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Welcome to the new edition of Brand Marketing Planning
One of the key Must Win battles for Unilever is to create leading category positions through great brands. Superior brand mixes are our top business priority. We need to deliver differentiated market positioning for our brands and to drive their growth through rigorous plans and flawless execution.
The Brand Planning Toolset provides a common language and framework for brand planning, which plays a vital part in delivering our brand growth ambitions across the business.
At the heart of the Brand Planning Toolset is this new, simplified and high quality approach to the national Brand Marketing Plan (BMP). The role of the BMP is to align the resources of the business behind growing the brand and building equity towards the BrandKey Vision, at a national level. This approach provides the marketing backbone of the Annual Contract process.
I want to emphasise that Brand Marketing Planning defines a substantial and critical part of Brand Building in the new Unilever and is therefore central to this role. High quality Brand Marketing Plans will create truly integrated and “zipped” activity plans which will drive our Brand and Category Strategies into action, and will generate sustainable growth.
I am convinced that these tools, properly embedded and used in the business will lead to a significant improvement in the quality of our marketing and business planning and thus in our ability to deliver outstanding business results.
Patrick Cescau Group Chief Executive BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:34 pm Page 2
CONTENTS
What is new? 01 What is new in the 2006 Upgrade to Brand Marketing Planning? 01
Brand Planning Toolset (BPT) Overview 03 What is the role of the Brand Planning Toolset? 03 What is in the Brand Planning Toolset? 04 How does the Category Strategy fit with the Brand Planning Toolset? 05 The flow of planning processes 06 Who does what? 07
Brand Marketing Plan (BMP) Overview 09 What is the role of the BMP? 09 What are the inputs to the BMP? 10 What is the output of the BMP process? 12 How do we create a BMP? 14 Who does what? 17 How does the BMP fit with other plans and processes? 21
BMP Process Overview 25 BMP Template 27
BMP 6 Steps 31 The 6 Steps of BMP 31
Step 1. Audit 35 Step 2. Jobs-to-be-Done 47 Step 3. Think Big 57 Step 4. Think Tight 69 Step 5. Integration 77 Step 6. Tracking 81
Example 85 OMO 85
Further training and information available 92
Glossary of terms 92
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“A VISION WITHOUT ACTION IS JUST A DREAM. ACTION WITHOUT VISION JUST PASSES THE TIME. A VISION WITH ACTION CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.” NELSON MANDELA BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:34 pm Page 1
01 BRAND MARKETING PLAN What is new? Development of the Brand Planning Toolset (BPT) began in 2004 and What is new it was rolled out during 2005. Since in the 2006 then, a new operating framework Upgrade to has been put in place, additional content has been developed and Brand Marketing learning has been gathered from Planning? user feedback. These changes have been incorporated into this upgraded 2006 Brand Marketing Plan tool.
The content of the Brand Marketing Plan tool has been strengthened with the inclusion of the following:
> Functional content from Customer Marketing, Finance and Communication Channel Management
> Clarity regarding the roles and responsibilities of each member of the cross-functional local team (Marketing, Customer Marketing, CMI, Finance, Communication Channel Management)
> A clear definition of what Brand Developers, Brand Builders and Customer Marketing contribute to Brand Marketing Planning
> The fit of Brand Marketing Planning with Category Strategy
> Specific reference to the timing of Brand Marketing Planning in relation to linked planning processes
> A greater focus on practical advice and guidelines to help Brand Marketing Planning work better for local teams
This book is designed to work as a business tool for defining, creating and tracking effective brand plans. It provides the essential information to guide teams successfully through each stage of activity. The book is complemented by workshops to help teams build their plans and additional, more detailed content is available on the http://marketing.unilever.com website (see All Tools and Guidance, Brand Planning, Brand Marketing Plan). BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:34 pm Page 2
“THE HARDER YOU WORK, THE LUCKIER YOU GET.” GARY PLAYER
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“YOU READ A BOOK FROM BEGINNING TO END. YOU RUN A BUSINESS THE OPPOSITE WAY. YOU START WITH THE END AND THEN DO EVERYTHING YOU MUST TO REACH IT.” HAROLD GENEEN BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:34 pm Page 3
03 BRAND MARKETING PLAN Brand Developing and building Planning successful brands has always Toolset (BPT) required world-class inspiration, Overview creativity and rigour, but these qualities are harder to develop and apply successfully today What is the role than ever before. The competitive of the Brand environment is busier, economic Planning Toolset? conditions tougher, consumers more demanding. The communication environment is more fragmented and customers more sophisticated.
Against this background, our brand challenge has never been clearer. If Unilever’s business is to flourish and grow, it is vital that we:
> Create compelling, differentiated BrandKey Visions that provide a clear and inspiring focus for everything we do
> Develop clear Category Strategies that provide the road map for brand portfolio growth and development
> Define tangible strategic business and brand equity goals and plans (Brand Vision Plans) which are aligned with the Category Strategy
> Drive brand growth and development by turning vision into action in every market through rigorous and creative Brand Marketing Plans aligned to financial goals
To help with these challenges, the Brand Planning Toolset has been further developed to provide a clear and common language that will enable Brand Developers, Brand Builders and Customer Marketers throughout Unilever to deliver our brand growth ambitions. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:34 pm Page 4
04 BRAND MARKETING PLAN BRAND PLANNING TOOLSET OVERVIEW
What is in the The Brand Planning Toolset is divided into three parts: Brand Planning 1. BrandKey Vision and Range Architecture Toolset? The BrandKey Vision (BKV) is the single expression of the desired positioning of the brand. It makes clear what the brand will stand for and what it will do in the next 3-5 years.
The term Range Architecture describes how Unilever structures, organises and communicates a brand range that delivers the BrandKey Vision. The Range Architecture aids consumer choice and maximises company efficiency.
2. BrandZip: Brand Vision Plan (BVP) NB: For more detail on the BKV and BVP, A Brand Vision Plan specifies brand equity and please refer to the http:// business targets for each brand across a 3-5 year marketing.unilever.com timeframe and describes a series of major strategic website (see All Tools activities designed to deliver that plan. The BVP helps and Guidance, Brand align brand building activity across all markets by Planning) or to the defining clear priorities and focusing on the key growth respective (red and green) drivers for each brand. By setting key measures of manuals available from success, it will ensure we track and assess brand the Unilever Marketing progress towards the Vision. Academy. The BKV, Range Architecture and BVP are written by the Brand Development team.
3. BrandZip: Brand Marketing Plan (BMP)
A Brand Marketing Plan specifies the detailed actions brands will take to close the gap between local market starting points and the strategic brand vision. The BMP must also deliver the business targets detailed in the brand’s National Goal. Covering a 12-24 month timeframe, the BMP is jointly developed by a cross- functional team (Marketing, Customer Marketing, Finance, CMI, CCM and channel agency) at a national level, in liaison with the Brand Development team.
This book focuses on the BrandZip: Brand Marketing Plan. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:34 pm Page 5
05 BRAND MARKETING PLAN BRAND PLANNING TOOLSET OVERVIEW
BRANDKEY BRANDZIP
BRAND DEVELOPMENT NATIONAL BRAND PLANNING TEAM
How does Within T1 2006 (January – April) Category SVPs will update and clarify their Global / Regional Category the Category Strategy using the new CatStrat Toolset.
Strategy fit The Category Strategy is the value creation road with the Brand map within each Category, describing Unilever’s agreed goals, objectives and strategies over a 3-5 Planning Toolset? year timeframe. It indicates where we will play, how we will win and where we will invest resource along three dimensions:
a) brands and products
b) channels and customers
c) regions and countries
“We lead through categories and grow through brands.” BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:34 pm Page 6
06 BRAND MARKETING PLAN BRAND PLANNING TOOLSET OVERVIEW
The Global / Regional Category Strategy provides broader strategic context and direction for the individual Brand Vision Plans and is translated into a National Category Building Plan. (NB: formats and templates for this are under development.)
The Category Strategy is re-confirmed / updated each T1 to shape the plans created in that planning year.
(See the definition of the National Category Building Plan under the BMP section ‘What are the inputs?’)
The following visual summarises how the different planning processes are linked:
FLOW OF PLANNING PROCESSES
JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
NEW UNILEVER PLANNING CYCLES
T3 T1 T2 Annual Contract Strategy Headlines Financial Planning Committed Q4
Amends to Global / National Category Regional Category Building Plans Strategy Plans HORIZON: 1-2 Years HORIZON: 3-5 Years Customer Business Plans HORIZON: 1 Year Amends to Brand Marketing Plans Brand Vision Plans HORIZON: 1-2 Years HORIZON: 3-5 Years (Customer Marketing Plans)
NB: Exact timing may vary by category / region. The BMP process can begin before April with the Audit and finalising the plan will continue beyond August. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:34 pm Page 7
07 BRAND MARKETING PLAN BRAND PLANNING TOOLSET OVERVIEW
Who does what? It is crucial that Brand Developers work together closely with Brand Builders and Customer Marketing to build brands and the business. It is, however, important that their roles are clear.
BRAND DEVELOPMENT NATIONAL BRAND PLANNING TEAM
Strategic brand & category Customer Marketing management
BrandKey Visions & National Brand Marketing Plans Brand Vision Plans
Innovation and renovation Launch management
Communications – strategy & content Communications – deployment
For more detail on these roles and responsibilities see http://marketing.unilever.com website (see Train & Develop, Your Development, Professional Skills).
Category SVPs are responsible for setting the Category Strategy and goals as inputs to the Brand Vision Plan (BVP) and National Category Building Plans.
Responsibility for creating the BrandKey Vision, Range Architecture and the Brand Vision Plan rests with Brand Developers. In the case of global brands, the Global Brand VP leads the work, supported by the Global Brand Team (including its agencies).
Category GVPs will approve and authorise all global BrandKey Visions and Brand Vision Plans, confirming the positioning, strategy and portfolio role for each brand. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:34 pm Page 8
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The Brand Development teams create the 8 Quarter Activity Plan which details the key brand activities they will deliver.
The national Brand Marketing Plan is generated by a cross-functional local team, in liaison with Brand Development. The BMP will be discussed and agreed by the top management team of the business unit (ie. the Country Chairman, Marketing VP, Customer Development VP and Finance VP), but it is owned by the national Marketing VP because he / she will lead its implementation in the marketplace and integrate all the plan elements. Agreement that the plan is final and ready for implementation is the shared responsibility of the national Marketing VP and the Regional Category VP. They both sign off the plan, confirming their responsibility to deliver certain elements of it.
Building brands in national markets
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“GIVE ME A PLACE TO STAND AND I CAN MOVE THE WORLD.” ARCHIMEDES BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:34 pm Page 9
09 BRAND MARKETING PLAN The Brand The key role of the BMP is to Marketing align the resources of the national Plan (BMP) business behind growing the brand Overview and building equity in the local market. The BMP for each brand must be aligned with the roles and What is the role priorities defined in the National of the BMP? Category Building Plan (or local translation of the Global / Regional Category Strategy).
The BMP is where the strategy and goals are translated into action. It becomes an aligning document to lead the entire cross-functional team in meeting the goals set for the brand within a 12-24 month timeframe. There must be a 12 month plan and a year 2 outlook to ensure realistic support for significant initiatives. It is in national markets that brands exist and interact with consumers and shoppers (who may or may not be the same people). It is here that we turn our visions and plans into reality and build our brands.
Vision into Action
The BMP is a clear statement of the brand’s objectives and activities. It focuses on:
> Objectives-based marketing plans
> The key Issues & Opportunities facing our brands
> Rigorous data-based analysis
> Fully integrated activity schedules that link communication, activation, customer and other marketing activities
> A drive for greater creativity when developing these plans
To maximise the efficiency with which this plan is created and to heighten the quality of the content, the following will be required:
> The productive collaboration of a cross-functional team, including Marketing, Customer Marketing, CMI, Finance, CCM and the channel agency BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:34 pm Page 10
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> The active engagement and strong leadership of the national Marketing VP, Customer Development VP and Finance VP
> An open and constructive relationship between the Brand Development and Brand Planning teams, working together to grow the brand
What are There are 5 elements which directly inform the BMP. the inputs The Audit – ‘Where are the category and brand now?’ to the BMP? The Audit is an annual, structured review of core data at a category and brand specific level covering business performance, brand health and the competitive context. It:
> highlights the business opportunities for growth (and potential threats) both at a national and a key customer / channel level
> reviews, in detail, the performance of each and every brand support activity and mix element in the market
> shows the gaps and opportunities in brand equity which need to be addressed at a national level in order to reach the BrandKey Vision
The output of the Audit is a shortlist of key Issues & Opportunities for the brand (and category) in the national market.
The National Goal – ‘What must the brand deliver?’
The National Goal captures the brand’s local one- year business target. It should incorporate the financial targets for the brand (eg. turnover (NPS) and margin delivery) and the brand’s portfolio role (eg. No 1, No 2 or Challenger) and what these demand in terms of growth and share expectations. There should also be an initial indication of the support budget likely to be allocated to the brand by the business. The National Goal figures available at the start of the planning process will need to be confirmed / updated in Q4, once the details of the Annual Contract are finalised. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 11
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Example (illustrative only):
Bertolli: Portfolio Role: Grow aggressively
Turnover (NPS): Grow x% to $80m
Margin: Increase to x%
Value Share: Gain x% points to reach 23%
Budget (MDC / media): $xm / $ym
The Global Category Strategy / National Category Building Plan – ‘What part should the brand play in delivering the National Category Building Plan?’
The National Category Building Plan translates the Global / Regional Category Strategy into the local market reality. It is here that the national teams look at channels, customers and shoppers to identify opportunities for growth. Formats and templates for the National Category Building Plan are currently under development.
The BKV / BVP – ‘What will enable the brand to deliver the longer term brand vision?’
The BKV / BVP provide the brand’s key goals, objectives and strategies. The BVP sets out the equity guidelines, range priorities and key marketing mix activities for the brand. The Strategic Agenda (within the BVP document) directly informs the national BMPs by highlighting the critical ‘must do’ activities for the brand in order of priority.
The 8 Quarter Activity Plan (8QP) – ‘What specific initiatives will drive the brand forward to deliver against the targets?’
The 8QP details the product and packaging innovation and communication initiatives from Brand Development to grow the brand over a 24 month period. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 12
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What is the The output of the BMP process is captured in a standard document format (see the Brand Marketing output of the Plan template) that summarises the key information BMP process? regarding the context and rationale for the plan, plus details of the activity plan and key measures to track its progress. An agreed plan must be submitted for the Annual Contract deadline, but this is a living document that must be revisited and adjusted if circumstances change or if plans are failing to deliver. The 5 sections to be completed are:
1. National Goal The financial targets and portfolio role of the brand in the market. Together these set a growth expectation for the brand.
