The most complex and complicated part of communication work is the campaign planning, since it affects and influences the picture formed through the assessment of the company, organisation, event or product. An effective advertising campaign is always at the right time, has an appropriate creative conception and uses the means of advertisement in accordance with the objectives and target groups. In addition to the efficiency, our job is only performed well, if the costs and expenses of the campaign are optimized, i.e. if we spend only as much as it is necessary to achieve our goals. The aim of advertisement is not creativity itself, but we are creative to achieve our objectives.
- Be specific, clear and unambiguous!
- Be realistic, do not exaggerate!
- Have measurable, verifiable goals!
- Be comprehensible for your target group!
- Be innovative to raise awareness!
The basis of an effective campaign is an overall planning
- The most important thing is to clearly define our objectives why we are having the campaign planned. Is it to introduce a new service or product in the market? To encourage purchase? Is it a reminder? To demonstrate a new feature or application of a product? To expand the company’s activities? To create market preference? To strengthen corporate image?
- Deciding on the budget is significant, since this will determine the size of the campaign and thus its possibilities. The size of the budget is affected by several factors: which stage of life cycle the company or the product is at the time, the substitutability of the product, the market shares of the company or the product, their position in the competition, the number of competitors and also in what commercial clamour all these should appear.
- To evolve effective promotional message it is necessary to know the target group. It is important to define the circle of customers, the decision–makers and influential people clearly. When we talk about the effectiveness of the message, we have to highlight the distinctive promise of the product or service, which is capable of establishing the uniqueness of the product or service in the market.
- The most important task is to decide what media-mix to use during the campaign, i.e. which mediums we should use during the timing on the target group to achieve the desired effect.
- Studiesprovidethe basis for thecampaignduring the planning, during the elaboration of the campaign and the aftermaths of the campaigns also have to be measured to find out whether we have been successful or are there any remaining goals still to be achieved. The performance analysis should not only be carried out from the communicational point of view. We can consider a campaign successful only if we have achieved the initially determined business objectives.