How to Write an effective Brand Plan that everyone can follow

If you have ever sat there at your computer screen looking at these Brand Plan Headlines and gotten Writer’s Block, you

are not alone.

Vision Mission Goals Strategies Tactics Target Expected Result Main Message Support Points Product Advertising Promotion Stimulus Response Medium Channel

We have some long term thoughts on where the brand can go and the special assignment to get us on our way. And that helps shape the things we want to achieve with our brand. To get started, the brand has different options for how to get there

We try to find a slice of the population to get them to take an action that makes our brand bigger. We then find out what to say and how to talk to them to trigger that action We need to re-enforce why we can do it and others can’t.

We then create the most motivating stimulus to get them to take action and put it in part of their life where they are most likely to hear it and act on it.

Marketing Made Easy

in about 150 words

or less

Describing the Entire Marketing Planning Process Sounds Pretty Simple. Yet, how come it’s so Difficult to write a plan?

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We have some long term thoughts on where the brand can go (vision) and the special assignment to get us on our way. (mission) And that help shape the things we want to achieve with our brand. (goals) To get started, the brand has different options (strategies) for how to get there (tactics)

We try to find a slice of the population (target) to get them to take an action (expected result) that makes our brand bigger. We then find out what to say and how to talk to them to trigger that action (main message) We need to re-enforce why we can do it and others can’t (support)

We then create the most motivating stimulus (product, ad, promotion) to get them to take action and put it in part of their life where they are most likely to hear it and act on it (the medium/channel)

STRATEGICPLAN

POSITIONING

EXECUTION

Does it get More Complicated when we start to layer in all the Marketing Buzz words?

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My suspicion is the Marketing Words create the Writers block and complicates our thinking.

1. Where are we?

2. Why are we here?

3. Where could we be?

4. How can we get there?5. What do we need to do

to get ready

Five Great Simple Questions to Ask Before Getting Started on Your Brand Plan.

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Situation Analysis

Key Issues

Vision/Mission/Goals

Strategies/Tactics

Execute & Measure

Questions To Ask Planning Areas

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SituationAnalysis

An Example of how a Good Brand Plan Comes Together in the End

Forecast P&L

SituationAnalysis

Brand Vision

Strategic Initiatives

ExecutionalTactics

BrandBudget

Key Issues

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2

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The Situation AnalysisAnd the Key Issues

Where Are We and How Did We Get there?

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Understanding how the consumer buys, allows you to match it up and apply pressure against a single point on the brand funnel.

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Indifferent

Like It

Love It

The Love Curve Helps Isolate the Issues, matching the consumer buying system to the brand funnel.

Behaviour matched up against data.

Force Field Analysis: Drivers, Inhibitors, Opportunities, Threats

• factors of strength or inertia that are helping to accelerate your brand’s growth. Could be something within the brand’s make up or control, or it could be a factor of the market place.

•What are the things that are directly driving your brand growth?

Drivers•Weaknesses or friction that is slowing

your brand down, or a leaky hole that needs fixing. These are things that are happening right now.

•What is holding you back or getting in your way from achieving the growth?

•A leak in your Brand Funnel. Where are you exposed, Achilles heal?

Inhibitors

•Areas you could take advantage, which would accelerate our growth. They have to be real, or exploratory areas. No pipedreams! Unfulfilled needs, new technologies, regulation changes, removal of trade barriers.

Opportunities

• Outside of your control. They are real, but have not happened yet. If they did, they would be an inhibitor. No laundry lists.

• Changing consumer needs, threat of substitutes, barriers to trade, customer preference, or attacking your weaknesses.

Threats

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Helps Frame what the brand is facing as well as set up the Key Issues for the Brand Plan.

Is happening Now

Could happen

Analysis from the BURGER Example: Keep the Analysis tight

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Ideally, you want to focus on the top 3-4 points for each.

Make sure the drivers and inhibitors are IN plan now, not

could happen, but are happening.

Risks and Opportunities could happen but they have to be

realistic and within a 3-5 year window.

Force Field Analysis: Drivers, Inhibitors, Opportunities, Threats

Drivers

Inhibitors

Opportunities

Threats

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Continue/Enhance Stay focused on things going right, accelerate against them. Continuous improvement.

Minimize/ReverseClose the leaks, develop turnaround plans or re-focus the team against the trend.

Take Advantage ofBuild plans to mobilize the brand to see if the opportunity is a winning space for the brand.

Avoid/ContingencyIdentify and measure the risk, explore plans to avoid. Fill the gap before a competitor.

Helps to Frame the Key Issues Facing the Brand

• Key Issues should be asked in question format. Think of them in terms of a “rhetorical strategic question” which means that the question should be a bit leading, and have a proposed strategy as the solution.

• As a guideline, there should be 3-5 key issues per brand. The crucial part of key issues is getting to the right level. If you have less, you are likely not detailed or specific enough, and if you have more…you should try to elevate some up to see if you can capture the bigger picture. Play around with it, until it feels at the right level.

Key Issues Identify the Areas of Focus for Your plan

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Example: Key Issues for The US War in Iraq. Too Low: How do we get more helicopters into Iraq? This is too specific or too small. Think about it, if there are other ways to get to the same goal (e.g. you could get more tanks) then the issue is too small. Too High: How do we drive Peace in the Middle East? This is aspiration, but unrealistic. If it feels too much to chew off, then it’s too big of an issue. Just Right: What’s the most effective way to change Regimes in Iraq? This talks closer to the overall objective…but with enough room to give strategic alternatives

VISION/MISSION

Where Could we be?

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• Vision: End in Mind Achievement. What do you want the brand to become? Think 10 years out: if you became this one thing, you would know that you are successful. Ideally it is Qualitative (yet grounded in something) and quantitative (measurable) It should be motivating and enticing to get people focused.

• Mission: Special Assignment. It should be tightly connected to the vision, but is more likely a 1-3 year direction—if a vision is a destination, then a mission is the how or the major milestone on the path towards that vision.

• A mission statement focuses on a company’s present state while a vision statement focuses on a company’s future.

Vision and Mission help to Frame the Overall Brand Plan

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Things that Make a Good vision: 1) Easy for employees and partners to understand and rally around2) Think about something that can last 5-10 years or more3) Balance between aspiration (stretch) and reality (achievement)4) It’s ok to embed a financial ($x) or share position (#1) element into it as

long as it’s important for framing the vision.

The watch outs for vision statements:1. It’s not a positioning statement2. Make sure we haven’t achieved it already3. Don’t put strategic statements 4. Try to be single minded: tighten it—don’t include everything!!!

What Makes for Good Vision Statement

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Great Examples of Brand Vision

Princess Margaret Hospital

“To Conquer Cancer in Our Lifetime.”

John F. Kennedy"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving a goal,

before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning

him safely to earth."

Facebook“Give people the power to share and make the world more open and

connected.”

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Strategies

How can we get there?

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Strategic Thinkers see “what if” questions before they see solutions. They map out a range of decision trees that intersect and connect by imagining how events will play out. They reflect and plan before they act. They are thinkers and planning who can see connections. PLANNING!

Non Strategic Thinkers see answers before questions. They get to answers quickly, and will get frustrated in the delays of thinking. They think doing something is better then doing nothing. They opt for action over thinking. They are impulsive and doers who see tasks. They are frustrated by strategic thinkers. EXECUTING!

Marketing Chameleon: You must talk with and act like both in order to manage both types of people. You need to inspire non-strategic thinkers to be great on your brand.

What’s the Difference between a Strategic Thinker and a Non Strategic Thinker? Great Marketers Must Be Both!

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Does your strategy have:

An end in mind vision, pathway that has milestones, objectives and specific goals.

Specific choices on direction. Not a vague chance. Pin-pointed focus of resources (effort and investment) Leverage point to turn a small win into something big. Gateway, defined as a win for the brand that translates into

an increase in power or value.

Strategy is all about choices, not chances. Strategy helps accomplishes goals that move you towards a vision.

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There are 4 elements of a good strategy: Focus, Early Win, Leverage and a Gateway to something bigger.

1. FOCUS all your energy to a particular strategic point or purpose. Match up your brand assets to pressure points you can break through, maximizing your limited resources—either financial resources or effort.

2. You want that EARLY WIN, to kick start of some momentum. Early Wins are about slicing off parts of the business or population where you can build further.

3. LEVERAGE everything to gain positional advantage or power that helps exert even greater pressure and gains the tipping point of the business that helps lead to something bigger.

4. Seeing beyond the early win, there has to be a GATEWAY point, which is the entrance or a means of access to something even bigger. It could be getting to the masses, changing opinions or behaviours. Return on Investment or Effort.

Strategic Thinking: How to Think in a Different Way?

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Example: World War II • D-Day: While Germany was fighting a war on two

fronts (Russia and Britain), the Allied Forces planned D-Day for 2 years and joined in full force to focus all their attention on one beach, on one specific day.

• The surprise attack gave them an early win, and momentum which they could then leverage into a bigger victory then just one beach.

• Getting on mainland Europe gave the allied forces the gateway they needed to steamroll through on a town by town basis and defeat the Germans. The allied forces had been on the defensive for years, but landing on D-Day gave them one victory and the tipping point to winning the war.

Strategic Thinking: Focus, Early Win, Leverage, Gateway

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Tim Horton’s Menu Expansion • Tim Horton’s experienced tremendous growth through

the 80s and 90s, mainly because of the their coffee. Added to that is the shift towards Canadian patriotism, which Tim’s has taken advantage of. Tim’s quickly become a life ritual in the morning to wake you up and lunch to pick you up.

• The focus shifted to build a broader portfolio of products around these two time slots. The early win were a series of new products that made Tim’s seem big on innovation. Maple Donuts, B.E.L.T.,Strawberry Muffins.

• The leverage point was turning a coffee routine into a breakfast/lunch routine. The gateway is expanding the life ritual of Tim’s so that it’s now a broad based place for breakfast and lunch, but still connected with coffee. Tim’s is now #1 for breakfast and #2 for lunch behind McDonald’s.

Strategic Thinking: Focus, Early Win, Leverage, Gateway

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Drives the Feet To Take Action

Establish in the Mind About Brand X

Tugs at the HeartTo tighten the Connection

• Mind Shift: drive a new position or re-enforce current equity.

• Mind Share: get more attention than competitors

• New News: launching something new.

• Drive Acquisition: new consumers to try Brand X.

• Consolidation: get consumers to do everything with Brand X.

• Drive Penetration: get consumers to use more or differently

• Cross Sell: getting current customers to try other Brand X

• Maintain: re-enforce our Brand X equities.

• Deeper: consolidation or broader usage of Brand X.

• New Reasons to Love: target our most loyal users first—building on their good feelings.

Where the Brand stands on the Love Curve helps to pick the Strategy Choice to move the Brand towards Beloved.

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The Love Curve Helps Pick Your Brand Strategy Options

To have a very focused plan, narrow the issues down to the top 3, and then phrase it in a

reflective question.

The answer becomes the strategy, with one strategy

matched up to deliver against each issue.

Avoid having a strategy come out of no where, neither

showing up in the analysis nor in the issues.

Key Issues and Strategies from the BURGER Example:

Execute and Measure

Are we Getting there?

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Execution Plan from the BURGER Example:

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As you now cross reference it per major executional bucket, make sure that it still delivers agaisnt the 3 major strategies.

Specific details help give direction on the execution. Activity options plus timing

expectation, with clear budgets to deliver.

Make sure balance of budget lines up to intent of the plan.

Brand Vision/MissionWhere Are We?

Brand Issues We FaceStrategies/TacticsBrand Foundation

Brand PlatformCreative Brief

Big IdeasCreative Expressions

ArchitectureTone/FeelElementsExecution

Strategic Planning(Foundation)

Each step must link together and stay true to the vision and on strategy.

Communicating(Briefing)

Execution(Align w/strategy)

Market Feedback(Brand Review)

The Planning Process has Three Phases: Planning Foundation Work, Communicating and Executing.

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- Advertising- Events & PR

- Ads at first consideration- Key Influencers: experts

- Web Page & Links- Ads at Search Point - Experts, Partners

- Consistent Display- Sales Influence- Pricing & Promotion

- Customer Service- Product Quality

- Continuous Innovation- Cross Sell Brand

- Advocacy & Influence- Loyalty Marketing

Leverage the Love Curve to Map the Tactics Up to the Various Stages of the Buying System.

The Love Curve can even Help Match Up Your Tactics to Consumer Stage

- Transaction Options- Ease of Purchase

Beloved Brands have a focus in their approach. Prioritization should focus on Return on Investment and Effort (ROI and ROE)

Every brand is constrained by resources. By mapping Big vs Small and Easy vs Difficult allows you to

focus your brands efforts. This helps to add profit and drive a bigger return against efforts.

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Focus Area

The Stake in the Ground: A Comparison Measure• The first thing to do is to find a comparative stake in the ground, which will help you to

make comparisons—either above or below the comparison.• you can make a comparison from. It could be something from our own past, a

competitor’s past, another brand in the company…or even a different geography that could be extrapolated to Canada.

The + or – Analysis• Put together a chart that shows how your expectations of what you are trying to measure

in relative nature to the stake in the ground. Think things in your own market, that might make it bigger or smaller then the stake in the ground projection.

Bigger Impact Lower ImpactExamples:We have a relatively bigger shareMore advertising dollarsConsumers like that flavour betterIt has a unique positioningMore doctor support

Example:We are last in the market.Pricing is lower.Not as much consumer appeal.Canadians don’t like that flavour.We are 4th in market.

Making Projections: Stake the + or -

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How big is Brand x? • Brand X is a new molecule in the OTC market• It is a new brand that brings new hope for the allergy sufferer

Stake in the Ground: Brand X could be as big as Y in Year 1 (9% share)

Bigger Impact Lower Impact

• expected to get more A&P support then what Allegra got

• It has 24 hour claim while Brand Y was only 12 hours

• Strong HCP recos—especially pharmacists

• Already a 4% dollar share

• market is a lot more crowded than it was in 97 when Y launched

• Launching in March, missed Q1 sales• While it’s a new molecule, it really has very

little to say (congestion)• Launching at a significant price premium

Making Projections Sales Projections for the Year: Put a stake in the ground,then use estimates of + or – to determine the size.

Conclusion: Brand X will be slightly bigger then Brand Y in Year 1 (Therefore it could be a 10% share)

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Scorecard: Powerful Brands are Healthier and Wealthier Brands. Track and Measure against these four areas.

External

Brand Wealth

Brand Health

Internal

The idea of the brand has to be embedded right into the culture. Employees need to get it and live

it. They have to realize their impact on the end customer.

Everyone focused on Profit and Value. Lining up and delivering the

brand promise to a clear set of objectives, helps employees see that they are contributing to and sharing

in the brand wealth.

Healthy and Beloved brands win. They are more efficient, higher sales, lower costs, better margins, higher

over all profits.

Connecting with consumer is a source of power for brands. How your

consumer sees your brand, starting at awareness, trial, repeat all the way

down the brand funnel to brand loyalty.

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The Overall Plan

Writing the Plan

SituationAnalysis

An Example of how a Good Brand Plan Comes Together in the End

Plan Consistency and Flow: The Power of 3

The power of 3’s: you should have 3 core strategic pillars, and 3 supporting tactics for each strategy. That means you are doing a maximum of 9 things in a given year. Doing any more then that becomes daunting, but also divisive of

your budget and focus.

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Strategy #1

Tactic Tactic Tactic

Strategy #2

Tactic Tactic Tactic

Strategy #3

Tactic Tactic Tactic

Strategic Theme

Stay strategic• There's temptation to talk about all of the data that you’ve uncovered. But

really, what we want is to understand what it means for the business and what we should do about it. It’s so easy to get lost in the mounds of data, and it’s hard to get back out to get back on track.

Watch the Tactics• If its a strategic meeting, you owe your audience strategic direction. Watch

how tactical you get. Its very tempting to get excited about tacticsStrategic Story Telling• In presenting, take your audience on a journey from your vision to your

strategy, using the facts to support your thinking. Don't start with the facts or get hung up in them.

Controlling the meeting• Some people used the sheets too much, and some not enough. The

balance is the ability to speak above your sheets when talking strategy, and then reach for a point on the sheet to bring your audience back on track.

Tell The Brand Story Through Analysis

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Plan Consistency and Flow: “Finding Tubas”

• A good brand plan should have a consistency from the vision all the way down to the execution. Think of a band playing in perfect harmony. When you write something that doesn’t fit, it should stand out like a “Tuba” player, trying to play his own song. It’s misfit to the plan.

• Go through your document and see if you can spot misfits. Is your mission to drive trial and you aren’t sampling? If you want to be the “category leader in innovation”, then why are we not launching any new products til 2015? If your mission is “become #1”, why do we not have a growth or share objective?

• Make sure things don’t “die a quick death” in the document….or that they don’t “come from out of no where”.

• Senior Managers are skilled at finding Tubas—find them before they do.

Vision ObjectiveTacticMissionStrategy

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• Take out any meaningless words….especially on vision and strategy. Make sure your idea is complete, but see how fast you can explain it.

• If you have the shortest brand plan, and then idea gets through—then you will have the best plan.

Be Concise in your writing

Bad Writing Good Writing

The strategic intent for LPP is to get consumers to make a first time purchase.

Drive Trial.

Get consumers to add Listerine whenever they brush their teeth—every day, all the time. .

Become part of the consumers brushing routine.

Use Prepack program as a way to convince Variety Stores to list the LPP 24s at the front check out counter.

Drive C&G distribution for LPP.

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Summary Thought Starters for Brand Plans• Before trying to write it, start off with five key questions that set the

context for the key areas of the plan: analysis, issues, vision/mission, strategies/tactics and execute/measurement

1. Where are we? 2. Why are we here?3. Where could we be?4. How can we get there?5. Are we getting there?

• A simple analysis around drivers, inhibitors, risks and opportunities helps uncover the key issues. Ask the Key Issues in question style with the Strategy serving to answer the questions. Focus on top 3 issues/strategies which sets up 3 Tactics per—for a total of 9 per year—enough for any plan.

• A good brand plan should have consistency from the vision all the way down to the execution. It should all fit. Avoid “Tubas” playing their own song.

• Let the Love Curve provide context—helping identify issues related to the brand funnel, connecting strategy and tactics to the consumer buying system. Lastly, the brand funnel is an excellent tool for measurement.

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Situation AnalysisKey IssuesVision/Mission/GoalsStrategies/TacticsExecute & Measure

The more beloved the brand, the more valuable the brand.

growthpowerbeloved profit

Graham Robertson

website: beloved-brands.com email: grahamrobertson@live.comlinked in: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/grahamrobertson1phone: 905.884.9115

“If you don’t love the work, how do you expect the consumer to fall in love with your brand?”