SAMPLE. BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan

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1 Student Workbook BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan 1 st Edition 2016 Part of a suite of support materials for the BSB Business Services Training Package

2 Acknowledgement Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council (IBSA) would like to acknowledge Move Marketing for their assistance with the development of this resource. Writer: Dina Zaitman Copyright and Trade Mark Statement 2016 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd All rights reserved. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd ( IBSA ). Use of this work for purposes other than those indicated above, requires the prior written permission of IBSA. Requests should be addressed to the Product Development Manager, IBSA, Level 11, 176 Wellington Pde, East Melbourne VIC 3002 or sales@ibsa.org.au. Innovation and Business Skills Australia, IBSA and the IBSA logo are trade marks of IBSA. Disclaimer Care has been taken in the preparation of the material in this document, but, to the extent permitted by law, IBSA and the original developer do not warrant that any licensing or registration requirements specified in this document are either complete or up-to-date for your State or Territory or that the information contained in this document is error-free or fit for any particular purpose. To the extent permitted by law, IBSA and the original developer do not accept any liability for any damage or loss (including loss of profits, loss of revenue, indirect and consequential loss) incurred by any person as a result of relying on the information contained in this document. The information is provided on the basis that all persons accessing the information contained in this document undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content. If this information appears online, no responsibility is taken for any information or services which may appear on any linked websites, or other linked information sources, that are not controlled by IBSA. Use of versions of this document made available online or in other electronic formats is subject to the applicable terms of use. To the extent permitted by law, all implied terms are excluded from the arrangement under which this document is purchased from IBSA, and, if any term or condition that cannot lawfully be excluded is implied by law into, or deemed to apply to, that arrangement, then the liability of IBSA, and the purchaser s sole remedy, for a breach of the term or condition is limited, at IBSA s option, to any one of the following, as applicable: (a) if the breach relates to goods: (i) repairing; (ii) replacing; or (iii) paying the cost of repairing or replacing, the goods; or (b) if the breach relates to services: (i) re-supplying; or (ii) paying the cost of re-supplying, the services. Published by: Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd Level Wellington Pde East Melbourne VIC 3002 Phone: Fax: reception@ibsa.org.au ISBN: Stock code: BSBMKG5231W First published: st edition version: 1 Release date: 2016

3 Table of Contents Introduction...1 Features of the training program...1 Structure of the training program...1 Recommended reading...1 Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan...3 What skills will you need?...3 What is a marketing plan?...4 The situation analysis in marketing Section summary Further reading Section checklist Section 2 The Goal Setting and Strategic Phases What skills will you need? Setting objectives Identifying your target audience Crafting your unique selling proposition Determining your strategic direction Selecting your marketing channels Section summary Further reading Section checklist Section 3 The Execution Phase: Campaign Planning What skills will you need? Preparing the client/marketing brief Executing the plan: budgets and scheduling The creative brief: A framework for developing marketing materials Control Monitor, manage and improve Section summary Further reading Section checklist Glossary Appendices Appendix 1: Global Ugg case study Appendix 2: Marketing plan template Appendix 3: Example strategy for a technology brand BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan 1 st edition version: 1 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd

4 Appendix 4: Marketing channel list Appendix 5: Marketing brief template Appendix 6: Example media schedule and associated budget st edition version: 1 BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd

5 Student Workbook Introduction Introduction Features of the training program The key features of this program are: Student Workbook Self-paced learning activities to help you to develop an understanding of key concepts and terms. The Student Workbook is broken down into several sections. Facilitator-led sessions Challenging and interesting learning activities that can be completed in the classroom or by distance learning that will help you consolidate and apply what you have learned in the Student Workbook. Assessment tasks Summative assessments where you can apply your new skills and knowledge to solve authentic workplace tasks and problems. Structure of the training program This training program introduces you to designing and developing an integrated marketing communication plan to meet client needs. Specifically, you will develop the skills and knowledge in the following topic areas: 1. Determine client requirements 2. Develop a marketing communication brief 3. Design and recommend an integrated strategy 4. Develop the creative brief. Your facilitator may choose to combine or split sessions. For example, in some cases, this training program may be delivered in two or three sessions, or in others, as many as eight sessions. Recommended reading Some recommended reading for this unit includes: Boyce, J., 2002, Market research in practice, McGraw-Hill, Roseville, NSW, Chapter 1. Chitty, W., Barker, N., and Shimp, T. A., 2008, Integrated marketing communications, 2nd edn, Cengage Learning Australia, Melbourne. Gillies, P., and Selvadurai, N., 2008, Marketing law, The Federation Press, Annandale, NSW. Jobber, D., and Ellis-Chadwick, F., 2012, Principles and practice of marketing, 7th edn, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, Roseville, NSW. This edition offers a contemporary perspective on marketing, with the latest digital developments and ethical accountability emphasised throughout. BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan 1 st edition version: 1 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd Page 1 of 89

6 Introduction Student Workbook Kitchen, P. J., and Burgmann, I., 2010, Integrated marketing communication, in J. Sheth (Ed.), Wiley international encyclopedia of marketing, John Wiley & Sons, Richmond, Victoria. Kotler, P. T., 2012, Kotler on marketing, Simon and Schuster, New York. Kotler, P. T., Adam, S., Denize, S., and Armstrong, G., 2011, Principles of marketing, 5th edn, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest, NSW. Kotler, P. T., and Armstrong, P., 2015, Principles of marketing, Global Edition, 16th edn, Pearson Education Limited, Harlow, United Kingdom. Kotler, P. T., and Keller, K. L., 2015, Marketing management, Global Edition, 15th edn, Pearson Education Limited, Harlow, United Kingdom. Lamb, C. W., Hair, J. F., and McDaniel, C., 2016, MKTG 9: Principles of marketing, 9th edn, Cengage Learning, USA. Perreault, W., Cannon, J., and McCarthy, E., 2013, Basic marketing: a marketing Strategy Planning Approach, 19th edn, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, USA. Scott, D. M., 2013, The new rules of marketing and PR: how to use social media, online video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, and viral marketing to reach buyers directly, 4th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Richmond, Victoria. Solomon, M. R., Marshall, G. W., and Stuart, E. W., 2015, Marketing: real people, real choices, Global Edition, 8th edn, Pearson Education Limited, Harlow, United Kingdom. Tong, E., and Taylor, D., 2004, Understanding marketing research, Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest, NSW. Zikmund, W. G., and Babin, B. J., 2013, Essentials of marketing research, 5th edn. Cengage Learning Australia, Melbourne. Please note that any URLs contained in the recommended reading, learning content and learning activities of this publication were checked by IBSA and correct at the time of publication. Note, however, that IBSA cannot vouch for the ongoing currency of URLs. Every endeavour has been made to provide a full reference for all web links. Where URLs are not current, we recommend using the reference information provided to search for the source in your chosen search engine. 1 st edition version: 1 BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan Page 2 of 89 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd

7 Student Workbook Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan This section provides a quick overview of the contents and purpose of integrated marketing communication plans. Such plans provide the basis for planning strategic approaches to marketing goods and services; they also provide for later development of marketing and creative briefs for specific campaigns. This section also discusses one of the most important first steps in developing a marketing plan situation analysis in order to discover where the organisation is at present with respect to the marketing of its products and services. Scenario: The new marketing manager at Global Ugg Tammy is the new marketing manager at Global Ugg, a sheepskin ugg boot manufacturer based in Melbourne, Australia. As her first task, Tammy has been asked by the marketing director to put together a marketing and communications strategy and plan for the next 12 months. Tammy doesn t know much about Global Ugg yet, but she has been provided with a background document to get her up to speed. In any case, Tammy will have to do a full marketing audit (or situation analysis) to fully understand Global Ugg s current situation before she can recommend the appropriate strategies and tactics. Once the strategy is complete, Tammy is to brief XYZ Brand Agency on the Global Ugg brand awareness campaign specifically. Tammy is ready to get started on developing the marketing and communications strategy and plan. Her first step will be to do a thorough review of Global Ugg s current situation. She will need to conduct research both internally and externally and gather together a number of relevant documents as inputs. For more information, see the Global Ugg case study background document in Appendix 1. What skills will you need? In order to undertake initial planning in order to meet marketing communication requirements, you must be able to: state the purpose of and main features of the marketing communication plan: defining broad goals, situation analysis, objectives setting, planning timelines and budgeting and evaluation conduct situation analysis: defining the key characteristics, competitive factors and market situation facing the organisation as it markets products and services summarise legal and ethical constraints. BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan 1 st edition version: 1 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd Page 3 of 89

8 Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Student Workbook What is a marketing plan? Marketing plans are vital to marketing success. They help to focus the mind of companies and marketing teams on the process of marketing; i.e. what is going to be achieved and how they intend to achieve it. The marketing plan is the foundation on which to scrutinise a business, assess its standing in the marketplace and build future growth. Every section of the plan is relevant and needs to be addressed to achieve a clear outcome. Any organisation intent on future growth needs to implement a marketing plan. Unless careful planning goes into the blueprint, a great deal of energy is likely to be consumed for very little return. An article by the Small Business Administration says: A strong marketing plan will ensure you re not only sticking to your schedule, but that you re spending your marketing funds wisely and appropriately. A marketing plan includes everything from understanding your target market and your competitive position in that market, to how you intend to reach that market (your tactics) and differentiate yourself from your competition in order to make a sale. 1 When completed, the plan becomes a working document that the organisation can use to guide and coordinate all the marketing activities it undertakes to achieve its goals, including campaigns. The marketing plan is a living document: As conditions change or more information becomes available, the marketing plan can be adapted. What is integrated marketing communications? With so many products and services to choose from, consumers are often overwhelmed by the vast number of promotional messages flooding both online and offline communication channels. Today, marketing is about being wherever customers are, giving them relevant messages, and making sure that each interaction is intelligently connected to the next. Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is an approach to creating a unified and seamless brand experience for consumers across channels. 2 IMC is used by organisations to brand and coordinate their marketing efforts across multiple communication channels to deliver great customer experience and truly integrated marketing, across any and every channel: web, social, mobile, broadcast, , in-store, outdoor and beyond. An integrated marketing communications plan, as the name suggests, is the development of marketing strategies and creative campaigns that weave together multiple marketing disciplines such as paid advertising, direct marketing, blogging, public relations, promotion, and social media that are selected and then executed to suit the particular goals of the brand. 1 Small Business Administration, 2016, Developing a marketing plan, Small Business Administration (SBA), < 2 Boundless, 2015, Introduction to integrated marketing communications, Boundless marketing, < 1 st edition version: 1 BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan Page 4 of 89 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd

9 Student Workbook Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan The primary idea behind an integrated marketing communications plan is to create a seamless experience for consumers across different aspects of the marketing mix and along the customer s journey, whether it is online or offline. Typically, communication tools for IMC encompass both traditional and digital media, such as blogs, webinars, search engine optimisation, direct mail, radio, television, billboards, and magazines. The purpose of the integrated marketing communications plan The purpose of the integrated marketing communications plan is to: outline the steps or actions that will be undertaken to achieve the marketing objectives and short term goals of the business set out how you will communicate your key messages to your chosen audiences by allocating time and resources in the best possible way describe the appropriate combination of communication tools that will be used during campaigns to build a strong brand-consumer relationship and ensure messaging is consistent and credible across all communication channels. Some of the major benefits of integrated marketing communications are the following. Marketers can clearly and effectively communicate their brand's story and messaging across several communication channels to create brand awareness. IMC is more cost-effective than mass media since consumers are likely to interact with brands across various touchpoints. Companies can then view the performance of their communication tactics as a whole instead of as fragmented pieces. IMC creates a competitive advantage for companies looking to boost their sales and profits. This is especially useful for small- or mid-sized firms with limited staff and marketing budgets. IMC immerses customers in communications and helps them move through the various stages of the buying process. IMC can be instrumental in creating a seamless purchasing experience that spurs customers to become loyal, lifelong customers. The main components of the IMC plan So what is typically found inside a well-crafted IMC plan? Simply put, every time you do a marketing plan you will define your goals, do some research, decide the overarching marketing direction you want your marketing efforts to focus on, then break down the different elements of your strategy. This all culminates in a plan of action that describes the specific detailed marketing activities you plan on engaging in. BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan 1 st edition version: 1 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd Page 5 of 89

