Systematic planning is the means to a successful end for your advertising/marketing team. “What Sticks” by Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart outlines two simple approaches: COP and the 4 M’s of advertising.
The COP (Communication Optimization Process) methodology is a framework for laying the foundation for your campaign and creating the benchmarks for you resulting actions. COP emphasizes the communication of what the campaign will do, in measurable terms, and institutes accountability into the process. COP prescribes a series of three meetings with your campaign team to make sure the campaign has a strong base.
In the first meeting, you and your team will define success, that is, outline the campaign outcomes in a quantifiable and measurable way that you would deem a success.
In the next meeting, you need to evaluate the possible scenarios that will arise in the development of your campaign and what alternatives are available. According to surveys, marketers spend 70% percent of their work time doing rework, i.e. making adjustments and revisions. Being able to plan for problems that will undoubted arise will increase reaction time when they do occur.
In the third meeting, you and your team will tie your goals together with how the campaign will be developed and create an action plan that delivers on your strategy. Remember, ROI research, goal planning, and campaign development are all worthless unless it is applied to the implementation.
This all sounds like a logical planning algorithm for a successful campaign, but if it is so easy, why do many marketers and companies completely miss the mark or underperform when the potential for success is so high? Here is where the fundamentals of advertising and marketing come in: The 4 M’s, Motivation, Messaging, Media Mix, and Maximization. Constantly referring back to the 4 M’s through each stage of the COP process and periodic assessments during the campaign guarantee that you are doing the things necessary to minimize wasted costs and maximize success.
Next post: The COP's sidekick, The 4 M's
Comments