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Help Sheet 1

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Help Sheet 2

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Additional help sheet assignment 2 P5 & M3

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Classroom PowerPoint

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What do advertising agencies do? P3

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What Is the Role of an Advertising Agency?

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As part of an overall marketing strategy, some companies turn to an advertising agency to develop an advertising campaign. Ad agencies combine their creative and research expertise with the input of ...

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Why hire an advertising agency? P3

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P4 Choosing media

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Big brands consider promotional products a significant part of the marketing mix, even when budgets are tight. Xerox, for example, always includes them in its annual budget, says Beth Ann Kilberg-Walsh, Manager, Marketing Communications at Xerox Corp.

Promotional products are important, especially during tough economic times, she says, because that's when companies need people to take action. "We're all so serious these days ... you have to create some type of fun ... a little bit of enticement just to make the person act," says Kilberg-Walsh. "Everybody wants to win something; everybody wants to get something."

Marketers need to be more strategic about how they launch campaigns involving promotional products. They should watch what they spend, whom they target, and how they maximize the ROI.
Promotional Product Campaign Made Simple: 5 Steps o Step #1. Define the objective
If the objective is to increase sales by 20%, determine that figure up front in order to track success later on.

Also, decide whether the objective is branding-oriented or strategic to ensure that you choose the right promotional product for the campaign.
o Step #2. Define the budget
If the objective is to generate $50,000 in your new business, don't spend $70,000 on the promotional product campaign. Try to at least double the return on investment.
o Step #3. Consider the variables
Consider these variables when choosing the most relevant promotional product for a target audience:
--> Variable #1. The Target Audience
Promotional products must make sense for the target audience.

Once you've defined the demographics of the target, ask yourself: How do they spend their time? Where do they work: at a desk, on the move or both? What would be useful or novel to them? What has worked at reaching them in the past?

Here are some promotional products that appeal to just about every audience:

-Magnets. They're functional, versatile, and easy to find when needed.

"It's not a big item to carry at a [trade] show," says Ron Lehner, President of Total Automotive, a wholesale automotive parts company. "When [attendees] get back, they slap it on a filing cabinet and, six months later, they start thinking about our company and remember it's on the magnet."

-Bags. They're hot commodities, especially reusable grocery bags, because so many people use them.

-T-shirts, pens, hats, calendars, key chains, mugs, etc.

Other promotional products appeal to very specific audiences. USB flash drives, for example, appeal to techie audiences.
--> Variable #2. The Message
What do you want to convey? Is it the value proposition or specific benefits for the target audience?
--> Variable #3. The Promotional Product
The hardest part is finding the appropriate three-dimensional manifestation of a message.

If the message is about keeping clients' Web applications secure, the best promotional product might be a USB flash drive with a biometric strip.

If the message is about connecting clients with opportunity, the best promotional product might be a NERF football. Xerox used a Rubik's Cube to symbolize putting the pieces of a puzzle together.

TIP: Make promotional products part of a strategic, integrated marketing plan to get measurable results.

Here are a few examples of companies successfully using promotional products to get messages to the target audience.
--> Example #1
Target Audience: Automotive body shops and new car dealers

Message: Lehner wanted to increase the chances of his target audience buying a hinge kit, so he demonstrated to them how to install hinge kits he designed for GM trucks.

Promotional Product: A low-budget instructional video about how to use the hinge kits burned onto a business-card-sized CD, which Lehner gave out at trade shows.

Result: About 50% of Total Automotive's online leads came from the mini-CD during the months following the trade shows. "When they watch the video, they're pretty much on board," Lehner says. "They want to start stocking them and buying the kits."
-->Example #2
Target Audience: Attorneys who file patent applications for US companies in foreign countries

Message: A law firm specializing in trademark and patents wanted to communicate the savings it could provide. The firm saved clients an average of about $100,000 per year in patent fees.

Promotional Product: A fake $100 bill shaped like a man. The $100-bill-man had a zipper that, when opened, revealed a business card with a phone number, the name of a representative, and a personalized URL. It arrived via direct mail.

