Structuring a Campaign Plan
Structuring a Campaign Plan (Project A) – GSC Program
There is no “exact” way to organize and assemble your plan book. However, it is critical
to make sure all of the information you gathered, the analysis you did, and the
conclusions/recommendations you are making are presented in a logical manner.
Your campaign plan both tells a story and makes a case. You might know something,
but if it isn’t written on paper or presented in a logical manner, it won’t make sense to
the readers. In other words, you won’t make your case. Likewise, all assertions in your
book MUST be attributed – if they are not, your book will read like the opinion page of
The Miami Herald, instead of the factual analysis and decision-making tool it should be.
Of utmost importance is to give credit and attribution whenever you “borrow” ideas or
material from others. Please remember that committing plagiarism will have serious
implications. With that in mind, below are all of the sections and subsections a typical
campaign plan includes. The major “sections” of the plan are in bold.
- Title Page (sample provided to you in orientation packet)
- Table of Contents
- Executive Summary – A short summary of the entire plan, describing the
process undertaken to conduct the study and brief reference to select
recommendations; usually the last item to be prepared, but the first item in the
book.
Research Section - Problem Statement – Describes, as succinctly as possible, the problem facing
the client and the issue to be tackled with this plan. - Situation Analysis – Contains data and information to illustrate the problem and
the client overview of the current situation. Includes “benchmarks” relevant to the
company or industry. Typically includes all items pertaining to secondary
research:
Company analysis (history, mission, vision, values, organization,
IMC resources)
Product, brand, and/or service analysis (history, description,
growth, historical sales, volumes)
Analysis of existing markets/buyer behavior/current user evaluation
(demographics, psychographics, seasonality)
Competitive analysis (competitive sales, competitive media,
direct/indirect competitors)
Pricing/distribution analysis, if appropriate
Analysis of past IMC and overall communications efforts
Market and environmental analysis; market opportunity analysis if
it’s a new product to be launched
Other information gathered in secondary research
Implications and guide or rationale for primary research
Primary Research:
Sample Solution