10 Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Student Workbook There is a difference between goals, objectives, strategy, and tactics. These are often confused and can lead to a highly tactical plan with no overall direction that relates to the business goals. The simplest way to understand the process of planning strategically is as follows: first you develop the overall marketing strategy that supports your company's business goals; then you choose marketing programs (tactics) that support the overall strategy; and lastly, you plan it all out in a detailed marketing plan document with costs, timings and resources. What is given below is a simple version of the key stages and components of a comprehensive marketing plan. Key stages Description Key components Mission statement Corporate objectives Situation analysis A meaningful statement of the purpose and direction of the business The overall business objectives that shape the marketing plan Answers where are we now? and assesses the situation of marketing in the business marketing plan channel strategy marketing strategy market deep dive marketing goals and objectives business goals Vision statement Mission statement Business objectives Corporate identity Product/services audit Resources Distribution methods Audience and customer analysis Competitor benchmarking Market share SWOT 1 st edition version: 1 BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan Page 6 of 89 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd

11 Student Workbook Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Key stages Description Key components Objective setting Integrated communication strategy What specifically are you trying to achieve (in the long- and short-term)? The approach you will use to achieve your goals Marketing goals Marketing objectives Target market Brand positioning and value proposition Key strategies Action plan Budget and timings Evaluation and adjustment The detailed implementation plan. Answers what exactly do we need to do? What will it cost and what s the timing? How are we doing? What needs to change? Marketing activities Specific campaigns Creative brief Timeline Budget and ROI The situation analysis This stage answers the question where are we now? Here you will carry out research to ensure you ve thoroughly analysed your company, audiences, competitors and industry. In this critical phase you will gather as much intelligence as you can on the circumstances a company is facing today both internally and externally, including elements such as historical performance, industry trends and reports, technology infrastructure, market opportunities, competitors, internal brand surveys, industry trends and resources, customers, marketing analytics, website reviews, and customer experience analytics. Discovery research allows you to establish a strategy, confident that no stone has been left unturned. Goals and objectives What do you want your marketing plan to accomplish? This stage outlines the specific goals and marketing objectives for your business. Your objectives may be financial, with a goal to increase sales, or marketing-focused in order to build your brand and increase awareness of your product. The marketing strategy An effective strategy will help you to define the overall direction for your marketing program. In this section you will detail how you plan to reach your primary audience and how you are going to bring your products and services to market in ways that will satisfy your customers and achieve the established business objectives. This section will typically detail your brand positioning, your content strategy and broad strategies for communicating and engaging your audiences. BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan 1 st edition version: 1 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd Page 7 of 89

12 Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Student Workbook Tactical action plan In simple terms, a strategy is a plan for reaching a specific goal, while a tactic is the means you use to execute the strategy. When creating marketing plans, you start with broad strategies and support them with specific tactics. Tactics can include writing copy, writing news releases, composing e-newsletters, designing postcards, designing flyers, writing blog posts, building landing pages on the web, and writing social media posts. Budget and timings Your action plans and budgets will bring your strategies to life. Your action plans and budgets are your key tools for implementation. To ensure that they are successful, they should be detailed, definitive and revisited regularly. The budget section lays out the expected expenses based on the plans and activities revealed in the marketing program section. Evaluation and monitoring To ensure ongoing improvement, it s critical to test and measure the results of your marketing activities. Whatever method or technology you choose to use, formal methods of evaluation and monitoring will help you to understand the effectiveness of your marketing and return on investment. These should allow you to make adjustments as you go, so you stay on track. Learning activity: Find some marketing plan templates There are many different marketing plan templates. They have similar features and sections but vary in the amount of detail they require. Have a look at three marketing templates below and note down the differences and similarities between them. Australian Government, 2014, Marketing plan template and guide, Business, < /marketing-plan-template-and-guide.aspx>. Good Egg Marketing, 2015, Small business marketing plan template, Good Egg Marketing, < Small-Business-Marketing-Plan-Template.pdf>. Meerman Scott, D. 2010, Free marketing strategy planning template, WebInkNow, < Answer the following questions. Under what sorts of circumstances or for what types of organisation might you use the templates? 1 st edition version: 1 BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan Page 8 of 89 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd

13 Student Workbook Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan How do the planning templates compare in terms of the main components of the IMC plan? How do the planning templates compare in terms of how they promote a strategic approach to marketing? Which planning template would be best for you to use: as a learner in this course? as a marketing professional in your organisation? as a small business owner? BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan 1 st edition version: 1 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd Page 9 of 89

14 Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Student Workbook for a start-up? for a business owner requesting a loan from a bank to start a new business? How often should you update your plan? Some marketing professionals recommend updating a marketing plan at least once a year. However, you can revisit your plan every 6 months or every quarter to remind yourself of your goals, especially if you re getting off track or going along a course that is not paying off. There are many approaches to marketing plans. If you search for the term marketing plan template on the web, there are literally hundreds of marketing plan examples you will see. However, many of these templates may not be right for the business you are working on, or they may be too complex or too basic. The situation analysis in marketing A situation analysis (or marketing audit) is a critical review of your current business situation. It serves as a starting point for your marketing plan and is a fundamental part of the marketing planning process. It is conducted not only at the beginning of the process, but also at a series of points during the implementation of the plan, as you will need to look back over your marketing activities and communications, identifying what has worked, what hasn t and how much each activity and communication has cost. Learning activity: What is your digital footprint? As part of your situation analysis, it is very important to analyse your digital presence and performance across a number of key areas. Choose a well-known brand and conduct a digital footprint analysis on them by answering the following questions. 1 st edition version: 1 BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan Page 10 of 89 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd

15 Student Workbook Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan You can use the following tools to help you search for information. Google, < SocialMention, < Tweet-Tag, < Fanpage Karma, < Name of brand: Digital presence Description Data Website presence Social presence Social metrics Social media mentions Provide URLs of any websites the brand owns. List social platforms the brand has a presence on. Hint: visit the company website. List the number of likes/followers/members on each social platform. Use a social media analysis tool, such as SocialMention, How Sociable, or WhosTalkin, to track how many times the brand is mentioned on different social networking platforms. marketing Does the brand send out an newsletter or other regular marketing s? BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan 1 st edition version: 1 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd Page 11 of 89

16 Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Student Workbook Digital presence Description Data Social media engagement Corporate blog What level of engagement exists on social media platforms? Does the company have a blog and post regularly? What about? Google ranking Where is the brand name ranking on Google? Why do a situation analysis? The purpose of the analysis is to fully understand the landscape in which a brand is operating. Any worthwhile project begins with a careful analysis of the starting point, and marketing is no exception. You need to be clear and realistic about your current product, market, opportunities, and challenges so that you can devise a clear path from your current to your desired situation. A situation analysis will help you: determine your strategy and tactical plan determine how best to spend your marketing budget define your target audience in the right way conduct regular data analysis to measure your success keep your objectives and goals in check measure what is working and what isn t. What should be included in a situation analysis? A situation analysis is designed to be detailed and will require in depth research, a lot of brainstorming, and deep thinking. The key points it will need to address are the following. Focus area Product/services Key points to address What do you offer in terms of products and services and what value do they provide? Price Place People What is your current pricing strategy? Is it consistent with your marketing approach? How do your products or services reach your target markets? Do you have business partners or staff? Are there areas requiring attention? 1 st edition version: 1 BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan Page 12 of 89 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd

17 Student Workbook Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Focus area Processes Marketing approach Place Key points to address What steps need to be fulfilled to make your product or service customer-ready? What tactics are you currently using? Is there consistency between each aspect? How do customers purchase your products or services? Consider both physical and virtual environments. In addition, you should be mindful of any actions undertaken by your competitors and whether there have been changes in customer demographics or attitudes. There are eight main sections to a situation analysis: 1. Overview of your company 5. The target buyer Let s look at each of these in more detail. 1. Overview of your company This section includes some important background information about the company, like location, date established, sales history, business goals, number of employees, key personnel, and revenue history (five years). 2. The market context What factors do you see impacting this marketing plan? The market context should provide information on: market size in volume and value sales per market, if more than one regional breakdown seasonal variations 2. The market context 6. The competitive landscape and challenges market trends and segments brand sales history and trends 3. Core product or service description 7. Communication review 4. Distribution channels 8. Issues, opportunities and goals (SWOT analysis) legal, ethical, political climate, environmental regulations, economic, social, cultural, and technological factors impacting your marketing. BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan 1 st edition version: 1 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd Page 13 of 89

18 Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Student Workbook 3. Core product or service description What do you offer the market? In this section you will need to describe the key products and services that you offer in terms of their purpose, features, benefits, pricing, sizing and distribution methods. You should also include information like: name, including corporate owner, manufacturer or house name, brand and variant names history new/old/how developed and stage in life cycle physical appearance, ideally presented photographically packaging, ideally presented photographically description, including variants properties of a practical or functional nature cost structure, including pricing, margin and profitability strength or weakness as compared to competition current awareness level as well as perception of your product/service product positioning (high quality, low price?) product trends. Learning activity: Obtain client/business and product information Answer the following questions with respect to your own work as a marketing professional or by researching a brand or organisation. How do you go about getting comprehensive organisational and product information? For example: initial research into business, industry, competitive environment, market? interviews, meetings? 1 st edition version: 1 BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan Page 14 of 89 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd

19 Student Workbook Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan What are the product or services offered? What value do they offer customers? What approach has the organisation taken to marketing communication so far? How successful has the organisation been in the past? 4. Distribution channels How is your product/service sold? Bulk/individual packs/one-off/subscription/membership, etc. Where sold: if more than one market, relative importance How distributed online/wholesale/retail/direct Selling arrangements, strengths and attitudes of sales force, distributors or franchisee History of the brand s communications campaigns. BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan 1 st edition version: 1 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd Page 15 of 89

20 Section 1 The Integrated Marketing Communication Plan Student Workbook 5. The target buyer Who are your desired customers or clients? In other words, the people you are seeking to do business with. Are they teenagers looking to buy primarily online, or local residents needing a local professional? In this section you should include which sector/s of the target market you want to reach, including information such as: demographics like age, sex, race, income, value drivers and reason they are purchasing the product wants, needs, perceptions and attitudes and the way they like to buy. 6. The competitive landscape and challenges Who are you competing with? In this section you should aim to identify at least three to six direct competitors. For each competitor, provide succinct information, including: the company name, location and website address description of key competitors and their market positioning size of key competitors in units/dollars market shares of key competitors sales trends of key competitors strengths and weaknesses of key competitors compared to your company's product or services perceived marketing strategies of key competitors and their probable impact on your company competitors' communications spending history competitors' communication themes and copy platforms. 7. Communication review This section should summarise your brand history and communication plans (with budgets) and examples of any marketing materials or communications campaigns you have produced. It should include: where the brand sits in the market and its competitive set, based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative research (presented as a brand map of relative market positioning if possible) what the brand has learned from previous campaigns evidence of effects of communications in market marketing spending history (five years), including the return on investment (ROI) from each marketing activity. 8. Issues, opportunities and goals (SWOT analysis) In this section you will do a SWOT analysis. SWOT analyses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that are associated with a situation by considering all the internal and external aspects of the business and market. This way, business managers can understand whether a situation has enough aspects in its favour and is ultimately worth being pursued. 1 st edition version: 1 BSBMKG523 Design and develop an integrated marketing communication plan Page 16 of 89 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd