Appropriateness of the Marketing Campaign
You will need to ensure that the marketing campaign is fit for purpose.
To what extent does the marketing activity reinforce and support the value of the brand?
Every marketing campaign should have a positive impact and add to the value of the brand. This can be tested by trialling a campaign before introducing it.
The aim of the advert below was to show that Dove is for all women (a positive outlook that would reinforce the brand) but when it appeared in the media it provoked a fierce backlash with many customers saying that they would boycott the product because of racist advertising. They perceived that the advert showed the black woman transforming into a white woman after using the product.
Dove had to apologise and withdraw the advert from advertising media – a costly mistake in more ways than one.
Sustainability of marketing activities
The longevity of the campaign is important – i.e. the time the campaign will be able to run. Can it be used over a sustained period of time or could something happen that would have an impact on the campaign, such as a change in legislation? This should be a vital consideration before investing in a campaign.
Flexibility of the campaign in response to internal and external changes
A regularly monitored plan should be flexible to internal and external change in events. One example of an internal change could be a member of staff leaving. The plan will need to be adapted for the remaining team. External examples can include any of the aspects already mentioned in a PESTLE analysis.
Relevance of the organisation’s aims
A marketing campaign must support or work towards the organisation’s aims. If an organisation’s aim is to increase sales, for example, the marketing campaign should focus on this. On the other hand, if the aim of the organisation is to raise awareness of a new product or service, the marketing campaign should follow this line. In a thoroughly planned marketing campaign, the aims and objectives of the organisation will be considered part of the planning.
Appropriateness to the target market
It is crucial that a marketing campaign is appropriate for the target market, or it will not appeal to the market, and therefore will not achieve its aim. As seen above with the Dove advert, trialling your campaign with your target market is a sensible move, perhaps by using a focus group before launching your campaign. This can be done by using research methods such as focus groups.
Legal and ethical considerations
All marketing campaigns must remain within the law. They must also behave in an ethical way. If a business does not behave in a legal and ethical way, the consequences can be severe.
The Advertising Standards Authority is an agency that ensures that advertisements are ‘legal, decent, honest and truthful.’
Members of the public can complain to the Authority and if it thinks that an advertisement breaks its rules, it can compel the company to change the advertisement or take it down completely.
Click on the link to learn more about the Authority: