IMW - Brand Discovery Form

Brand Discovery Form

Welcome to the IMW Brand Discovery and Creative Project Brief. This is a marketing management process designed to provide guidance and outline key areas of information required to develop a successful marketing communications program.

Ultimately, creating the brand’s plan consists of five major modes of communications:
Advertising, sales materials, event marketing, media relations and web-driven customer communications.
Developing an effective plan involves eight steps.

Identify the target audience
Determine the communications objectives
Design the message
Select the communications channel mix
Establish the total communications budget
Decide on the communications mix
Measure the communications result
Manage the integrated marketing communications process and resources to meet or exceed management expectations

In developing this plan it is crucial that you take time to consider the type of product, market, customer readiness to make a purchase, strength of the competitive threat, stage of the product life cycle and market rank. Measurement of success can be determined by looking at changes in customer attitudes, actual purchase decisions, customer’s ability to recall your message and in changes of product/service preferences.

Pressure on the budgets will need to address five factors in determining the appropriate amount invest. These will be (1) product life cycle stage, (2) market share and size/location of customer base, (3) competition and clutter, (4) the length of the campaign and (5) the product familiarity with the target audience.

Use this form to supply Marketing Communications with the required information that will in turn help them develop a creative strategy, establish the brand essence and produce advertising, PR and sales support collateral items (e.g., brochures, direct mail, pre-show mailers, update web site content, create new web content, videos, etc.)

1. Communications objective(s): What are we trying to achieve?*
Describe objective(s) in terms of how the campaign(s) will be used in the selling process: to increase awareness, educate target, introduce a new product/solutions/services, influence an immediate sales opportunity, etc.?

2. Frame of reference: What are the target audiences' current preceptions of client, our buisness category and our competition?*
Provide any relevant background, including degree of knowledge/awareness of client specific business and operational challenges, primary factors motivating purchase (cost vs. improved production, etc.), their perceived need for this particular product, solutions or services.

3. Key Insight: What do we know about the target that will be most motivating to them?*
For example, are they overwhelmingly cost conscious, most eager to improve productivity, confronting a new source of competition, etc.?

4. Competitive Environment: What alternatives to the product/service are the target audience(s) considering?*
Please provide competitive brands as well as types of solutions (including keeping status quo). Be sure to include any new emerging sources of competition.

5. Competitive Advantage: How is the product, solutions and services different from/better than primary competitive alternatives?*
Provide specific details whenever available; e.g., three times faster, 1/3 the cost, etc.

6. Main Message/Promise: What do we need to convince the target of to achieve the communications objective?*
What problem will the product or solutions solve? What opportunities will it capitalize on?

7. What are the three key features and benefits, in order of importance?*

Features:	Benefit:

8. How does this fit into the overall solutions offering?*

9. Brand Positioning: How are the products, solutions and services perceived in the marketplace in light of the branding created by the corporate branding guidelines or the the over arching communication coming from larger marketing communications campaigns?*
Play "Devils Advocate." Provide specific details whenever available (e.g., confusion, lack of awareness, nonexistence of brand development or real competitive advantage because their products are part of a valuable brand, etc.)

10. Bottom Line: What is the single most impression that the target audience should take away from this communication?*

11. Call-To-Action: What action do we want the target audience to take?*Call, visit web etc.

12. Deliverable: Please describe what materials will be required.*
(e.g., advertising, PR, e-Marketing, sell sheets, brochures, direct mailer, trade show flyer, booth graphics, advertising, etc.)

13. Mandatory for all materials: website address, logo usage, corporate colors, copyrights...etc.*

	Please provide the following information:
Name:	*
Phone Number:	*
E-mail Address:	*
Area Interested In:
How can we help you:
	(*) Required information.