounters in life. It is clear that a recognition seeker does not recognize himself in the Danone brand, but would be easily convinced about the scientific value of Yakult and it’s healthy effect on life. f) Why an IMC Campaign? The new strategy contains two objectives : increasing sales by reminding consumers to buy their weekly dosage or giving them an incentive to go to the supermarket and tapping into the new target audience by using a selection of media that will reach the ‘recognition seeker’ and convince him of Yakult’s quality. The marketing department had given a briefing to the Italian department of our advertisement agency to develop a TV copy. Our briefing was to create a 360

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degrees campaign based on that TV copy. According to research the television ad had a perfect match with the intended target audience, which made it the ideal starting point for declinations. An IMC campaign is the best tool to bring this new strategy to the target consumer. When a recognition seeker sees ads and advertorials in publications he respects and trusts, he will be convinced to at least checking out the product and brand. Combined with direct mailings, POS material on shop floors and radio & TV commercials he cannot but notice Yakult. The TV copy would start the whole campaign, immediately followed by: Radio: a wave of several radio commercials that provide a strong positioning for the brand, emphasizing the key feature of the product. POS: Helping the consumer remember that he has to pick up his weekly dosage. Print: Classic advertisements combined with advertorials that quote doctors or specialists explaining the advantages of using Yakult in a scientific way. Internet: Start up a testing program where the target audience is selected with a CRM database. Prospects can use Yakult for a month for free and blog about their experience or exchange thoughts with other ‘test subjects’ g) IMC Recommendations The Yakult marketing team had defined a very clear target audience profile, which makes selecting the right media components a much easier task. The ‘engineer’ as Yakult called its target consumer reads and watches only certain media. The budget was defined as ‘enough’, so a proposal could include all kinds of options. The first option, television; was the most difficult. The ‘engineer’ does not watch television as a regular viewer, maybe he even skips the advertisement blocks to go do something else. I think the best option was to link the product to a certain TV program. The public TV networks allow advertisements for certain products as long as the ad itself is linked to the content of the TV show coming before or after the commercial message. The same strategy should be applied to radio advertisements. An additional touch could be made by communicating in the morning during news shows. The product has to be used in the morning, so this is a great opportunity to use a creative approach. If we take a look at newspapers, De Morgen and De Standaard immediately come to mind. A consumer, who is critical about everything he encounters, reads newspapers that try to get to the bottom of things. Placing advertisements in these newspapers would the best way to approach the ‘engineer’ during his reading. Crucial is that the ad attracts the attention in a clever and intelligent way. The target audience does not really look at ads and tends to ignore them. The same approach is needed when placing ads in magazines, certainly regular weeklies. Specialized magazines are preferable, because the target audience reads those out of a greater interest, which means the reader is more attentive towards advertisements.

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The internet would also become a very important component in the IMC campaign for Yakult. A small widget could be developed to remind the user that he has to take his Yakult every day and that he needs to pick up an extra dose during the weekends. A very detailed internet webpage should be developed to provide potential customers with all the scientific information concerning the product. Promotion should be present in all print media creating incentives to try out Yakult. Another action could be a try-out program where subscribers would be able to try out Yakult for a month. Developing an internet forum where the participants could participate in discussions and share their experiences with the product. Last but not least the shop floor itself could be used to remind consumers to pick up their Yakult bottles. Visuals on store shelves and even in shopping carts are some examples that would be effective. h) My role in the project In this project I made the creative briefing to brief an outsourced team of creatives. As with the Napoleon case I first went through the market data and information that was given to the agency by the marketing manager. I carefully studied the TV copy where the other IMC components had to be based on. Because the creative briefing is a crucial step in the development of an advertisement I really took my time to take in all the information provided. I got a model for making a creative briefing, which made the process a little easier, but finding the right formulation for each bullet point is a rather demanding task. It all came down to putting in all the necessary information and at the same time leave out all the bulk that could influence the creatives in the wrong way. Eventually I came up with a nice synthesis and the creative director and I briefed the copywriter of the team. The creative results can be found in the appendix. Attached Documents: creative briefing and first creative concepts

