Marketing campaign *

Importance of definite objectives

The first step in planning a marketing campaign is to decide upon the purpose of the campaign. If objectives are not carefully chosen, the campaign' will succeed only because someone's intuition has been unusually keen, or because the campaign by sheer extent influences and. impels.

Primary and secondary objectives

A particular marketing campaign may have more than one objective. The primary objective is to strengthen the sales-making possibilities for the product line. Nevertheless, to bring about the desired end, it may be desirable to set up. a limited purpose for the campaign as a secondary but more specific objective. For instance, the major objective for the year may be to make' the company and its product line more widely known.

The secondary and more specific objective of a six-months.' marketing campaign within the year may be to "sell" the brand name and the trademark. Obviously, the major objectives can be laid down with some certainty for longer periods of time than can the secondary objectives. Market changes will bring about new sets of conditions that may necessitate immediate attention in short-period campaigns.

A careful definition of major and minor objectives is absolutely essential as the first step in planning. Only by such definition can a proper correlation of advertising and of personal salesmanship be accomplished, and can particular marketing plans be related to fundamental marketing policies.

Important specific objectives

The secondary objectives possible for a limited-purpose marketing campaign are many. Only a few of the more important ones can be mentioned here. They are :

• To introduce a new use of an old product
• To introduce a new brand of an old commodity against existing competition
• To introduce an entirely new product
• To increase the sale of an established product at a predetermined rate against existing competition
• To maintain the present volume of sales by a "reminder" campaign
• To make a trademark or brand name more generally known
• To establish prestige for the company and the product line
• To change or modify an established buying habit
• To overcome a market, indifference or prejudice

The secondary or immediate objective should be chosen to apply for a period of a year, six months, or other relatively short extent of time. Moreover, it should be in direct agreement with the major marketing policies, and should grow out of the established data discovered by market research.

Consumers attitude toward the product

One of the most useful aids in selecting campaign objectives is to classify the product situation according to the ultimate consumer attitude toward the product line. These possible attitudes are as follows : consumer indifference or hostility, consumer acceptance, consumer preference, and consumer insistence.

If the market is thought of as a whole and the general consumer attitude toward the product line is determined, many suggestions will immediately appear with respect to major aims, particular field-sales needs, and magazine-advertising needs. If the market is considered in the light of the consumer's attitude, trading area by trading area, many hints may be discovered with respect to the field-sales needs and newspaper-advertising needs of individual territories.

Naturally, a product line that has consumer acceptance will present the major objective requirement of securing consumer preference. In the same way, a particular territory may present the necessity for the special objective of securing consumer acceptance because of an indifference in the particular territory.

Selecting and balancing the marketing methods

The next step in planning a marketing campaign is that of determining what marketing methods are to be used and in what proportions. Decisions on this question depend very largely on the immediate and definite purpose of the campaign and upon the general consumer attitude toward the product line.

Obviously, if the purpose of the campaign is to make the trademark and the brand name more generally known, more of the burden of the campaign will probably fall upon advertising than upon personal salesmanship in the field.

On the other hand, if the purpose of the campaign is to overcome a market indifference, the burden may be divided rather equally between advertising and personal salesmanship. This situation may call for a specially-organized missionary sales force that will be routed over the high spots of the whole territory and instructed to show the retailer how to overcome the consumers' indifference.

This requirement may be entirely in addition to the necessity of keeping up the frequency of calls of the regular sales force, and to a program of overcoming the consumers' indifference by means of several different forms of advertising. The general consumer, attitude toward the product line will also be a determinant in this planning step.

A general attitude of preference may imply less burden on field salesmanship than on advertising. On the other hand, a general attitude of indifference may even cut the proportionate burden_ on personal salesmanship and advertising, but step, up rather sharply the burden of the whole campaign..

Detailed steps in determining methods

In more detail, this step in planning includes decisions as to the number of salesmen to be used in the campaign, the number and kind of functional sales groups that will be necessary in the field, the work each functional group will be expected to accomplish, the kinds of advertising mediums that will be used, the work each type of advertising medium will be expected to accomplish, and the amount and kind of sales effort that will be necessary to sell the whole campaign to the middleman handlers, and so on.

Deciding where the methods are to be applied

Another step in planning is determining where the various selling methods are to be applied. This step is hardly a successive step, but is a coincident step so far as time is concerned. It is intimately connected with the many decisions that have been indicated above.