When recipients went to the personalized websites, they were greeted with their name and an online calculator that showed how much money they would save with the law firm's services.

Result: About 11% of the recipients responded by calling the phone number or visiting the personalized website.
o Step #4. Start with small tests
Lehner says that the best advice he could give to other marketers is to start out small and test to see what works. Then, when you find something that works, run with it.
o Step #5. Measure success
Create an online registration form that Web visitors must fill out to get newsletters or special product information. Lehner used this method to determine how many leads came from the mini-CD he gave out at trade shows.

"How did you hear about Total Automotive, Inc.?" is a required field on the company's registration form. Registrants can choose from the answers provided or select "other" and write their own.

Create and distribute an email address unique to the promotion. It channels responses to one place, making it easier to measure the number of responses generated.
Examples of Successful Promotional Product Campaigns
Consider these successful campaigns from the 2008 Promotional Products Association International Pyramid Award winners.
--> B-to-B Example
Objective: 3M wanted to increase respirator sales and build brand awareness about its complete line of 3M disposable respirator products

Target Audience: A list of 800 distributors who were selling some but not all 3M respirator products

Strategy: An eight-part direct-mail campaign that spanned about 17 months. Each direct-mail piece contained a sample respirator and a related promotional product. A clear piggy bank, for example, delivered the message, "We want you to breathe through your nose, not pay through the nose."

Promotional Products: A keychain, a pair of Elvis sunglasses, and an embroidered hat were used in conjunction with the sample respirators. Each had a unique message that tied it to the sample respirator.

Results: 20% sales increase of 3M's entire respirator line following the launch of the promotional product campaign.
--> B-to-C Example
Objective: Arby's wanted to keep customers coming back

Target Audience: Arby's current customer base

Strategy: Arby's created a loyalty coupon program that allowed customers to sign up and get a card with a removable bar-coded keychain tag. Anyone presenting the tag got an automatic discount. Each tag exhibited the company's message, "I'm thinking Arby's."

Promotional Product: A discount card with removable keychain tag

Results: An Arby's in the target area reported a 25% increase in sales directly attributed to use of the discount cards.
Useful links related to this article
Past Sherpa article related to this topic:

Research on the $16.9 Billion Promo Products Industry: Why T-Shirts & Pens Can Outdo TV & Internet:
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=24177

Useful resources from PPAI:

-Fact sheet:
http://www.ppa.org/NR/rdonlyres/D3C6895B-34E7-49D2-A75D-768C246BDABE/0/2008PPAIFactSheet.pdf

-Top 10 Buyers:
http://www.ppa.org/NR/rdonlyres/06D72358-98F4-42F0-B2E4-7EFC6830ACDD/0/PowerTool_08.pdf

-Business Gift Study:
http://www.ppa.org/NR/rdonlyres/70B83565-BB0C-4A3E-9211-0F55082990AA/0/PowerTool_BusinessGift.pdf

-DFW Airport Study:
http://www.ppa.org/NR/rdonlyres/973094B8-1DFD-4AE6-B206-E224645EC57E/0/PowerTool_airport.pdf

-Integrated Marketing Study:
http://www.ppa.org/NR/rdonlyres/7F9160F1-CA5B-4251-8D3A-80BE55CA5BDF/0/PowerToolPerception8x11.pdf

PPAI:
http://www.ppa.org/default

XMPie - partners in creating personalized micro sites for Xerox:
http://www.xmpie.com/home.php

Roberts Communications Inc. - partners in developing creative and messaging for Xerox:
http://www.robertscomm.com/

Scott & Associates Inc. - promotional marketing agency partnered with Total Automotive:
http://www.scottassoc.com/scottassoc/index.html

Arby's:
http://www.arbys.com/

3M:
http://www.3m.com/

Total Automotive:
http://www.totalauto.com/

Xerox:
http://www.xerox.com/

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content: MarketingSherpa, design: Scott McDaniel, code: Steve Beger, MECLABS

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How to Increase Sales by Choosing the Best Promotional Product for Your Campaign - 5 Steps

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Promotional products motivate people to take action. The right incentive might encourage them to meet with a sales representative, try a new product, or attend a trade show booth.We spoke to a few experts about how they've boosted leads and sales by choosing the right promotional products to relay a message.