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Changing the brand image a) Introduction Opel has always been a car manufacturer that brings qualitative cars to the market in nearly every possible segment, the only problem the brand faced throughout most of his history is that it is not really perceived as exciting, hi-tech or beautiful. To compete with beloved car brands like BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Volkswagen the brand needed a change of perception and communication. Their new car model that will be unveiled officially in July during the London Motor show had to lift the brand to new heights and function as the flag bearer for the whole product line from the Corsa to the Antara. Opel owners would be immediately convinced, but Opel wanted to target people who thought of buying a BMW 3 series, an Audi A4 or a Mercedes from the C class. Opel used to have the Opel Vectra as its top of the line car, but the Vectra just hit below the audience considering a BMW, Audi or Mercedes. The Opel Insignia had to tempt them and show them that Opel could be as exciting, beautiful and hi-tech as its competitors. b) The Company and its brand Opel was founded in 1863 by Adam Opel and was first active in the household business. The company mostly made sewing machines. When Adam Opel died, his company was one of the biggest sewing machine manufacturers and produced more than 2,000 bicycles a year. The first Opel car was manufactured in 1896 after the company bought the rights from Lutzmann. After the partnership with Lutzmann, they produced cars with a French company named Darracq. In 1906 Opel starts manufacturing cars of their own design and debuted the first real Opel at the Hamburg Motor Show. By 1913 they were the biggest car manufacturer in Germany. In 1929 General Motors bought 80% of the company and increased its control to 100% in 1931. Opel is the brand name that GM uses in Europe, except for the UK where the cars are sold under the Vauxhall Motors brand. The Opel has several different models like the Corsa, the Astra, the Antara, the Vectra, the Signum etc… Opel cars are of a very high quality and the brand has its own audience, but in Europe it faces hard competition from French manufacturers in the cheaper ranges and from other German manufactures in the higher tiers. To break this trend, the designers at Opel came up with the Insignia model, which has to shift the perception for the whole brand and car line. c) The product The Opel Insignia has to become the new flagship car in the Opel product line. The car has an atypical design for a GM car and is stacked with the newest gadgets and functionalities. The designers looked very carefully at what the competition was doing and made something in the same vein, but at the same time completely different and totally Opel. To attract an audience that prefers brands like Audi, BMW and Volvo the car needed a smooth and cool design, but at the same time a robust and confident

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look. The marketing department composed moodboards where the Insignia design complex was shown together with the imaginary design team. The Insignia would become something from the future made in a next-gen environment by the most innovative engineers in the world. But who would drive the Insignia or better with whom would the target audience identify itself. The moodboard showed pictures of Jack Bauer and the team from CSI, cool and rational people who have a knack for high tech gadgets. The car even got his own personal logo. BMW’s, Volvo’s and Mercedes always have the new technological options installed. Opel put all sorts of visual aids in the Insignia, like intelligent headlights that follow where you want to go and a system that warns the driver when there’s a sudden lane departure. Although the Insignia wants to compete with the likes of Audi and Volvo, its direct competitors are the Citroen C5, the Renault Laguna and the Ford Mondeo when it comes to price point. The German competitors are a tier higher because of their higher price range, roughly 2000 Euro above the standard price for the Insignia. Insignia as a brand is positioned as self-confident, dramatic, dynamic and openminded. Key elements are technology, design and performance. The key message for the product was: “The new Opel striking design with class-leading driving characteristics for your confident performance.” These three elements have to function as a halo on the whole Opel car line, mainly because Opel now has the perception of being a bland, run of the mill car brand. The client emphasized that the Insignia is not the new Vectra, but a whole new car signing in a new era for Opel. This is the greatest difficulty for the advertisement agency: create a communication strategy that positions the Insignia as the new era for Opel, without saying that the ‘old’ Opel cars were plain and dull. d) The target audience GM proposed a well-defined and large target audience for its new model, but the only problem was that this target audience would rather buy a car from the competition. The objective was to completely surprise them. When prospects would see the car, they had to think “What a beautiful automobile”. When they would finally realize that it was an Opel they just saw, they had to think ‘Wow, Opel has really changed.’ Insignia is positioned towards progressive, modern mainstream and social climbers. Male adults who have already accomplished something professionally, but at the same time spend much time with their family. These males are looking for professional and financial achievement and are mostly between thirty and forty-five years old. The Insignia is a car that is perfect for driving as an individual, but also collectively as a family. These consumers are confident individuals with an optimistic view on life. They are open to new experiences and interested in new technologies and innovations. At the same time they are automotive enthusiasts who maintain an active, sporty lifestyle. These up and comers are strongly attracted by style and quality. Their car has to be an expression of their lifestyle. The three key elements the Insignia portrays are design, technology and performance and they find a perfect match with the target audience.

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e) Changing the brand image with an IMC The main objective of the advertisement campaign was to establish the new name Insignia. A second important objective was to celebrate and really show the design of the new model. But as a long term stategy GM really wanted to launch the Insignia as a technology carrier for the whole car line. If the positioning around the Insignia clicks with a large audience, the perception that Opel cars are ugly had to vanish. The only danger in this strategy lies in the fact that the Insignia is so different from the rest of the car line, that the other Opel models will look even plainer next to the Insignia creating the perception that “all Opels are bland, except for that Insignia model.” The marketing Department at GM pictured the campaign in four phases: tease, pre-launch/pre-selling, the actual launch, the sales period and a sustain strategy as the last phase. Each phase contained different tactical implementations to achieve specific objectives. Although the teasing period was almost over, the McCann management still decided to implement a few teasing actions. But the focus would be the pre-launch and actual launch phase.

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The best strategy in an early stage was to tease the Insignia with its own logo, but without mentioning Opel. Get people’s attention during a heavy teasing period with guerilla marketing actions and contacts with already existing Opel drivers through database marketing. New prospects would not be confronted with the name Opel and Opel drivers would get excited by the news that a new Opel model was about to be launched, because in contrast with the new part of the target audience they actually love the Opel brand. The objective of this teasing campaign would be to get people to the showroom and dealers. When they already made that step, the first phase towards an actual buy would be completed. During the introduction phase three different objectives were put forth. First of all high expectations and confidence had to be created. The idea of the first car with the new Opel design had to become a buzz throughout the target audience. Second objective was to generate a high visibility on the road, which meant providing opinion leaders and high level customers with access to the car. The visibility combined with other means of communication had to generate curiosity and demand with fleet managers and users choosers. This last part is important for GM who wanted to launch the Insignia as a higher tier lease car. The third period is the actual sales campaign, during which the advertisement efforts of the previous two phases have to come to full effect. In this phase all possible touch points are exploited ranging from TV to direct mail and special dealer weekends and incentives. The full range of IMC components is necessary to convince people who already know the brand to actually buy the car and prospects who have not been introduced to Insignia to ask for information about the car. The fourth period has to achieve the sustain strategy to keep sales up throughout the life cycle of the first Insignia model. During the first brainstorms no concepts for this period were thought out, because it was too early to develop a successful strategy before the launch was completed. An IMC campaign is the best way to approach a major car launch like the one for Insignia. All possible customers have to become aware of the brand or be teased by advertisements and guerilla marketing. By implementing below and above the line components the full advertisement landscape can be used to communicate the brand and its features, which is essential in a new product launch. Guerilla marketing lets people experience the brand up close and allows them to “touch” the brand personally. It creates buzz around the water cooler in the office or in lunch rooms. The above the line components are then used to communicate the brand image and the product features. In the first two phases it is crucial to create personal touch points with Opel owners and possible prospects, while sustaining these below the line tactics with strategically chosen above the line components like a radio commercial or a teasing billboard. In the third and fourth period below the line gets to play a smaller role while major above the line solutions like TV ads and magazine ads will take the upperhand.

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f) Creative concepts developed during first brainstorm An internal McCann Erickson meeting was organized to discuss a strategy for the teasing and pre-launch phase. The account director, account manager, strategic director, the creative direction, an art director, an account executive and an intern were present during the meeting. This way ideas from the different corners of the advertisement business could come together to tackle the problem at hand. To kick off the meeting I made a PowerPoint based on the information of several documents provided by GM international. The biggest problem was the fact that the Insignia could not be communicated as an Opel at first, to create a surprise effect. The campaign could not use the idea of Opel that already exists within the target audience. Secondly the idea of the Insignia being a new Vectra was completely out of the question. To fill in the teasing phase, the first target would be fleet customers, being fleet manager and the actual users/choosers (employees who can choose their own fleet car). The second target would be the car dealers who would then function as a channel towards the regular consumer. One creative idea was to build a complete lifestyle culture around the brand with restaurants and bars. That way customers could be attracted with exclusive invitations, at the same time this is an effective strategy to convince fleet managers and dealers of the new product’s quality. To start an online buzz, the idea was pitched to develop a complete movie where viewers could watch the Insignia being designed, tested an ultimately constructed and driven out of the factory. The movie would be released in episodes to create anticipation and cliffhanger effects. The guerilla and street marketing part would consist of a team of men in leather roaming the country in a large black truck. The ‘Insignia’ team would visit large cities and create a real physical touch point with the target audience. Another street implementation was to install large black boxes on market squares and in dealer rooms with only the Insignia logo painted on the side. A small peephole would let people see a small fraction of the Insignia. A timer would count down to zero when the black box would open and eventually reveal the Insignia. The copywriting would play with ideas such as a renaissance, ‘ a new king in town’, ‘ a new era’, ‘a new regime’, ‘times have changed, new rules’. All these creative concepts would be implemented during a short teasing period which would immediately flow over in the pre-launch phase leading up to the London Motor Show. The client’s reaction was cautiously enthusiastic, but there still were a few remarks and necessary additions. The Opel marketing division used terms as brand rejuvenation and an effective launch as the main objectives for the overall campaign. The fleet department stresses the fact that Insignia is of the utmost importance to them, because in fleet terms the Vectra is dead. Luckily the brainstorm had produced separate campaigns for Fleet, only a specific CRM strategy towards big companies and fleet companies was missing. The only idea that they did not see as effective was the Black Box, because it would create too much of an event, which would not match with the intended target audience. The teasing campaign had to breathe exclusivity and quality. Also the lifestyle idea did not match enough with the internet campaign to be successful.

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As a case study this brainstorm and project were extremely interesting, especially when the strategic director pitched the idea to completely leave out the Opel logo in the initial phases and launch Insignia and it’s logo as a separate brand, revealing afterwards that it was actually an Opel car. This concept started a discussion in the brainstorming meeting between pro and con. The surprise effect would be amplified, but it could also backfire when people would only know Insignia without realizing it. Another interesting aspect was that the communication strategy had to get fleet interested as well as regular car buyers, this meant developing a two tier strategy that both had to blend perfectly and amplify each other. g) IMC Recommendations The biggest project of the three cases got an unlimited budget which paved the way for a true Blizz krieg of communications in the full media range and created possibilities to execute large guerrilla and street marketing actions. Because the project had different phases each phase got its own IMC components, I will only cover the first two phases because only those were discussed in the initial meetings. The teasing phase: In this phase street and guerrilla marketing together with provocative bill boards and POS material at dealers are the best choices. As explained above, several ideas were pitched to the client. Street teams in black suits would roam the country in a big black truck sporting the Insignia logo. This could be combined with bill boards flashing the logo and giant banners at dealer locations. The pre-launch phase: In this phase print media could start playing a bigger role. When the name of the new car is established, the features, the brand and visuals can be communicated towards target audiences. Concerning newspapers the best choices would be De Tijd, De Standaard and De Morgen considering the higher market price point of the new car. Another option would be to advertise in the weekend add-ons of these newspapers. Car and Men Lifestyle magazines seem like the obvious choice, but because Opel wanted to go a bit wider other magazines like Moneytalk, Trends, Eos would also be a likely option. Television and radio could also be used as channels to promote the Insignia, but without communicating price. A strong focus on the car’s unique features and beautiful design would be recommendable. As promotional tool, direct marketing could be set into action to lure people towards the dealer’s showroom. At the point of sale itself Insignia should be seen everywhere to instigate curiosity and questions from potential customers.

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h) My role in the project My role in the Insignia project was rather small. I attended all the meetings, a brainstorm and a discussion with the client. I did go through the massive amount of material GM international had provided. Several market research reports, visuals, concept drawing and reports of meetings, which had take place before I started my internship. One task I did execute was making a power point to get everybody in the brainstorm up to speed. I selected some information about the car and some visuals to give everybody an idea of what style and mood Opel wanted to communicate. Next step was an overview of the two first phases in the advertisement process. I combined this with guidelines and loose ideas to get the discussion going. Attached Documents Powerpoint Brainstorm

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PART 4 : REFLECTION

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What I learned on a professional and personal level •

Stress situations

Meeting deadlines and getting things done in a correct manner is different in a work situation, than in a school environment especially when you are working together with other people. The deadlines in a professional situation have real consequences. The client expects his results to be delivered on time. I personally experienced that although I felt nervous where things were not going the way they were supposed to, I could still cope with the time pressure and stress to deliver everything on time. I knew that I could handle stress very well in a school situations, but learned that I could apply the same skill in work situations. •

People Skills

I tend to go straight for my target and this sometimes causes problems when working with other people. I saw the account managers starting off with some small talk to get a conversation going while gradually shifting towards their real question. I learned that this is a skill I still lack and I will have to pay attention to introducing my question with a small conversation. This is important on a professional level as well as on a personal level. People are much more motivated when you ask them about what they are doing at the moment or what they have done over the weekend. •

Work

During my internship it became clear to me that this is really the moment to start my professional career. During MTB I still flirted with the idea of getting another subsequent master in Marketing at the Vlerick Management School. Now that I got a taste of real work, I realized that companies could be great schools too. I want to become an expert in a specific field by being truly committed to my work. Learning everything there is to know about a certain expertise is as challenging and educational as a wide orientated master degree. •

Colleague and work environment

Another important factor that strongly influenced my personal life and opinions was having a fantastic work environment with interesting colleagues. Because you see these people more hours a day than your own family, it is very important that you can relate to them. I never really considered this to be very important to me, but during my internship it became clear that having a nice work environment is an important element when choosing for a job.

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•

Second part of my life

The internship really was a tipping point where I could finally start thinking about what I really wanted to do on a professional level. Getting this internship in advertisement was purely coincidental. Since the beginning of MTB I always wanted to do something in marketing. Although I did not stay as an account executive at McCann Erickson, I am glad that I have that experience. Getting to see how an advertisement agency works with clients and tries to offer tailor-made solution was extremely interesting. The same goes for my internship at Hill and Knowlton. I realized that I first wanted to try a job in marketing and if that does not turn out like I imagined, I can always go back to an advertisement or public relations agency. Professional •

work ethic

During my internship I noticed that getting up early and going to work is no real problem for me. If I find the work and tasks interesting and compelling, I have no problem putting a lot of time in my work. I noticed that I can easily switch my work/life balance and that I am rather flexible to unforeseen problems that suddenly pop up. •

theory put into practice

The fact that I could finally put all the theory I got to see during MTB into practice, was the most interesting aspect of my internship. During group projects I learned a lot about marketing, advertisement and public relations, but when you work on real projects in a professional situation the stakes are higher and the assignments more challenging. •

Motivation towards small tasks

Another learning point for me personally is the fact that I find it difficult to motivate myself for small tasks. Although I realize that small administrative tasks are very important in the grand scheme of a project, I still found it difficult to execute those tasks with the same enthusiasm as for the bigger assignments. What I used from the MTB Curriculum The entire curriculum from MTB was a great source of information and a big advantage during my internship. Key courses were marketing, marketing research and the business communications courses. Terminology and insight in the business of advertising were extremely important to make my stay at McCann Erickson a success. Reading and writing creative briefings, being able to understand what strategy will be used in a campaign, certain components of communication actions were already part of my knowledge before starting my internship. That way I could

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focus on learning other competencies and more importantly I could bring interesting remarks to the table. The information provided by wide array of key note speakers was an important asset as well, because they gave me an insight view into certain businesses. Starting an internship with an idea of how an advertisement is made and who is responsible for what part of the process was a big help. The group projects were useful on two levels. Like the courses and the key note speakers I learned a lot of theoretical topics, but at the same time we as a group got the chance to really develop a campaign. The marketing communication plan project together with the Nesquick project especially were very interesting for my internship. On another level the group projects were essential to learn how to work in a team. I had different functions and roles in several group projects from being a team leader to functioning as a specialist in one field. The insight in MTB After my internship and after going through the whole MTB experience, I completely understand why the curriculum is composed the way it is. By combining strong specialist courses in communication with general courses in economics, marketing and accountancy, MTB provides a exhaustive package to start in a marketing or communication function. The key note speakers are selected very well and come from all parts of the communication profession. As touched upon in the previous section, the group projects provide you with an experience on a professional level which is an important asset when interviewing for a job. At the same time you can experience the advantages and the difficulties of working in a team. What could be improved? If I could compose my own MTB curriculum, I would focus more on marketing courses and projects. Courses on pricing, analyzing sales figures and specialized courses in B-2-B and Consumer marketing would make the MTB curriculum even better than it already is, but in the end it would become a Master in Marketing than a subsequent master giving you an overview of the communication profession. Considering I did an internship in advertising, workshops or courses on copywriting or writing creative briefings could be interesting as well.

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Bibliography BLAKEMAN, R.,Integrated Marketing Communication. Creative strategy from idea to implementation,2007,Rowman & Littlefield publishers, Maryland. 267 pg CLOW, K. & BAACK, D., Integrated advertising, promotion & marketing communications. Pearson, 2007, New Jersey, 513pg. PERCY, L. & ELLIOT, R. Strategic advertising management, 2005, Oxford University Press, Oxford , 320pg LISSENS, P. De Standaard. Aanmoediging voor creativiteit, 17/06/2008. Consulted websites No Author, www.mccann.be, 28/05/2008 No Author, www.mccann.com, 28/05/2008 No Author, www.napoleon.be, 28/05/2008 No Author, www.yakult.be, 28/05/2008 No Author, www.wikipedia.com, 28/05/2008 No Author, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel, 16/6/2008

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APPENDIX

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Table of Contents Napoleon a) Proposal & Idea Pitch Yakult a) Proposal to the client (draft) b) Creative briefing c) First creative concepts based on the creative briefing Opel a) Brainstorm Power Point

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Napoleon Bonbons a) Proposal to the client

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YAKULT a) Proposal to the client (draft)

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b) creative briefing

KLANT PROJECT HET MERK IS

Het merk is YAKULT Yakult staat voor kwaliteitsvolle producten die met de grootste wetenschappelijke zorg ontwikkeld en geproduceerd zijn. De relatie tussen het merk en zijn gebruikers is er één van pure ratio. Yakult staat voor een wereld van gezondheid waarbinnen de gebruiker zijn eigen plaats heeft. De consument kiest voor Yakult omdat hij met sterke argumenten overtuigd is van de kwaliteit van het merk. HET PRODUCT / DE DIENST IS

Een ochtenddrankje in shotverpakking (flesje van 65ml) dat de darmwerking bevordert en dat positief inwerkt op de darmflora. WAT IS DE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY? WAT WILLEN WE BEREIKEN MET ONZE ACTIE?