2. Key Issues & Opportunities The key Issues & Opportunities captured in the BMP should represent the most important triggers or barriers to the brand’s growth and development. Each is recorded with the supporting facts and data. These are identified by the national Audit and will provide the themes for discussion and metrics when writing the Jobs-to-be-Done.
“A problem well put is a problem half-solved.” JOHN DEWAR
3. Jobs-to-be-Done A focused list of no more than 5 prioritised Jobs- to-be-Done which the brand must deliver if it is to succeed in achieving its targets. Each Job has a defined target audience, is expressed in relevant Measurable Objectives and will have been allocated a preliminary budget.
4. Activity Schedule An integrated schedule of the activities, channels and budgets the brand will use to deliver its Jobs-to-be- Done. In creating it, all activities should be considered that will influence brand performance, including distribution, in-store presentation, pricing and specific customer marketing activities. It is not just about planning communication or new product launches. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 13
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The key aims of the Activity Schedule are to create an integrated brand experience for the consumer / shopper and to link activities to create synergy, efficiency and impact in everything the brand does.
5. Scorecard A simple one-page overview of the Jobs-to-be-Done with their Measurable Objectives and the activities which will drive the growth of the brand towards these objectives. Also included is who is responsible for each main activity and a record of progress against the targets. The Scorecard should be reviewed at least quarterly throughout the year. Any variance from the targets should be fully understood and action taken. The Scorecard takes the form (and format) of a Strategy Into Action (S.I.A) planning table for a brand at a national Business Unit level.
“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.” ANDREW JACKSON BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 14
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How do we What is mandatory in the BMP process? create a BMP? The mandatory aspects of BMP are simply the basic steps required to create and manage an effective plan. Specifically they are:
M Run an Audit: Know the category and brand starting point
M Create a plan: Work as a cross-functional team to create an objectives-led plan which delivers the brand’s targets
M Get sign-off: Get the plan signed off by the local Board and the Regional Category VP
M Create a Monitor progress and adjust the Scorecard: activity plan where appropriate
What are the recommended BMP steps?
Brand Marketing Planning is business planning – it is not just a marketing activity. It is divided into 6 different phases. These will enable the cross-functional team to identify where the brand is now and what needs to be done to reach its targets. The BMP process provides guidelines to help create a strong plan of integrated activities that will deliver the targeted brand growth and equity development. The performance of the plan is tracked to ensure it is delivering success in the marketplace.
Step 1. Audit – The time for analysis The Audit defines where the category and brand are now. It is a structured, cross-functional review of category context, brand performance, shopper dynamics and customer alignment. These are looked at in conjunction with a financial ROI evaluation of past brand activity and a review of brand and competitor communication.
Step 2. Jobs-to-be-Done – The time for decision- making and prioritisation During this stage the team draws up a prioritised list of no more than 5 key strategic tasks which the brand must achieve in order to deliver its targets. They are based on the Issues & Opportunities highlighted in the Audit. Each has a target audience, is expressed using Measurable Objectives and will have been allocated a preliminary budget.
Generating and getting agreement to a list of succinct, quantified and compelling Jobs-to-be-Done is the most BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 15
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critical step in the whole planning process. Without real clarity and conviction at this stage, the rest of the BMP will lack focus and direction.
The Jobs-to-be-Done must be signed off by the Board of the national business and the Regional Category VP prior to the rest of the BMP being developed. The Jobs- to-be-Done for all brands in the category are reviewed together and total category Jobs-to-be-Done identified.
Step 3. Think Big – The time for solutions The purpose of Think Big is to ensure the team consider all the possible ways in which Jobs can be delivered. The Think Big phase comprises a series of individually planned and prepared for sessions (typically not one session covering all Jobs). At these sessions the participants employ a range of problem solving techniques to enable them to think openly and generate a broad range of top-line ideas and activities that can deliver against the brand’s Measurable Objectives. The outputs from the different Think Big sessions are then reviewed together to identify any potential ‘big ideas’ that may deliver against more than one Job or more than one brand in the category. The output of the Think Big phase may need to be further developed and finessed prior to the main filtering process in Think Tight.
Step 4. Think Tight – The time for making choices The Think Tight phase filters, focuses and prioritises the broad ideas and top-line activities generated during Think Big. This is the time for a reality check. In order to draft the strongest plan, tough choices often have to be made between all the different possible areas of activity by looking at their relative impact, cost, complexity and strategic fit. A draft Activity Schedule is drawn up with rough budget estimates allocated to each broad activity. Where it is appropriate to the Job-to-be-Done, preliminary communication channels will be allocated and more detailed development of the communication plan and brand activation will be initiated via Channel Agency Brief(s) and Specialist Agency Briefs. Internal briefs may be issued to further develop other chosen activity areas.
Step 5. Integration – The time for fine-tuning The work carried out during the Integration phase delivers a final Activity Schedule, ie. what the consumer / shopper / customer will actually see and experience of the brand. This plan should maximise the synergy between the consumer and customer activities, integrate the activities across the different Jobs-to-be-Done and, overall, fit with the plans of the other brands operating in the same category. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 16
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To achieve this, the team reviews the work carried out internally and by the briefed agencies following Think Tight, which has brought to life, and added executional detail, to the broad activity areas identified in the draft plan. There may also by now be further brand communication and activation materials available from Brand Development. Additional trade-offs and choices may be necessary at this stage to ensure that the strongest activities are in the plan, and that the plan will be effective, impactful and affordable. Accurate budgets and timings need to be defined.
If implemented successfully, the plan should meet the brand’s targets. This is an iterative process and several versions may be looked at before a final Activity Schedule is agreed.
Step 6. Tracking – The time for learning and action The tracking process is crucial. At least quarterly, the core team should re-convene and use the Scorecard to review the progress towards meeting the agreed Measurable Objectives by Job and the overall National Goal for the brand. The trends must be understood and acted upon where appropriate to ensure that the plan will still be met. In addition, new internal or external factors may demand changes to the plan to keep it aligned with objectives.
The Scorecard also provides invaluable learning and input into the shaping of the following year’s plan by tracking how well each activity delivers.
For major brands in the key markets, there will be a Quarterly Brand Tracker (QBT), which covers information on market performance, on the brand levers for growth used by CMI in the Audit and on financial performance. Where the QBT is available, it is mandatory that it be used.
The basic BMP process can be applied to brands both big and small, but the level of detail looked at and the amount of time taken will need to be tailored accordingly.
Simply following the BMP process will not in itself provide the right answers. The quality of the plan will ultimately depend upon the creativity and rigour of the team who generate it. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 17
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Who does what? The planning process is carried out by a core team representing the specialist functions of Marketing, Customer Marketing, CMI, Finance and communication channel planning. Depending upon the size of the brand and resources of the operating company, the team may or may not comprise one person per function. Whatever the case, all of these disciplines must be fully represented to ensure that all perspectives are taken into account, that the communication plan is robust and that commercial rigour has been applied to the evaluation, budgeting and tracking of brand activity.
Marketing The marketer has the dual role of representing the consumer and brand equity, as well as leading and co-ordinating the brand planning process. The marketer maximises the fit of the BMP with the world of the consumer / shopper in their local market and also ensures that the BMP is aligned with the Brand Vision Plan and BrandKey Vision. The national marketer amplifies the impact of the marketing mix provided by Brand Development by delivering creativity and executional excellence in all local consumer activation.
The role of BMP project leader incorporates the following responsibilities:
> Setting and tightly controlling a timetable of all the BMP deliverables (the Audit, completed BMP document, Scorecard reviews) and ensuring they are completed on schedule
NB: The marketer may > Organising and planning the key team meetings lead some of the team within the BMP process meetings, but where full facilitation is required, > Being the regular contact person for the project this should be done by leaders in the Brand Development team someone who is not on the core team. > Achieving sign-off of the Jobs-to-be-Done and final plan by the local Board and Regional Category VP BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 18
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Customer Marketing Customer Marketing is about building brands and categories through customers and retail channels. Customer Marketing brings together customer or channel objectives, brand and category objectives and insights about shoppers into activities that drive business and brand equity.
CUSTOMERCUSTOMER BRANDBRAND
SHOPPERSHOPPER
Customer Marketing must bring channel, customer and shopper understanding into the BMP and be an integral part of the Audit and plan creation. Customer Marketing’s specific contribution to the Audit is the Channel / Customer Audit. It is in the retail channels that shoppers interact with brands and often make the decision to purchase. Customer Marketing therefore plays a critical role when developing a growth plan for the brand. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 19
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CMI CMI plays a primary role in preparing and facilitating the Audit. Their understanding of the market information will enable them to track the return on plan and the build of brand performance over time. As the plan is built CMI helps define appropriate Measurable Objectives and target audiences for the Jobs-to-be- Done. CMI champions the consumer and brand equity based on their indepth knowledge and insight.
Finance The Finance Manager needs to provide objective and insightful analysis that will help in achieving the business objectives and creating long term value. More specifically, they help evaluate and prioritise various business actions, help in setting and tracking the right Measurable Objectives, and ensure the transparency of spending and Return on Investment. If there are changes made to the budgets available to and / or the targets set for the brand, the Finance Manager focuses on retaining consistency between spend and growth expectations. It is also their role to link the BMP with other strategic and financial planning processes.
CCM / Channel agency The Communication Channel Manager and / or channel agency apply both the rigour and the creativity of CCP to the BMP. They provide the Channel and Communications Review for the Audit and work closely with CMI to help define specific target audiences for communication-led Jobs. They work with Marketing and Finance to set Measurable Objectives for communication initiatives and propose budget allocations that will provide effective support. They also help the team to build an integrated, synergistic communication plan within the Activity Schedule, one which exploits big ideas and creative channel opportunities and incorporates effective channel choices.
The national Business Unit Board It is essential that members of the national Board actively engage in brand planning and demonstrate strong leadership. They are responsible for signing off the Jobs-to-be-Done and the final plan. This plan will become the key document for the brand / category team going forward. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 20
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The extended team The core team will also work with members of the extended team, typically during the Audit and Think Big stages of the process. The extended team will include, for example:
Brand Development The Brand Developers provide the key brand development inputs (Category Strategy, BKV, BVP, 8QP) plus the brand support materials that will form the core of the local brand communication and activation programme. They work together with the major markets to gain an understanding of local issues from the Audit. They also have a dialogue with these markets to agree the areas where the national teams can add most value NB: The Brand agency during Think Big by building on what is already available is typically not involved from Brand Development. The Brand Developers check with the brand planning for alignment of the local plans with the BKV and process at a local level, strategic agenda in the BVP. except under certain circumstances, such as Specialist agencies where a major market The local teams will typically work with agencies is co-inventing brand specialising in eg. PR, sponsorship and Customer communication with the Marketing, ie. areas not covered by the agencies Brand Development team working centrally with the Brand Developers. Those and tapping into shared agencies which work very closely on the brand in the brand agency resource. local market will contribute their brand learning and specialist knowledge to the BMP process.
All team members In addition to their individual areas of functional expertise, it is important that every member of the team has a shared understanding of the following fundamental information:
> What the brand is about and where it is heading (from the BKV)
> What the strategic agenda is for the brand (from the BVP and Category Strategy)
> What the key growth drivers are for the brand (from the Audit)
> What types of support activity work for the brand and which do not
> What needs to be done, and how, for the brand to meet its local targets
Without this common grounding in the brand, the team as a whole may struggle to focus on the right issues. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 21
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How does the The BMP is a core planning process within the national business and integrates with and links into other BMP fit with existing plans: other plans and processes? The link with Annual Planning As the BMP is the backbone of the annual business cycle for local companies, there should be a BMP for each Annual Operating Plan cycle. Where a brand or innovation is being launched, it is important to plan a support budget over a 24-month cycle. (Adequate advertising is essential in year 2 to consolidate launch success and to bring in late adopters.)
In a year where all of the Brand Development inputs (Category Strategy, BVP and 8QP) are finalised and available by the end of Q1, the following approximate timings would be appropriate:
> Audit complete by end Q1
> Jobs-to-be-Done complete and signed off by end Q2
> Activity Schedule and budget finalised and Scorecard set by end Q3
> Final adjustment to plan and sign-off for Annual Contract during Q4
The link with customer lead times
Where customers / channels have long planning lead times, the Customer Development teams may need to discuss top-line category and brand plans with key customers prior to the final sign-off of the BMP. It is unlikely that the team will be able to finalise all the details of the Activity Schedule in order to meet these early timings, but, at the very least, a clear Category Strategy and the Jobs-to-be-Done for each brand should be available for discussion. Ideally there is an ongoing dialogue with key customers, which provides input into the BMP. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 22
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The link with the Customer Marketing Plan
The BMP is where all the executional activities come together, hence the key elements of Customer Marketing activity are an integral part of the brand Activity Schedule and overall BMP. There is one single plan for the brand expressed, for clarity of execution, across customers and channels to achieve the National Goals and Jobs-to-be-Done.
This same Activity Schedule content is also part of the Customer Marketing Plan. This plan expresses the brand support activities of all of the Unilever brands in the same category within a single channel or customer. The Customer Marketing Plan is often put together and owned by a Customer Marketing Manager. Brands A BCD
1 Customer Marketing Plan
2
3 Customer / Channels
4 Brand Marketing Plan
The link with Communication Channel Planning
An integrated communications plan is an integral part of the BMP – but it is only a part. One of the key principles behind the BMP is that it focuses on the whole marketing mix and not just communication activity. For this reason the CCP framework remains intact, but its specific steps are now undertaken as part of the Brand Planning process, not independently of it. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 23
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This new integrated approach is designed to increase creativity in channel choice and to leverage all consumer touch points, including eg. retailers as communication channels, call centres, on-line, etc. A summary of the old and the new communication channel planning processes is shown below. The application of the Unilever budgeting tools is also shown for reference.
