CRH CRH CRH



CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS & THE BRANDING PROCESS
- DETAILED-

DUE DILIGENCE
  • Industry, competition, target audiences and their influencers (who/what)
  • Reactions to brand, products / services, competition
  • Secondary research essential; proprietary research desirable
  • Proprietary qualitative and quantitative research optimal
Phase
1

DEVELOP STRATEGIC OUTLINE, POSITIONING STATEMENT, & SUPPORT POINTS
  • Can be done in isolation (within company)
  • Optimal to include advertising & PR agencies
  • Agency selections / changes should be made at this stage
Phase
2
TRANSLATE POSITIONING STATEMENT INTO CREATIVE
  • To be completed by ad agency
  • Positioning tagline, support points in bulletized statements, associated graphics should all be developed at this stage
  • Pre-testing selected creative is optimal
  • Testing of viable alternatives is preferable
  • Brand name issues must be resolved at this stage
Phase
3
DEVELOP CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS GUIDELINES
  • Guidelines ensure focus and consistency
  • Refine "all communications" to reflect guidelines
Phase
4
PRIMARILY AD AGENCY
DEVELOP / RECOMMEND MEDIA PLAN
  • Media plan a function of available budget
  • Specific media selected given target audience / previous research (proprietary and/or secondary)
  • Advertising can build brand awareness rapidly


  • DEVELOP / RECOMMEND CREATIVE
  • Ads a function of selected media
  • Pre-testing ads is preferable
  • Any specific product/service creative must incorporate "brand tagline / support points"
  • Note: a website serves as both a media and creative vehicle
  • PRIMARILY PR AGENCY
    DEVELOP / RECOMMEND PR PLAN
  • Primarily related to securing 3rd party endorsements
  • Specific "opinion leaders" targeted given secondary / proprietary research
  • Must determine optimal way to "influence" the key opinion leaders
  • This plan designed to obtain favorable editorial and/or "word of mouth" about the brand
  • Editorial / word-of-mouth should communicate optimal brand positioning / support points
  • Third party endorsements build awareness more slowly but are potentially more powerful than advertising in building "brand
  • Phase
    5
    AWARENESS & ATTITUDE BENCHMARK
    • Optimal to establish current awareness and attitudes regarding the brand and its competition prior to executing advertising and PR plans
    • Quantitative, projectable research is preferable
    • Establish goals for increase in awareness, overall brand preference and comprehension of specific support points
    Phase
    6
    EXECUTE ADVERTISING / PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN
    • Communications should appear for a minimum of 6 months before impact is measured
    • Even "perfect" plans will fail if not properly executed
    Phase
    7
    AWARENESS & ATTITUDE - WAVE 1
    • Designed to measure impact of communications on awareness, overall brand preference, etc.
    • It should also attempt to measure what is and is not working, etc
    Phase
    8
    REVISE ADVERTISING / PUBLIC RELATIONS PLAN
    • Given the results of Wave 1, make any essential revisions to corporate communications
    Phase
    9


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