For example, it touches quite directly upon the selection of advertising mediums for they must be selected with geographical coverage in mind. It touches upon the necessity for special sales forces in individual territories. Decisions in this matter grow out of the market data gathered by the research personnel and are affected by the chosen objective of the campaign, as well as the general consumer attitude toward the product line in the market as a whole, and territory by territory.

Emphasis in the advertising.—In planning the advertising to be carried on in connection with a marketing campaign it is necessary to decide upon the emphasis that should properly be placed on such factors as "attention" and "persuasiveness." The question of whether the individual advertising units should be planned primarily to be seen or read, or whether they should be planned to be seen, read, and to be impelling may be highly important. Rough proportions such as a 70 per cent emphasis on "attention" and a 30 per cent emphasis on "persuasiveness" may be set up. Much will depend upon the purpose of the campaign and the consumer attitude that must. be met.

Advertising copy and art work

Art elements as well as copy elements can perform some of the task of attracting attention and exercising persuasion. It: may be possible roughly to predetermine the work that each must perform. A particular decision on this matter might result in a set-up like the following:

Obviously, the word "persuasion" is broad and includes the factor of "attention." Nevertheless, there is some practical value in a perfectly arbitrary distinction and in rough planning of this character.

The art elements may then be selected. A program of uniformity in the type of art elements used throughout the extent of the advertising, and variations in the application of the art elements made necessary by the different kinds of mediums is necessary for the most effective results. In general, such questions as the use of a visualizing illustration, special attention devices, borders, signature name plates, trademark cuts, photographic reproductions of the-product-package, colour, and similar devices, must be taken into consideration.

The copy elements may be decided upon in much the same way, from the point of view of uniformity in use throughout the campaign and of the special requirements of different kinds of mediums. The type of headline, the type of "approach," buying appeals, the dominant idea, the subordinate ideas, the method of developing the copy, the appropriate style, subheads, captions, the type of close, and the like, present exceedingly important questions of planning. They should be considered and decided in the light of the purpose of the campaign and of the copy task.

Selection of advertising mediums

While these questions are being decided, it is necessary to select the advertising mediums to be used in the campaign. A general selection may be made first between the different types of mediums such as general magazines, newspapers, outdoor mediums and other mediums. The selection of particular advertising mediums depends upon an evaluation of the cost of reaching each possible buyer and the prestige of the medium in relation to the particular purpose of the campaign.

Decisions must be made as to the size of the advertising insertions and the variations in size over the whole period of the campaign, and for each publication medium. Finally, decisions must be made in regard to the frequency of advertising insertions in the several mediums and the preferred positions to be sought. Obviously, consideration must be given to territorial needs in relation to the circulation of the various mediums.

Field selling decisions

In planning the work of the field-sales force, the number and variety of decisions that must be made are almost as great as in the case of advertising. In the first place, the status of the existing field-sales personnel must be considered to determine whether or not additional salesmen are needed for the proposed campaign. This question involves a consideration of the number of salesmen now employed, the types of work they are required to perform, and the emphasis that is placed upon each type of work.

The new campaign may necessitate a shift in emphasis from sales-making efforts to strictly educational efforts. Decisions may involve such questions as providing for intensive sampling, window display installations, and retail-store demonstrations. It may be possible to organize sections of the present sales force to perform this work for the period of the campaign.

Collective groups of salesmen may be required to devote two days a week to these special tasks, or to give their entire time to them over a longer period. On the other hand, it may seem more desirable to hire new groups to carry out these special assignments.

Training and equipping the sales force

Whether the present force is used or new forces are recruited, the question of training immediately presents itself. In this connection decisions must be made on such matters as providing the training at the factory and in the field, routing crews with educational and promotion supervisors, and using sales letters, bulletins, and house organs to keep in touch with the men on the field. It may be necessary to prepare new sales manuals and special-instruction booklets and distribute them to the sales force. For instance, in a number of particular territories, efforts may be desired to break down dealer indifference toward the product line to open up additional retail outlets.

A well-prepared booklet of testimonials may be of invaluable aid to the salesman in breaking through the existing indifference or sales resistance. If the testimonials are attractively reproduced and accurately classified, the individual salesman may be able to present almost his entire appeal by means of their use. One of the best methods of breaking through indifference and sales resistance is to refer new prospects to the statements of dealers who have had experience with the product line on the very points in question.

