RK strategic approach (comm) ENG

29.07.2013

Communication strategy in digital environment

Red Keds planning department proposal

Planning Department proposal 2013Red Keds, 2013

Traditional planning vs. new planning

brands + startups + content providersother brands

DR/I/S + Google Analytics + FB Insights + Optimizely + SurveyMonkey + YouScan + ...desk research + interviews + surveys

brand roleproposition

C/AD + technologist + SMM + ...copywriter + art director

bought / owned / earnedATL + BTL

IT/StC + get validated learning + monetizeinspire team + sell to client

competition

insights mining

strategy climax

object of briefing

channels

ultimate goal


Red Keds transforms consumers of your brand into its users


Three pillars of our planning expertise


Developing a communication strategy in 10 steps

Part 1


the result time required misc

2-3 slides on where we are today (Point A) and where we need to be tomorrow (Point B) 1 day ...

Step 1: understand the brand

The first thing we do is talking to the decision makers on client’s side. We also try our best to get all the available materials on his brand strategy and read them from cover to cover.

Hopefully, it enables us to: • understand the brand and its products (e.g., brand pyramid)• understand business / marketing / communication objectives• diagnose current situation: communication architecture, metrics, etc.• evaluate brand assets (sponsorships, exclusive content, ambassadors, etc.)• learn the brand's guidelines (e.g., for social media marketing)• set SMART goals (= success criteria)


Step 2: identify opportunities

After we start feeling comfortable with the brand, we can think of possible ways to complete its objectives.

We usually focus on the following issues: • sources of growth: attracting new customers or increasing consumption frequency • competitive analysis: what other brands in the category/territory are saying/doing?• analysis of non-branded projects (startups, media, Yandex, etc.)• monetization options (subscription, freemium, in-app purchases, etc.)


10-15 slides that explore what kind of value can be created in order to reach Point B 2 days ...


Step 3: set the priorities

As soon as we know the possible directions we can take, we can finally define our target audience and start to investigate it. Apart from doing a proprietary research, we try to collaborate with all the stakeholders.

So, the algorithm here is simple: • break the overall audience into segments (by consumption patterns, social/psychological type, etc.)• choose target segments depending on the results of Step 2• synchronize these decisions with client's marketing• consider any input from other parties (e.g., research agency or ATL agency)


2-3 slides explaining who we need to attract, engage and maybe even sell to 1 day ...


Step 4: understand the audience (1/2)

Insight is a hidden truth about consumer behavior. Deep and original insight is critical for effective communication. We think there's basically 3 types of insights:

product insights

cultural insights

media insights

Relevant questions:• How consumer chooses this

kind of product?• What are TA's perception of the

product/brand/category?• What behaviors concerning the

usage occasion can we leverage?

Relevant questions:• What is the current zeitgeist?

What's special about 2013?• How are new products

disrupting the common models of leisure, work and family?

• Which problems and unmet needs arise?

Relevant questions:• How does our TA consume

content (place, time, media)?• How does our TA communicate

with friends and entertain itself?• Where and when our messaging

can be most efficient?


Step 4: understand the audience (2/2)

Here's the full algorythm of our insights mining procedure: • do the cabinet research• meet with experts, learn from their experience• get out of the building and talk to real people

• test the hypotheses with an ad-hoc survey (we usually use SurveyMonkey as a tool)• find additional "meat" on the consumer for team inspiration:‣ what apps are installed on his smartphone?‣ what's inside her purse?‣ how do they spend their weekends?

• apply relevant info from trendspotting reports (incl. proprietary)‣ based on TEC approach ‣ ValueLab methodology: artifacts -> trends -> interpretations of universal values

formulating the hypotheses


3-5 slides depicting TA's main drivers/barriers 3 days ...


Step 5: define brand behavior

If we understand consumer’s behavior, it gets MUCH easier to find a proper way to change it. We call it a brand behavior — a mode of presence in digital channels that resonates with the audience and hopefully nudges it towards completing valuable actions.

There’s basically two options here:

• Communicates a meaning

• Requires a reason to believe

• Helps to defend

a) Proposition:

• Improves life

• Requires evidences

• Enables to act/learn/iterate

b) Brand role:


Step 6: set rules of engagement

In order to activate the brand’s role (or proposition) in a consistent way across multiple channels, we formulate certain communication guidelines which set the direction for further creative work.

Usually these guidelines touch upon following issues: • ways to complete the communication objectives (Step 1)• ways to leverage client’s existing assets (especially owned media)• ways to incentivize certain consumer/user behavior• ways to provide a desired amount of UGC• ways to make digital activations compatible with ATL/BTL communication• etc.


DOs and DON'Ts 2 days ...


Brand role is the heart of a digital strategy, and in-depth guidelines are critical for its deployment, but eventually it’s all about activations that consumers/users directly interact with.

We use a three-layer system of planning in order to conceive and bind together various activations in terms of logic, technology and administration:

Step 7: devise communication architecture (1/2)

Campaigns messagingmedia

Programschannelsdialogue

CRM

Platformsinterfaces

applicationscommunities

short-term activations iterative development

long-term initiatives

COMMUNICATION

RELATIONSHIPS

SYSTEMS OF INTERACTION


After we understand which platforms and programs should be used, we assign certain roles to these platforms and programs so that they would complement each other in terms of achieving communication objectives.

Campaigns’ primary role is to drive traffic to our platforms/programs (incl. MVPs for early testing of creative hypotheses). They carry messages for different product lines, TA segments and/or stages of user journey which are developed later, roughly in the middle of platforms/programs development.

Step 7: devise communication architecture (2/2)


1-3 slides explaining how the whole thing will operate 3 days ...


Step 8: embed into consumer/user journey (1/2)

As soon as we devise communication architecture, we can start thinking on how to connect with a brand’s audience on different stages of the journey, which can be reduced to:• awareness• engagement• purchase• loyalty

There’s a number of connection planning models that we use, depending on category and goals:• touchpoint mapping• where and when (e.g., consumer’s 24 hours)• dynamic roles of communication


Step 8: embed into consumer/user journey (2/2)

Eventually all activations have to be arranged within 3 types of media:• bought media: channels that provide reach directly dependable on the amount of investments (e.g.,

banners, special projects, paid search, context ads)• owned media: channels that belong to the brand and enable to deliver any experience for free (e.g.,

websites, mobile apps, communities in social media, points of sales, packaging)• earned media: tools that enable users to act as channels, providing a brand with free reach (e.g.,

conversation content, opinion leaders, viral videos, contests)

It’s important to arrange activations in time considering campaign’s stages (derived from creative ideas), brand’s general marketing plan and production requirements.


COMMUNICATION PLAN 1 day ...


Step 9: devise a system of efficiency measurement

Carefully devised communication plan makes it easy to understand how to measure success in terms of quantifiable user actions (different for each stage of user journey).

We can also forecast a potential outcome of our communication in terms of achieving goals set on Stage 1, considering our past experience with certain channels/tools. It’s a relatively labour-intensive task which we usually undertake after the strategy is approved by a client.


CONVERSION FUNNEL + KPIs FORECAST 2 days ...


Step 10: sneak peek into the future


3-5 slides exploring the ways to multiply the success 1 day ...

In order to put a cherry on top, we try to foresee opportunities for further development of our communication product. Here we try to analyze the following:

• emerging technologies (e.g., Internet of Things, wearable computers, smart cars)• upcoming cultural shifts (e.g., quantified self, semantic consumption)• untapped UX potential (gamification, P2P mechanics, etc.)• untapped economical potential (e-commerce, etc.)• sponsorship, monetization and co-promo opportunities• etc.

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RK strategic approach (comm) ENG