IMC Plan Outline and Rubric Page | 1
MKTG1041 Marketing Communication
Assessment Task 2 – IMC Plan (35%)
Demonstrating a thorough understanding of Integrated marketing communication (IMC) is a primary aim of this course. As such, IMC plans will be marked on how they work (hang together) as an integrated synergistic coherent whole. However, each section of the whole (IMC plan) is assigned a weighting to help emphasise its importance. That weighting is indicated below to help you understand the components and how they relate to an overall IMC plan.
Feedback will be given on the report overall and on specific components where necessary using Speedgrader. This feedback can be read by each group member and based on their input (see group work declaration form) – consider their contribution.
IMC Plan Outline and Rubric 1.0 – Executive Summary 5% Your report needs to include an executive summary. This should be a comprehensive one-page (max) précis of your group’s IMC plan – it should highlight the key elements (major details) of your report and be personalised for a non-marketing audience. It should not include marketing jargon or minutiae detail.
STAGE 1 – Client Campaign Planning (submitted in week 12 with brief and stage 2) 2.0 – Current Situation Analysis – include any support material (assumptions, data & analysis) 15% 2.1 – Background Research and Analysis Groups need to undertake a thorough analysis of the situation confronting their brand (item), internally and externally. No data and or statistics should be included in your report without clear considered analysis (adequate insight) and explanation into the implication of that data and statistics. Importantly – groups need to draw conclusions. Your internal research & analysis should include all relevant strengths and weaknesses and your external research & analysis needs to incorporate all opportunities and threats. 2.2 – SWOT Analysis Groups are required to create a table or bullet point list of key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats. This should not contain any issue / insight that cannot be traced back to section 2.1. 2.3 – Key Marketing Problem or Opportunity Groups need to provide a clear overview of the key problem your campaign aims to solve and/or key opportunity it will address. Any changes to your brand item’s existing marketing mix needs to be detailed in this section.
3.0 – Key Strategic Decisions – include any support material (assumptions, data & analysis) 10% When drafting Stage 1 of the IMC plan, it is important to understand that you are undertaking tasks performed by a client – client campaign planning. Key strategic decisions relate to the revised brand item (if relevant). See section 2.3. 3.1 – Marketing Objectives Clear SMART marketing objectives need to be incorporated. 3.2 – Communication Objectives Clear SMART campaign communication objectives (category need, brand awareness, brand image / attitude / preference, brand purchase / action intention). 3.3 – Positioning Clear articulation of where your group plans to position its brand item in customers’ minds. If your group is planning to reposition and or has line extended its original brand item, clear justification must be provided. 3.4 – Campaign Target Audience Groups must define their (primary) campaign target audience initially by brand loyalty (behaviour), and then delineate it further using more traditional bases/characteristics. The incorporation of a behavioural sequence model (BSM) is recommended in this section. 3.5 – Campaign Budget Groups need to develop a campaign budget using at least one of the four budgeting methods. Budgets based on the affordability method alone will be deemed unacceptable 3.6 – Brand Personality / Character A clear description of the personality and character your brand should consistently portray needs to be included in this section
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4.0 – Integrated Communication (Creative) Brief 5% Groups need to include (as part of IMC plans) a written integrated communication (creative) brief using the supplied 14-point template. When completing integrated communication (creative) briefs, it is important that you distil your detailed research, analysis and key strategic decisions, into a clear, concise, insightful and inspirational document. As such, groups should not include all the client related deliberations. If an agency wants more insight, it can request it.
STAGE 2 – Agency Campaign Strategy and Implementation (submitted in week 12 with stage 1 & brief) 5.0 – Creative Strategy – include any support material (assumptions, data & analysis) 25% Groups must include a clear introduction or preamble to their creative strategy. They must demonstrate that they have understood the key elements of the brief and that their creative idea that follows has been clearly brainstormed and executed around achieving briefed requirements. 5.1 – Creative idea A clear platformable creative idea needs to be brainstormed, thoroughly developed and described. Start with the brief and consider using the remote conveyor theory. 5.2 – Detailed Explanation and Mock-ups (tangible executions) across all Media Groups need to include detailed explanation and tangible mock ups for all traditional media and new media selected for the IMC Campaign in this section. It is important to apply theory. Groups must show tangible integration of their platformable creative idea across relevant multiple traditional and new media.
6.0 – Media Strategy – include any support material (assumptions, data & analysis) 17.5% 6.1 – Justification of Media and Media Vehicles Selected You need to demonstrate the strategic benefits of and justify the use of all campaign media and media vehicles (traditional and new). This needs to be linked back to the client brief. 6.2 – Media Objectives Media objectives are interrelated and should be documented together in a coherent paragraph(s). Groups are required to demonstrate a clear understanding of the media objectives of reach, frequency, continuity, weight and recency (if relevant). Costs and or calculations are not required. It is important to apply theory and clearly articulate your strategic approach. 6.3 – Media Plan / Schedule / Social Media Content Calendar / Programmatic Advertising Groups need to include a clear media schedule that includes only traditional media and new media in this section. This also must include reference to all media vehicles recommended for traditional media and new media. The inclusion of a social media content calendar (one week) is recommended and a section addressing programmatic advertising is optional but should be considered.
7.0 – Other IMC Activities – include any support material (assumptions, data & analysis) 17.5% 7.1 – Selection, Integration & Detailed Explanation / Mock-ups of Other IMC Activities Groups need to thoroughly develop and integrate strategically selected other IMC activities. These activities should not be developed in isolation and must link back to the overall creative idea from section 5.0 (creative strategy). This should include detailed explanation and tangible mock ups for point of purchase and at least three other carefully selected activities.
8.0 – Evaluation and Control – include any support material (assumptions, data & analysis) 5% 8.1 Outline Evaluation / Tracking Techniques Groups need to clearly outline why campaign tracking is important, explain what metrics should be tracked, how you propose to track those performance measures and show a clear understanding of the importance of corrective action. 8.2 – Demonstrate Possible Corrective Action Scenario Groups must include one clear example of a potential issue and provide the possible corrective action your group would recommend based on that scenario.
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Grading Expectations
Outstanding work featuring: excellent detailed research & analysis; exceptional conclusions; clear, concise, insightful and inspirational brief; significant originality; break-through platformable creative idea; excellent strategic application of stage 2 theory; outstanding strategic integration of relevant touchpoints (written & visual); and delivery of a final report that hangs together completely as an integrated synergistic coherent whole.
HD
Superior work featuring: detailed research & analysis; solid conclusions; mostly clear, concise, insightful and inspirational brief; good originality; clear creative idea; good strategic application of stage 2 theory; solid strategic integration of relevant touchpoints (written & visual); and delivery of a final report that mostly hangs together as an integrated synergistic coherent whole.
DI
Above average work featuring: solid research, analysis and conclusions; mostly clear, concise, insightful and inspirational brief; solid originality; promising creative idea; good strategic application of stage 2 theory; some good strategic integration of relevant touchpoints (written & visual); and delivery of a final report that in part hangs together as an integrated synergistic coherent whole.
CR
Work at or above minimum standard for the cohort. Tends to be more descriptive than analytical; required more originality and creativity; satisfactory strategic application of stage 2 theory; required more strategic integration of relevant touchpoints (written & visual); and delivery of a final report that needed to hang together better as an integrated synergistic coherent whole.
PA
Work at below the minimum standard for the cohort. Disorganised and disjointed effort. Final report failed to hang together as an integrated synergistic coherent whole.
NN