In fact, the whole question of the sales outfit, sample case, demonstration kit, and advertising portfolio may be of the utmost importance in planning the marketing campaign. These sales aids should be planned so that they tie-in with the trade and ultimate-consumer advertising campaigns and assist the salesman in performing special tasks.

Compensating the sales force

If the present salesmen are to be used to perform new operations in a marketing campaign, some provision will have to be made for compensating them during the campaign. Of course, if they are employed on a straight salary basis, such adjustments may not be necessary. Nevertheless, the required tasks involved in the proposed campaign may be of an importance sufficient to justify special incentives for their effective execution.

If the campaign necessitates the temporary employment of new men who are to be dismissed after the campaign is finished, a considerable amount of attention should be paid to the compensation plan and its administration.

Laying out the time schedule

The whole marketing campaign must be laid out and analysed in its various elements so that definite dates can be fixed and scheduled for particular tasks. These campaign schedules should indicate when the advertising copy is to be prepared, when the advertising space is to be engaged, when insertions are to be made, when proofs are to be presented to executives, when exhibition space must be purchased, when dealers' helps must be ready, when salesmen are to be hired if new ones are needed, when they are to be trained, when the sales equipment must be ready, when the routing schedule is to be made out, and when salesmen are to be sent out.

In addition, there should be chronological schedules of factory production and delivery. Everything that must be done in the campaign should be scheduled before any of the machinery of marketing is set in motion.

Advantages of teamwork

Factory officials who do not understand marketing, and salesmen who do not understand manufacturing slow up the machinery of business progress. Lack of sympathy, based on lack of mutual understanding, between the factory and the sales force is often taken for granted. But any such situation is wasteful and unnecessary. Plans should be made to inform salesmen of manufacturing problems and to inform factory officials of selling problems so that the two groups will appreciate mutually the difficulties that each must encounter.

Plans should also be made to insure proper teamwork between advertising and personal salesmanship. The salesmen should be taught the functions and methods of advertising, and given the training necessary to use it most effectively in their work. The advertising department must be so closely coordinated with the personal sales organization that all its plans and practices will fit closely into the activities of the salesmen.

Providing for complete records

Finally, the marketing plan should provide for complete records of everything that is done and the results that are obtained. Plans should be laid for recording the exact cost of every phase of the salesmen's activities, the cost of each form of advertising used, the cost of sales and advertising administration, the net profits from each form of selling effort in each subdivision of the market, and, in short, every kind of record that may enable the management to know exactly where the business stands, the costs and results of methods that have been used to stimulate and promote it, and the places where further stimulation and promotion are needed.

The test or trial campaign

More and more, the larger business enterprises are using the method of testing an important preliminary marketing campaign in advance by actually conducting a trial campaign in a representative market.

Trial campaigns are of definite value. Often they save huge sums of money by indicating changes that will make the real campaign far more effective. In attempting a trial campaign it is necessary to give considerable attention to the selection of the particular trading area in which such a campaign is to be conducted. This area should be one that is as representative as possible of the total or sectional market in which the company operates, or intends to operate.

F. D. Webb, writing in an issue of Printers' Ink, sets up seven requirements for an ideal try-out market, as follows:

• Compactness, though not necessarily small population
• Variety of activities
• Average living conditions
• Average wealth
• Average, or nearly average, distribution of population by racial origin
• Average competitive conditions
• Reasonable proximity to supply of merchandise

In general, a medium-sized city with some dependent suburban and rural areas will prove to be a good trial market. But this statement is true only when the particular trading area presents a typical set of distributive outlets, wholesale and retail, and when the central city is not too individualistic in its character, or its dependence upon some single source of income. It should present a cross-section of the total market situation.

Frequently, more than one trading area is selected for the test campaign. In addition, it is desirable to choose a trading area that is reasonably close to the home offices of the testing concern so that the campaign efforts and results can be carefully watched.

The trial campaign should be put into operation and carried out under conditions that will be nearly identical with the conditions that will exist in the later and more general campaign. Intensive sales efforts that will not be used in the actual campaign should not be used in the test campaign. Moreover, so far as possible, distributors and consumers in the trial market should not be allowed to know that a test campaign is being carried on.

Typical results are sought and distributors or consumers must be dealt with under representative conditions. Finally, careful records of the results must be compiled and evaluated. If these results show any reason for a change in the plan of the campaign, the proposed general campaign should be adapted or modified accordingly.

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