Assignment: An Integrated Marketing Communication Plan for (insert brand name)
Details of Task: Assume the role of either a marketing communications manager within an organisation or a marketing communication consultant hired by an organisation to devise an integrated marketing communication (IMC) campaign for a new brand. You are required to develop an IMC plan for this new product in the market.
The IMC plan:
(i) Pertains to a new product for a new company. You cannot use an existing product or company.
(ii) Be based on one of the three (3) product offerings outlined below. There will be no exceptions!
(iii) Pertain to a B2C (business-to-consumer) environment.
(iii) Cover a single 12 month period of time.
(iv) Have a budget equivalent to a maximum of RM 1 million
(v) Be confined to one geographic location i.e. Malaysia.
The THREE product offerings you can select from are:
(i) A themed cafe (ii) baby food (III) Energy drinks
The IMC plan will comprise of the following sections:
Executive summary
Provide an overview of the plan so the readers can quickly grasp what the objectives, main findings, and recommendations are.
1.0. Introduction
Include purpose of your assignment, briefly introduce your product concept, outline of your assignment and select a geographic location. Note: for this Assignment task you are not required to provide the following typical business report subsections: methodology / scope/ assumptions / limitations.
2.0 An abbreviated IMC situation analysis
? 2.1. Internal analysis: In this section of your IMC campaign plan you will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your brand.
? 2.2. External analysis: In this section of your IMC campaign plan, you will briefly discuss industry trends resulting in the identification of opportunities and threats for your selected product. Identification of consumer trends to be included.
3.0 Segmentation, targeting and positioning (markets)
Identification of a minimum of 3 potential segments. Briefly describe each segment (market) and select a Target Market. Justify your selection. Recommend a positioning strategy for your brand.
4.0 IMC objectives
Develop a minimum of 5 communication objectives, complying with the SMARTT guidelines.
5.0 Creative strategy statement
? Tagline/ brand associations/ packaging design/ choice of colours (if significant)
? Recommended message strategy, the corresponding appeals and executional techniques with justification.
6.0 Selection and discussion of IMC tools
? Describe how you would like to use each of your selected MC tools over the course of your 12-month IMC campaign.
? Clearly outline the costs associated with using each of your selected MC tools. You are required to provide a detailed budget table for each selected MC tool. The costs associated with using each MC tool will come out of your RM1 million.
? A written explanation and graphical presentation of media schedule.
? A timetable of activities (to include all MC tools/functions).
The following are specific instructions regarding your use of various media vehicles (i.e., your media mix):
Think carefully about which media vehicles you select, as these will be used to deliver your brand messages/sales promotions etc. As such, you need to explain the link between each media vehicle and your selected primary target audience. Again, it is critical that you explain how this media mixwill facilitate the attainment of your communication objectives.
You are required to:
? include at least two mass media vehicles and at least one type of social media in your IMC plan.
? Describe how these media vehicles will help you to achieve your communication objectives.
? Discuss when you want to use each media vehicle over the course of your 12-month IMC campaign. For example, do you want to use one particular media channel before the product launch and other types after the launch? If so, why?
? Outline the (i) frequency and (ii) cost of each media vehicle selected.
7.0. Campaign evaluation & conclusion
In this section, you will discuss how you intend to evaluate your IMC campaign. In other words, you will:
? Discuss the specific evaluation methods/techniques you would recommend be used to evaluate your IMC program.
? Discuss what is to be tested and when the testing will occur.
? Provide a final summary budget table outlining the top line costing for each of your IMC tools.
It should also include the costs associated with the evaluation phase of your IMC campaign.
Note: Collateral material
This refers to your promotional material. This can include advertisements, brochures, point-ofpurchase (POP) material, packaging if you are using creative packaging, sales promotion material, and trade promotion material. This must be original work and must reflect your communication objectives, target audience and positioning of the product.
10% of the overall assignment marks are allocated for creativity and collateral material.
Length: 3000 words, excluding executive summary, table of contents, reference list, appendices and collateral material.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also Include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.
Learning objectives assessed:
1. Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the marketing communication strategies used to build brands.
2. Analyse and apply the marketing communication processes as they apply to specific targets.
3. Determine and apply the processes associated with evaluating the effectiveness of marketing communication across a range of media vehicles.
You should also bear in mind Unit Objective 4 when developing your IMC campaign. That is, you should think about any social, legal, and ethical issues that could impact on the way in which you opt to develop your IMC plan.
Attachment:- Progress-IMC-Assignment.rar