What we did What we do now Benefit
P0 Audit Identifies key Issues & (in markets where used) Opportunities
P1 National Brand Marketing Plan, No P1 document Brand Activities & Priorities sections 1-3 => No duplication (incorporating AIM / MIL for ‘top down’ media budgeting in Jobs-to-be-Done)
Generate channel options => Increased channel (Think Big, Think Tight) creativity (incorporating MAC for communications activity costing in Think Tight)
P2 Channel Agency Brief Channel Recommendation by Activity
P3 Draft Communication Plan + => Increased plan Draft Communication Plan Integration Step synergies (incorporating MIL for a final budget check in Integration)
P4 Communication Plan as part of Communication Plan single brand Activity Schedule
See the Glossary of terms for definitions of AIM, MIL and MAC. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 24 12.250_Blue2_Book_AW1 6/3/06 6:44 pm Page 25
25 BRAND MARKETING PLAN BRAND MARKETING PLAN OVERVIEW
BMP Process Define Overview Plan Define Create Action Evaluate Context / Plan the the the Inputs Objectives Plan Plan Plan
BrandKey Vision Brand Vision Plan BMP 1-3 BMP 4-5 Plan Implementation: Collect & compare > Activation actual activity 1. National Goal 4. Activity Schedule Execution vs Plan > Customer Plans 8 Quarter 2. Key Issues & 5. Scorecard > New Product Activity Plan Opportunities Launches > Price Changes 3. Jobs-to-be-Done National Category Building Plan
Evaluate success of activity against National Goal Jobs-to-be-Done Plan Jobs-to-be-Done Support Budget Approval Approval & National Goal
Actual performance Audit National Brand Marketing Plan vs Scorecard targets
National Customer Marketing Plan Who’s involved? TRIM GUIDE. DO NOT PRINT LINE
Brand Development
Regional Leadership Team The extent to which each activity is shared with or led by the Brand Development team does vary in some regions. National Business In every situation, the deliverables remain:
National Brand Planning Team > Rigorous analysis of the category / brand in the Audit > An integrated national Brand Marketing Plan Output documents > Ongoing evaluation of the plan via the Scorecard (and Quarterly Brand Tracker where available) National Brand Planning Team with Brand Development 12.250_Blue2_Book_AW1 6/3/06 6:44 pm Page 27
27 28 BRAND MARKETING PLAN BRAND MARKETING PLAN OVERVIEW BRAND MARKETING PLAN BRAND MARKETING PLAN OVERVIEW BMP Template 4. ACTIVITY SCHEDULE An integrated schedule of activities and budgets covering all communication, BRAND MARKETING PLAN: BRAND / COUNTRY activation, customer, new product and pricing initiatives. Activity / Customer Budget Jan Feb 1. NATIONAL GOAL Channel Activity The brand’s financial targets and portfolio role. > Brand Portfolio Role > Target Share > Turnover (NPS) > Support Budget (MDC and Media) > Profitability Total 2. KEY ISSUES & OPPORTUNITIES Budget $xxxm The key Issues & Opportunities the brand must address, ranked in order of priority. 5. SCORECARD A scorecard of metrics that captures the relationship between the Jobs-to-be-Done and activities.
Jobs-to-be-Done Measurable Objectives 3. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE A list of the brand’s key Jobs-to-be-Done, the tasks that must be achieved to reach the brand’s National Goal and equity goals. For each Job-to-be-Done Measurable Objectives are defined. 1. Jobs-to-be-Done Measurable Objectives
2. 1. TRIM GUIDE. DO NOT PRINT LINE PRINT NOT DO GUIDE. TRIM
2. 3.
3. 4. 4.
5. 5.
BMP Process Overview BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 27
27 BRAND MARKETING PLAN BRAND MARKETING PLAN OVERVIEW BMP Template BRAND MARKETING PLAN: BRAND / COUNTRY
1. NATIONAL GOAL The brand’s financial targets and portfolio role. > Brand Portfolio Role > Target Share > Turnover (NPS) > Support Budget (MDC and Media) > Profitability
2. KEY ISSUES & OPPORTUNITIES The key Issues & Opportunities the brand must address, ranked in order of priority.
3. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE A list of the brand’s key Jobs-to-be-Done, the tasks that must be achieved to reach the brand’s National Goal and equity goals. For each Job-to-be-Done Measurable Objectives are defined. Jobs-to-be-Done Measurable Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
BMP Process Overview BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 28
28 BRAND MARKETING PLAN BRAND MARKETING PLAN OVERVIEW
4. ACTIVITY SCHEDULE An integrated schedule of activities and budgets covering all communication, activation, customer, new product and pricing initiatives. Activity / Customer Budget Jan Feb Channel Activity
Total Budget $xxxm
5. SCORECARD A scorecard of metrics that captures the relationship between the Jobs-to-be-Done and activities.
Jobs-to-be-Done Measurable Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
5. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 29
29 BRAND MARKETING PLAN BRAND MARKETING PLAN OVERVIEW
Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Activities Responsiblity Progress against the targets
A blank BMP Template is downloadable on-line at http://marketing.unilever.com website (see All Tools and Guidance, Brand Planning, Brand Marketing Plan). BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 30
“ALONE WE CAN DO SO LITTLE; TOGETHER WE CAN DO SO MUCH.” HELEN KELLER
BLUE 2 DIVIDERS 6/3/06 7:19 pm Page 8
“BY FAILING TO PREPARE, YOU ARE PREPARING TO FAIL.” BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 12.250_Blue2_Book_AW1 6/3/06 6:45 pm Page 31 BRAND MARKETING PLAN 31 The 6 Steps of BMP Category VP. by the Board of national business and Regional The Jobs-to-be-Done and final plan must be signed off specialist agencies). and the extended team (Brand Development Marketing, CMI, Finance and CCM / Channel agency) The cross-functional core team (Marketing, Customer Who’s involved? brand and category Opportunities for the Key Issues & > Plan results > Plan and > Channel / > Customer > Finance Audit > CMI (6Ps) Audit Data Plan Context Review Communications Channel Audit Define Conduct an Audit TP1 STEP Audit M 6 STEPS BMP Plan Objectives BPsections 1-3) (BMP meet the National Goal Jobs-to-be-Done to of 5 (maximum) prioritised shortlist A > Existing 8 Quarter > National Goal Category > National > BKV and BVP Jobs-to-be-Done Activity Plan Building Plan Jobs-to-be-Done and Measurable Objectives Agree the Define TP2 STEP ideas and activities range of broad A > Other > Audit learnings > Best practice from > Existing 8 Quarter Category > National > BKV and BVP sessions to generate ideas and activities Activity Plan – consumer – shopper – customer other brands / Building Plan countries Jobs-to-be-Done Run Think Big Run Think to meet the Think Big TP3 STEP > Draft Activity Schedule > Internal briefs > Briefs to other specialist > Channel agency briefs > Latest budget > Existing 8 Quarter Category > National > Jobs-to-be-Done Prioritise and finesse ideas and activities agencies Activity Plan Building Plan sections 1-3) (BMP Think Tight the Plan Create TP4 STEP > Agency responses: > Agency BPsection 4) (BMP Schedule Final Activity – Draft communi- – Latest budget support – Brand – Customer cation plan activities activities marketing the activities Integration Quarterly Brand Tracker (where available) Integrate TP5 STEP opeeSoead(M section 5) Complete Scorecard (BMP M sections 1-4 > BMP Scorecard / Tracking Evaluate the Plan Outputs Steps Inputs finalisation Tracking TP6 STEP
TRIM GUIDE. DO NOT PRINT LINE 12.250_Blue2_Book_AW1 6/3/06 6:45 pm Page 33 TRIM GUIDE. DO NOT PRINT LINE BRAND MARKETING PLAN 33 M 6 Steps BMP enable the teams to: The 6 Steps described will this integrated planning system. recommended ways to manage This section suggests some one brand team. availability of team members who sit on more than of pre-planning will be needed to co-ordinate the is all about. In addition, an element what BMP check that there is a shared understanding of agree plan timings, clarify ways of working and the team should agree roles and responsibilities, NB: tools and templates offered. The steps are described in detail and some useful Evaluate the plan > Create the plan > Define plan objectives > Define plan context / inputs > Prior to starting the actual planning process, “GETTING READY IS THE SECRET OF SUCCESS.” ER FORD HENRY BLUE 2 DIVIDERS 6/3/06 7:19 pm Page 10
“DON’T ONLY LOOK BACK, BUT LOOK FORWARD TO ENSURE OUR FUTURE PLANS ARE BETTER THAN OUR PAST.” CHET HENDERSON
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33 BRAND MARKETING PLAN BMP 6 Steps This section suggests some recommended ways to manage this integrated planning system. The 6 Steps described will enable the teams to:
> Define plan context / inputs
> Define plan objectives
> Create the plan
> Evaluate the plan
The steps are described in detail and some useful tools and templates offered.
NB: Prior to starting the actual planning process, the team should agree roles and responsibilities, agree plan timings, clarify ways of working and check that there is a shared understanding of what BMP is all about. In addition, an element of pre-planning will be needed to co-ordinate the availability of team members who sit on more than one brand team. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 34
“GETTING READY IS THE SECRET OF SUCCESS.” HENRY FORD BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 35
35 BRAND MARKETING PLAN
Step 1. The Audit comprises both a category overview and brand specific information. Each member of the core Audit team co-ordinates the gathering and analysis of information related to their specific function using structured templates as a framework. This should not be a passive listing of information, but rather a thorough analysis of the facts that highlights actionable insights that will help the brand gain competitive advantage. What is An Audit summary covering input from all of the functional areas is circulated to the team in advance of happening? an Audit meeting. During this session the key Issues & Opportunities for the brand are identified, clustered and then prioritised. Each Issue or Opportunity should be captured with the supporting data and metrics drawn from the Audit.
What are the The team reviews the following: inputs? > The drivers of current consumer and shopper behaviour, customer dynamics, and how these impact brand performance
> Customer / channel objectives, the role of customers / channels within the brand, and shopper insights
> Brand and competitor strategies, communication spend and activities, and implications for the brand
> The brand’s overall financial performance
> The return on investment of specific brand activities
What are the At the end of the Audit, the team should have a list of the key (maximum 10) Issues & Opportunities outputs? facing the brand with the supporting factual evidence and data. This will form the basis of the discussion during the next phase of agreeing the brand’s Jobs- to-be-Done. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 36
36 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 1. AUDIT
Who does what? CMI CMI collate the data related to the category dynamics and the brand’s impact on consumers. They work with the marketer to set up and facilitate the Audit meeting.
The information gathered by CMI focuses on three different levels:
> Market structure and dynamics – key market trends and market shares
> Consumer behaviour – penetration, loyalty and consumer profiles
> Brand levers (proposition, promotion, place, price, pack and product)
A template for the CMI input is available on the http://marketing.unilever.com website (see All Tools and Guidance, Brand Planning, Brand Marketing Plan, Audit).
A brand’s sales volume, value and profitability will ultimately be determined by the levels of consumer penetration and loyalty that can be achieved. These will in turn be influenced by the following 6Ps, all of which are levers for growth:
Proposition > The brand promise, including benefits and reasons to believe
Promotion > All forms of activation, advertising, PR, RM, word of mouth, etc.
Place > The places where consumers purchase the product, including all forms of selling or trade channels
Price > The price the consumer pays for the SKU, including discounts and price reductions of all forms, including trade promotions
Pack > The packaging the consumer sees and interacts with in using or consuming the product
Product > The physical product or service offered BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 37
37 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 1. AUDIT
6Ps Brand The following 6Ps Brand Growth Model acts as a Growth Model framework to help structure the mass of information that will be generated during the Audit. It will enable the team to see where the brand is strong and weak versus the competition and where there are gaps and opportunities to grow.
Market Dynamics Profit and Financial Return Turnover / Value Market Size Value Share Value
Price Market Growth
Volume Volume Market Size Volume Share
Buying behaviour Loyalty Penetration Share of Purchase Average pack purchases frequency size bought
6Ps (Brand Levers) Proposition Promotion Pack Place Price Product
3 Brand-Consumer touch points CommunicationPoint of purchase In-use BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 38
38 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 1. AUDIT
When analysing the CMI-led data, key questions to ask are as follows:
Market dynamics and > Are market volume and value growing or declining? financial return > Is the structure of the market changing, eg. are new formats driving growth? > Are there shifts between brands in market share, by either volume or value? > What are the gains / losses between brands? > Are new retailer formats driving growth at the expense of our major customers? > What macro trends are influencing market dynamics?
Buying Behaviour > What is our brand’s penetration level? > Is it increasing or decreasing relative to other brands? > How loyal are our consumers to our brand compared to other brands in the category? > What is the consumption level of our consumers vs other consumers in the category? > Is consumption increasing or decreasing? > Are consumers switching more than is expected to or from other brands, and if so which brands are these?
The 6Ps (Brand Levers) The following types of question will help determine the drivers of current brand sales volume and value performance:
Proposition: How relevant, differentiated and credible do consumers perceive the brand’s benefit to be? Promotion: Did the promotional / communication activities in place deliver fully against the objectives? If not, why not? Place: Are all of our products available in the right place at the right time when consumers might want to buy them? Price: What is the actual price of our brand vs that of competitor brands? What perceptions do consumers have of our price levels versus reality and do they believe these offer value for money versus competition? How many promotions does our brand run vs other brands in the category? Pack: How effective is our packaging at both the point of sale and in-use? (eg. how strong is on-shelf impact, variant differentiation, perceived quality, fit with brand positioning?) Product: How well do our products perform versus the competition, and against the KPIs set out in the BVP? BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 39
39 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 1. AUDIT
Using the 6Ps Brand Growth Model to look at the data in this way helps the team drill down into a deeper understanding of the brand dynamics, asking for example: ‘How much of the change in share is due to penetration, loyalty and each of the 6Ps?’
Each of the 6Ps affects penetration and loyalty to some extent, but penetration is most affected by proposition, place, promotion and pack, and loyalty by price and product.
The model can also be used to build up the impact of different scenarios, eg. ‘If I change one of the 6Ps, how much will that change penetration and loyalty and therefore share?’
It is important that the whole team get a good understanding of the brand dynamics expressed in numbers in this way and that they use the analysis to identify the real growth drivers for the brand that can be used when creating the plan.
Customer Marketing The Customer Marketing Manager (or manager responsible) manages the Customer / Channel Audit input and provides the essential retail and shopper context to the overall Audit. It is the single most critical step towards ensuring that the BMP maintains a customer and channel focus. Without it, brand plans would be undifferentiated from one retail channel to the next, they would not leverage shopper understanding, nor would they contribute to meeting customer goals and brand objectives in the most effective way.
A Customer / Channel Audit is carried out for each major customer / channel and summarises Issues & Opportunities based on an understanding of shopper behaviour and retail strategies. It sets the direction for what must be done in order to improve the performance of the brand within a given category and channel.
The Customer / Channel Audit covers the following key areas:
> Customer / channel profile and strategic alignment > Category performance review > Shopper immersion > Customer / channel marketing learning BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 40
40 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 1. AUDIT
A Customer / Channel Audit template can be downloaded from the http://marketing.unilever.com website (see All Tools and Guidance, Brand Planning, Brand Marketing Plan, Audit).
Gathering this information will require detailed conversations with the Customer Development Manager responsible for the particular channel or key customer. A great shopper immersion will involve working with CMI, over a number of weeks, to uncover shopper insights and deep understanding.