1. Sales boosten
90.000 stuks per dag a. Heavy and medium users meer doen kopen b. Nieuwe gebruikers binnen de doelgroep creëren 2. Beheersbare verkoop genereren a. Door bij users het incentive te creëren om regelmatiger/wekelijks kopen Klant ziet op dit moment onregelmatige verkoop. Dit probleem wordt grotendeels veroorzaakt door de korte vervaldatum van het product. Er kunnen geen grote hoeveelheden tegelijk ingekocht worden, daarom is het noodzakelijk elke week een nieuwe dosis Yakult in te slaan. Het is belangrijk het incentive bij de klant te creëren dat hij elke week z’n dosis aankoopt. TEGEN WIE HEBBEN WE HET EN WELKE RELEVANTE DINGEN ZIJN AAN HET GEBEUREN IN HUN LEVEN?

De meerwaarde zoeker/recognition seeker/engineer Een bewuste consument die een individuele beleving met z’n producten zoekt. Hij ziet zichzelf als iemand die niet of weinig beïnvloed wordt door reclame en beschouwt zichzelf als een slimme consument. Impulsieve of onberedeneerde aankopen behoren zelden tot zijn consumentengedrag. Hij houdt van rationele argumentatie en is enkel op die manier te overtuigen.

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WAT DENKEN EN VOELEN ZE OVER De categorie Nuttig, een meerwaarde, maar geen noodzaak

de concurrentie?

Direct : Danone met Actimel en Activia Indirect: Benecol Concurrenten zijn ongetwijfeld gekend. De doelgroep twijfelt hoogstwaarschijnlijk tussen de producten van Danone en Yakult. Danone is een bekend en sterk merk en dat creeërt de perceptie van vertrouwen. Bij gebruik Benecol op doktersadvies, wordt het een noodzakelijk of wenselijk gebruik.

ONS MERK WAT IS ONZE BELANGRIJKSTE BOODSCHAP?

Yakult is een product onstaan uit 70 jaar onderzoek. Yakult zorgt voor een goede algemene gezondheid 1. Yakult = wereld van gezondheid, voor miljoenen, OOK VOOR JOU 2. In een flesje Yakult zit zoveel meer

WAAROM ZOU DE DOELGROEP ONS GELOVEN?

1. Yakult is effectief het resultaat van jarenlang onderzoek en dit is naar de doelgroep bewijsbaar. 2. Doelgroep is op zoek naar evenwicht en balans in alle aspecten van het leven, dus ook op gezondheidsvlak. Yakult is het middel om een evenwichtige vertering te bewerkstelligen.

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WELKE RESPONS WILLEN WE? WAT WILLEN WE DAT ONZE DOELGROEP DOET / DENKT / VOELT?

Het product kopen en elke dag gebruiken Elke dag Yakult in de koelkast hebben staan.

WELKE INCENTIVE KUNNEN WE GEBRUIKEN OM HEN (SNELLER) TE DOEN REAGEREN? Promoties en sampling

WAT IS ONZE CONTACT-STRATEGIE? HOE ZIET DE COMMUNICATIEFLOW ER UIT?

Op dit moment : TV-advertentie (in bijlage & Guesthouse server/accounts/yakult/projecten/TV najaar) Toekomst : 360° campagne (gebaseerd op de TV advertentie) WAT IS DE CREATIEVE APPROACH? PRAKTISCHE KWESTIES - CHECKLIST Timing

Interne review 4/6 Meeting met klant 6/6 Budget Voldoende, maar beperkt

ANDERE

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c) First creative concept

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OPEL INSIGNIA a) Brainstorm

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