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Epic fails by advertising agencies M2

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Printsome Insights - The Official Printsome Blog

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We're pretty sure most of these sounded great in the meeting room.

Unfortunately, ideas don't always translate and some of the details that make a campaign great can get lost during production. Which is sad for the poor marketers who spend weeks or sometimes even months trying to come up with the best solution for their clients only to become a viral post on Facebook - but great for us who get to be entertained during a slow Friday afternoon at the office.

We've listed below some of the biggest marketing fails from recent years. Some are the advertising equivalent of the 'I'm with stupid' T-shirt while others are just... well, baffling. What were they thinking?

Marketing fails of 2015 and 2016: The worst of the worst

Republica Parrillera Pilsen Beer

This Costa Rican brewer excelled themselves when they decided to push drinking beer with eating sausages. What a great combination - except the sausage is positioned on the billboard like an enormous ... phallic figure. The billboard looks very enticing from the front, but from the back? Well, hello!

Clínica Dental San Marcelino

Pay a visit to this dentist and you're likely to get more than your teeth fixed. This is the perfect example of a logo fail - did the designer not see what was depicted? They've since changed their logo to some strange ghosty-looking tooth and to be frank we rather prefer the first idea.

The Amazing Floating Mobile Phone

Is this supposed to be sarcasm? Because if it is then we don't appreciate it.

Heinz Tomato Ketchup links to porn

Even big brands can make blunders. A German gentleman had the misfortune (or fortune?) of being redirected to a hardcore porn website when he scanned the QR code on the back of a Heinz bottle. This happened because the company let the website expire and then an even 'saucier' organisation bought the domain name. Your meal is ready!

IHOP Restaurant likes them big

We bet the IHOP community manager learned their lesson after they tweeted this attempted joke. Needless to say, it upset quite a few people. Eventually, the tweet was removed, but after hours of no reaction from the company had passed. Lesson of the day: Want to be controversial? Want to make fun of a touchy subject? Great, go ahead, just be prepared for the consequences and act fast.

Hitler Ice Cream (yes, you read that right)

Budweiser promotes date rape

The Bud Light slogan was one of the biggest marketing gaffs in terms of ignorance and attitudes towards rape. How anyone could have written these words and not seen the implications is beyond me. The slogan suggests the beer is for a 'certain type' of woman who is carefree, gets drunk and doesn't care what happens to her.

The product was backed up by a Twitter marketing campaign entitled #UpforWhatever. Surely someone at Budweiser would have realised this campaign was going to be doomed from the beginning.

Shitto Hot Pepper Sauce

This product from Ghana may just do what it promises on the label - depending on how hot it is. Described on one website as Gourmet Pepper Sauce, Shitto does translate to pepper in the Ga language (pronounced Sheet we're told!). Clearly someone didn't do enough research on how this would be read internationally.

Volkswagen doesn't care about the environment

Although not hilarious, we think this one is worth a mention because it is always thrilling to see the giant ones fall. Just in case you were on your yearly trip to Mars, Volkswagen had emissions cheating software installed in their diesel cars between 2009 and 2015 to show lower nitrogen oxide emissions than they were actually emitting. This falsified engines into appearing cleaner than they actually were.

We're classing this as a marketing fail as over 11 million cars have been affected worldwide, which equates to an awful lot of positive marketing for Volkswagen to generate and restore faith in their brand.

Coca-Cola doesn't get Russian geography

As seasoned professionals at the top of the marketing game, you might think that Coca-Cola would have a team of people ready to make sure everything the brand sends out is spotless. But somehow, this Russian ad slipped through their fingers.

To outsiders, it may look just like a snow-covered map of Russia. To Russians, it's clearly missing Kaliningrad, a city annexed after the end of World War II.

The outrage sparked a #BanCocaCola hashtag on social media, which was often accompanied by pictures of users pouring their cans of Coke into the toilet. Ouch!

Seoul Secret (hint: it's racist!)

This whole ad concept was a massive misstep from start to finish. Shall we start with the tagline - 'White makes you win?' Or perhaps with these photos of Thai actress and singer Cris Horwang in blackface?

Even worse, Horwang was featured in a video campaign where she discussed how her white skin helped her career take off. Frankly, it seems like there isn't a single part of this campaign that isn't offensive.

Rhode Island looks an awful lot like Iceland (or not)

Help tell Rhode Island's story by sharing our new brand video #weareRI https://t.co/alIIcZ2DIg https://t.co/qh3YtF0q0s

- Gina Raimondo (@GinaRaimondo) March 29, 2016

You'd expect the people in charge of promoting a destination to be quite clear about what the destination actually offers. But the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation's $5 million new promotional video featured images of...Iceland.

The office quickly blamed the mistake on the company that edited the video, but not before the local press got wind of the mistake.

Urban Outfitters taking inspiration from Nazi Germany

Shockingly, there's a second company on this list who managed to invoke Nazis in their product lines. They sold a tapestry that looked an awful lot like the uniforms gay prisoners were forced to wear in concentration camps (grey and white stripes with a pink triangle on it).

This was the second time Urban Outfitters had sold an item reminiscent of the Nazis; they previously sold a yellow T-shirt with a star on it.

Amazon's alternate Nazi Universe

Just when you thought we were finished with companies referencing Nazis...but in this case, Amazon knew exactly what they were doing. To promote their new series Man in the High Castle , which is about what would have happened if World War II had been won by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, Amazon decked out subway cars in New York City featuring imagery of the Axis Powers.

While they didn't go so far as to put the actual historical imagery from the harsh regimes on the subway, people definitely got what they were referencing and were not happy. Both the city mayor and the state governor publicly condemned the ad.

Bloomingdale's promotes more than a kiss under the Mistletoe

Nice, #Bloomingdales is Bill Cosby writing your ad copy now? pic.twitter.com/XRqSG2oEVH

- Thomas Keister (@thomaskeister) November 12, 2015

Perhaps meant to be a fun ad for the holidays, this Bloomingdale's ad for Rebecca Minkoff clothes featured a stylish man and woman all dressed up. Oh, and the caption 'Spike your best friend's egg nog when they're not looking.'

This was seen in many online social media forums as encouraging a bit of festive date rape. Merry Christmas!

Mickey's insensitive birthday wishes

This image of Alice captioned 'A very merry unbirthday to you!' might seem like an innocuous, even sweet image to share on Twitter. Just probably not in Japan on the anniversary of the Nagasaki bombings. And especially not with a caption that translates to 'Congrats on a trifling day.'

Disney Japan quickly released an apology for its ill-timed tweet.

Starbucks encourages discussions about race

The US has had more than a few racially-motivated incidents recently, and coffee company Starbucks tried to start a campaign to get conversations about race started. They had their baristas write "Race Together" on cups, and encouraged customers to start discussing race with employees.

Although the campaign had good intentions, it was met with a collective 'No. It' 8 am. I don't want an extra shot of "touchy subjects" in my latte. Just give me my coffee. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.'

The campaign only lasted six days.

And McDonald's wants to talk about terrorism

McDonald's was another brand that made the mistake of bringing up issues their customers really didn't want to deal with when ordering their burgers - terrorism.

In January 2016, the fast food giant launched a series of billboards with message about things like 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing, all under those famous golden arches. McDonald's was quickly accused of capitalising on tragedy.

No. No. No. @McDonalds: Please do NOT exploit our city's tragedy or 9/11 for TV advertisements. #badvertising #fail pic.twitter.com/jyRZ90tqid

- Jeff Hall (@617Jeff) January 11, 2015

Airbnb is above the law

@JesseThorn @Airbnb going after all underpaid public servants pic.twitter.com/6cJWYhqAjY

- Rob Fangman (@FangmanRob) October 22, 2015

Airbnb has caused controversy all over the world, as in many places users can rent out rooms and homes - paying taxes that hotels have to pay. The city of San Francisco said 'enough' to that and forced the company to start paying taxes. In response, Airbnb ran an ad campaign based on the idea that they were giving the city the gift of an extra $12 million a year.

Many took the ads to be passive-aggressive jabs telling residents they should be grateful that the company had deigned to pay taxes that it probably should have been paying anyway. The campaign was quickly scrapped.

The US State Department thinks their fellow Americans are ugly

'Not a "10" in the US? Then not a 10 overseas. Beware of being lured into buying expensive drinks or worse - being robbed.'

The State Department sent out a tweet reading 'Not a "10" in the US? Then not a 10 overseas. Beware of being lured into buying expensive drinks or worse - being robbed.' In other words, ugly travellers beware! Not surprisingly, more than a few followers took offence to the tweet.

We're sure these companies have learned some hard-earned lessons about what does and doesn't work when it comes to marketing. However, for those of you who have a taste for schadenfreude, we're sure there are be plenty more companies planning disastrous marketing campaigns at this very moment. What advertising mistakes will we see next?
Printsome is a T-shirt printing agency based in London who deliver all across the UK, from printing t-shirts in Brighton to York and everywhere in between. So, if you're after T-shirt or custom clothing, indulge yourself in some awesome customer service and get in touch for a quote.

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Some of the worst marketing fails from recent years

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We're pretty sure most of these sounded great in the meeting room. Unfortunately, ideas don't always translate and some of the details that make a campaign great can get lost during production.

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M2

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Advertising Agency Advantages and Disadvantages

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This article highlights the advantages and disadvantages of advertising agencies with a useful diagram to help you remember them. We also explore the advantages and disadvantages of using in house teams (instead of advertising agencies) to create promotions and marketing.

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M2

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Today's fast-paced world poses a great challenge for businesses. Due to rapidly changing marketing trends and quick technology transition, businesses need to ensure that they're performing at their best and keeping up with the latest marketing and promotional methods. Since there's no scarcity of marketing agencies today, you can easily avail of their services. Marketing is an essential part of business success. Not only does it aid in promotion and advertising, it also helps you establish your brand and image. So, will you hire an agency? Take a look at the often-overlooked benefits of hiring an agency weighed against the costs that leave businesses hesitant to hire one.

What You Get from Hiring a Marketing Agency

Whether you're running a start-up or an established business, you can hire a marketing agency from anywhere in the UK. The benefits of hiring an agency include the following:

Marketing agencies save you time and money.
The marketing agency will save you time by taking on tasks such as advertising, leaving you to focus on other business matters. You no longer have to worry about promoting your products or services because the agency has professionals who will do this for you. You can also save money because the agency will have the professional knowledge of how best to market your products or services, thus giving you a head start.

Agencies are professionals.
Agencies hire professionals. They have experts in every aspect of marketing. And these experts guarantee great performance with their professional experience.

Agencies give an outsider's perspective.
Since agencies are experts in the field, they know what's best for your business from an outsider's point of view. The skills and experience they have gained can give you effective advice and help you strategize to better promote your products or services.

Marketing agencies always know the latest technologies and trends.
In the industry agencies are in, technologies and trends often undergo rapid changes. Don't forget that marketing agencies are also businesses. And so they should keep up with the latest marketing technologies and trends.

Agencies have great media connections.
An established agency has connections to the media. With their long list of contacts, including journalists, other business owners, event spacers, and financial experts, they can advertise and establish your products or services in the best and fastest way possible.

Cost of Hiring a Marketing Agency

You can hire a marketing agency only if your budget permits because it will definitely cost a lot. But you have to consider its benefits, too. Hiring prices vary, depending on your exact needs. Agencies usually work on a retainer, are paid per hour, or on a project basis. They can typically cost between £1,200 and £5,000 per month, depending on your needs. The benefits of hiring one instead of going it alone, which could lead to failure due to lack of experience, can outweigh your investment.

The following are some marketing methods that the agency you hire can employ for you:

Website design

Branding strategy

SEO

Public relations

Product or service development

Social media management

Branding design

Advertising and Promotion

Establishing your brand should be your top priority when advertising. Marketing agencies advertise and promote your business using effective marketing tools such as media and the internet. The former includes newspapers, brochures, magazines, radio and television while the latter includes SEO and website design.

Approved Index can help you find the best Marketing Company for your business.

COMPARE PRICES NOW

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Benefits vs Costs of Hiring a Marketing Agency | Best UK Prices 2017

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Today's fast-paced world poses a great challenge for businesses. Due to rapidly changing marketing trends and quick technology transition, businesses need to ensure that they're performing at their best and keeping up with the latest marketing and promotional methods. Since there's no scarcity of marketing agencies today, you can easily avail of their services.

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Costs of using an agency P5/M2

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Advertising agency fee structures represent a balance between the needs of clients who want to get the best return for their investment in advertising and agencies that must make a profit on the ...

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The cost of radio advertising P5

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In the 21st Century, the potential for advertising one's business is vast. From old-fashioned print to social media marketing the options are seemingly limitless and, with the advent of potentially free online channels, such as Twitter and Facebook, paid-for marketing packages for TV, radio and online have been forced to lower prices. While TV advertising may still be beyond the reach of most small businesses, there are still some attractive deals to be had by turning attention to regional and local radio.

In the UK, we listen to an inordinate amount of radio, even though we may not realise it. We wake up to it, drive to it, work to it, play to it, bathe and shower to it, and even go to sleep to it. Accordingly, radio has become an increasingly powerful marketing medium. If you're considering this route, you're not the only one. More and more companies are turning to radio advertising to reach these burgeoning captive audiences.

Radio advertising influences us all whether we realise it or not. We have all bought products or services, consciously or subconsciously as a result of hearing an advertisement on the radio.

Radio advertising can be produced to fit any company's marketing budget or reach any target audience you choose. More and more stations are targeting their broadcasting to highly specific audiences, be it young, male or female, sport fans, seniors, aficionados of classical, pop, jazz or nostalgia music. Radio can be used to reach any possible demographic audience.

A small business may choose to work directly with the radio station to keep costs down or, budget permitting, work through an established advertising agency. Whichever route you take, the underlying tenet is: negotiate, negotiate, negotiate.

What will it cost?

As a rule of thumb, radio advertising is charged at a rate of approximately £2 per thousand listeners at one time. To clarify, if a show has 100,000 listeners at 10am, then buying a 30-second spot at that time will cost you £200. The late show's 10,000 listeners at 11pm would only cost £20. Generally, expect for a slot of 30 seconds to cost around £250 - £1000 per week, depending on how often your ad is broadcast and amount of listeners.

It may sound complicated but any reputable radio station will work out the options for you, providing an estimated repetition figure, called "OTH" (opportunities to hear). As is the case with newspapers and magazines having to publish their circulation figures, radio stations have to do the same with their listener figures, which are audited and published by RAJAR.

Why should I advertise on radio?

Used appropriately, radio advertising is an effective method of reaching a target demographic. You can choose age, ethnic, or socioeconomic groups, without the use of expensive visual media. With the right stimulus, the 'theatre of the mind' will create imagery that is far superior to that of print or television.

Radio advertising doesn't require the subject's full attention in the same way that television does. Radio advertising can be in many ways almost subliminal and this is one of the major advantages of the medium.

It is true that radio advertising doesn't have the same brand building power as television but, used in tandem with a robust marketing campaign, it can prove extremely profitable.

Radio advertising should be supported by a visible, easily-navigated and simple website. Directing respondents to your radio advertising to a sub-standard website can have a detrimental effect on your business.

Where to start

There are several guiding principles when creating radio advertising:

It's all about repetition - do not schedule erratic slots. You need to hit the same people with the same message - this is the key to good response levels

Always negotiate the very best slots - there's little point in wasting money on shows in the "graveyard" slot (10pm - 5am) when your core customer base is asleep. In saying that, it's often better to get a sensible repetition on a smaller audience that remembers your ad than a huge audience that doesn't

Negotiate on price - all advertising departments have 'rate cards', which are the standard rates they would like to charge you. However, in the current economic climate, it's very much a buyer's market and those rate cards are flexible, depending on how often you advertise and how close the station is to meeting its monthly budget. Remember: there's always a deal to be cut.

Creating content

At the end of the day, as the client, you decide what your advertising package contains. However, reputable agencies and stations will involve you in the creative process.

The main things to remember are:

Avoid being cheesy. The best radio advertising uses humour or pathos to engage its audience, delivers its message clearly, and contains the bare amount of information to do the job

At all cost, avoid getting behind the microphone yourself. It may do wonders for your ego but some of the most unpopular - and therefore ineffective - radio advertising is where the business owner decides to become a radio "star". Leave it to the professionals

Brevity is important - a radio ad is between 30 and 60 seconds at most, so radio is no place for long lists of features, offers, or corporate waffle. Get the listener's attention, make a relevant offer, and generate a phone call. Focus on one idea and drive it home

Your company's name should appear three times - beginning, middle and end. Try to get the location of your commercial property in as well so that people know where to find you.

The offer should appear twice - once to register, once to review and appreciate

Don't scrimp on time - if your business is worth 60 seconds, don't try to cram it into 30 seconds. If you advertise effectively, the extra expense will pay off in the long-run.

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In the 21st Century, the potential for advertising one's business is vast. From old-fashioned print to social media marketing the options are seemingly limitless and, with the advent of potentially free online channels, such as Twitter and Facebook, paid-for marketing packages for TV, radio and online have been forced to lower prices.

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How to write a creative brief P5

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Example Creative Brief 2017 for advertising and design projects | AdCracker

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Creative brief sample for advertising and design projects with consumer insights, audience profile, media and schedule

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Ideas P5

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Methods for setting a marketing budget P5/M2

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Firms set marketing budgets using objective and task method, comparative parity method, affordable method and percentage of sales approach

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Measuring success D2

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"Measurement" is a hot topic in marketing right now, although I'm not sure there was ever a time when it wasn't important.

Back in the day, when the bulk of a brand's marketing budget was based on advertising and promotion, it was a tad easier to measure its effectiveness. With marketing budgets much more fragmented across multiple channels now, measurement is even more crucial to determine the most effective parts of the plan. But it's also much harder to measure.

When teaching my class at New York University about measurement, the first words out of my mouth are "Measurement doesn't begin when the program is over. It begins when you start planning for it."
Related: The Secret to Maximizing Your Marketing Dollars for Fun and Profit
Every element of your marketing plan, and your business plan as well for that matter, needs to have a measurement and metrics protocol built into the planning with key benchmarks set at the beginning and end with milestones throughout.

How else can you know for sure if the program was successful? Without a goal and measurement system in place at the beginning, you can't possibly ascertain success. Plus, by adding in milestones throughout the program's life, you can track progress so that there are no surprises. In fact, you can monitor and control the progress and course correct along the way to ensure success.

That's just smart marketing.

For the big brands of the world this may seem obvious. But for small-business owners and entrepreneurs, this kind of methodology doesn't come naturally. So I'd like to break it down into a couple of simple components so that you can properly measure for your planned success.

Measuring the product

Measuring success of your product or service is the obvious first step, and most likely your ultimate metric will be sales. But it's important to not only set your sales forecast in advance, but to monitor the key factors that affect your forecast along the way. You may also want to measure customer satisfaction of the functional attributes of your product as well, to see if an upgrade might be in order. This is just one example of measuring your product.
Related: Use the Metrics That Really Matter in Your Business
Measuring the brand

Most small-business owners track sales and think the job is done. Not by a long shot. You should also be measuring key brand metrics as well since they are highly influential towards your ultimate sales results. Attitudes and perceptions about the brand and what it offers will impact your future success, so you should be monitoring those metrics throughout your marketing programming. Sure, you may know how well your product is selling, but if you don't know how the brand is delivering on its promises then you don't know the health of your business.

The truth is that measurement is one of those topics we tend to avoid until tallying up our success at the end of the year or at the conclusion of a marketing campaign.

But by then, it's too late to change course and it's likely too late to impact the next year or the next program. I know it's a daunting task, especially when you are resource constrained and managing all the other aspects of the business as well, so keep it simple and focused.