By carrying out this audit, the team should be able to address the following questions:
> What are the customers’ / channel objectives, unique strengths, strategy? How do they align with our brand strategy and what we see as our opportunities and threats? > Who shops in this channel? How, when and why? (ie. what are their ‘shopper missions’?) > What decisions do they make out of vs in the store? > What shopper insights might impact on the brand? eg. How do they approach the shelf? Can they find the pack on the shelf? Do they notice promotions? > What category specific opportunities and threats exist? > What is the impact of competitors on this customer / channel?
More details and examples of the Customer Audit process are available in the purple BrandZip Customer Marketing book and on line at http://winwithcustomers.unilever.com.
CCM / Channel agency The channel agency contributes broader channel and media consumption insights and trends, a review of brand and competitor communication, as well as any key learning gained from past activities and plans. This will include an analysis of spend profiles by category and brand to identify competitor strategies and the implications for the brand.
The information is structured in the Channel and Communications Review and covers 3 main areas:
> A review of brand and competitor communication expenditure and executions (by market and category) > Communication channel insights and trends > Key learning that must be carried forward from past communication plans BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 41
41 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 1. AUDIT
This review looks at issues such as:
> Is advertising expenditure growing or declining NB: Link the CCM / in overall terms and why? Channel agency findings > How is the major competition positioned vs Unilever with those of the CMI in terms of share of expenditure? Can any of their input covering ‘Promotion’, communication tactics be exploited? eg. brand communication > Is there evidence of growth amongst non-measured awareness, advertising (non-traditional) channels? effectiveness. > Are there any ‘first mover’ channel opportunities relevant to the brand?
As part of this process it will be useful to turn to the Brand Development team for examples of regional and global communication best practice, both for Unilever brands and those of competitors. In addition, the brand agency team working with the Brand Developers may have available for reference examples of competitor marketing executions which are directly relevant to a specific brand in a specific market.
The Channel and Communication Audit templates and further key questions to ask can be downloaded from the http://marketing.unilever.com website (see All Tools and Guidance, Brand Planning, Brand Marketing Plan, Audit).
Finance The main objective of the Finance Manager is to identify a shortlist of Issues & Opportunities by focusing on key market trends and shares and consumer behaviour, using the 6Ps Brand Growth Model as a framework for analysis. They look at historical P&Ls, relative analysis versus other brands in the portfolio and competitor brands. The Finance Manager also builds an understanding of what has worked for the brand in the past and what has not by looking at the Return on Investment (ROI) of marketing activities such as advertising and trade and consumer promotions. They may use specific analytical tools such as Marketing Mix Modelling and the OPSO Toolkit / Trade Value Chain to provide insights and data.
The Financial Audit seeks to identify sources of performance improvement and competitive advantage by addressing questions such as:
> How much value has the brand generated over the past 5 years and how? > What has been the ROI of past promotions? > What is the brand’s pricing strategy? What would be the impact of a price change on the consumer and customer and overall brand value? BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 42
42 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 1. AUDIT
> What is the brand’s cost structure? > What are the margins made by key channels and customers?
See the BrandZip Finance book for a detailed look at the role of Finance in the Audit stage.
Marketing The role of the marketer is to work alongside CMI to co-ordinate the gathering and analysis of data and to set up the Audit workshop using the recommended process outlined in the next section. The marketer should also write and distribute to the core team the short list of Issues & Opportunities.
How do we run The basics of a successful Audit are to prepare and share the information well in advance, to ensure that an Audit? the data is distilled into key issues for discussion, and to structure the Audit analysis around a brand equity and business framework.
NB: It should not be The Briefing Stage necessary to commission new research to complete Brief to the core team: the Audit. National teams with limited resources > Brief the core team members well in advance of the should use what workshop date (data suppliers for the CMI analysis information they do will need up to 10 weeks) have to identify the main > Schedule interim functional reviews of each area themes and directions. of input to synthesise key learning If the information available > Hold a final review of all of the inputs 2 weeks prior has been adequate to the workshop for making business decisions in the past, Brief to the attendees (2 weeks ahead of the workshop): that will still be true when generating a BMP. What > Provide the Audit summary analyses for pre-read this process will do is > Attach the BKV, BVP and National Goal for reference provide a way of reviewing > Brief each attendee to capture their observations the data and structuring the (1 per Post-it note) as Issues & Opportunities findings more effectively. Who should attend the Audit workshop?
The Audit should be attended by all members of the cross-functional core team, plus the national Category Director and / or Marketing VP. For strategic brands in NB: The Audit workshop major markets, a member of the Brand Development should be facilitated by team should also be present. Any key agencies who the CMI Manager. work closely on the brand need to be represented. It is important to remember that this is a working meeting which requires that specific agreed outputs be achieved. Each person present must have a clear contribution to make to the discussion. Too large a group may hinder the effectiveness of the meeting. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 43
43 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 1. AUDIT
On the day:
> Run through the different areas of input, capturing the team’s observations as Issues & Opportunities; No PowerPoint presentations of data should be made on the day > Make sure that the specific metrics / evidence are always recorded to support the headline > Cluster the Post-It notes into bigger themes using the Gap Analysis template as a framework (see page 45) > Use the data to identify the gap between where the brand is now and the brand’s targets in the National Goal and BVP > Agree a shortlist of (maximum 10) clearly expressed and quantified key Issues & Opportunities to take forward into the Jobs-to-be-Done phase
Prioritisation and focus are critical here. The whole of the rest of the plan should then be directed towards dealing with the issues or seizing opportunities effectively.
Some examples of the key Issues & Opportunities that might arise are:
> Weak strategic alignment between a customer’s corporate mission and the brand’s vision > Low loyalty caused by poor product quality perceptions > A customer / channel is open to the brand, but only in a specific pack size not currently available in the range > Need to strengthen consumer-perceived differentiation on key discriminating emotional brand benefits > Many more purchase decisions are being made spontaneously in store rather than being pre- planned via eg. shopping lists > Under-indexed market share within a key customer / channel > An inconsistency between actual and consumer- perceived brand price positioning > Low category penetration amongst a specific consumer group (eg. low income consumers) > Sampling has proven to build significant trial amongst the target consumer group > The emergence of ‘hot’ new communication channels (eg. podcasting) BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 44
44 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 1. AUDIT
Focusing on these types of observations will help the team understand the general market context, the trends and developments that are influencing the brands and the impact of the marketing plan already in place.
Try to express the Opportunities as, say, current openings in the marketplace or say as competitor weaknesses, not as a list of potential activities for the brand or ‘answers’ to the Issues.
Right: ‘The internet is an under-utilised, yet highly targeted communication channel for the brand (<5% category media spend, regularly used by x% target 18-24 year old men).’
Wrong: ‘There is an opportunity for the brand to significantly increase investment in internet communication.’
The risk in expressing the Opportunities as potential activities is that it takes the team into proposing solutions before the Jobs-to-be-Done and priorities are defined.
If good execution ideas do come up during the Audit, they should be captured and reviewed when creating the plan in Think Big.
The Audit Gap Analysis template on the following page is a useful tool to help cluster and headline the major Issues & Opportunities facing the brand. The headings are to be used as a prompt during the Audit workshop – not every section has to contain an Issue or Opportunity and the headings are not mutually exclusive. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:35 pm Page 45
45 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 1. AUDIT
Audit Ragu example Gap Analysis Template During the Audit, note Issues & Opportunities here rnKy6Ps Model BrandKey
Equity Gaps x% agreement with description ‘Old fashioned’ Consumer appeal of ‘Contemporary Italian spirit’
Category
Competitive Environment
Customer / Channel DOB volume share increasing from 18% to 24%
Shopper x% increase in impulse vs planned purchase of meal solutions
Profitability
Promotion Share of Ad Spend fallen to 1% SOV
Place Share of shelf contracted from 30% to 24%
Price
Pack
Product
Proposition No brand attribute differentiation vs Prego BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 46
46 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 1. AUDIT
Capturing Issues & Opportunities in the Audit workshop
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“WHAT KEEPS ME GOING IS GOALS.” MUHAMMAD ALI BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 47
47 BRAND MARKETING PLAN
Step 2. The cross-functional team (Marketing, Customer Marketing, Finance, CMI, CCM, channel agency) meet Jobs-to-be-Done to agree the key (maximum 5) Jobs-to-be-Done over the planning period. For each of these Jobs the team agrees on the target audience and Measurable Objectives which will track their progress against delivery of the plan. For each Job an initial budget estimate is made which broadly identifies the funds needed to meet the objectives. The initial media budget estimate should be made using Unilever’s Budgeting Principles and What is the AIM (Advertising Investment Measure) and MIL happening? (Minimum Investment Level) budgeting tools. This is the beginning of the ‘zipping up’ process. The agreed Jobs must together move the brand from the start point defined in the Audit to the targets set in the National Goal, and act to close any equity gaps versus the BKV and BVP. It is critical to the rest of the brand planning process that time is spent at this stage to define a really clear, concise and quantified list of Jobs that everyone agrees with. Without this degree of rigour early on, the plan will lack focus and impact.
“Once you’re on the wrong train, every stop is the wrong stop!”
The Jobs-to-be-Done must be agreed and signed off by the Board of the local business and the Regional Category VP. NB: This step replaces the P1 ‘Brand Activities As the team moves into subsequent planning cycles, and Priorities’ step in the the Jobs-to-be-Done will not all need to be totally CCP process. re-written, as the big brand initiatives will often take more than 12 months to complete.
What are the To establish these objectives, a number of inputs inputs? are required: > The BVP and BKV > The National Category Building Plan / local translation of the Global / Regional Category Strategy > The National Goal the team needs to meet > The 8 Quarter Activity Plan > The key Issues & Opportunities arising from the Audit BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 48
48 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 2. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE
What are the A prioritised list of no more than 5 concisely written Jobs-to-be-Done, which will act as a call to action outputs? to the business to achieve the brand’s business and equity goals. Each Job must have Measurable Objectives and a specific target audience. The Jobs should positively influence the attitudes / behaviour of consumers, shoppers or customers and, if necessary, address other parts of the marketing mix, eg. cost, profitability and supply chain issues.
Who does what? Every core team member has equal responsibility for defining and agreeing the proposed list of Jobs-to-be- Done. Beyond this they will draw upon their area of functional expertise to provide the detail for setting appropriate Measurable Objectives, target audience definition and rough budgets.
Marketing As well as leading the internal team process of writing the Jobs-to-be-Done, the marketer needs to actively engage with the Brand Development team to establish the fit of the national market Jobs with the BVP. They also need to gain the sign-off of the local Board. If there is non-alignment, the marketer should support the team’s case using the objective data gathered in the Audit. In addition, the marketer will work with the Finance Manager, CCM / channel agency and Customer Marketing to set rough budgets for each Job.
Finance The Finance Manager provides the relevant financial analysis to help quantify the impact on the business of various Jobs and help in prioritising them. The Finance Manager can also help identify and fix KPIs for the Measurable Objectives and help estimate the budget needed to meet them. These budgets are then cross-checked to ensure sufficient funds are available to deliver the Jobs-to-be-Done and achieve the brand objectives.
See the BrandZip Finance book for more detail. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 49
49 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 2. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE
Customer Marketing The Customer Marketing Manager (or manager responsible) thinks about Measurable Objectives on a channel and customer level. Rarely will there be Jobs-to-be-Done that cannot, at least in part, be addressed through channel or customer solutions. Some Jobs may be linked back directly to the findings of the Customer Audit and be solved with a focus on customer and channel activities, eg. winning distribution in a new channel.
CMI CMI help define target audiences and Measurable Objectives for the final list of Jobs-to-be-Done. CMI may need to reserve a separate rough budget to cover the cost of any new measurement initiatives.
CCM / Channel agency In addition to ensuring any significant issues raised in their Audit inputs are considered when agreeing the Jobs-to-be-Done, the CCM and channel agency play a critical role in helping define Measurable Objectives and target audiences for the final list of Jobs. The CCM and channel agency will also help define rough budgets for any communication based Jobs-to-be-Done.
How do we do it? Developing and writing Jobs-to-be-Done The core team will meet to review the key Issues & Opportunities arising from the Audit and evaluate the gap between this starting point and where the brand needs to be as defined by the National Goal, BVP and National Category Building Plan. The team’s task is to agree the (maximum 5) key Jobs-to-be-Done that will enable the brand to make this leap.
A good start point is to thoroughly understand the implications of delivering the targets in the National Goal by using the 6Ps Brand Growth Model. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 50
50 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 2. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE
Example: To deliver a 10% growth in sales: > How many more people would need to buy the brand?
> How often would they need to buy it?
> To deliver these increases in penetration and loyalty, what degree of change would be needed in brand awareness?
> What sales volumes are needed by retailer / channel to deliver the overall brand target?
> Are there adequate distribution levels in place to deliver these objectives?
Next, distil the learning from the list of Issues & Opportunities and seek to identify the major triggers and barriers to growth for the brand which will deliver or block the targeted level of performance. The Team should also identify what the brand must achieve in order to deliver against the strategic vision outlined in the BVP and National Category Building Plan.
Typically, single Issues or Opportunities cannot simply be re-written as a Job-to-be-Done. An exception may be where the issue is of such magnitude that it needs to be tackled as a Job in its own right. For example, the issue ‘The launch of a major new competitor’ would translate into the Job ‘Kill the launch of competitor X’. Also, not all Issues & Opportunities will automatically be incorporated into a Job. The team needs to stand back from the detail and look for the big themes and challenges.
The Jobs should address both business performance and brand equity gaps.
Example: Axe, Argentina Affordability: Hit the more affordable price of $3.99
Consumption: Increase all-over body usage
Brand Image: Reinforce the key brand benefit ‘fragrance’ BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 51
51 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 2. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE
Good & bad Jobs-to-be-Done
> Jobs-to-be-Done are outcomes to be achieved, not specific activities to execute.
Example: Build out-of-home product usage
Not: Launch new handbag size pack format
> Jobs-to-be-Done are key deliverables, not vague strategic statements.
Example: Achieve a cornerstone brand share of 40% in non-major retailers
Not: Build through customers
> Each Job-to-be-Done is a single-minded call to action, not a long wish list.
Example: Match Olay image rating as ‘a premium personal care brand’
Not: Improve product quality, merchandising and communication of the Ponds brand
> Jobs-to-be-Done should be of a scale to deliver the brand targets, not just chip at the edges.
Example: Educate consumers to use the product as all-over body spray
Not: Introduce new back-of-pack product usage instructions
Setting Measurable Objectives Each Job-to-be-Done has Measurable Objectives to build in rigour, to aid thinking on how the job will be achieved and to quantify the plan. The objectives may NB: Sense-check any cover marketing, communication, customer / channel Measurable Objectives and other business KPIs, depending upon the nature based on the 6Ps by of the Job-to-be-Done. ‘Measurable’ means defining translating these into the precise effect required, the magnitude of this their impact on total effect and the time it will take to achieve. Make sure brand share. all objectives are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Aligned, Realistic, Time-related). BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 52
52 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 2. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE
Objectives may relate to the shifts in consumer and shopper behaviour required amongst each target audience to deliver the specific Job (eg. trial, penetration, frequency of purchase).
Examples (illustrative only):
Hellmann’s Grow consumption via extended usage to 1 extra cup of mayonnaise per household per annum
Bertolli Increase household penetration from 4.5% to 6% by year-end
Pepsodent Increase share of requirements in urban areas from 33% to 36%
When measuring communication effectiveness, the focus of the objectives will be the shift in consumer attitudes or perceptions required to deliver the changes in behaviour. These will either be changes in awareness or in more specific (functional and emotional) images that the consumer has of the brand.
Examples (illustrative only):
Rin Build spontaneous awareness of ‘whiteness’ from 36% in Q3 2004 to 45% in Q4 2005
Bertolli Increase relative image perception of ‘distinctive taste’ from 1 to 6 by end 2005
Some Jobs-to-be-Done may require objectives related to eg. specific distribution levels, price points or product / packaging attributes.
Examples (illustrative only):
Axe 100% listing in Wal*Mart
Knorr Trade returns should be no more than X% of turnover (NPS) in 2006
It may be necessary to design new measurement tools if ones appropriate to a Job do not already exist. This often requires some form of experimentation, eg. store tests, test markets, pilots, pre and post activity comparisons, etc. to evaluate the effectiveness of specific initiatives.
An example of how a Job may be captured in the BMP with Measurable Objectives is as follows: BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 53
53 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 2. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE
Example: Flora Key Opportunity: Categories adjacent to spreads are showing higher growth rates
Job-to-be-Done: Establish Flora pro.activ brand in the Yoghurt and Mini Drinks categories
Measurable Objectives:
> Penetration of Flora pro.activ yoghurt drink to be 25% within 6 months of launch
> Spontaneous awareness of pro.activ yoghurt and fruit shots to be 40% after 6 months amongst target x
> Achieve 100% distribution in multi-grocers
> Create dedicated pro.activ feature in 75% of stores
Setting a target audience
The consumer segments which the brand must influence for a particular Job-to-be-Done should be defined using a combination of volumetric, socio- demographic and attitudinal data. This helps develop a rich three-dimensional picture of the target. Some countries also use living standard measures (LSMs) as a segmentation technique to overcome any difficulties associated with measuring wealth, income or social class.
The Finance Manager will be able to use analytical tools such as the Brand Growth Matrix and Loyalty Model to define the brand’s most valuable consumer. Customer Marketing will propose the key shopper, customer and channel target audiences. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 54
54 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 2. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE
Example: Knorr Ligne soup (Illustrative example only – does not reflect actual Knorr strategy)
Job-to-be-Done Build trial of Knorr Ligne amongst consumers of healthy convenience foods as well as of soups.
Measurable Objectives
> Increase household penetration from 0.5% to 2.5% by the end of the year. > Increase advertising awareness from 5% to 20% by the end of the year (against continuous tracking panel). > Associate positive health benefits of the brand / product within the minds of the consumers. Measure against “Knorr Ligne helps me lead a balanced and healthy life” statement (3 average on a 1-5 point scale).
Target Audience
Volumetric She is a medium / heavy soup consumer (medium represents 33% of category users; heavy represents 24% of category users; together they represent 81% of category volume).
Heavy consumers of healthy convenience foods (heavy consumers of category – 19% account for 62% of the category volume).
Attitudinal She has come to realise that the latest fad diet doesn’t work. She has tried them all and they have not delivered lasting results. She is tired of making too many dietary sacrifices with little result and quickly falls back into her old eating habits. She now realises that the only way to enhance her appearance and maintain well- being is to take charge of her own health and take a more holistic approach to well-being. Diet alone is not enough! Food is important to her, and she is not prepared to sacrifice great taste and satisfaction for dietary purposes. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 55
55 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 2. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE
Socio- 25 to 35 year old females. Single or demographic married with young kids or thinking about having a family. Belonging to A & B social class households. Target is 12.5% of the total population.
Setting budgets
To ensure rough alignment between the budget allocated to the brand and the resources required to deliver the Jobs-to-be-Done, the team should estimate the approximate cost of implementing each Job. Brand communication budgets can be set by reference to Unilever’s budgeting principles and support tools – AIM and MIL (Advertising Investment Measure and Minimum Investment Level). Some budgets may need to be set over a 12-24 month timeframe. For example, where a brand or innovation is being launched, adequate advertising is essential in year 2 to consolidate launch success and to bring in late adopters.
See http://marketing.unilever.com website (see All Tools and Guidance, Brand Planning, Brand Marketing Plan, Jobs-to-be-Done) or the Communication Channel Planning booklet ‘Key Principles to Remember’ for further guidance regarding targeting, budget setting and how to set objectives.
Prioritising Jobs-to-be-Done
Identifying good Jobs to be Done is easier than prioritising them – the role of good teamwork and clear leadership from the Board is critical here. Jobs-to-be- Done need to be prioritised on both brand strategy and business performance criteria. The Strategic Agenda within the BVP should be used to check for alignment with the brand’s strategic priorities. Each Job should also be broadly evaluated by considering the following criteria:
> impact > cost > complexity > risk
The Measurable Objectives can be expressed financially to help evaluate the impact of each Job on business performance. However cost, complexity and risk can be simply rated high, medium or low. This approach should quickly highlight the potential ‘big wins’.
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“THE BEST WAY TO HAVE A GOOD IDEA IS TO HAVE A LOT OF IDEAS.” LINUS PAULING BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 56
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Approval of Jobs-to-be-Done
Once agreed within the core team, the prioritised list of Jobs-to-be-Done must be signed off by the top management team of the local business and the Regional Category VP. If there is non-alignment, the local business case should be based on an objective summary of the facts drawn from the Audit. If the issue lies with the Brand Development team, they should focus their case on the priorities written into the BVP. In some instances, a newly identified major opportunity in a large local market may initiate a new project for the Brand Development team to deliver. In other instances, the national market’s role in delivering a regional strategic initiative may transcend the Jobs prioritised from a purely local perspective. Whatever the issue, it must be resolved now at this stage and not be left as a source of future conflict within the plan. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 57
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Step 3. This is the phase when the team thinks openly to generate broad consumer and customer activities and Think Big channel options that will meet the brand’s assigned objectives. ‘Anything is possible’ is the mindset the team should adopt going into Think Big – this is not the time for team members to stifle innovation with concerns about the practicalities or affordability of ideas. Keeping an open mind is absolutely vital to driving innovation, especially when it comes to discovering creative ways to engage with consumers and shoppers. What is Whilst the focus is on creativity, this stage requires happening? thorough planning and preparation to maximise the quality of the output.
What Think Big is – Broad solutions to the Jobs-to-be-Done – Building on current best practice – A team approach to building ideas for growth – Input to further critical thinking and development by sub-teams / agencies
What Think Big is not – Detailed plans or budgets – Re-thinking the brand key, brand communication idea or activation platform – A single meeting – A marketing / creative agency meeting – Final solutions
What are > The national BMP to date (sections 1-3), specifically: – The National Goal (including preliminary the inputs? support budget) – The key Issues & Opportunities – The Jobs-to-be-Done, Measurable Objectives and target audience
> National Category Building Plan or local translation of the Global / Regional Category Strategy
> The BrandKey Vision
> The BVP, specifically: – Communication mix elements: brand communication idea, activation platform, media channel guidelines – Other mix elements, eg. innovation in products or packaging BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 58
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> Existing 8 Quarter Activity Plan
> From the Audit: – Which past activities delivered for the brand and which did not – Data / insights on target audience(s) as both consumers and shoppers – Data on popular culture trends / themes
> Best practice ideas and executions from other countries, brands or categories, particularly in the area of activation, eg. great PR ideas or successful sampling campaigns you have seen elsewhere. Ask Brand Development for their recommendations.
> Consumer, shopper and retailer insights and understanding that have been generated through direct contact.
What are A range of broad ideas and activities that may be further developed and finessed prior to being filtered the outputs? into a draft Activity Schedule in Think Tight.
Who does what? Every member of the team potentially has a role to play during Think Big. Jobs-to-be-Done that are focused on creative communication will benefit from the input of the marketer, Customer Marketing, CMI, CCM and the channel agency. Many brands also include their specialist agencies at this stage, eg. Axe may involve their PR partner and Slim-Fast include the Direct Marketing team.
Customer Marketing Customer Marketing expertise will be specifically required to brainstorm customer / channel initiatives targeting shoppers, in line with the guiding principles outlined opposite. Customer Development colleagues should also be invited to any session focusing on their particular customer or channel. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 59
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The guiding principles of Customer Marketing
The store is a communication channel itself All elements of the marketing mix can be leveraged in-store to bring a brand to life and build brand equity, eg. leveraging a grocer's loyalty card database, the designing and siting of in-store displays, developing tailor-made advertising and packaging, or running live events. Understanding where, how and when a shopper chooses to purchase will help identify which channels / customers and activities will best deliver a brand’s communication objectives. It does not require a sophisticated retailer or a highly developed market to make brands stand out in the place they are sold.
View shopping as an experience Shopping is more than a simple transaction. Customer Marketing can add value by exceeding shoppers’ expectations and providing a ‘wow’ factor to the whole shopping experience. It is important to understand how someone shops in a category, what motivates them, and how their experience in-store can be improved through the way products are presented, the messages communicated and the atmosphere created around brands at shelf. The atmosphere at shelf should tie back into and reinforce the brand’s equity. Recall the mantra “every touch counts”. For example, in a cluttered traditional grocery store where the shopper is easily confused by all the product choices, product display and aerials that clearly indicate which products do what can simplify the buying process and favourably influence the shopper. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 60
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Help the retailer meet their own priorities and objectives Customer Marketing provides the opportunity to leverage categories and brands to help the retailer meet their own priorities and objectives. With aligned objectives, the brand and customer can make things happen together much more effectively than alone, for example by helping a customer meet its efficiency targets by developing shelf-ready packaging, or by providing exciting in-store merchandising solutions to build visibility for brands, whilst building a new image for the retailer. This approach also applies in less developed retail markets, eg. providing the shopkeeper of a market stall with a display unit that can be rolled on wheels. Just by understanding that he has to pack up his store each day, it can be made easier for him to use the display so it gets shown more often – benefiting both the brand and retailer. Customer Marketing can also help retailers achieve their own equity goals with programmes that support their brand vision, both inside and outside the store. For instance, linking store-branded point-of- sale materials or direct mail with brands (or vice versa) is an effective way to build loyalty with retailers and optimise brand visibility.
Marketing As project leader the marketer is responsible for planning the Think Big phase. He / she will need to work closely with the Brand Development team regarding specific Brand Development and Brand Building deliverables, set up the appropriate sessions and ensure that the output is recorded.
Specialist agencies If specialist agencies (say for PR, sponsorship or customer marketing) are members of the extended team, they will have a role to play in Think Big. It is important that the attendees are the essential creative thinkers from the agency. Whilst some internal agency preparation may be appropriate to provide stimulus for the session, they should not approach Think Big as an opportunity to sell finished ideas to the client. Their role is to bring their brand expertise and creativity into the shared idea generation on the day and to use the different perspectives and insight of the other team members present to enrich their thinking. It is important that any emerging ideas are captured early and nurtured, not held back and used in response to an agency brief later on in the process. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 61
61 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 3. THINK BIG
How do we Review the Jobs-to-be-Done run Think Big? The first step in the planning stage of Think Big is to consider how you will best solve each Job-to-be-Done. Often the Jobs will be very different and will therefore need to be tackled differently. Typically, it will be unmanageable to try and solve all of the Jobs together in one single session.
Consider clustering the Jobs into similar types of, or connected, challenges. One way of doing this is to look for clusters of Jobs which focus on similar areas, such as consumer / communication, customer initiatives or anti-competitor activity.
Examples: Consumer / Build penetration amongst Communication- older women led: Re-establish Becel credentials as key tool in maintaining heart health
Customer-led: Hit 90% distribution in discount channel Gain secondary placement in non-food aisles in major multiples
Anti-competitor: Kill the launch of brand X
Alternatively, it may make sense to run Think Big around two or more Jobs together if they share largely the same target audience or if elements of the challenge overlap.
If the clustering approach is appropriate, plan NB: The clustering a separate session for each cluster. approach should not put the solutions to the Jobs Consider the scale and importance of the task in in silos where there are each session and plan the allocated time and resource no synergies between the accordingly. Low priority Jobs / clusters of Jobs may ideas created. Nor should not always justify bespoke Think Big sessions if time it limit the resource and resource are tight. working on the Job to eg. purely marketers or purely When there is a different focus to a cluster of Jobs, Customer Marketing / different combinations of people / specialists may be Customer Development required to participate in a Think Big session, different people. preparation may be needed and some creative techniques may be more appropriate than others.
It is quite possible that a session concerning a particular cluster of Jobs (eg. anti–competitor activity), will lead to brainstorming other themes (eg. 360 degree communication and customer initiatives). BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 62
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Plan for a follow up. It is critical to follow up the separate sessions by grouping all of the output and for the whole team to look at it holistically. This should ensure that any overriding big ideas or common thoughts are captured and developed. Any communication challenges should be developed into full 360 degree campaigns.
It will be important to create a planning overview for the Think Big phase to ensure availability of resource, time for preparation, adequate reviews, etc.
Prepare for the session
1. Define the team The team members required to solve specific Jobs will differ depending upon the Job. For example you will need the input of the Customer Development Manager for a specific customer issue. If you are generating channel solutions you will need the specific channel agencies who will best help.
2. Prepare immersion for the team It will make a significant difference to the creative thinking if all the participants are thoroughly immersed in the theme of the Job(s) / world of the target audience prior to the session. This does not mean commissioning formal market research. Insights can be drawn from simple consumer / shopper / customer connection techniques. Plan the relevant immersions.
For example:
> For consumer-focused / communication Jobs make sure the team: – undergoes consumer connection with consumers in their own kitchens / bathrooms / bedrooms – looks for examples of creative channel use targeting the same consumer segment – reviews other communications / activation ideas for the brand happening elsewhere in the world
> For customer-led Jobs plan for the team to: – conduct accompanied shops – visit the stores of a specific customer – interview store managers – shop in a particular channel (eg. street markets, convenience stores, discount superstores) to get a first-hand experience of how a particular retail offering works – gather information from the account teams or, if possible, directly from retail buyers and merchandising managers BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 63
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– visit new and different retailers – interview retail designers
> For competitor activities the team should: – come informed about the competitor – be prepared to role-play the competitor – interview others who have first-hand experience of competing with the brand / competitor
Also, refer back to the insights gained from any immersion work carried out when preparing input for the Audit. The essential point is to focus on understanding what consumers, shoppers and retailers think and do, and why.
