Module 2: Planning for Effectiveness

Question 1

Who are the different effectiveness stakeholders?

Answer 1

1. Marketing clients - People in marketing positions within the client business
2. Procurement clients - People involved with remuneration and contracts
3. Accounting & Finance departments
4. Creative agencies
5. Media agencies
6. Research agencies

Question 2

Why is it necessary to set clear goals at the beginning of the campaign process?

Answer 2

This helps ensure that appropriate KPIs are identified.

Question 3

What are the buckets that the IPA Databank puts comms plans into and which one has been found to be most powerful?

Answer 3

1. Emotional involvement
2. Fame
3. Information
4. Persuasion
5. Reinforcement

Fame is the most powerful in general.

Question 4

Thinking about effectiveness can be overwhelming for some stakeholders at the start of the journey but why is it necessary?

Answer 4

Reaching clarity about scope and priorities is essential. You must establish objectives, inputs, outputs and who will be involved at the start of a project.

Question 5

What are the different ways to build up the skills and expertise to measure effectiveness?

Answer 5

1. In-house team
2. Use external/outsourced resource
3. Combine the two

Question 6

What are the steps in the journey for establishing and improving marketing effectiveness?

Answer 6

1. Reach clarity about scope and priorities
2. Embed the analytics programme
3. Continuously improve the model

Question 7

What are 3 common metrics in measuring effectiveness?

Answer 7

1. Market share
2. Price elasticity
3. ROI

Question 8

What are some key principles to consider when selecting metrics for measuring effectiveness?

Answer 8

1. Metrics should measure business strategy
2. Less is more
3. Recognise the hierarchy of metrics
4. For large/global businesses determine whether effectiveness will be measured centrally or locally?

Question 9

What are some different tools used to measure effectiveness?

Answer 9

1. Test and Learn - Carrying our an activity with one group of customers (the test sample)
2. Market Mix Model (MMM) & Path To Purchase (P2P) - MMM quantifies the outcome of just one variable while P2P models are more sophisticated
3. Looking at long-term impacts - e.g. NPS/Consideration
4. Digital and Cross-Channel Attribution - Analyses the difference in media between ‘converters’ and ‘non-converters’
5. Unified Measurement Framework - Attribution and MMM together as one
6. Machine learning - Computers examine huge amounts of quantitative data

Question 10

What are SMART objectives?

Answer 10

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Timebound

Question 11

What are some possible communications objectives?

Answer 11

1 - Creating awareness
2 - Imparting knowledge
3 - Projecting an image
4 - Shaping attitudes
5 - Stimulating desire
6 - Effecting a sale

Question 12

What is the difference between soft and hard objectives?

Answer 12

Soft objectives (lead objectives) affect the mindset of the audience. Hard objectives (lag objectives are the results that come from soft objectives.

Question 13

What’s the numerical difference in effectiveness if you set objectives?

Answer 13

Campaigns with clear objectives had an effectiveness rate of 46% while those that didn’t had a 35% effectiveness rate.

Question 14

What’s the numerical difference in effectiveness between setting hard and soft objectives?

Answer 14

Campaigns that set hard objectives enjoyed an effectiveness success rate of 50%, while those that only set
soft, intermediate objectives enjoyed a success rate of 11%.

Question 15

What’s the difference between strategy, objectives and tactics?

Answer 15

Strategy is how you get there, objectives are where you want to get to and tactics are how you make you complete the strategy.

Question 16

Where are smart objectives set?

Answer 16

Across business, marketing and communications.