Pick a few key measures for both the product and the brand and monitor them. Pick the ones most tied to your firm's success, so you know they are driving the business. Pick a couple and focus on them -- it'll be a big leap forward in your thinking that will hopefully deliver a big leap forward for your work.
Related: 10 Data Tools Every Marketer Needs to Be Using

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Measure the Success of a Marketing Campaign Through the Product and the Brand

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"Measurement" is a hot topic in marketing right now, although I'm not sure there was ever a time when it wasn't important. Back in the day, when the bulk of a brand's marketing budget was based on advertising and promotion, it was a tad easier to measure its effectiveness.

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Evaluating success D2

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Marketing plans require constant evaluation to maintain relevance.

John Rowley/Photodisc/Getty Images

Marketing plans serve as the blueprints for your company's sales strategy. They lay out every detail of what's to come over the next year and may be subject to alteration or evaluation because of changes in the market. Marketing should not be set in motion and left alone, but constantly reviewed, evaluated and adjusted to suit the needs of the company and the wants of the consumer. Understanding how to judge whether your marketing plan is delivering the best possible results can save you time and money and help ensure the success of your business.

ROI

Return on investment is always a major concern when it comes to marketing or any other business expense. The idea is to check whether the money you put into your marketing plan has resulted in a profit. You must measure the amount spent on each campaign, versus the amount of sales each campaign brought in specifically. You can calculate an overall measurement, but a more specific breakdown by each marketing initiative will tell you exactly which campaigns worked and which fell short.

Sales Numbers

Reading the numbers can be the fastest and most basic way to determine whether your plan is working. For example, if your overall sales for last year from June 1 to September 1 totaled $100,000 and your total sales for this year totaled $150,000, you can deduce that your current marketing plan is having some sort of positive effect. Take into account any rise in prices or expansion of the business, but when all is said and done, in raw numbers, you are selling more than you did a year ago.

Customer Response

Customer response in all its varied forms can help you to determine what type of reactions your marketing creates. Surveys online and in person, general customer service feedback and online commentary can all reveal what your customers think of your marketing and which campaigns have the greatest impact. Simple questions like "How did you find out about our seasonal sale?" can reveal which initiatives are reaching the customer and which market segments are making purchases.

Expansion

If your marketing reach is expanding, the effectiveness of your plan is the probable cause. Marketing that makes its way into new regions either by customer recommendation or natural growth indicates both a successful and popular product or experience and an effective marketing message. The expansion of your marketing budget is another sign that your plan is working well and has gained more support from the company.

Partner Response

Your marketing partners will offer feedback about whether your marketing plan is working. Partner feedback reveals the effectiveness of your efforts in relation to associated brands, suppliers and vendors. These outside members of the team might feel the effects of a successful campaign before you do because they are often on the front lines and might have more direct customer interaction. The same goes for a negative report. If your partners are asking when you will be releasing new marketing efforts, it might be time to revamp the marketing plan.

Salespeople

Outside salespeople are a great barometer for the measurement of marketing effectiveness. Ask for feedback from your soldiers in the field to determine whether the message you are providing and the ways you are providing it are effective. You are sure to get advice in any case, but if the feedback is overwhelmingly negative or customers are completely unaware of your latest marketing efforts, your plan should be revised to better address existing clients and to suit the needs of your sales team.

Competitor Response

The actions of your competitors can often be very telling when it comes to the success or failure of your marketing plan. If competitors rush to copy what you've done or try their best to one-up your initiatives, the plan is working. If your campaigns go largely ignored or there is an immediate negative response, there may be an issue or at least a question about what you've set in motion.

About the Author

Robert Morello has an extensive travel, marketing and business background. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in 2002 and has worked in travel as a guide, corporate senior marketing and product manager and travel consultant/expert. Morello is a professional writer and adjunct professor of travel and tourism.

Photo Credits

John Rowley/Photodisc/Getty Images

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Marketing plans serve as the blueprints for your company's sales strategy. They lay out every detail of what's to come over the next year and may be subject to alteration or evaluation because of changes in the market.