Incident Board Make sure the team bring their observations and stimulus into the session to build an ‘incident board’. This will be important in creating ideas in the session.
Refer to the Insight Activator tools to help here http://marketing.unilever.com website (see All Tools and Guidance).
3. Prepare the relevant idea generation / problem solving techniques and stimulus The individual creative sessions need to be designed around the specific output required.
a) Executional excellence / creative use of communication channels When a Job can be tackled by an activity already in the 8 Quarter Activity Plan and / or there is an existing brand communication / activation idea available, the task will be to generate impactful ways of delivering this in the local market.
Think about how you could best execute this locally. How could you further support this activation? How could you link with customers to push the effectiveness of the idea? Can you build on the communication by using the input of specialist agencies, eg. sales promotion, PR and sponsorship. (These agencies would then participate in Think Big and potentially receive a brief to work up detailed proposals after Think Tight.)
When developing a creative integrated communication plan, consider the following types of question:
> Where, when and how can we best engage with the target consumers / shoppers? > What communication channels does the available brand communication idea suggest? BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 64
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> Which communication channels will best deliver the brand objectives? > How will the brand build talkability?
To maximise thinking in this area use techniques such as:
> 24 hour clock: Think through what the target consumer does through the course of the day (or even the year) and how to reach them at exactly the right time through new communication channels.
> Unconnected categories: Brainstorm how brands in totally different categories, but with a similar target consumer, might tackle the challenge outlined in the Job-to-be-Done, eg. Axe might look at Nike or MTV for inspiration. Then see if any new learning can be applied back to the brand in question.
> Expanding Channel Creativity:
i) Channels new to your brand: Consider all the current brand channels available (and used by Unilever for other brands and categories), especially channels that you may not have considered as communication vehicles before.
ii) New channels: Consider the channels you have been using and try to think of ways of using them differently.
Example Vaseline Shampoo in the Philippines branded parols (a type of street lantern) on the main thoroughfares of key cities all over the country as part of its pre- Christmas launch. The impact of this new channel idea was so great that Unilever was flooded with calls from communities asking for Vaseline parols to light up their neighbourhoods.
iii) Reflecting popular culture: What is happening in popular culture locally? What is new in the celebrity world? What are the new media phenomena?
Example The Knorr team in Poland needed to own ‘chefmanship’ and saw the opportunity to exploit a hot new TV programme from the UK called ‘The Naked Chef’. With the aim of generating a similar programming phenomenon in Poland, the team acquired the UK programme rights and created a tailor- made Polish version of the show called ‘Just Cook’. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 65
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They extended the Just Cook idea through various other channels, including outdoor, newspapers, in-store road shows, the internet, customer magazines, SMS, DVDs, and cookbooks.
b) Generating activation ideas NB: Prior to running If the need really is for a new activation idea to help the Think Big sessions, deliver the Jobs-to-be-Done, then the initial task of the the scope of Think Big Think Big session will be to develop ideas locally and should be discussed and then to brainstorm exploiting them through channels. agreed with the Brand Development team to For generating activation ideas use techniques such as: avoid unnecessary reinvention, duplication > Connecting popular culture with consumer spaces: or gaps in the brand List what the team knows about the target, about support plan. their physical lives and their emotional attitudes. Next, look for how this connects with popular culture and ideas will arise.
c) Solving a customer-led issue or building on a customer-led opportunity When addressing Jobs that focus on customer-led issues such as new channel development, distribution levels, range management, and so on, it is important to understand the issues from the retailer’s perspective.
The following techniques help here:
> Role reversal: Play the part of the customer’s marketing department or store manager to break down the challenge into the specific triggers and barriers to implementing the Job objectives. Then look for ways of exploiting the opportunities and overcoming the problems.
> Brainstorm the question ‘What’s in it for the retailer?’. What would boost his margins, increase basket size, etc.
> Task Related Mind Maps: Mind mapping is very effective in stimulating new ideas and connections, particularly when the task is complex and the information sources are diverse.
Also, see page 68 for ‘Six tips for creating great customer marketing plans’. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 66
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d) Tackling a competitive threat In this case, employ a number of war game techniques, such as SWOT analyses (for both the competitor and Unilever brand), role reversal, ‘What if…?’ scenarios, etc. For the full war game session or further advice, contact the Competitor Intelligence Unit ([email protected] for HPC and [email protected] for Foods).
For more information on creative sessions, refer to the http://marketing.unilever.com website (see All Tools and Guidance, Brand Planning, Brand Marketing Plan, Think Big).
4. Plan facilitation Plan the session with a facilitator who is not a member of the team, eg. a colleague from a different brand. This will enable all parties to contribute.
5. Plan a venue Choose an environment for the session that is off-site and that will inspire creative thinking.
Running a creative session
If it is needed, run a creative session. Remember, some Jobs may be easily resolved without major creative sessions or involving extensive resource.
> Briefly recap on all of the Jobs-to-Done, including the Measurable Objectives and target audience. Highlight which Job(s) is / are the focus of this particular session.
> Run through what is available as a starting point from Brand Development (activities in the 8QP, the brand communication idea, brand activation platform, activation ideas, examples of best practice). Be clear about the nature of the output required for communication led Jobs (execution based or including generating new activation ideas).
> Share any insights gained from the immersion activity prior to the session.
> Use a selection of springboards and creative thinking techniques to open the teams’ minds to all of the possibilities.
> Cluster the output into themes and identify any big ideas and favourite thoughts. Perhaps use an anonymous voting system to do this. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 67
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> Sense-check the output against the 3 criteria of alignment with brand strategy, delivery against objectives and relevance to target audience. The ideas that hit all 3 criteria will form the easy wins. Those that hit one or no criteria can be dropped. Keep the ideas that hit 2 out of 3 criteria if there is potential to build in delivery against the third area.
ALIGNMENT WITH BRAND STRATEGY
RELEVANCE DELIVERY TO TARGET AGAINST AUDIENCE OBJECTIVES
NB: See the http:// marketing.unilever.com website (see All Tools > Allow some time to further develop leading and Guidance, Brand routes and those with potential whilst the team’s Planning, Brand Marketing enthusiasm is high. Plan, Think Big) for more detail on running > Capture all the output so that it can be reviewed Think Big. together with the output from the other sessions in order to build a total picture of what could be done.
After the initial Think Big sessions
Following this series of creative sessions, the whole of the team should review all the outputs together. This is an opportunity for a ‘sober second thought’. Do the big ideas still feel big? Is there the seed of a big idea that needs to be nurtured and grown prior to Think Tight? Are there links and synergies across all the brand activities that can be built upon and developed? This is not about judging or filtering, but simply to shape and optimise the output. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 68
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Six tips for creating great customer marketing plans
1. Dig deep to understand the shopper and to identify which decisions she makes inside the store and which she makes at home. Consider the different types of shopping trips – or ‘missions’ – to understand the best way to reach her while shopping and thinking about what she will purchase.
2. Do what you can to create a better experience for the shopper. This could mean re-arranging the shelf to make it simpler, placing creative communication in the store to inform her, or designing an offer which truly adds value to her shopping trip.
3. Get a channel perspective. Understand the differences between different retail channels and why someone might choose to shop in a drugstore as opposed to a hypermarket. Think about which channels are growing and what is driving that growth (penetration, frequency, basket size, etc.).
4. Understand specific customers' needs and think about ways we can leverage our category expertise and brand marketing to help them meet their goals. Tailor programmes to the individual needs of a customer as a key to true partnership. This could be something simple like cross-promoting with a grocer's photo department (a growing revenue stream) or something much more elaborate on a corporate strategic level.
5. Think creatively about 360 degree activation in-store. Your product's given aisle might not be the best place to run a promotion or in-store event. Think about how people shop the store and find ways to interact with them even before they think about the category or shelf. Consider bundling different products in one related communication – an Italian dinner kiosk with olive oil, pasta sauce and side dishes, for example – that adds value to the shopper and revenue to the store.
6. Don't wait until annual planning to converse with customers. Spend time with them focusing on key priority areas by category and work in tandem on solutions that may take many months to develop. By offering our category understanding and marketing expertise to create business opportunities within retail, we demonstrate that Unilever is about far more than just a range of products at a given price.
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“WHAT WE SEE DEPENDS MAINLY ON WHAT WE LOOK FOR.” SIR JOHN LUBBOCK BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 69
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Step 4. The Think Tight phase filters, focuses and prioritises the broad ideas and top-line activities generated during Think Tight Think Big. This is the time for a reality check. In order to draft the strongest plan, tough choices often have to be made between all the different possible areas of activity by looking at their relative impact, cost, complexity and strategic fit. The prioritisation is led using the Jobs-to-be-Done and objectives. The team needs to be sure that they choose the types of activity What is that best deliver the Jobs-to-be-Done. happening? Channel choices will need to be made and customer support plans will need to be built in. Once again it is the specific objectives and the identified target audiences which will lead the decision making. The original objectives and targets may need to be tightened up at this stage.
A draft Activity Schedule is drawn up with rough budget NB: Much of the analysis estimates allocated to each broad activity. Where it is and costing work will appropriate to the Job-to-be-Done, a Channel Agency happen outside meetings, Brief and / or Specialist Agency Brief is written and but a Think Tight issued to further develop the details of the plan. workshop will be Additional work may need to be carried out internally necessary to ensure to add detail to specific proposed activities. If there are collaboration happens straight forward, easy-win solutions at this stage, they and outputs are agreed. may go straight through to the final plan without the need for further work.
What are > The national BMP to date (sections 1-3) specifically: – The National Goal the inputs? – The key Issues & Opportunities – The Jobs-to-be-Done
> The existing 8 Quarter Activity Plan
> The National Category Building Plan / local translation of Global Category Strategy
> The leading ideas and top-line activities from Think Big
> The latest budget assumption BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 70
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What are > A draft activity schedule with top-line activities, channels, budgets and timings the outputs? > Channel Agency Brief(s) to create a draft communication plan > Specialist Agency Brief(s) to further develop ideas, eg. a PR brief > Customer Agency Brief(s) to further develop Customer Marketing ideas > Internal briefs to add detail to specific activity areas
Who does what? The whole core team must be jointly responsible for crafting and then signing on to the draft Activity Schedule and agreeing what will be briefed and to which team.
Marketing The role of the marketer is to set up the main Think Tight meeting and to co-ordinate the work required outside this session. In addition, they must own and write the channel and specialist agency briefs. They lead the follow-up briefing session(s).
Customer Marketing The Customer Marketing Manager (or manager responsible) owns and writes any customer agency briefs required and directly briefs the agency(ies) during the briefing session.
CCM / Channel agency The CCM and the channel agency have a key role in helping prioritise and roughly cost the support activities for the communication-led Jobs-to-be-Done using the Marketing Activity Costing (MAC) budgeting tool. The CCM will also provide guidance regarding channel choices and input to the channel agency brief.
Finance During this stage the Finance Manager highlights available resource and ensures that there is consistency between spend and growth expectations. If there is not adequate funding available to execute all the chosen activities, the Finance Manager can help re-shape the plan accordingly or build a business case to compete for the re-allocation of budget within the business to enable implementation of the whole plan. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 71
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How do we do it? Making choices In order to navigate through the mass of ideas and options available at this stage and to narrow them down to a draft plan, the following process is suggested as a framework for decision-making:
NB: Make sure that 1. Confirm the initial prioritisation of the Jobs-to- all of those ideas and be-Done. activities from Think Big 2. Confirm the latest budget available and deduct any not taken forward into fixed costs to give the discretionary budget available. the plan are nonetheless 3. Review the preliminary allocation of budget across kept on record so as the Jobs-to-be-Done, adjusting as necessary. to be available for future 4. Start with the top priority Job-to-be-Done. If it is brainstorms and creative agreed that the brand should implement specific sessions. In a different Brand Development initiatives (innovation, specific context they just may support activity) allocate the appropriate investment provide the winning level to these activities first. Preliminary channel routes. choices will need to be considered for communication initiatives. The Marketing Activity Costing (MAC) budgeting tool will help calculate the cost of communication from a ‘bottom up’ level. 5. Look at the best additional ideas that came out of Think Big. Rate these (high, medium, low) against the preliminary criteria of delivery against Measurable Objectives, alignment with brand strategy and relevance to target audience, as well as cost and complexity. From this, choose the most NB: There may not impactful, cost effective and brand relevant activities be the budget available and allocate a rough cost (again consider some to properly support all initial channel choices for communication initiatives). of the Jobs. If there are 6. Roll forward any budget balance (be it positive or insufficient funds, it is negative) to the next Job-to-be-Done. always advisable to drop 7. Repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 for each Job-to-be-Done. a low priority Job from the 8. Phase all of the chosen consumer and customer list altogether rather than activities on a draft Activity Schedule. to spread the budget too 9. Check the overall plan for: thinly across all the Jobs. – projected delivery of activities against the Alternatively, if the team Measurable Objectives and overall National Goal can build a very strong, – maximum synergies objective business case, – talkability and impact they may choose to 10.Where appropriate to the Job-to-be-Done, carry compete vigorously for the out the briefing stage (see page 73). re-allocation of funding in favour of their plan. See the appendix at the end of this section regarding Channel Considerations. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 72
72 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 4. THINK TIGHT
The briefing stage
The core team should approve the list of briefs to be written and who will be briefed (channel agency, which specialist and customer agencies, any internal teams).
It is the responsibility of the marketer to write the channel and specialist agency briefs with input from the CCM. If necessary, the person responsible for Customer Marketing writes the customer marketing agency brief.
Best practice is to brief the channel agency and specialist agency teams at the same meeting.
There will have been many thoughts and ideas generated throughout the Think Big and Think Tight steps. It is important not to lose some of this richness as the details are translated into briefs. Remember that some of the individuals working on the brief may not have been able to experience the whole process. For this reason it is recommended that the briefs are accompanied by other supporting information:
> Sections 1-3 of the BMP form NB: Further Tips & Hints regarding ‘What to Brief’, > The BVP and BrandKey Vision ‘How to Brief’ and a Channel Agency Proposal > The draft Activity Schedule with any key fixed dates Checklist are available such as price increases, trade release dates, etc. on line on the http:// marketing.unilever.com Ideally all the agencies should attend a joint briefing website (see All Tools session that includes a thorough update on the work and Guidance, Brand undertaken since their participation in Think Big, as well Planning, Brand Marketing as discussion of the specific briefs. Be clear that the Plan, Think Tight). agency responses will need to include accurate costing for each activity.
