Advertising Introduction

Author: Yao Xi
Editor:
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-07-01
Features: Section 3: Advertising Planning
Planning is the precursor to success. Without careful planning, one may fall into blindness, lose direction, deviate from goals, and suffer unnecessary losses or severe consequences. Successful advertising campaigns are based on successful advertising planning. In recent years, professional advertising agencies have begun to change their past approach of simply writing and drawing, proposing the slogan "Guided by planning, centered on creativity, and providing comprehensive services to clients," clarifying the dominant role of advertising planning in advertising campaigns.
I. The Concept of Advertising Planning
1. Planning
The term "planning" can also be referred to as strategy-making, encompassing meanings such as strategy, calculation, planning, preparation, intention, and methods. It is closely related to decision-making. The ancient Chinese saying "To win battles in the tent, decide victories from afar" refers to planning. The term "strategy" itself means "planning." The Harvard Business School Publishing Committee considers planning to be a process. In essence, it is a rational intellectual activity that primarily involves future-oriented decisions, meaning planning is about making current decisions based on what is expected to happen in the future. Planning is like a bridge, connecting our present to the future we must pass through."
2. Advertising Planning
Advertising planning is the process by which advertisers conduct thorough advertising research and systematic analysis, utilizing acquired knowledge (intelligence or data) and methods to scientifically, rationally, and effectively structure the progress of advertising activities. It also involves anticipating and judging the current and future needs of market trends and consumer groups, as well as the outcomes of unknown situations. Advertising planning holds a critical position in advertising activities. Without planning, there is no decision-making; without decision-making, there is no plan; without a plan, one does not know what to do. Advertising planning consists of five elements: the planner (advertising professional), the basis for planning (information and knowledge), the method for planning (means), the object of planning (target market and consumer group), and the measurement and evaluation of planning effects (anticipating and judging). In countries where advertising is well-developed, advertising planning has become a scientific advertising management activity. The socialization of production processes, the segmentation of markets, the diversification of consumer needs, the novelty, diversity, and electrification of advertising media, as well as the modernization of design methods and the visualization of advertising works, have all driven advertising enterprises in China to adopt scientific planning in their advertising activities, placing greater emphasis on economic and social benefits. This is an inevitable trend in the development of China's advertising industry.
II. The Workflow of Advertising Planning
As an advertising agency, after receiving the task of advertising planning, it generally follows these steps. As a client, after assigning the advertising planning task to an agency, you can also follow these steps to supervise the agency's planning work.
1. Form an advertising planning team named after the client or their product. It consists of the following types of people:
① Account Executive (AE talent): Generally held by the department manager, general manager, deputy general manager, creative director, or planning department manager. The level of an account executive is one of the indicators of an advertising agency's planning ability.
② Planning personnel: Generally held by the heads and key personnel of the planning department, primarily responsible for drafting the advertising plan.
③ Copywriters: Specialize in writing various advertising copy.
④ Art designers: Specialize in creating visual designs. They must have strong comprehension skills and the ability to translate planning intentions into text and visuals.
⑤ Market researchers: Capable of conducting market research and writing, researching, and analyzing market reports.
⑥ Media coordinators: Familiar with the strengths and weaknesses, pricing, and relationships with various media, and capable of securing the necessary media space and time according to the advertising strategy.
⑦ Public relations personnel: Capable of proposing public relations suggestions and conducting various required public relations activities.
2. Assign tasks to relevant departments. After preliminary discussions by the advertising planning team, tasks are initially assigned to departments such as the marketing department, media department, planning department, and design and production department based on the company's requirements.
3. The planning team discusses the strategy and tactics for this advertising campaign and conducts specific planning work. Generally, the team must discuss and agree on long-term guiding decisions and the means and methods to achieve these decisions. Specifically, the following advertising strategies are discussed:
① Advertising product strategy.
② Advertising market strategy.
③ Advertising timing strategy.
④ Advertising media strategy.
⑤ Advertising presentation strategy.
⑥ Advertising promotion strategy.
4. Draft the advertising planning proposal. The advertising planning proposal is the product of advertising planning and serves as the action outline for this campaign.
5. Submit the advertising planning proposal to the client for review, then revise or finalize it based on their feedback.
6. Hand over the planning intentions to various functional departments for implementation.
The final departments responsible for implementing the advertising planning intentions are:
① Design and production department: It transforms advertising creativity into visual and audible advertising works.
② Media department: It purchases the time and space required for the advertising campaign according to the advertising planning proposal.
The planning team still exists at this stage, overseeing the implementation of the planned advertising strategy and tactics, making timely adjustments for any issues, and arranging for the research department to measure the effectiveness of the advertising.
III. Principles of Advertising Planning
Advertising planning is a creative thinking process with its own inherent laws and must follow certain principles.
1. Principle of Unity
This requires us to consider problems from an overall coordination perspective when planning. All aspects of the advertising campaign must align with the company's unified marketing and advertising goals, as well as with the unified product image and corporate image. In actual advertising operations, we can observe that some companies' advertising campaigns lack unity—one day, one message; the next day, another. This also includes the uniformity of media selection and the alignment of advertising reach areas with product sales areas. It is crucial to avoid working in isolation and lack coordination in advertising planning activities. Adhering to the principle of unity in advertising planning emphasizes the integrity, comprehensiveness, and optimization of benefits in the basic theories and methods of advertising planning activities.