Planning Process for Effective Marketing Communications
(Introduction to SPI's 'Symphony' Approach: Part 3 of 5)

Once we settle both the communication objectives and target audience definition to achieve the marketing goals, we can go to next phase. In this phase, we have to understand the characteristics of target audience, how the brand is perceived by them, and the linkage between target and brand.

The term 'target insight' has been gaining in popularity within the industry. And within in SPI, we have developed several approaches and thinking formats related to this area.

Understanding the target

There is much information we need to grasp an understanding of the target, such as age/gender, lifestyle, media/channel contact and their personal 'values'. In some cases, it is not enough to just understand their current situation. We may have to confirm their historical past from childhood to the present, including social, economic, and cultural issues.

By means of primary research results and third-party data, we can confirm each factor. But in order to reveal or grasp the whole personality of the target, we prepared some format to describe their profiles and past histories.

The following figure is one of SPI's formats, 'Target CV'. It was developed on the basis of the Japanese traditional CV and helps us understand the target more easily.

Not only this, but there are some other formats used to summarize extensive data/information about the target audience. These are drafted by SPI with both qualitative/quantitative inputs, and would be fixed through discussions with the client.

 

Whatever final execution is conducted, it is very important to describe the target vividly because it stimulates the Creative Director and Media Planner to realize effective communication. The advantage of using a fixed format is not only to be able to easily summarize, comprehend and compare, but also to create good records. By means of managing several formats in line with target segments/brands, we can keep consistency in developing a strategy.

How is your brand perceived?

"What is your association with brand X? Any other associations? Any others?"

The answers to this question are brand images from the viewpoint of target consumers. These would be classified into certain areas, such as 'product attributes', 'consumer's quality perceptions', 'brand personality' or 'functional/emotional benefits'. Also, associated words can include both positive and negative images/information.

'Associative Network', established by Carat, is a thinking framework for picking up and summarizing consumers' 'love' and 'hate' images toward to a brand. SPI developed an original tool for this process that enables us to analyze the order of associations, +/- evaluation for each word, and the importance to brand choice for describing real consumers' brand perceptions.

If you want to learn more about Associative Network, please let us know.

Linkage between target values and the brand

A 'laddering approach' is utilized for linking a brands' association to a target audience's values. Using the results from Associative Network, this work can be carried out smoothly. That is, we already have some associative words with positive/negative checks, so these can be used as 'triggers' for laddering. We can reveal both key drivers to brand choice and some barriers to non-choice.

 

Of course the project/research design is considered in line with each client's situation, but SPI has already established a basic process. And we prepared some tools that correspond with quantitative research and text-mining analysis.

In accordance with getting the target profile, brand perceptions and the linkage between them, we will go to the next phase and do message development, including how to generate ideas and put them into a strategy, in my next article.

Author: Mr. Keiichi Ozawa, Director

Please contact us with questions or for more detailed information.
spiindex@spi-consultants.net