The following template is the channel agency brief. One of these is developed for each communication- led Job-to-be-Done with its associated Measurable Objectives.
(The channel agency brief replaces the previous P2 stage of CCP.) BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 73
73 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 4. THINK TIGHT
Channel Agency Brief:
Illustrative ONLY. Does NOT reflect actual Knorr Strategy or work in progress.
Brand: Knorr Ligne Country: Germany Year: 200X Range Platform: Date Issued: Approved by Marketing VP: Soups xx, 200X Approved by CCM: Job-to-be-Done: Increase penetration through rapid trial – not just amongst soup consumers, but within the healthy convenience food category. For the complete list of Jobs-to-be-Done, see output of Step 2 of BMP process (Jobs-to-be-Done). Brand communication idea: Knorr Ligne soup is part of the recipe for my healthier life. Target audience insight: She has come to realise that the latest fad diet doesn’t work and now recognises that she needs a sensible holistic approach to a healthy life. Knorr Ligne is an easy choice for a healthier diet. Target audience:
Volumetric: (category consumption, brand / variant loyalty) She is a medium / heavy soup consumer (medium represents 33% of category users; heavy represents 24% of category users. Both represent 81% of category volume).
Heavy consumer of healthy convenience foods (heavy consumers of category –19% account for 62% of the category volume).
Biggest competitor within the heavy soups consumer is Maggi and home-made soups. Awareness of Knorr and Maggi are 98% in this market.
Brand loyalty for any particular product is low.
Attitudinal: (consumer values) She’s “grown-up” and has come to grips with the realities in life. She knows who she is, and recognises the effort she needs to make to feel good about herself, i.e. strive for a balanced diet, get enough exercise and sleep, make time for her friends as well as taking time out for herself. She has come to realise that the latest fad diet doesn’t work ...she has tried them all and they have not delivered lasting results. She is tired of making too many dietary sacrifices with little result and quickly falls back into her old eating habits. She now realises that the only way to enhance her appearance and maintain well-being is to take charge of her own health and take a more holistic approach to well-being. Diet alone is not enough! Food is important to her, and she is not prepared to sacrifice great taste and satisfaction for dietary reasons.
Socio-demographic: (age, sex, class, income, etc) 25 to 35 year old females. Single or married with young kids or thinking about having a family. Belonging to A & B social class households. Target is 12.5% of the total population.
For more information on target audience and full competitive set see output from the Audit. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 74
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Measurable Marketing Objective(s): (Defined in terms of penetration (trial), repeat purchase, frequency of purchase, consumption) Increase household penetration from 0.5% to 2.5% by the end of the year. Measurable Communication Objective(s): (Defined in terms of awareness, key brand benefits ie. emotional / functional / sensory, brand values) Increase advertising awareness from 5% to 20% by the end of the year (against continuous tracking panel). Associate positive health benefits of the brand / product within the minds of the consumers, measured against “Knorr Ligne helps me lead a balanced and healthy life” statement (3 average on a 1-5 point scale). Activity & Timing Channel Stimulus and Responsibility (who has been briefed) Creative available and when See attached output from Think Big and Think Tight Sessions > Note: Overall support should build on launch in Q4 of last year Communication > Multiple channels / touchpoints as budget permits. Must be integrated. Campaign: (Q2) > She is very media savvy and highly discriminating in her channel choice. Budget Estimate: Only consider high affinity channel vehicles with an environment that can Euros 4.0 million help build key brand attributes. > She rejects trashy sensationalist editorial, and goes to more trusted and credible sources of information eg. Brigitte. Only consider partnerships with highly credible, leading media brands. These partnerships will also help support Ligne’s price premium. > Consider tactical messages to keep Ligne top-of-mind close to pre-lunch ‘decision’ times. (Brief to: channel agency) (Campaign X available in TV, print, radio for Q1).
Sampling: (Q2) > Our target eats lunch at the office canteen three to four days a week. Budget Estimate: Consider office canteen events in top-ten cities (Specialist events Euros 800,000 company). > She goes to the gym at least twice a week. Consider a gym event in top-ten cities (Brief to: channel agency and events company as a pitch). > Our target often shops with friends on weekends. Sampling events / activities at top fashion retailers, such as Zara, Mango, Esprit, will catch her when she is thinking about her appearance.
In-store (Q3): > She often stops to shop for food on her way home from work. Presence Budget Estimate: of Ligne in “healthy and fresh food” sections as well as soups aisles Euros 600,000 will reinforce the positioning, encourage trial, and build stand-out. (Brief to: channel agency / promotions agency)
On-pack (Q2): > Our health and well-being conscious target always examines the pack for Budget Estimate: more information and list of ingredients. This provides a good opportunity Euros 100,000 for us to engage her with an incentive (eg. well-being holiday, or an ongoing web-based weight-management programme / hints and tips). (Brief to: promotions company). Deliverable Required
Overall draft communication plan for Knorr Ligne. Highlight the integration between channels and how this fits into the total Knorr Brand Communication Plan. Output should also take Knorr Global Brand web project into account. Illustrative brief. Does not reflect actual Knorr Strategy or work in progress. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 75
75 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 4. THINK TIGHT
Tips when considering communication channel options
As channels begin to be assigned to activities, the initial channel options generated within Think Big need to be reviewed with some 'harder edged' criteria in mind.
A qualitative perspective may have shaped the initial channel ideas. The creative springboard techniques may have triggered channel ideas that best express the brand's attitudes or values or channels that are most relevant to the target audience’s values and lifestyles. Perhaps the team is considering using new, unproven channels that provide a big opportunity for creativity or a 'first mover' opportunity?
Now is the time to add a more quantitative perspective to the initial channel ideas to see if they still stand up.
Some questions to keep in mind while refining channel options include:
> Is the channel affordable and cost effective? Is a ‘sensible’ or minimum weight campaign in the channel really affordable? How does the channel compare with other channels on a ‘cost per contact’ or value basis? (NB: Activation ideas are no exception to this test – make sure there are sufficient funds to amplify the event and review its cost per contact.)
> Will the channel reach enough of my target audience? Does it provide depth of coverage of the target or a particularly strong target audience skew (vs. viewers / listeners) that will help minimise audience 'wastage' total?
> Will the channel achieve the desired consumer effect in the required timescale? Will the channel deliver sufficient target audience reach to enable this?
> How well is the channel matched to the communication tasks? Has the channel the ability to 'converse' with the consumer at the depth required to perform the desired task, eg. maintain or create brand awareness, communicate functional benefits, communicate brand values or emotional benefits? BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 76
76 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 4. THINK TIGHT
> What is known from previous use of this channel for this brand or any others? Is there any existing evidence the channel can deliver the required communication effect? Are there funds to research the impact of an unproven channel or one that has not been used before?
Single or multi-channels?
Even within a single target group most brands are used by a wide range of consumers with quite different and multi-dimensional lives. It is therefore likely that more than one channel may well be needed to communicate the brand’s message effectively.
Typically a mix of different (but complementary) channels will be suggested for the different activities that will deliver the Jobs-to-be-Done. For example, TV to build high target awareness, magazines to provide more detailed information and PR and viral marketing to amplify the total campaign effect. Unquestionably a mix of channels will help consumers understand the brand better and more quickly.
Product Advertising
PR City Attacks
Events Sponsorship
Corporate & Social Responsibility New Media
Retail Marketing
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“COMING TOGETHER IS A BEGINNING; KEEPING TOGETHER IS PROGRESS; WORKING TOGETHER IS SUCCESS.” HENRY FORD BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 77
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Step 5. The work carried out during the Integration phase delivers a final Activity Schedule, ie. what the consumer Integration / shopper / customer will actually see and experience of the brand. This plan should maximise the synergy between the consumer and customer activities, integrate the activities across the different Jobs-to-be- Done and, overall, fit with the plans of the other brands operating in the same category. What is To achieve this, the team reviews the work carried out internally and by the briefed agencies following Think happening? Tight, which has brought to life and added executional detail to the broad activity areas identified in the draft plan. There may also be further brand communication and activation materials available now from Brand Development. Additional trade-offs and choices may be necessary at this stage to ensure that the strongest activities are in the plan, and that the plan will be effective, impactful and affordable. Accurate budgets and timings need to be defined. If implemented successfully, the plan should meet the brand’s targets. This is an iterative process and several versions may be looked at before a final Activity Schedule is agreed.
What are > Draft communication plan from the channel agency the inputs? > Detailed customer marketing activities from the customer agency
> Detailed brand support activities from the specialist agencies
> Any detailed activities generated internally
> Any budget updates
What is > Final Activity Schedule for sign-off as part of the output? the BMP BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 78
78 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 5. INTEGRATION
Who does what? The whole team should review the work carried out following Think Tight and fine-tune the Activity Schedule, both at a holistic level and from the perspective of their particular areas of expertise. Questions to ask might be:
Marketing Does the plan fit with the BKV and the BVP? Will the plan ideas generate real talkability? Does the plan maximise the synergies between the consumer and customer activities? Does the plan make best use of the budget?
Customer Are there tailored solutions for each key customer / channel where appropriate? Is the timing / phasing of activities logical? Does the plan help meet customer / channel goals?
Finance Are the costs in line with the budget available? Does the plan meet the business objectives?
CCM / Will the proposed channel combination Channel deliver the communication objectives? agency Are the channels fully integrated for maximum continuity and synergy? Are the budget weights sufficient to achieve the objectives? Does the brand budget achieve MIL (Minimum Investment Level)? Does the plan fully exploit big creative channel ideas?
CMI Are the appropriate tests and measures in place to track progress against objectives? BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 79
79 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 5. INTEGRATION
How do we do it? During this stage the team needs constantly to review: Budget Is there still sufficient money to support all the activities and deliver the Jobs-to- be-Done? If there are insufficient funds, prioritise. It is always better to cut an activity or Job-to-be-Done from the plan than it is to spread the money more thinly across all the proposed channels and activities.
Scale Do the proposed activities and communication channels give us the required reach against the target audience?
Depth What is the magnitude of the required shift in consumer / shopper / customer attitude and behaviour and do we have sufficient funds to effect it?
Timeframe How long will it take to achieve the desired effect? It may take more than one planning year to deliver a customer initiative in full. It may take several years to deliver a communication objective. Successive BMPs may therefore consistently build new activities around the same Jobs-to-be-Done.
Evidence Is there evidence the activity or channel will deliver the desired effect? If not, and it is a significant investment, set aside a research budget to measure the effect.
Always review communication channel proposals in conjunction with the proposed creative solutions. The linkage between the creative and the channel ideas should be evident. Good ideas can double the power of a channel. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 80
80 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 5. INTEGRATION
The final integration of all the elements will need to be done by the national brand building team led by the Marketing VP. Choices will need to be made as all the plans come together and need to be integrated across all:
> Brand extensions
> Consumer channels
> Customer channels
This iterative process is crucial in developing a BMP. It is the only way that you will develop a logical, coherent and efficient 360 degree plan.
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“THE MEASURE OF SUCCESS IS NOT WHETHER YOU HAVE A TOUGH PROBLEM TO DEAL WITH, BUT WHETHER IT IS THE SAME PROBLEM YOU HAD LAST YEAR.” JOHN FOSTER DULLES BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 81
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Step 6. The tracking process is crucial. At least quarterly, the core team should re-convene and use the Scorecard Tracking to objectively review the progress towards meeting the agreed Measurable Objectives by Job and the overall National Goal for the brand. The trends must be understood and acted upon where appropriate to ensure that the plan will still be met. This will include changing or replacing activities which are not working, as well as potentially boosting the role of activities that What is are proving to be very successful. This learning is also a critical input into shaping the following year’s plan. happening? In addition, new external or internal factors can require the plan to be changed to ensure that it will still meet the agreed objectives.
The BMP is not complete until the Scorecard is complete.
What are > BMP sections 1-3 the inputs? > Final Activity Schedule
> Any budget changes
> New internal or external factors that impact the plan (eg. competitor activity)
> Scorecard
> Quarterly Brand Tracker (where available) BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 82
82 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 6. TRACKING
What are > Progress recorded on Scorecard > Appropriate corrective actions agreed the outputs? > Key learning to input into the Audit in the following planning period
Who does what? The whole core team must jointly review the performance data and agree any actions required.
Finance, Marketing and CMI should work together to ensure that the correct tracking measures are in place and that regular Tracking Meetings are held to the review the data and agree remedial actions where appropriate.
The Finance Manager can provide objective analysis of brand performance against objectives. If the plan needs to be modified, he / she will quantify the impact of proposed actions on the objectives and identify the gaps that may still exist.
(See the BrandZip Finance book for additional guidance).
How do we do it? ‘You can’t manage what you can’t measure’ 1. Set advance dates for Tracking Meetings in the diary at fixed intervals through the year (eg. quarterly). 2. Gather and analyse the performance data against the Measurable Objectives in the Scorecard. Look for underlying trends and the causes of both positive and negative variances. 3. Hold a core team Tracking Meeting to review the data and learning. 4. Propose any appropriate changes to the plan. Quantify their impact and cost. 5. Get the changes approved by the local Board.
Major amendments to the plan may require a mini re- run of Think Big, Think Tight and Integration to create strong alternative activities. The Activity Schedule is not set in stone when the BMP is submitted for approval. It must be tracked and fine-tuned through the year to maximise brand performance. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 83
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The Scorecard Template This is a tailor-made set of metrics specific to the activities and Jobs-to-be-Done identified in the BMP. Responsibility for delivering each activity is captured here.
Jobs-to-be- Measurable Activities Responsibility Progress against Done Objectives the targets
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Quarterly Brand Tracker tool
For major brands in the key markets, the Quarterly Brand Tracker must also be used to track the plan.
The tracker captures the main CMI elements of the Audit and reviews these quarterly.
NB: Check with CMI for any 2006 updates to the Tracker format.
Even in those markets where the full Quarterly Brand Tracker is not available, the data for the Market Performance and Financial Performance sections should be readily available within the business and be reviewed in conjunction with the Scorecard. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 84
84 BRAND MARKETING PLAN STEP 6. TRACKING
Example (illustrative): Skippy Peanut Butter
(A) MARKET PERFORMANCE Increasing Steady Declining 2002 2003 Q1 2004 Q2 2004 Q3 2004 Q4 2004 2004 YTD YTD vs YAG Category- Peanut Butter Volume (%Chg vs YAG) 4.3 6.6 7.5 3.6 3.8 3.8 +3.8% Value (%Chg vs YAG) 4.4 5.5 6.9 2.5 3.0 3.0 +3.0% Competitor Context Unilever Category Share Skippy Value Share index to market leader Brand - Skippy Volume (%Chg vs YAG) 3.8 -1.9 1.0 0.7 2.7 2.7 +2.7% Value (%Chg vs YAG) 4.2 3.6 8.0 3.6 2.9 2.9 +2.9% Market Shares Volume Share (%) 19.1 17.6 17.9 17.7 17.7 17.7 -0.2 Value Share (%) 19.9 19.5 20.1 19.6 20.1 20.1 0.0 Consumer Behaviour Penetration (%) 26.0 26.9 10.8 11.0 10.9 10.9 0.1 Volume per buyer (Kg) 5.1 4.7 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.7 0.1 Share of Requirements (%) 53.1 48.1 72.7 69.5 72.5 72.5 -0.2 (B) BRAND LEVERS PROPOSITION Brand differentiation Brands I like (Driver # 1) +4 +5 +6 +0 +2 +2 -4.0 The best tasting (Driver # 2) +0 +6 +4 +0 +5 +5 +1.0 Are brands I trust (Driver # 3 and BrandKey) +2 +2 +1 -1 +4 +4 +3.0 Good for snacking (BrandKey) -3 -5 -7 -5 -3 -3 +4.0 Fun to eat (BrandKey) -4 -5 -6 -2 +0 +0 +6.0 Liked by children (Advertising) +1 -1 +2 +1 -2 -2 -4.0 Brand Loyalty Conviction % 30 31 28 28 35 35 +7.0 Advantage % 46 47 46 46 48 48 +2.0 Performance % 59 58 58 56 63 63 +5.0 Relevance % 65 63 64 62 70 70 +6.0 Presence % 85 86 87 84 86 86 -1.0 PROMOTION Spontaneous Awareness (%) 59 62 60 58 64 64 +4.0 Media Spend (ATL) $1,696.7 $10,039.7 $6,398.0 $0.0 $0.0 $0.0 -100.0% Share of Category Media Spend 7.0% 36.0% 79.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% -79 pts Media Spend (BTL) 129.0 245.0 99 81 67 67 -32.3% Adv quality (ave flighted EI) PLACE Distribution Quality (% sku wtd) 7.5 8.9 9.1 9.5 9.9 9.9 +0.8 pts Forward Share (% share of display) Out of Stocks (% distribution OOS) Share of Promoted Volume (%) 29.6 22.5 23.4 23.9 22.6 22.6 -0.8 pts PRICE Price (main SKU $) $2.09 $2.17 $2.18 $2.16 $2.18 $2.18 +$0.00 Relative Price (Brand Index) 110 108 115 111 114 114 100 Value for Money (%) 24 22 20 25 26 26 +6.0 PRODUCT Product Quality (%) 57 62 58 61 60 60 +2.0 PACK Pack attribute (%) [new measure] (C) FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Turnover (NPS) 12.4% Gross Margin 7.9 pts € PBI N/M
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“TO ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS WE MUST NOT ONLY ACT BUT ALSO DREAM, NOT ONLY PLAN BUT ALSO BELIEVE.” ANATOLE BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 85
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BRAND MARKETING PLAN: 2006 BRAND – OMO (for illustrative purposes only)
1. NATIONAL GOAL
> Brand Portfolio Role: Build Selectively > Target Share: Grow volume share from 23% to 24% by end 2006 > Turnover (NPS): €235 million > Support Budget: MDC: €26.5 million; Media: €17 million > Profitability: GM 39.5%; TM 8%
2. KEY ISSUES & OPPORTUNITIES
> OMO Regular is in decline (-10% value share year on year) owing to loss of penetration. – Consumers are moving to value sector brands which are perceived to offer good cleaning benefits (Daz, priced at 10% less than OMO, has a significantly higher cleaning differentiation than OMO, but better perceived ‘value for money’ rating). Greatest losses were in Unit Dose, OMO’s area of strength. Users have moved to Ariel Liquigel and low cost / Own Label Tablet formats (Unit Dose penetration dropped versus 2004; Tablets dropped 5% versus year ago to 45% in 2005 and Capsules dropped 4% versus year ago to 15% in 2005).
> Consumers do not perceive OMO’s cleaning or care benefits. Its highest brand differentiation attribute is ‘leader throughout the years’ rated 25% higher than category norm.
Attribute vs Category Norm Stain Removal Effective Ariel +11% +3% OMO +4% -2%
– this is a result of lack of innovation in cleaning and inconsistent communication messages. This gives us an opportunity to exploit the global ‘Dirt Is Good’ campaign and associated innovations consistently communicating cleaning benefits.
> The OMO promotional strategy, focussing on deep cut pricing and extra fill packs, is not building business. – Over one third of OMO sales are sold on deal – the highest in the category. 48% of OMO buyers’ spend is on deal. Conversely, pricing promotional frequency on P&G brands has been reduced. This has not affected their business negatively. P&G co-ordinate promotional execution across brands and customers, minimising cannibalisation and maximising opportunity for complete 360 degree support for each brand on promotion. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 86
86 BRAND MARKETING PLAN EXAMPLE
> Ariel’s National Tennis event, co-promoted with Carrefour, builds Ariel business. – In Carrefour stores, Arial was up 18% versus year ago. Overall share over the summer period grew + 2% points. 2005 execution with 360 degree communications campaign and trade and customer promotions resulted in 75% redemption for free tennis lessons. The campaign has further supported Ariel’s ‘whiteness’ rating.
> Sampling has been proved to build trial and repeat in Unit Dose formats. – Sampling effectiveness, in Allsorts test market, showed single unit mini-pack trial unit builds penetration and repeat purchase. – Allsorts penetration in test market: Trial after 6 months in test situation (Allsort Sampling) Allsorts Total Brand No Sampling With Sampling No Sampling With Sampling 15% 30% 41% 45%
Rebuilding Unit Dose business will drive profitability and facilitate better promotional strategies, as this sector is not associated with deep price cut offers.
> The global DIG Sports wave is building equity and business. – Lead markets have shown a 12% volume growth (year on year) and significant improvement in Brand attribute readings. “Best cleaning available” moved from 67% to 75%; “It is a modern brand” moved from 63% to 68%; “Makes a good impression” moved from 69% to 72%.
> OMO has suffered losses in distribution (83% weighted distribution in Grocers in 2005 versus 95% in 2004). – Poor performing SKUs were de-listed following a range review in the largest retailer (who represents 40% to total laundry business). P&G are category captains and co-ordinate support for their brands in the trade to minimise cannibalisation and grow the category.
> OMO innovation has not been supported significantly over the crucial 2 year trial building period. – Over the last 4 / 5 years, innovations have been under-supported, with launch plans only spanning one year after which a new message and variant introduction was launched. In contrast, Ariel repeated the single-minded cleaning message and the National Tennis Event activation driving strong ‘cleaning’ ratings. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 87
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3. JOBS-TO-BE-DONE
Jobs- Measurable Objectives Initial Budget to-be-Done allocation
1. Rebuild OMO • ‘Remove stains first time’: grow Allsorts (with cleaning as leader in attribute strength from 4% to 9% story) delivering above category norm by end outstanding December 2006. cleaning results • Retain ‘Washes Whiter’ score at parity with Ariel (end December 2006) • Score at least 105 for new news, €7.2m Allsorts 360º main point (cleaning) & persuasion support for all adverts • ‘So effective don’t worry about the €13m DIG 360º support dirt’: achieve leadership, currently 5% behind Ariel • ‘Understand getting dirty is a positive part of life’: achieve leadership, currently 1% behind Ariel.
2. Drive Unit Dose • Grow Capsules & Tablets share ahead Allsorts & Balloon of brand share growth (1%) by end (inc. in other budgets) December 2006. & €0.1m instore support 3. Build trial • Increase household penetration €2.8m Sampling overall and from 41% to 45% by end campaign behind ahead of December 2006 Allsorts main brand • Grow Tablets’ penetration from in Unit Dose 44% to 49% by end December 2006 • Grow Capsules’ penetration from 15% to 20% by end December 2006 • Drive increased conviction on brand pyramid (relative to competitors) • Unit dose trial: from 45% in 2005 to 50% in 2006 average
4. Shift • Increase promotional effectiveness €1m Key Customer promotional from – 10% to 10%, by format / variant. co-promotion behind focus from • Reduce % base volume on deal from DIG Sports Wave price cutting 30% to 20%, by format / variant ‘Wembley’ activation to trial and • Relative average price point managed equity building to index vs. market (parity to Ariel) • Establishment of a co-promotion with a key Customer behind local execution of global DIG Sports Wave campaign
5. Rebuild lost • Distribution build to 95% in grocers Benefit from above distribution by Q3 2006 spending plans. in major NB Listing fees. accounts. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 88
88 BRAND MARKETING PLAN EXAMPLE
4. ACTIVITY SCHEDULE
Activity / Channel Customer Budget Jan Feb Activity Allsorts In-store €0.1 million communication Allsorts TVC €7 million Allsorts PR €0.1 million Mini Allsorts Sampling €2.8 million Gondola End €0.5 million promotional pack DIG Sports Wave €1 million ‘Wembley’ Activation DIG Sports Wave €5 million ‘Wembley’ TVC DIG Sports Wave €0.5 million ‘Wembley’ PR Co-promotion €1 million with Key Customer In-store Sports €0.5 million Wave support New architecture range review Splatmix improved €0.9 million cleaning NPD DIG theme upgrade €5 million communication Consumer Activation – €1 million ‘Sports for all’ follow up Price €1 million promotions, Gondola End support New Liquitabs transparent In-store support €0.1 million packaging (Balloon) TOTAL BUDGET €26.5 million BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 89
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5. SCORECARD
Jobs-to-be-Done Measurable Objectives
1. Rebuild OMO • ‘Remove stains first time’: grow attribute strength from as leader in 4% to 9% above category norm by end December 2006. delivering • Retain ‘Washes Whiter’ score at parity with Ariel (end outstanding December 2006) cleaning results • Score at least 105 for new news, main point (cleaning) & persuasion for all adverts • ‘So effective don’t worry about the dirt’: achieve leadership, currently 5% behind Ariel • ‘Understand getting dirty is a positive part of life’: achieve leadership, currently 1% behind Ariel. 2. Drive Unit Dose • Grow Capsules & Tablets share ahead of brand share growth (1%) by end December 2006.
3. Build trial overall • Increase household penetration from 41% to 45% by end and ahead of main December 2006 brand in unit dose • Grow Tablets’ penetration from 44% to 49% by end December 2006 • Grow Capsules’ penetration from 15% to 20% by end December 2006 • Drive increased conviction on brand pyramid (relative to competitors) • Unit dose trial: from 45% in 2005 to 50% in 2006 average 4. Shift promotional • Increase promotional effectiveness from –10% to 10%, focus from price by format / variant. cutting to trial and • Reduce % base volume on deal from 30% to 20%, by equity building. format / variant • Relative average price point managed to index vs. market (parity to Ariel) • Establishment of a co-promotion with a key Customer behind local execution of global DIG Sports Wave campaign 5. Rebuild lost • Distribution build to 95% in grocers by Q3 2006 distribution in major accounts. BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 91
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Activities Responsibility Progress against
• Launch Allsorts in-built • Innovation, Communication: pre-cleaner tablets Regional Category VP • DIG communication for • PR, In-store support Allsorts and theme communication: • DIG Sports wave activation National Marketing VP and co-promote with key customer • PR around Sports Wave
• National sampling campaign • Sampling communication using mini Allsorts samples and implementation: • Support TV communication National Marketing VP throughout • PR and activation • 360 degree support behind communication: Sports Wave National Marketing VP • Launch Liquitabs transparent • Theme communication packaging and innovation: Regional Category VP • National Sampling Campaign • Sampling and channel using mini – Allsorts samples selection, PR campaign • DIG media support development and • PR and 360 degree deployment: National communication Marketing VP • Brand Communication development: Regional Category VP
• Sports Wave Activation • National Marketing VP and • Co-promotion with major Customer Development VP retailer • Reduced number of pricing promotions (to be in line with Ariel)
• New range architecture with • National Marketing VP and better use and support of Customer Development VP strong SKUs • Margin build through growth in Unit Dose BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 92
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Further training See the http://marketing.unilever.com website and information (Training & Development) for training courses available. available Additional publications for reference: Category Strategy Toolset
Brand Planning Toolset: BrandKey Vision and Range Architecture
Brand Planning Toolset: BrandZip Brand Vision Plan
Brand Planning Toolset: BrandZip Customer Marketing
Brand Planning Toolset: BrandZip Finance
Communication Channel Key Principles to Remember Planning:
Superbrands: How they do it
New Ways of Connecting with Consumers – 4 Creative Techniques to help with CCP
See the http://marketing.unilever.com website (see All Tools and Guidance, Brand Planning) for more information on the Brand Planning Toolset content.
Glossary Activities All the action taken on the brand to build of terms equity and the business AIM Advertising Investment Measure Helps calculate the media investment required for a brand on a competitive Share of Voice / Share of Market basis. It also takes into consideration the strategic importance of the brand, brand size, innovation, quality of advertising and product, brand profitability and competitive spend and activity. AIM is used during the Jobs-to-be-Done phase of Brand Marketing Planning.
BKV BrandKey Vision (the single expression of the desired positioning of the brand)
BMP Brand Marketing Plan (the 12-24 month national plan detailing the actions brands will take to deliver their local business targets and the strategic brand vision) BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 93
93 BRAND MARKETING PLAN
BPT Brand Planning Toolset (comprising the BrandKey Vision, Brand Vision Plan and Brand Marketing Plan)
BVP Brand Vision Plan (the 3-5 year brand equity and business targets for each brand and the major strategic activities to deliver that plan)
CCM Communications Channel Manager (the manager who leads the communication planning process in the business)
CCP Communication Channel Planning (the old system of planning communications around activities)
CMI Consumer Market Insight
MAC Marketing Activity Costing A ‘bottom up’ budgeting tool used to calculate the cost of communications. It takes into consideration both country and category clutter, target audience, and the type of activity (ie. major, minor or maintenance activity). MAC is used during the Think Tight phase of Brand Marketing Planning
MDC Market Development Cost
MIL Minimum Investment Level MIL provides the minimum investment required to ensure brand visibility against the top 100 brands in the country, not just the category in which the brand competes. MIL is used to cross check brand communication budgets during Think Tight and Integration to ensure policy compliance
ROI Return on investment
SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats BLUE 2 TEXT 6/3/06 7:36 pm Page 94
Acknowledgements
The core team members who jointly created this book are:
Melanie Burns
Sue Allchurch
Bruce Levinson
Heidi Korhonen
Margaret Dane
Samir Bahl
Chet Henderson
Jenny Casey
Thanks also to HGV
January 2006