Establishing Objectives and Budgeting for the Promotional Program

Value of Objectives

Focus and Coordination

They help to orient everyone involved toward one, common goal.

They serve as criteria for developing plans and making decisions. They provide the standards and benchmarks for evaluating results.

Plans and Decisions

Measurement and Control

Types of Objectives
Marketing Objectives

Statements of what is to be accomplished by the overall marketing program within a given time period.

Need to be quantifiable such as sales volume, market share, profits, or ROI. Need to be realistic, measurable and attainable

IMC Objectives

Statements of what various aspects of the IMC program will accomplish based on communication tasks required to deliver appropriate messages to the target audience.

Problems With Sales Objectives

Sales are a function of many factors, not just advertising and promotion. Effects of IMC tools such as advertising often occur over an extended time period. Sales objectives provide little guidance to those responsible for planning and developing the IMC program

Many Factors Influence Sales

Product Quality

Promotion

Competition

Technology

SALES

Distribution

The Economy

Price Policy

When Sales Objectives Are Appropriate

For promotional efforts that are direct action in nature and can induce an immediate behavioral response.

Sales promotion Direct response advertising Retail advertising for sales or special events

When advertising plays a dominant role in a firms marketing program and other factors are relatively stable
When sales effects of an IMC variable can be isolated.

Communication Objectives
The primary goal of an IMC program is to communicate and planning should be based on communications objectives such as brand awareness, knowledge, interest, attitudes, image and purchase intention

Advertising and Movement Toward Action

Related behavioral dimensions Movement toward purchase Types of promotions and advertising at each step

Conative
Realm of motives. Ads stimulate or direct desires.

Purchase

Point of purchase Retail store ads, Deals Last-chance offers Price appeals, Testimonials

Conviction Preference Liking

Competitive ads Argumentative copy Image copy Status, glamour appeals Announcements Descriptive copy Classified ads Slogans, jingles, skywriting Teaser campaigns

Affective
Realm of emotions. Ads change attitudes and feelings

Cognitive
Realm of thoughts. Ads provide information and facts.

Knowledge

Awareness

Inverted Pyramid of Communications Effects

90% Awareness

70% Knowledge
40% Liking

25% Preference
20% Trial 5% Use

The DAGMAR Approach

Define Advertising Goals for Measuring Advertising Results

Characteristics of Objectives
Good Objectives Should Include:

Concrete, Measurable Communication Tasks Well-Defined Target Audience

Have an Existing Benchmark Measure

Specify Degree of Change Sought Specific Time Period

DAGMAR Difficulties
Legitimate Problems

Questionable Objections

Response Hierarchy Problems

Sales Objectives Are Needed

Doesn't always define the process people use to reach purchase/use.

Sales are all that really counts, not communications objectives. The research and efforts cost more then the results are worth. Too many rules and structure curb genius.

Costly and Impractical

Attitude - Behavior Relationship

Attitude change doesn't always lead to change in actions or behavior.

Inhibition of Creativity

Advertising-Based View of Communications

Advertising Through Media One-Way

Attitudes

Knowledge

Preference

Conviction

Purchase Behavior

Linear
Acting on Consumers

Budgeting Decisions
Budgeting decisions involve determining how much money will be spent on advertising and promotion each year and how the monies will be allocated

Two major decisions Establishing the size of the budget Allocating the budget

Marginal Analysis
Sales Sales in $ Gross Margin

Ad. Expenditure

Profit

Point A Advertising / Promotion in $

BASIC Principles of Marginal Analysis

Increase Spending . . . IF:
The increased cost is less than the incremental (marginal) return.

Decrease Spending . . . IF:

The increased cost is more than the incremental (marginal) return.

Hold Spending Level. . . IF:

The increased cost is equal to the incremental (marginal) return.

Problems with Marginal Analysis

Assumption:

Sales are the principal objective of advertising and/or promotion.

Assumption:

Sales are the result of advertising and promotion and nothing else.

Advertising Sales/Response Functions

A. Concave-Downward Response Curve B. S-Shaped Response Function

Incremental Sales

Incremental Sales

Advertising Expenditures

Range A

Advertising Expenditures

Initial Spending Little Effect

Range B

Middle Level High Effect

Range C

High Spending Little Effect

Top-Down Budgeting
Top Management Sets the Spending Limit

The Promotion Budget Is Set to Stay Within the Spending Limit

Top-Down Approaches

The Affordable Method What we have to spare. What's left to spend. Arbitrary Allocation Method No system. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Percentage of Sales Method Set percentage of sales or amount per unit. Competitive Parity Method Match competitor or industry average spending. Return on Investment Method Spending is treated as a capital investment.

Bottom-Up Budgeting
Total Budget Is Approved by Top Management
Cost of Activities are Budgeted Activities to Achieve Objectives Are Planned

Promotional Objectives Are Set

Objective and Task Method

Establish Objectives (create awareness of new product among 20 percent of target market) Determine Specific Tasks (advertise on market area television and radio and local newspapers) Estimate Costs Associated with Tasks (cost of advertising on TV + radio + newspapers)

Payout Planning
To determine how much to spend, marketers develop a payout plan that determines the investment value of the advertising and promotion appropriation
Example of a three-year payout plan ($ millions)
Year 1 15.0 7.5 15.0 (7.5) (7.5) Year 2 35.50 17.75 10.50 7.25 (0.25) Year 3 60.75 30.38 8.50 21.88 21.63

Product sales Profit contribution (@$.50 per case) Advertising/promotions Profit (loss) Cumulative profit (loss)

Allocating the IMC Budget

Factors Affecting Allocation to various markets, products, IMC Elements

Client/Agency Policies Size of Market Market Potential Market Share Goals Market Share and Economies of Scale

Organizational Characteristics

Share of Voice and Ad Spending