MLC Annual Marketing Plan Full Toolkit

CEB Marketing Leadership Council
CREATE AN ANNUAL MARKETING

PLAN
Full Toolkit
FRAMEWORK FOR ANNUAL MARKETING PLANNING
Conduct Planning
Analyses
Manage Planning
Logistics
List the business objectives your plan

will help fulfill
Objective Definition Tool (p.3-4)
Identify stakeholders involved in plan

creation.
Marketing Plan Team Builder Tool
(p.5-9)
Create a workflow and

timeline, and allocate planning
responsibilities.
Suggested Planning Activities
(p.10-11)
Identify and select metrics to
measure plan success.
Planning Project Management
Tool (p.12-13)
Metrics Selection Tool
(p.14-15)
Prioritize and Budget for

Key Initiatives
Communicate
Marketing Plan
Analyze past years marketing plan

performance.
Identify marketing initiatives with the

maximum growth potential.
13 Summarize key plan objectives,
Select a limited number of key

analyses that will provide the most
critical inputs for your current year
marketing plan.
Short-list marketing initiatives with

the maximum business and
financial impact.
14 Set individual goals based on the
Conduct the selected planning

analyses needed to populate your
marketing plan.
10 Identify the resources needed to

execute planned marketing
initiatives.
strategies, initiatives, and success

measures.
marketing plans objectives.
15 Create a dashboard to track the

performance of the planned
marketing initiatives.
11 Benchmark your marketing
budget breakdown against that of

your peers, as needed.
12 Create a marketing budget for
executing the planned marketing

initiatives.
OBJECTIVE DEFINITION TOOL
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT TOOL

Illustrative Example, Alpha Insurance Company
How and when to use this tool: Use this worksheet to list business objectives of your current year marketing plan for ready reference. Use the illustrative examples given in the
template below as a reference to state your objectives and success measures for each objective.
Marketing Plan
Business Unit-Level Marketing Goal: Increase gross revenue by 15%
Marketing Plan Objectives
Measures
1. Increase overall sales by 25% across Health Insurance products
% Change in Sales for Current Year

from Previous Year
2. Increase customer loyalty across primary target segment (working professionals

between the age groups of 18 to 35 years)
Change in Net Promoter Score
2014 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved.
MARKETING PLAN TEAM BUILDER

TOOL
STRUCTURING A MARKETING PLANNING TEAM

Build a marketing plan

creation team that consists
of representatives from
Marketing as well as other
departments that provide
critical inputs to create your
annual marketing plan.
(Vice President, Marketing) Plan Leader

Serve as the chief facilitator and decision
maker of the annual marketing plan creation
team.
Marketing Research/ Analytics
Corporate Planning
Provide insights on company, competitor, and

customer trends evidenced from traditional
market research and customer data sources
Provide guidance on how to align current year

marketing planning objectives to overall
strategic objectives
Corporate Finance
Business Unit Head, Health Insurance
Provide expertise on creating budgets and

financial plans for current year marketing
initiatives
Provide business unit objectives and current

year priorities that influence current year
marketing plan
Sales
Provide voice of the customer inputs into
marketing planning
Collective Roles and Responsibilities

Note: The figure on this page
represents typical stakeholders
involved in the marketing plan creation
process. These stakeholder roles may
vary for your company.
Facilitate provision of different data needed for external and internal analysis to be conducted to assess current and
potential marketing capabilities, opportunities, and threats.
Weigh-in and select most impactful marketing initiatives for the current year.
Identify dependencies between different departments workflows and develop synergistic plans to execute marketing
planning initiatives
Review success of marketing planning initiatives against set objectives
Instructions
Template
STAKEHOLDER INPUT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE

How to Use This Tool: Use this tool to create a list of key stakeholders who you will have to coordinate with to create your annual marketing plan. List out each stakeholder in the
first column and write down their key priorities. Then mention all critical inputs that you require from the stakeholder (such as customer data, sales data, etc.).
Stakeholder
Role In Marketing Planning
Customer Insights
1.
Provide critical customer and competitor data for

analysis and creating current year marketing
initiatives.
Sales
1. Provide voice of customer inputs on customer

experience, purchase process, channel partner
management, etc.
Instructions
Critical Inputs Required

1.
2.
3.
4.
Brand Performance data

Usage and attitude studies
Customer verbatim
Segmentation data
1.
2.
VOC survey findings

Sales feedback forms
Template
MARKETING PLANNING TEAM BUILDER TEMPLATE

Instructions: Fill out the template below to identify individuals to staff your annual marketing plan creation team. In addition, use this template to list out the key roles,
responsibilities and areas of expertise each member must have. Refer to the illustrative example on the Slide 5 of this deck to help you fill this template.
[Insert Plan Leader Designation]

[Insert the leaders role and responsibilities]
[Insert Designation]
[Insert the team members role, responsibilities

and area(s) of expertise]



Marketing Planning Team Roles and Responsibilities Charter

[Enter collective team objectives]
Instructions
Template
STAKEHOLDER INPUT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE

Instructions: Refer to the Slide 6 of this deck to fill this template.
Stakeholder
Role In Marketing Planning
Instructions
Critical Inputs Required
Template
SUGGESTED PLANNING ACTIVITIES

(Pdf Format)
SUGGESTED PLANNING ACTIVITIES
How to use this Tool: This tool lists out the suggested activities needed to help you create an annual marketing plan.
To use the tool, follow the steps below:
Double click on the icon below to open the PDF and access a list of marketing planning action steps.
PLANNING
ACTIVITIES
11
PLANNING PROJECT
MANAGEMENT TOOL
(Excel Format)
PLANNING PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOL
How to use this Tool: The Planning Project Management Tool helps you create a schedule for your annual marketing plan.
Double click on the icon below to activate the open the excel tool and read through the tool instructions.
Next, scroll through the different tabs, to help you perform calculations and achieve desired outcomes.
PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
13
METRICS SELECTION TOOL

(Excel Format)
METRICS SELECTION TOOL
How to use this Tool: The Metrics Selection Tool helps you select metrics to measure success of your marketing plan initiatives.
Double click on the icon below to activate the excel interface of the tool and read through the tool instructions.
METRICS
SELECTION
15
Conduct Planning
Analyses
Manage Planning
Logistics
1 List the business objectives your plan

will help fulfill.
Identify stakeholders involved in

plan creation.

responsibilities.

7
7

performance.
Prior Year Performance Analysis
Tool (p. 17-22)
Select a few optional planning
analyses to populate your marketing
plan.
Planning Analysis Prioritization
Tool (p. 23-24)
marketing plan.
Market Overview Tool (p.25-26)
Competitive Positioning Tool

(p.27-28)
Trends Assessment Tool.

(p.29-38)
Customer Share Development

Tool. (p.39-40)
Monitor emerging consumer

trends for your industry (B2C).
(p.41-42)
Customer Understanding Tool

(p.43-62)
Brand Health Scorecard (p.63-64)
Competitive Differentiation Tool

(p.65-78)

Key Initiatives
Communicate
Marketing Plan


financial impact.

initiatives.


initiatives.

measures.

PRIOR YEAR PERFORMANCE

ANALYSIS TOOL
STEP 1: ASSESS PRIOR PLAN PERFORMANCE

Illustrative Example, Alpha Health Insurance
How and when to use this tool: Use this tool to gauge the success of you prior-year brand or product marketing plan, even before you begin working on a current year plan. The
following steps will help you fill out the table below:
1. Begin by listing out the big initiatives you undertook last year, in the first column on the left. (Include all initiatives that made up ~80% of your marketing budget)
2. In the second column, fill out the success metrics your team established for each initiative.
3. In the third column, fill out the actual metrics your team achieved, compared to what it was tasked with.
4. In the last column, for all the projects cite reasons for why the initiatives succeeded or failed.
Refer to the examples in the first row to guide you in filling out the table below.
S.No.
1.
Prior-year Brand or Product

Marketing Initiatives
Simplify our product value
proposition and existing marketing
collateral to help sales speak
sensibly about us.
Success Metric
Targeted
10% higher YoY
conversion rate
Refer to slide 22 in the appendix of this tool for a list of

commonly measured success metrics used my
marketers.
Actual Performance
Metric
5% lower YoY
conversion rate
Reason for Success/Failure

Simplified value proposition and collateral resulted in
detail-oriented customers losing interest in our
insurance policies.
1
18
STEP 2: FACTOR IN CHANGING COMPANY GOALS

How and when to use this tool: Use the table below to identify how changing corporate goals will impact your brand/product marketing planning for the current year.
The following steps will help you fill out the table below:
1. In broad terms, fill out current and prior year marketing goals as they translate from the corporate to marketing and brand/product level.
2. In the last column, note down how the goals may have changed at each level from the last year.
Refer to the example table below to guide you in filling out the template below
If youre not sure of the

corporate-level objectives, fill
out the bottom two rows with
marketing objectives as the
CMO or head of marketing
would articulate them
Prior Year
Current Year
Change
Corporate
Objectives
Marketing
Objectives
Brand/Product
Line Objectives
19
STEP 3: IDENTIFY MARKETING INITIATIVES

How and when to use this tool: The objective of filling out this tool is to identify 2-3 potential marketing initiatives for the current year. CEB Marketing recommends conducting
additional detailed analyses as time allows to identify and focus in on the best possible initiatives. To fill out this tool:
1. Use the column numbered 1 on slide 18 and the cell numbered 2 on slide 19 to fill out the top 2-3 learnings from those pages, in the left hand column.
2. Next, in the right hand column, fill out corresponding marketing initiatives likely to build upon prior plan performance and account for changing goals.
Use the example table on the top to fill out the template for your company below.
From column numbered 1 on page 18
From cell numbered
S.No.
Learnings from Steps 1 and 2
2 on page 19
Identified Marketing Initiatives
20
APPENDIX
(Prior Year Campaign Analysis Tool)
Commonly Measured Marketing Metrics
21
COMMONLY MEASURED MARKETING METRICS

While creating a marketing
dashboard, select the metrics
that fulfill key information needs
and can be sourced from
currently attainable information.
Select marketing metrics that

demonstrate current
progress, analyze past
performance and predict
future success.
Effective marketing metrics
are:
Aligned to organizational
goals
Objective
Reliable
Accessible
Meaningful
Sensitive (responsive to
change)
The table on the right lists the

metrics that marketers measured
most frequently.
Market Share Metrics
Market Share
Market Share Growth
Market Size
Market Share by Customer Segment
Purchase Funnel Metrics
Brand Health Metrics
Brand Recognition
Brand Equity
Brand Attribute Recall
Brand Value
Brand Price Premium
Media and Advertising Metrics
Impressions
Reach
Message Recall
Aided Awareness
Unaided Awareness
Message Association
Cost Per Million Impressions
Gross Rating Points (GRP)
Channel Awareness or Association
Awareness
Preference
Trial
Repeat Purchase
Loyalty Metrics
Willingness to Recommend
Attitudinal Loyalty
Churn Rate
Share of Wallet
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Customer Lifetime Value
Sales Volume and Cost of Sales Metrics
Total Volume
Unit Volume
Marketing Expenses as a Percentage of
Sales
Cost per Lead
Customer Acquisition Cost
Cost per Sale
Cost to Serve
Source: CEB Marketing Survey
22
PLANNING ANALYSIS
PRIORITIZATION TOOL
(Excel Format)
PLANNING ANALYSIS PRIORITIZATION TOOL
How to use this Tool: The Planning Analysis Prioritization Tool helps you select among the different optional analyses you need to
do for your business.
Double click on the icon below to open the excel tool and read through the tool instructions.
ANALYSIS
PRIORITIZATION
24
MARKET OVERVIEW TOOL

(Excel Format)
MARKET OVERVIEW TOOL
How to use this Tool: The Market Overview Tool helps you get an in-depth understanding of the current state of the market and
future market potential.
MARKET
OVERVIEW
26
COMPETITIVE POSITIONING TOOL

(Excel Format)
COMPETITIVE POSITIONING TOOL
How to use this Tool: The Competitive Positioning Tool helps you gauge the uniqueness of their brand/product offering and identify
areas to capture competitive advantage.
COMPETITIVE
POSITIONING
28
TRENDS ASSESSMENT TOOL
OVERVIEW OF THE TREND SCREENING PROCESS

Use Simple Screens to Test for the Growth Potential of Key Trends
As an example below, see how Alpha Health Insurance uses a three-step filtering process to select relevant and impactful
trends. Use worksheets on subsequent pages to unearth impactful trends for your industry.
Relevance Screen
Forty most relevant
trends enter the
pipeline
Third, evaluate trends based

on criteria such as the
competitive landscape and
overall alignment to the
portfolio, to determine trends,
or innovation spheres, with
significant growth potential.
Global
Megatrends
Screen #1
Second, define current core

businesses and capabilities for
your company and filter down
to the trends with the largest
impact on your core attributes,
products, and services.
Impact Screen
Twelve trends with the
largest impact on the core
businesses and capabilities
pass through
Opportunity Screen
Six trends with the highest
scores against prioritized criteria
are identified for focus and
investment
Screen #3
First, conduct a quick sanity

check to screen out nonindustry specific trends.
Screen #2
Employ a series of objective

screens to test trends for
relevance, impact, and growth
potential.
Innovation
Opportunities
Alpha Health Insurance

selects six Innovation
opportunities that represent a
single trend or several trends
with similar growth
implications.
Relevance Screening
Core Impact Assessment
Megatrend Ranking Scorecard

shortlists 40 trends that are
specific to its industry and
could potentially impact its
business in the near-term.

identifies 12 trends that will
have the most impact on its
core capabilities, products,
and services.
The 12 most applicable trends are then

assessed on multiple market
attractiveness and technological criteria
to stack rank the areas with the highest
growth potential.
Source: CEB analysis
Instructions
Template
30
STEP#1: SHORTLIST TRENDS SPECIFIC TO YOUR INDUSTRY

How and when to use this tool: Use this worksheet to create a short list of all possible trends that could potentially influence your brand or product line. At this stage, list out as
many trends in the first column of the table below. Next, take a best guess at filling out the potential business implications of each trend in the second column.
Trends Aggregation Sheet

S.No.
1.
Observed Trend
Technologization of Insurance Sales: With the number of
on-the-go sales executives increasing, organizations are
increasingly providing tablet technology to sale s
representatives to help them in managing their workflow and
accounts.
Implication for Your Brand or Product Line

Deploy tablet technology and sales applications to our key account management
sales representatives .
HELPFUL TIPS AND GUIDELINES:

Use the tips below, to outline as many industry-specific trends as possible:
Scan news, business and industry-specific publications to get a sense of which political, economic, social or technological trends can influence your brand
or product line in the next 1-3 years (5 years if you are building a long-term plan).
While its easy to select trends that have traditionally been important to your brand or product, for break-through growth, identify trends that will most likely
become important in future.
Instructions
Template
31
STEP#2: SELECT TRENDS THAT IMPACT YOUR CORE

Define core brand or product
value proposition and
capabilities, and determine the
trends that could have a high
impact on these attributes and
on your customers.
Assessment of Trend Impact on Core Businesses and Capabilities

Illustrative
As an example below, see how Alpha Health Insurance uses five core product attributes to shortlist four impactful trends for
further investigation. These trends are listed below on bottom-right of the page. Use the worksheet on Slide 36 of this deck to
note down core product attributes and impactful trends for your brand or product line.
Connection to the Brand

Our products must help customers
emotional connect with our brand
more
H
Define 3-5 (current) core brand

or product attributes to predict
the relevance of prevailing
megatrends and predict future
success.
If a trend is likely to have a
material impact on the product
or brand, target it for further
investigation.
Scope of Benefits
Our products must cover
all benefits that our
customers value
Trends that do not significantly

impact core capabilities are not
investigated further.
H
L
Competitive Positioning
Our products must enable us to
compete on innovation and cost
Trends
Technologization of
Insurance Sales
H
Customer Benefit
Our products must increase the
profitability of our customers
Increased Customization of
Healthcare products
H
Technological Prowess
Our products must harness our
technological capabilities and assets
Increasing Awareness of
Health and Wellness
Regulatory Reform
Result
The four trends with high potential impact to Alpha Health
Insurances core capabilities are targeted for further
evaluation.
Source: CEB analysis
Instructions
Template
32
STEP#3: EVALUATE TRENDS FOR BUSINESS IMPACT

Trend Ranking Scorecard
Illustrative
Rate trends on numerous

dimensions, mostly oriented
around business impact and
growth potential for your brand
or product.
Create a scorecard that
generates quick, but grounded,
assessments of a trends
impact on your brand or
product line.
Use the scorecard to arrive at
a set of innovation
opportunities, which represent
areas that contain significant
business opportunity and may
or may not require significant
investment or changes to
product or pricing.
As an example below, see Alpha Health Insurances Trend Ranking Scorecard. In the worksheet on the Trends Assessment
Tool Template, work with your teams to rank key trends for your brand or product line using the most important criteria for your
company.
Evaluation Criteria
Potential
for New
Businesses
Technologization
of Insurance Sales
Increased
Customization of
Healthcare products
Trends
Use standardized assessment

criteria to quickly and easily
compare and prioritize trends.
Potential for
Disruption
Potential
for Market
Shifting
Rate of
Technology
Adoption
Portfolio
Impact
Revenue
Potential
Average
2.55
N/A
1.50
Increasing Awareness of
Health and Wellness
Regulatory Reform
Scoring Key
1 = Low
2 = Medium
3 = High
Result
The top six trends (or innovation opportunities) are
identified for new business opportunities that are not only
aligned to Alpha Health Insurances core capabilities, but
are also the most attractive from a financial and competitive
perspective.
Instructions
Template
33
STEP#4: IDENTIFY THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE TRENDS

ON YOUR PLANNING PROCESS
How and when to use this tool: Use this tool to identify the action steps required to maximize the impact of trends in business planning. To use this tool:
1. First, fill out column 1 with the important trends identified on Slide 37 of this deck.
2. Next, in columns 2 and 3, fill out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to your brand or product line in light of the identified important trend. Work backwards
from the opportunities and threats to identify inherent strength or weaknesses of your company that will aid/deter you from capitalizing on the identified trends.
Planning Insight Sheet

S.No.
1.
Important Trend
Technologization of Insurance
Sales: With the number of on-the-go
sales executives increasing,
organizations are increasingly
providing tablet technology to
sale s representatives to help them in
managing their workflow and accounts.
Planning Insights
Threats
Opportunities
We can create collaterals for iPads as our target
customer demographic is mostly young-adults
(between 18 and 35years) who are heavy users of
tablet technology
Competitors are ahead of us in adopting tablet

technology for sales operations.
Weaknesses
Strengths
We have available resources to provide all our sales
representatives with iPads and applications .
Opportunities
Threats
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Strengths
Weaknesses
Instructions
Our current CRM systems do not integrate with

mobile/tablet technology.
Template
34
STEP#1: SHORTLIST TRENDS SPECIFIC TO YOUR INDUSTRY

Instructions: Use this worksheet to create a short list of all possible trends that could potentially influence your brand or product line. At this stage, list out as many trends in the
first column of the table below. Next, take a best guess at filling out the potential business implications of each trend in the second column. Refer to Slides 30 and 31 of this deck
to fill in this template.
Trends Aggregation Sheet

S.No.
Observed Trend
Implication for Your Brand or Product Line
Instructions
Template
35
STEP#2: SHORTLIST TRENDS THAT IMPACT YOUR BRAND

OR PRODUCT LINE
Instructions: Use this tool to help prioritize the most impactful trends for your business (from the initial list completed in Step 1). To use this tool:
1. First, identify and describe the core brand/product attributes in the blue boxes below. Restrict the core attributes to five or less, to focus planning on a select few priorities.
2. Next, rank the trends identified earlier (Step 1) on the closeness to each core attribute identified.
3. Finally, in the yellow box below, list out the trends that were the closest to most core attributes.
Brand/Product Attribute #1
List of Trends being Ranked
[Trend #1]
[Trend #2]
[Trend #3]
[Trend #4]
H
H
L
Color code each trend youre

ranking in a different color.
Do not restrict to ranking just 4

trends. Take a Life-sized print
of this page, and add more
trends, as identified on slide
35.
The key trends with the maximum impact on our brand/product attributes are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Instructions
Template
36
STEP#3: EVALUATE TRENDS FOR THEIR ABILITY TO

GENERATE BUSINESS IMPACT
Instructions: Use this tool to identify the final list of trends with the maximum business impact for your brand or product line. To use this tool:
1. First, list out the trends identified in the yellow box in Step 2 (slide 36).
2. Next, use the evaluation criteria in the top row to evaluate each trend for business impact and growth potential. You may modify the evaluation criteria for relevance to your
company.
3. Finally, average the scores obtained by each trend, and rank them. List the top three trends in the yellow box below.
Suggested Evaluation Criteria

Potential for
New
Businesses
Potential for
Disruption
Potential for
Market
Shifting
Rate of
Technology
Adoption
Portfolio
Impact
Revenue
Potential
Average
[Trend #1]
[Trend #2]
Tr
en
ds
[Trend #3]
[Trend #4]
[Trend #5]
Scoring Key
1 = Low
2 = Medium
3 = High
The trends with maximum business impact for our company are:
1.
2.
3.
Instructions
Template
37
STEP#4: IDENTIFY THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE TRENDS

ON YOUR PLANNING PROCESS
Instructions: Use this tool to identify the action steps required to maximize the impact of trends in business planning. Refer to Slide 34 of this deck to fill in this template.
Planning Insight Sheet

S.No.
Important Trend
Planning Insights
Opportunities
Threats
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Strengths
Weaknesses
Instructions
Template
38
CUSTOMER SHARE DEVELOPMENT

TOOL
(Excel Format)
CUSTOMER SHARE DEVELOPMENT TOOL
How to use this Tool: The Customer Share Development Tool helps you analyze the customer purchase process and identify
purchase stall points.
CUSTOMER
SHARE DEV.
40
MONITOR EMERGING CONSUMER

TRENDS FOR YOUR
INDUSTRY(B2C)
MONITOR EMERGING CONSUMER TRENDS FOR YOUR

INDUSTRY (B2C)
How to use this Tool: Click on the screenshot below to redirect to our consumer outlooks topic center powered by CEB
Iconoculture.
42
CUSTOMER UNDERSTANDING
TOOL
FRAMEWORK FOR CAPTURING VOICE OF THE

CUSTOMER
Marketers have several
opportunities to gather and use
customer data, varying by effort
and time requirements.
How and When to Use This Tool: Use the framework below to decide whether or not you need to commission a formal
customer data collection program to inform annual planning. Answer the questions beginning from the top, and follow the
arrows in the direction of your most logical answer. Along the way, use tools denoted by the tool icons, to select suitable
customer data collection methods.
Marketers capture customer

voice early in the planning
process, to limit planning
focus to a select few
initiatives their customers will
likely reward
While some companies
invest in formal VOC
collection programs, there
exist cheaper, and quicker
next-best alternatives to
capture customer voice
Do you currently collect

customer data?
Yes
Use the framework on the

right to decide your approach
to capturing customer voice
as an input to marketing
planning
No, we have a fairly good

customer understanding
No, but we should
Do you have sufficient time and

resources to collect VOC?
Yes
No
Select quick-win Customer

Data Collection Methods
(Slide 45)
Select Formal Customer Data

Collection Methods
(Sides 46)
Create a Customer Data

Collection Plan
(Slides 47,48)
Collate customer/consumer insights from the VOC gathered
Analyze Customer Data for

Planning Insights
(Slide 50,51)
44
QUICK-WIN CUSTOMER DATA COLLECTION METHODS

How and when to use this tool: Before investing effort and resources to capture VOC, examine the list below. Work with key business partners to identify pre-existing, or readily
available VOC data sources available to you. (Litmus test: The data gathered by any quick-win VOC capture method should help you answer questions on slide 48).
Method
Data Sources
Surveys
Customer or market studies commissioned by

business units, R&D, or market research
Syndicated Studies
Survey reports, presentations and white papers

authored by industry-accredited bodies, credible
academics or vendors
Existing Customer,
Product or Market Data
Public Information
Web Search and Social

Media Trends
Customer Stories
Data Type
Quantitative / Qualitative
Quantitative/
Qualitative
Typical Owner
Examples
Marketing Research
R&D
Usage and attitude studies
Industry Bodies
Academic/Research Institutions
Nielsen consumer data

Marketing / buyer journals
Sales Reps
Product purchase and loyalty data from
E-Commerce Team
Customer or product usage information sourced Quantitative / Qualitative
CRM or loyalty programs
Demand Gen / Content Marketing
from CRM and marketing automation systems
Content consumption data from
Team
marketing automation dashboard
Marketing Operations
Reports published by the government, census
Government
Quantitative
Economic and Demographic surveys
bodies or industry associations
Census Bodies
Keyword Clouds and Sentiments
captured from Social Listening Software
Data from web and social media analytics; output
Digital Marketing/Web/Social
Web Testimonials
Quantitative/ Qualitative
from social listening efforts
Media Team
Buyer Web Expressions (e.g., retweets,
videos, detailed Facebook or LinkedIn
posts)
Customer verbatims gathered from sales and/or
Sales Reps
Quotes
customer service reps, and social media
Qualitative
Customer Service Team
Buyer personas
listening
Business or Trade
Publications
Customer interviews or surveys published in

trade journals
Qualitative
Industry Bodies
Business Media
Magazines such as B2B Marketing

Magazine, AdWeek, SmartBrief, etc.
Customer Polls or
Interviews
Events (e.g. Seminars, Trade Shows,

Conferences, etc.)
Qualitative
Sales Reps
Event Marketing Team
Customer Testimonials
List out the VOC sources you know are available now or might become available to you in the near future. (Use this list to populate boxes 2 and 3 on slide
47)
1.
2.
3.
45
FORMAL CUSTOMER DATA COLLECTION METHODS

How and when to use this tool: This page provides an overview of the various methods you can use to capture customer voice. As you read through the list below:
1. Identify the VOC your organization may have already captured through these methods. Use the VOC collected to answer questions on the planning insight cheatsheet (slide
5) to identify improvement opportunities for your brand/product.
2. In case there is a specific need to capture additional VOC, select the most appropriate collection from the list below. Refer to slides 52-62 in the appendix for additional
details on each method listed below.
Primary Stage of the

Process
Method
Cost
Data Collection Time
Data Type
Opportunity/ Need
Identification
Customer Advisory Council
High
Half Day
Qualitative
Opportunity/ Need
Identification
Customer Interviews
Medium
One Day
Qualitative
Exploring customers problems and stated

needs
Opportunity/ Need
Identification
Ethnography
Very High
Weeks
Qualitative
Surfacing unknown/ unarticulated needs
Opportunity/ Need
Identification
Lead Users
Medium
One Day
Qualitative
Developing solutions to needs not yet

experienced by the mass market
Opportunity/ Need
Identification
Surveys
Low
Weeks
Qualitative and
Quantitative
Testing and Validation
Focus Group
Medium
One Day
Qualitative
Honing/ adjusting ideas to fit market
Opportunity/ Need
Identification;
Testing and Validation
Online Communities (either

Owned or Third Party)
Medium to Low
Ongoing
Qualitative
Getting quick, directional feedback from buyers
Best Used For

B2B customer feedback on industry trends.
B2C variant is communities.
Qualifying market/ surfacing known needs
46
CUSTOMER DATA COLLECTION PLANNING SHEET (1/2)

How and when to use this tool: After you have evaluated the various customer data sources available to you, create a systematic plan for capturing customer voice.
First, create a Project Outline. Define the key planning question(s) you need to address through customer data, as well as list out monetary and time constraints in
1
capturing customer data to answer that question. (Important: The key question should be narrowly defined, such that its answer has significant impact on your
brand/product line)
2
Next, identify and list out existing customer data sources that can answer the key business question identified in your project description. Identify the owner of each
source, and set a timeline for when youll analyze customer information.
3
Finally, if existing sources fail to address the key customer question, identify additional data sources that can. Keep in mind budget and monetary constraints in
commissioning additional customer data collection efforts. As above, Identify the owner of each source, and set a timeline for when youll analyze customer information.
(Important: Commission additional customer data collection initiatives only if they can precisely answer the key question for your brand/product line).
Project Outline
Key Business Question:
Refer to the key questions listed on slide

48 to help you frame the key question for
your customer data collection project.
Available Budget ($)

Available Time
(Hours/Days/Weeks)
Existing Customer Data Sources

Analysis Start Analysis End
Source
Owner
Date
Date
Additional Customer Data Sources

Analysis Start Analysis End
Source
Owner
Date
Date
47
CUSTOMER DATA COLLECTION PLANNING SHEET (2/2)

Customer data can help
marketers unearth opportunities
expand business, retain
customers and improve
marketing effectiveness.
How to Use This Tool: Use the key questions listed below as a reference to frame the key business issue for your
customer data collection effort. Refer to potential planning leads in the lower half of the page to know the type of planning
insight each question set can result in.
Business Development
Customer Retention
Marketing Effectiveness
Key Questions
Key Questions
Key Questions
What current customer needs are

not served/underserved by your
product/brand?
What customer segments are most

dissatisfied with your
product/brand?
Do customers understand and

relate to your brand or marketing
message?
What customer unstated needs

could you profitably develop a
business around?
What is the primary reason for

customer dissatisfaction? Is it
product or service related?
At what point (if any) in the

purchase process do customers
disconnect from your marketing
efforts?
What existing market segments is

your product/brand underserving?
What are the key touchpoints

where you could (or should)
approach dissatisfied customers?
Are there any adjacent market

segments you could profitably
serve?
Potential Planning Leads
Opportunities for new product

development.
Ideas for customer experience

improvement initiatives.
Opportunities for improving

Marcomm mix and content.
Opportunities for market expansion

or diversification.
Ideas for customer experience

differentiation initiatives.
Opportunities to restructure lead

generation process.
Source: CEB Marketing Leadership Council research.
48
MANAGING DATA FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES

Use people (not systems) to
make sense of disparate data
and prioritize key opportunities.
Like Cox, set up a Brain Trust
to improve enterprise-wide
customer insight quality via
regular coordination and
collaboration among different
customer data owners.
Marketing
Analytics
Cox approach relies on people

advantages over technology:
The Analytics Brain Trust
Scalability Collaboration
between different data-set
reduces the individual
burden on marketers to
gather customer voice.
Role:
Coordinate efforts between analytics
groups to avoid duplication of efforts
Field Sales
and Retail
Analytics
Savvy Interpretation
Brain Trust members know
the advantages and
limitations of their dataset.
Identify areas of synergy and

collaboration
Drive awareness of analytics techniques
and data idiosyncrasies
Customer
Experience
Analytics
Learn from and internalize each others

work to improve overall analytics
mastery
Information Adaptability
Regular coordination
enables all teams to identify
new and more valuable
information of which they
were previously unaware.
Timely Delivery
Coordination doesnt have to
wait for the next data
warehouse project to be
completed.
Marketing Analytics also works

closely with the Consumer Insights
group which supports the whole
company. This coordination helps
to provide pan-enterprise visibility
into organizational priorities.
Centralize decisions about enterprise

data and analytical tool needs
Business
Operations
and Finance
Analytics
Source: Cox Communications; CEB analysis.
49
MAKING SENSE OF CUSTOMER DATA

Three Steps to Analyze Customer Data for Insights
Conduct a SWOT analysis on
raw customer voice and
customer data to isolate planning
insights and required marketing
initiatives.
1
Customer Data Collection Notes
First, note down interesting

qualitative and quantitative
pieces of customer
information captured
Next, conduct a SWOT
analysis on the customer
voice notes to identify areas
of strength, weakness,
opportunity and threat for
your brand or product line
As an example, on the right, see

how Gentle Detergents conducts
a SWOT analysis on the VOC
notes it gathered for its brand.
Oh! So Alpha s health insurance products are

not the same as Omegas? I always thought
they were the same.
For Health Insurances, I trust Gamma

Company; not sure if I want to buy from your
company.
Most financial advisors in my peer circle

recommend Gamma Insurance Company for its
low premiums.
Your Health Insurance doesnt cover dental,

but I wear braces. Not sure if it will be useful
for me.
My Brother bought your health insurance and

post his surgery was very happy with the
services. He recommends we buy from
you..
SYNDICATED DATA POINTS:
Brand preference for Alpha declined 8% YoY,

Gamma sales up 12% YoY.
Percentage of young working professionals in

the area increased by 15% in the last three
years.
Use the worksheet on the next

page to analyze customer voice
captured by your company.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Alphas core brand attribute (i.e. reliability and

client service) are well understood.
Existing Alpha customers are likely to

recommend our products to their peers.
Weaknesses
Our health insurance products do not cover

dental benefits, which most of our competitors
provide.
Opportunities
Young working professionals and first time

insurance buyers are increasing in percentage
this is a new set of customer Alpha can target to
build brand positioning
Threats
Insurance Products differentiators are not

communicated clearly to customers who confuse
us with Omega Insurance Company.
Brand preference for Gamma rose at the expense

of Alpha, primarily due to low insurance
premiums.
Pseudonymed company
50
CUSTOMER INSIGHT ANALYSIS SHEET

How and when to use this tool: This tool helps you analyze customer data, once you have collected it. To use this tool:
First, note down interesting qualitative and quantitative pieces of customer information youve captured in the box numbered 1.
Next, conduct a SWOT analysis on the customer data notes to identify areas of strength, weakness, opportunity and threat for your brand or product line. Note these in box
numbered 2, below.
Customer Data Collection Notes
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
[Strengths of your brand or product line go here]
[Your notes go here].
Weaknesses
[Weaknesses of your brand or product line go here]
Opportunities
[Opportunities for your brand or product line go here]
[Threats to your brand or product line go here]
Threats
51
APPENDIX
(Customer Understanding Tool)
Description of Formal VOC Collection Methodologies
CUSTOMER ADVISORY COUNCIL

What It Is:
Group of strategic business
customers that meet regularly to
give industry and strategy feedback
Best Used For: B2B customer feedback on industry or strategy trends. B2C variant is communities.
How To Use It:

Composition
When To Use It:

Any time, as long as customer
relationships are sufficiently strong
for open discussion
Advantages:
Opportunity to understand
industry trends, business priorities,
and strategic direction
Disadvantages:
Potential to alienate council
participants if ideas are not
implemented
Ten to 30 senior executives normally representing the 20% of your customers that generate more than 80% of your
revenue.
Participation
Members participate on a voluntary basis for the opportunity to influence company direction, in a way which is beneficial
to their own needs, as well as receive exclusive information from suppliers.
Selection of Customers
Proper selection of attendees requires identifying not only the most strategic customer company, but also the proper
individual who can best represent their companys needs, priorities, and directions. Key individuals who have a strong
relationship with the sponsoring company and have valuable ideas to contribute are ideal candidates. Membership may
also benefit from a few outspoken customers who have voiced strong complaints in the past about existing business
practice.
Frequency and Format:
Additional Resources:
Customer Advisory Board
Councils typically meet one to two times per year. Meetings are usually held face-to-face for half a day or more. Meetings
can also be held via teleconference or through interactive means though the level of two-way dialogue may suffer.
Meeting agendas usually leave ample time for facilitated discussion using a variety of brainstorming and workshop
techniques.
Expectations
Sponsors are committed to follow through on key recommendations made by the council or at minimum provide a
rational explanation for those recommendations which are ultimately not implemented. Participants also typically benefit
from the prestige of participation, ability to network with each other as well as company officers, and opportunity to share
best practices and new ideas.
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CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS
What It Is:
A process in which the needs and
wants of customers are explored in
detail
When To Use It:
Any time, as long as customer
relationships are sufficiently strong
for open discussion
Advantages:
Opportunity to probe customer
needs, goals, and success metrics;
visual aids can be used
Disadvantages:
No benefit of group discussion as
interviews are typically one-onone.
Best Used For: Exploring customers problems, and stated needs.
Types of Topics in Questions

Behaviorsabout what a person has done or is doing
Opinions/valuesabout what a person thinks about a topic
Feelingsnote that respondents sometimes respond with I think ... so be careful to note that youre looking for feelings
Knowledgeto get facts about a topic

Sensoryabout what people have seen, touched, heard, tasted or smelled
Background/Demographicsstandard background questions, such as age, education, etc.
Note that the above questions can be asked in terms of past, present or future.
Sequence of Questions
Get the respondents involved in the interview as soon as possible.
Before asking about controversial matters (such as feelings and conclusions), first ask about some facts. With this
approach, respondents can more easily engage in the interview before warming up to more personal matters.
Intersperse fact-based questions throughout the interview to avoid long lists of fact-based questions, which tends to
leave respondents disengaged.
Ask questions about the present before questions about the past or future. Its usually easier for them to talk about the
present and then work into the past or future.
The last questions might be to allow respondents to provide any other information they prefer to add and their
impressions of the interview.
Source: http://www.managementhelp.org/evaluatn/intrview.htm.
/
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CUSTOMER INTERVIEWS (CONTINUED)

Best Used For: Exploring customers problems, and stated needs.
Probing Techniques
If respondents provide incomplete or irrelevant answers, probing techniques can be used to gather more detailed
responses.
What Is Probing?
A neutral remark that prompts the respondent to clarify or elaborate on a previous statement
Probing should never lead the respondent into an answer.
When Do You Probe?
You want more detailed information or specific examples, behaviors, or descriptions.
You dont completely understand a comment/statement.
You are not sure of terminology being used.
You are trying to uncover deeper feelings or motivations.
Certain words usually indicate the need to probe:
Quality/good/convenient/service/reputation
How to Probe?
Ask when, what, where, which, and how questions.
Work to get clarification without leading.
Paraphrasing and Restatementwithout adding or drawing implications, So what youre saying is.
ClarificationWhat do you mean by? Help me understand
Request for an example.
Reflectionrepeat their feelings without agreeing or disagreeing.
Repeat the last part of a respondents statement.
ReweavingYou mentioned ___ a while ago. Can we talk a little more about that?
Adopt sophisticated naivete postureconvey limited understanding of the issue and ask for specific details.
Indicate understanding or interest, or problem of understanding.
Create silences or pauses.
A nod or expectant look may imply to the respondent that you are looking for a more detailed answer.
Use encouragers., such as : Tell me more about, In what way?, What would be an example of that?,
Anything else?, Why do you feel this way?, etc.
Best Used For:
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ETHNOGRAPHY
What It Is:
Observations of consumers in
their natural environment (without
interference from observers) to
better understand unspoken
motivations and needs
Best Used For: Surfacing unknown/ unarticulated customer needs.
Potential Focus Areas of Ethnographic Research:

How consumer practices might offer ideas for new products or services
How product handling suggests packaging and storage innovations
When To Use It:

Studying process intensive
activities, such as home cleaning,
personal care, purchase decisions,
and food preparation
Advantages:
Offers in-depth insights into
customers behavior in natural
environment and helps uncover
unarticulated needs
The impact of consumer lifestyles and age-related behavior on product usage and needs
Emerging trends in consumer attitudes and behavior
How To Use It:
Create a focused research proposal
Allow time for thorough observation
Select field techniques: audio/videotapes, photographs, team observations
Conduct fieldwork: at homes, stores, work, recreational sites, or a combination of
locations
Analyze findings
Disadvantages:
Expensive and time consuming;
requires some training to conduct
at the beginning; lacks breadth, as
just a small group typically can be
studied at one time
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ETHNOGRAPHY (CONTINUED)
Types of Ethnography:
Varieties of Ethnography
Private
Public
Delimited/ Task Driven
Observed Product Usage

Structured Product Usage
Accompanied Purchase
Structured Product Usage
Open-Ended/ Existential
Day in the life
Observed Purchase
Mystery Shopping
Ethnography Documentation Tools:

Documentation Tool
Advantage
Journals/field
notebooks
Enable researchers to create detailed records of participant

activities and product usage.
Photographs
Provide visual evidence of consumer activities, product storage,

and participant environment.
Videos
Provide continuous audio and video footage of participant

activities that can be analyzed.
Source: Mariampolski, Hy, Ethnography for Marketers: A Guide to Consumer Immersion, 2005
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ETHNOGRAPHY (CONTINUED)
Total Project Timing:

Phase
Timing
Planning
2-3 weeks
Training
1-2 weeks
Recruitment
2-3 weeks
Fieldwork
2-6 weeks
Analysis and Reporting
3-4 weeks
Total
10-18 weeks
Project Staffing:
Team Member
Role
Ideal Number
Project Director
Delivering all components of the

project according to client needs
Project Manager
Organizing people, equipment,

tasks
Recruitment Coordinator
Recruiting, orienting, and

scheduling study subjects
Ethnographer
Note taking at the site
4-6
Videographers
Videotaping at the site
1-2
Case Analysts
Organizing information collected

at the site
1-2
Source: Mariampolski, Hy, Ethnography for Marketers: A Guide to Consumer Immersion, 2005
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LEAD USER ANALYSIS

What It Is:
Study of customers who face
market-wide problems months or
years before the general public.
When To Use It:
Open industries where lead
users feel comfortable disclosing
information and knowledge. Longer
innovation cycles
Advantage:
Lead users help understand needs
that the mass market has not yet
identified, but will experience soon
Disadvantage:
Identifying lead users and
structuring sessions to avoid
biasing lead user inputs
Best Used For: Developing solutions to needs not yet experienced by the mass market.
How to Use It
Step 1: Project Planning
1. Through brainstorming sessions, select a need-related trend in the market to focus on.
2. Develop strategies for data collection from target and analogous markets on need-related trends.
3. Collect all the data available on the subject through focused competitive intelligence.
Step 2: Finding Lead Users
1. Conduct interviews with industry leaders to identify lead users in the target and analogous markets, who have created
solutions to deal with the need-related trends, each in his/her field of expertise.
2. Work your way up pyramids of experts to locate lead users by getting referrals from experts in the field and identifying
who has created solutions to address the needs they have.
3. Get the widest exposure possible to the need-related trend in target and analogous markets by going to the fieldwork of
lead users.
Step 3: Concept Generation and Development
1. Generate preliminary new product concepts that are along the lines of the solutions developed by the lead users to
address their needs.
2. Conduct workshops in collaboration with lead users to examine the preliminary new product concepts and explore
new ones.
3. Choose the product concept(s) that has the widest applications to customers in the target and analogous markets
4. Create a road map for development and launch of new products based on the identified platform.
5. Align identified new product concepts with the business objectives and development/growth plan.
Conclusion
Lead user analysis may be expensive and costly due to the difficulty of identifying and engaging the appropriate lead
user.
Source: http://www.wdc-econdev.com/process7.html.
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SURVEYS
What It Is:
Traditional methods of collecting
customer data on products and
services.
When To Use It:
Early in the research process; You
lack any knowledge about what
customers think in a particular area
Best Used For: Developing solutions to needs not yet experienced by the mass market.
Type of
Survey
Advantages
Disadvantages
Recommendation
Phone
Reach 96% of all homes
Sales calls often pose as

research calls
General population surveys
CATI software streamlines

process
Interviewers can ask for
clarification on responses;
additional detail
Typical calling window

interrupts respondents personal
time
Call screening is common
No visual support
Mail
Frequently used for social

research
May result in biased sample
Low cost (almost 75% less than

personal interviews)
Time! Need to wait at least

several weeks for all responses
to arrive
Eliminates potential interviewer

bias
Web
Very low cost
Low response rate
Extremely fast
Do not reflect population as a

whole
Complex questioning assures

better data
Respondent completion rates

lower for longer surveys
Anonymity of respondents
results in more honest answers
to sensitive topics
Random respondents may reply

if your survey appears on Web
page.
Use when target population is

highly literate or is in a group
with specialized interests
When desired target population

consists mainly of Internet
users.
Respondents provide more

detail to open-ended questions.
Survey software simplifies
compilation and analysis of data
collected.
Best Used For:

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FOCUS GROUPS
What It Is
A process in which sample
customers discuss their needs,
objectives, and opinions
in an interactive environment.
When to Use It
Early in the research process;
clarify results of surveys;
deepen understanding of customer
opinions; identify solutions to
problems.
Best Used For: Honing/adjusting ideas to fit the market.

Note: There is a trend away from using focus groups due to disadvantages at left.
Types Overview
In-Person
Focus
Group
Formats
Mini-GroupsGroup conversations similar in structure to traditional groups but with four to six
participants
Immersion (or Interactive) GroupsGroup conversations similar in structure to traditional groups but with
internal staffin the room participating
Advantages
Ideas of one person may gain
detail as others discuss; answers
longer and more revealing than
interview.
Disadvantages
Artificial environment may bias
responses; skilled moderator
required; structuring random
sample of customers difficult and
costly; Individual opinions may
conform to a group opinion; Cannot
be generalized to larger population.
Traditional GroupsGroup conversations conducted by a moderator with 7 to 12 participants,

usually in a focus group facility
In-Depth Interviews (IDI)One-on-One conversations between a respondent and a moderator to gain

more depth from one individual
Online
Focus
Group
Formats
Synchronous ChatGroup held in an online chatroom setting where respondents reply to moderator
questions in real time.
Discussion BoardGroups held online in a bulletin-board format in which participants log on, read
messages from the moderator and other respondents, and post replies at their own convenience over
the course of several days
Web-Enabled Telephone Interview (WETI)One-on-One conversations between a respondent and a
moderator via telephone with both participants simultaneously viewing an internal presentation
typically so that the respondent can react to visual stimuli
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FOCUS GROUPS (CONTINUED)

Best Used For: Honing/adjusting ideas to fit the market.
Type
Strength
Weakness
Traditional Group
Exposure to participant disposition
Limited geographic reach

Not suitable for sensitive issues
Mini Group
Depth of response
High cost
Ease of group control
Time intensive
Limited breadth
Immersion Group

Not suitable for sensitive issues
In-Depth Interviews
Depth of response
High cost
Ease of group control
Time intensive
Limited breadth
Synchronous Chat
Timeliness
Lack of exposure to participant disposition
Ease of geographic reach
Difficult to control
Breadth of response
Discussion Board
Web-Enabled Telephone
Interview
Low cost
Limited depth of response
Lack of exposure to participant

disposition
Breadth of response
Difficult to control
Time intensive
Limited breadth
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BRAND HEALTH SCORECARD

(Excel Format)
BRAND HEALTH SCORECARD
How to use this Tool: The Brand Health Scorecard helps you do an external analysis of brand health as an input to the planning
process.

BRAND HEALTH
64
COMPETITIVE DIFFERENTIATION
TOOL
THE CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF COMPETITIVE

DIFFERENTIATION
Where can you

win in the market?
Your Competitive
Position
Your Unique
Benefits
Instructions
Template
66
STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR UNIQUE STRENGTHS

How to use this tool: To identify where you can win in the market, first brainstorm your firms strengths and determine how unique
they are.
Unique Strengths Identification Table

What Are Your Key Strengths?
Can Any Competitor Do This As Well

As You Do?
Our Key Client Management teams

have both sales representatives and
Currently, none of our industry competitors
health advisors that help us issue-sense
have a similar account management
proactively and present integrated
approach.
solutions, instead of piece-meal
remedies.
How Easy Would It Be to Copy This

Strength?
Copying our approach would require hiring
new staff and up-skilling current staff, this
would take any competitor at least 2-3 years
to fully set it in place.
Copying our processes would require

Our online purchase channels make it
Currently, all our competitors have a higher upgrading their current online transaction
easy for customers to make payments
online processing time than we do
processes, which would require a year to set
and file for claims.
in place.
THINKING POINTS:
Think about the following questions
while filling out this slide.
Have you heard anecdotes of

customers using you in unique
ways? What do your most loyal
customers tell you?
Historically, what have you viewed
as your key strengths?
What are the main reasons for deal
wins and losses?
When you look at competitors value
propositions or public statements,
are they aspiring to the same
strengths
you are?
Watch out for these red herrings:

Proximity Bias: Tendency to overemphasize minor internal distinctions that are imperceptible to outsiders.
New is Better: Tendency to automatically discount historical, but potentially superior, differentiators in
favor of new trends or fads.
Pie in the Sky: Overly-generic attributes like innovative or customer- centric.
Dont limit your strengths to things your product does consider any organizational capability your customers may find
valuable. These could possibly include skills, technologies or processes, assets or cultural values unique to your brand
or product line.
Dont limit competitors to rival firmsremember, do nothing and do it yourselves are also options, as are substitutes
that might not be obvious.
Instructions
Template
67
STEP 2: BENCHMARK YOUR UNIQUE STRENGTHS

How to use this tool: After identifying your unique strengths, answer the following questions to benchmark yourself against
competition.
1. What are the possible things suppliers in your market can do to create value for customers?
Upgrade the online purchase channels to make the payment process easy for the customers.
2. For the four most important of the above value drivers, plot where you stand versus top 3 competitors:
1. We stand 2nd as compared to our competitors in
terms of online purchase channels.
Us
Comp. A
Comp. C
Comp. B
2.
THINKING POINTS:
Which value drivers are increasing

in importance? Which are
decreasing?
Which did you not originally
anticipate?
If youre in front of competitors, what
capability is putting you there?
Can you defend your position?
3.
4.
Consider both your strengths from slide 67, and other capabilities that are not your strengths but that may drive value
for customers.
Use the two-sided arrows at right to plot your position versus competitors as shown below.
Comp. C
Us
Instructions
Comp. A
Comp. B
Template
68
STEP 3: SYNTHESIZE YOUR UNIQUE POSITION

How to use this tool: Synthesize the output from the previous brainstorming on slides 67 and 68 to identify 2-4 key points of
differentiation for your organization.
1. Key differentiation points.

1. Low-effort online payment and claim filing processes
2.
3.
4.
5.
Key Differentiation Points:

1. Integrated Client Management team
2. Low-effort online payment and claim
filing processes
3. Large Healthcare Provider Network
Narrow to the strengths that truly set you apart from your competitors.
These should be strengths where you are ahead of competitors and can defend that position.
At this point, do not consider customer needs beyond the extent necessary to brainstorm what might
be valuablethe point is to uncover potentially underappreciated capabilities.
Pseudonym.
Instructions
Template
69
STEP 4: MATCH YOUR UNIQUE STRENGTHS TO

CUSTOMER VALUE
How to Use This Tool: Based on the competitive positioning statement from slide 69, brainstorm the potential value your unique
strengths can provide to customers:
Key Strengths Where

You Outperform Competitors
Key Client Management Teams
THINKING POINTS:
What trends can you spot from a

birds eye view of your customer
base that a single customer cannot?
Why do your most loyal customers
keep coming back?
Where can your strengths plug into
your customers value chains?
Impact of the Strength on Your

Business
Do Customers Typically Perceive This

Value? Why?
Improves our ability to issue-sense

Yes, customers value our ability to provide
proactively and present integrated solutions
long-term solutions and cite it as a driver for
that lock-in customers for longer term
high trust in our brand
solutions.
How to Use This Tool: From the arrow exercise on slide 68, identify common benefits where winning requires at least average
performance.
Important Value Drivers Where
Competitors Outperform You
Low Health Insurance Premiums
Impact of the Value Driver on Your

Business

Value? Why?
Yes, our target customers are price-sensitive
and prefer insurance products with lower
premiums
We are losing out on market share to

competitors
Use the grid to brainstorm how your unique strengths can solve customer problems.
Again, the focus is not yet explicitly on customer needs; think about value from a supplier-out perspective.
Focus on benefits that few customers self-report or ask forthese are opportunities to build loyalty by teaching
customers new ways to think about their businesses.
Use you-phrasingin the second column, think in terms of customers get rather than you do.
Instructions
Template
70
COMPETITIVE DIFFERENTIATION ASSESSMENT (1/2)

How and when to use this tool: Based on the analysis from pages 66-70, note down your companys competitive position and unique benefits below that will be most critical to
executing your plan.
Where can you

win in the market?
Your Competitive
Position
Your Unique
Benefits
Your Competitive Position
1. We stand 2nd as compared to our

competitors in terms of online purchase
channels.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Your Unique Benefits
1. Low-effort online payment and claim filing

processes.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Instructions
Template
71

How and when to use this tool: Note down the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to your current brand or product differentiation. Base your analysis on the
competitive position and unique benefits noted on page 71. An illustrative example for Alpha insurance is filled out below, for your reference.
Weaknesses
Strengths
1.
Key Client Management Teams
1.
High Insurance Premiums
2.
Low-effort online payment and

claim filing processes
2.
Our extent of benefits coverage is

lower than our competitors
3.
Large Healthcare Provider Network
3.
4.
4.
Opportunities
1.
Use key client management teams

to continue to build on trust and
ask for recommendations amongst
their peers
2.
Highlight low-effort online payment

and claim filling processes as a key
differentiator in marketing
messaging
3.
Threats
1.
Competitors charge lower

premiums than us with comparable
benefits
2.
We risk losing share to competitors

due to a lower extent of benefits
coverage
3.
4.
4.
Instructions
Template
72
STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR UNIQUE STRENGTHS

Instructions: To identify where you can win in the market, first brainstorm your firms strengths and determine how unique they are.
Refer to Slide 67 of this deck to fill this template.
Unique Strengths Identification Table

What Are Your Key Strengths?
Can Any Competitor Do This As Well

As You Do?
How Easy Would It Be to Copy This

Strength?
THINKING POINTS:
Have you heard anecdotes of

customers using you in unique
ways? What do your most loyal
customers tell you?
Historically, what have you viewed
as your key strengths?
What are the main reasons for deal
wins and losses?
When you look at competitors value
propositions or public statements,
are they aspiring to the same
strengths
you are?
Instructions
Template
73
STEP 2: BENCHMARK YOUR UNIQUE STRENGTHS

Instructions: After identifying your unique strengths, answer the following questions to benchmark yourself against competition. Refer
to Slide 68 of this deck to fill this template.
1. What are the possible things suppliers in your market can do to create value for customers?
2. For the four most important of the above value drivers, plot where you stand versus top 3 competitors:
1.
2.
THINKING POINTS:
3
4.
Which value drivers are increasing

in importance? Which are
decreasing?
Which did you not originally
anticipate?
If youre in front of competitors, what
capability is putting you there?
Can you defend your position?
Instructions
Template
74
STEP 3: SYNTHESIZE YOUR UNIQUE POSITION

Instructions: Synthesize the output from the previous brainstorming on Slides 73 and 74 of this deck to identify 2-4 key points of
differentiation for your organization. Refer to Slide 69 of this deck to fill this template.
1. Key differentiation points.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Key Differentiation Points:

1. Integrated Client Management team
2. Low-effort online payment and claim
filing processes
3. Large Healthcare Provider Network
Instructions
Template
75
STEP 4: MATCH YOUR UNIQUE STRENGTHS TO

CUSTOMER VALUE
Instructions: Based on the competitive positioning statement from slide 75, brainstorm the potential value your unique strengths can
provide to customers: Refer to Slide 70 of this deck to fill this template.
Key Strengths Where

You Outperform Competitors
THINKING POINTS:
What trends can you spot from a

birds eye view of your customer
base that a single customer cannot?
Why do your most loyal customers
keep coming back?
Where can your strengths plug into
your customers value chains?
Impact of the Strength on Your

Business

Value? Why?
Instructions: From the arrow exercise on slide 74, identify common benefits where winning requires at least average performance.
Important Value Drivers Where

Competitors Outperform You
Impact of the Value Driver on Your

Business
Instructions
Template

Value? Why?
76

Instructions: Based on the analysis from pages 73-76, note down your companys competitive position and unique benefits below that will be most critical to executing your plan.
Where can you

win in the market?
Your Competitive
Position
Your Unique
Benefits
Your Competitive Position
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Your Unique Benefits
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Instructions
Template
77

How and when to use this tool: Note down the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to your current brand or product differentiation. Refer to Slide 72 of this deck to
fill this template
Weaknesses
Strengths
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
Opportunities
Threats
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Instructions
Template
78
Conduct Planning
Analyses
Manage Planning
Logistics
1 List the business objectives your plan

will help fulfill.
Identify stakeholders involved in

plan creation.

responsibilities.


performance.
marketing plan.
77 Conduct the selected planning

marketing plan.
Communicate
Marketing Plan

Key Initiatives

Marketing Initiative Selection Tool
(p.80-90 )
9 Short-list marketing initiatives with
the maximum business and financial
impact.
Marketing Initiative Prioritization
Tool
(p.91-94 )
8

8execute planned marketing initiatives.

measures.
13
14
Set individual goals based on the


Marketing Resource Allocation Tool

(p.95-96 )
11 Benchmark your marketing budget
12
breakdown against that of your

peers, as needed
Access Investment and Spend
Benchmark Tool (p.97-98)
Create a marketing budget for
initiatives.
Marketing Budget Calculator Tool
(p.99-100)
11
2014 CEB. All rights reserved.MLC0514714SYN
MARKETING INITIATIVE SELECTION

TOOL
STEP 1: CONSOLIDATE EXTERNAL ANALYSES FINDINGS

Step-wise Instructions:
First, collate all the SWOT
1
analysis findings pages from
the tools you used for
external analysis.
(Refer to the appendix for list
of SWOT analysis pages in
the external analysis tools)
2
Next, use the External

Analysis Finding Template on
the next page to fill out the
combined SWOT findings for
your Brand or Product Line.
Use the descriptors in the blueoutlined boxes on the right to

classify SWOT findings as
Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats for
your brand or product line.
1
S
These are characteristics of your

brand or product line that give it
an advantage over others
Strengths
Weaknesse
s
These are characteristics that

place your brand or product line
at a disadvantage relative to
others
2
Opportuniti
es
Threats
These are environmental

elements that could cause
trouble for your brand or product
line

elements or elements of your
brand or product line that you
could exploit to its advantage
PRACTITIONER TIPS
While combining SWOT analysis findings, ensure each box has only 3-5 line items, so that you can focus
your planning on a select few impactful aims. You can limit the number of items in each box by:
Ensuring you input only items that are likely to impact a majority of your revenues (i.e. more than
50% of your revenues)
Clubbing related items together to a single one
Instructions
Template
81
EXTERNAL ANALYSIS FINDINGS TEMPLATE

[Insert Brand or Product Line Name]

Weaknesses
Strengths
1. Our core brand attribute (i.e.
reliability and client service) are well
understood
2. Our online payment and claim filing
processes are simple and low-effort
3. Existing customers are highly likely
to recommend us to their peers.
4. Our brand awareness is higher than
competitors as we are investing in the
right communication channels
1. Our cost structure makes us the most

expensive insurance to buy
2. Our extent of benefits coverage is
lower than our competitors
3. Despite superior customer service
versus competitors, we have low brand
uniqueness and our offerings are
mistaken for Omegas offerings.
4. Despite having high brand
awareness (90%), our purchase intent
is very low (60%)
Opportunities
1. Increase range of insurance benefits
to be at par with industry standards
2. Improve brand uniqueness by
focusing on trust and reliability
3. Use our customers willingness to
recommend to increase word of mouth
in the market
Threats
1. We risk losing market share to
competitors that charge lower
premiums
2. It is easy for competitors to mimic
our online payment and claim filing
processes
3. We risk losing customers to
competitors than provide a larger
extent of coverage than we do
Instructions
Template
82
STEP 2: COLLATE EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL ANALYSIS

FINDINGS TO SHORTLIST MARKETING INITIATIVES
Refer to the External Analysis
1
Findings Template on slide 82
to gather the most important
Strengths, Weakness,
Opportunities, and Threats
for your brand or product line.
Identify marketing initiatives

necessary to minimize the
weakness and threats, and
maximize strengths and
opportunities for your brand
or product line.
Revisit page 20 of the this

3
deck to collect the marketing
initiatives identified for the
current year
S
4
Create a combined list of

marketing initiatives you
identified as a result of
internal and external analyses
and note them down on the
marketing initiatives shortlist.
Use the roadmap on the right to

help you combine findings from
External and Internal Analyses,
and chalk-out an initial list of
marketing initiatives for the
current year.
Instructions
Template
83
MARKETING INITIATIVES SHORTLIST

How and when to use this tool: List down, and describe in fair detail, the marketing initiatives identified through external and internal analyses. In the adjacent column, briefly
describe why these initiatives were selected. (Pl. note: This is not the final list of marketing initiatives you will implement this year. Arrive at the final list of initiatives for the current
plan year at the end of the Marketing Initiative Prioritization Tool.).
Marketing Initiative Shortlist for the Current Financial Year

S.No.
1.
2.
Strategies
Improve brand uniqueness to reduce
the risk of losing market share to
competitors with similar offerings.
Use peer influence to reinforce themes
of trustworthiness and superior
customer service to increase purchase
intent during brand selection stage.
Marketing Initiative
Create an integrated marketing campaign
highlighting two differentiating themes - trust and
reliability
Reason for Selection

Highlighting our key differentiators will help us
differentiate our value proposition for new
customers who confuse us with our
competitors
Launch brand ambassador campaigns to leverage
Using existing customer advocates as brand
existing customers as advocates to activate word of ambassadors will enable us to increase
mouth around the two key brand attributes -trust
purchase intent across their peer networks.
and reliability
3.
4.
Instructions
Template
84
STEP 1: CONSOLIDATE EXTERNAL ANALYSES FINDINGS

First, collate all the SWOT
1
analysis findings pages from
the tools you used for
external analysis.
(Refer to the appendix for list
of SWOT analysis pages in
the external analysis tools)
2
Next, use the External

Analysis Finding Template on
the next page to fill out the
combined SWOT findings for
your Brand or Product Line.
Use the descriptors in the blueoutlined boxes on the right to

classify SWOT findings as
Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats for
your brand or product line.
1
S
These are characteristics of your

brand or product line that give it
an advantage over others
Strengths
Weaknesse
s
These are characteristics that

place your brand or product line
at a disadvantage relative to
others
2
Opportuniti
es
Threats

elements that could cause
trouble for your brand or product
line

elements or elements of your
brand or product line that you
could exploit to its advantage
PRACTITIONER TIPS
While combining SWOT analysis findings, ensure each box has only 3-5 line items, so that you can focus
your planning on a select few impactful aims. You can limit the number of items in each box by:
Ensuring you input only items that are likely to impact a majority of your revenues (i.e. more than
50% of your revenues)
Clubbing related items together to a single one
Instructions
Template
85
EXTERNAL ANALYSIS FINDINGS TEMPLATE
[Insert Brand or Product Line Name]

Weaknesses
Strengths
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
Opportunities
Threats
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
Instructions
Template
86
STEP 2: COLLATE EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL ANALYSIS

FINDINGS TO SHORTLIST MARKETING INITIATIVES
Refer to the External Analysis
1
Findings Template on slide 2
to gather the most important
Strengths, Weakness,
Opportunities, and Threats
for your brand or product line.
2
Identify marketing initiatives

necessary to minimize the
weakness and threats, and
maximize strengths and
opportunities for your brand
or product line.
Revisit slide 20 of this deck to

3
collect the marketing
initiatives identified for the
current year.
4
S
4
Create a combined list of

marketing initiatives you
identified as a result of
internal and external analyses
and note them down on the
marketing initiatives shortlist.
Use the roadmap on the right to

help you combine findings from
External and Internal Analyses,
and chalk-out an initial list of
marketing initiatives for the
current year.
Instructions
Template
87
MARKETING INITIATIVES SHORTLIST

How and when to use this tool: List down, and describe in fair detail, the marketing initiatives identified through external and internal analyses. In the adjacent column, briefly
describe why these initiatives were selected. (Pl. note: This is not the final list of marketing initiatives you will implement this year. Arrive at the final list of initiatives for the current
plan year at the end of the Marketing Initiative Prioritization Tool). Refer to slide 84 to fill this template.
Marketing Initiative Shortlist for the Current Financial Year

S.No.
Strategies
Reason for Selection
1.
2.
3.
4.
Instructions
Template
88
APPENDIX
(Marketing Initiative Selection Tool)
Page-listing of SWOT Analyses within External Analyses tools
PAGE-LISTING OF SWOT ANALYSES WITHIN EXTERNAL

ANALYSES TOOLS
How and when to use this tool: Use the first column in the table below to access all the external analysis tools required to fill out External Analysis Findings Template on slide
82. Read the second column in the table to go to the exact location of the SWOT analysis findings page within each tool.
S.No.
Tool Name
SWOT Location Within the Tool
Market Overview Tool
Market Overview ($ and Unit) Tabs
Competitive Differentiation Tool
Slide 78 - Competitive Differentiation Tool Template
Trends Assessment Tool
Slide 38 - Trends Assessment Tool Template
Competitive Positioning Tool
Example Tab
Customer Share Development Tool
Customer Share Development Tab
Customer Understanding Tool
Slide 51
Brand Health Scorecard
Brand Health Scorecard Tab
90
MARKETING INITIATIVE
PRIORITIZATION TOOL
STEP 1: CONDUCT A COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS

How and when to use this tool: This tool helps you estimate the relative costs and benefits of implementing various marketing initiatives. Fill out each of the columns below
using the guidance presented in the boxes at the bottom of the page. Finally, compare the expected return from launching each initiative, and note it down for later reference in
step 3 on page 94. Use the illustrative examples given below for reference.
Impact of Marketing Initiatives

Name of the Marketing
Initiative
1. Create a differentiator
brand campaign
2. Activate word of
mouth
Description of the Marketing

Initiative
Costs to Run the

Create an integrated
marketing campaign
highlighting two
differentiating themes trust and reliability
$ 25,000
Launch brand ambassador

campaigns to leverage
existing customers as
advocates to activate
word of mouth around the
two key brand attributes
-trust and reliability
$ 35,000
Get a list of Marketing Initiatives

from page 84.
Projected Benefits of the

$ 30,000
Expected ROI
(Scale of 1-10; 1=low,
10=high)
5
Increase in Purchase
Intent by 10%
$ 40,000
Increase in Purchase
Intent by 25%
Increase in NPS by 10%
Create a rough cost estimate

in terms of dollars spent or
manpower hours.
Project a rough estimate of

benefits in terms of dollars,
where possible, or use positive
indicators such market share
growth, NPS improvement, etc.
For sake of comparison,

estimate ROI on a relative 10point scale, instead of
calculating absolute numbers
92
STEP 2: CHECK INITIATIVES FOR STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT

How and when to use this tool: This tool helps you rate each initiative in terms of their potential strategic impact. To use this tool:
First, get a list of Marketing Initiatives from page 84 of this deck and list them in the first column.
Next, fill out strategic impact ratings for each initiative, based on its alignment to firm strategy, ability to be scaled, and ability to generate competitive advantage. Note: these
initiatives may not have an immediate financial ROI (e.g., lift in awareness), but they could result in other desirable business results (e.g., increase in lead pipeline).
Finally, average out the strategic impact ratings in the last column. Compare the average strategic impact score from launching each initiative, and note it down for later
reference in step 3 on page 94. Use the illustrative examples given below for reference.
Strategic Impact of Marketing Initiatives

Name of the Marketing Initiative
Average Strategic Impact Score

(Scale of 1-10; 1=low, 10=high)
1. Create a differentiator brand campaign
2. Activate word of mouth
Get a list of Marketing Initiatives

from page 84 of this deck.
93
STEP 3: SELECT HIGH IMPACT INITIATIVES

How and when to use this tool: Use the matrix below to plot out each initiative based on its relative financial and strategic impact (as established in the right-most column in the
tables on pages 92 and 93). While looking at the plot:
Prioritize rolling out marketing initiatives that will result in the highest strategic and financial impact. These initiatives will typically fall in the quadrant numbered 1 .
Use discretionary or left over budget for rolling out initiatives listed in the quadrant numbered 2 .
Roll out low strategic and financial impact projects only in case you still have left-over marketing budget after rolling out projects listed in quadrants 1 and 2 .
High
Medium Priority Initiatives
Strategic Impact
Create a differentiator brand campaign
Low Priority Initiatives
High Priority Initiatives

Activate word of mouth
Medium Priority Initiatives
Low
Low
Financial Impact
High
94
MARKETING RESOURCE
ALLOCATION TOOL
MARKETING RESOURCE ALLOCATION TEMPLATE
How and when to use this tool: This template helps you identify the key resources required to execute current year marketing initiatives. Use the table below to
list out the key resources and the times when theyre needed to fulfill the objectives of each marketing initiative. Use the filled out example, practitioner tips and
key questions listed below as a guide to filling out the table.
Marketing Resource Allocation Plan for [Your Brand or Product Line]

Name of Initiative
campaigns
Initiative Objectives
Use existing clients as

advocates to share success
stories and anecdotes on
using Alpha Health Insurance
products
Encourage and support
existing customers to
recommend Alpha Health
Insurance to peers in-person
or on social media
Use client stories in creating
digital marketing content and
TV advertisements
Key Questions for Guiding Resource Allocation
What organizational resources, both inside and outside the

company are critical to the success of this years plan?
Which teams (both Marketing and cross-functional partners), and

how many people, will be involved in bringing the planned initiatives
to successful activation?
What expenditures will be critical to bringing the planned initiatives

to successful activation?
Timing
Key Resources
Campaign Planning: Q1
(February-March)
Campaign Launch/ Execution:
Q2 & Q3 (April-July)
Campaign Maintenance: Q3 &
Q4 (September December)
Creative and Digital Agencies

(~200 Hours)
Television advertisement
spots on major financial news
channels (~$200,000)
Client story advertisements
in renowned Financial
websites and magazines (~ $
25,000)
Practitioner Tips
People are a brand or product lines most important resource
never limit a resource allocation plan to program expenditures.
Think broadly about the people who will need to be involved to
get an initiative up and running, and ensure that stakeholders
are aware of everything needed to get plans off the ground.
Use the Marketing Budget Calculator Tool to sum up the
budgets for all the initiatives and arrive at the current year
marketing budget for your brand or product line.
96
ACCESS INVESTMENT AND SPEND

BENCHMARK TOOL
ACCESS INVESTMENT AND SPEND BENCHMARK TOOL
How to use this Tool: Click on the screenshot below to redirect to our Marketing Budget Benchmarks that help you compare and
validate you Marketing budget with your peers.
98
MARKETING BUDGET
CALCULATOR TOOL
(Excel Format)
MARKETING BUDGET CALCULATOR TOOL
How to use this Tool: The Marketing Budget Calculator Tool builds an annual budget for those marketing projects and initiatives
prioritized in the Initiative Prioritization Tool on slide 94.
BUDGET
CALCULATOR
100
Conduct Planning
Analyses
Manage Planning
Logistics

performance.

marketing plan.

marketing plan.
List the business objectives your plan

will help fulfill
Identify stakeholders involved in plan

creation.

responsibilities.


Key Initiatives

financial impact.

initiatives.


initiatives.
Communicate
Marketing Plan

measures.
Marketing Plan Summarization Tool
(p.102-105)
Project Plan Implementation Tool
(p.106-107)
Marketing Plan Communication Tool
(p. 108-112)
performance of the planned marketing
initiatives.
Marketing Plan Dashboard
(p.113-114)
MARKETING PLAN
SUMMARIZATION TOOL
THE PLAN ON A PAGE FRAMEWORK

Create a concise marketing plan
summary to help stakeholders
easily understand the plan.
1
First, list out the marketing

objectives that directly drive
business growth in the
current year.
Second, based on external/
internal and SWOT analyses
findings, note down concrete
strategies that most
effectively fulfill each
objective.
Third, note down the most
relevant performance
measures and group them
into categories that can be
traced back directly to
specific objectives.
Fourth, list out marketing
initiatives that will be used to
achieve each objective.
Consumer Marketing Plan

Goal: To Become the Preferred Payment Gateway Among Consumers
Objectives
Strategies
Measures
Initiatives
Brand Asset
Build year-over-year
brand
strength
Increase payback
Revenue Generation
1 Increase transaction
frequency
Increase top-ofwallet
behavior
1. Define and track

brand
trajectory
2. Focus resources on
programs that drive
performanceloyalty/
rewards, enhancements
3. Extend usage
amongst
current MC
consumers
in categories where
penetration is low:
Category A, B, and C
4. Protect heartland
credit categories M and
N

how MasterCard uses Plan on a
Page to ensure stakeholder
alignment to key marketing plan
objectives.
Brand Asset Metrics
Brand equity
Prompted awareness
Average AI
Branding LINK
Branded Incentives:
Develop issuerindependent
Incentive continuity
program
Harmonize 12-month
calendar
Efficacy Metrics
GDV behind total
Marketing spend $x
GDV behind total
integrated spend $y
Revenue Generation
Increase average
3account
transaction frequency
22%
Category A: 13 to 16
Category B: 8 to 10
Category C: 21 to 26
Benchmarks
Category M > 51%
Category N > 37%
Better Way to Pay

Integrated Campaign
PayPass
Debit
Consumer Alternatives
4
Integrated
Promotions
Seasonal
Transactional
Target consumer
profile
Migrate quintile 3
Channel/merchant
leverage
Key growth
segments:
alpha, beta, gamma
Source: MasterCard international Inc.
103
PLAN ON A PAGE TEMPLATE

How and when to use this tool: Use this worksheet to fill out the various components of your current year marketing plan for ready reference by other plan stakeholders. Fill
out each of the columns in the table below using inputs from other tools, as recommended in the boxes below the table. Carry this document for goal-setting conversations with
your stakeholders. Use the illustrative example given below as a reference to help you fill this sheet.
Marketing Plan
Business Unit-Level Marketing Goal: <Insert Here>
Objectives
Strategies
1. Increase overall sales by 15%

across Health Insurance products
Use peer influence to reinforce themes of

trustworthiness and superior customer
service to increase purchase intent
during brand selection stage.
Measures
1.
2.
3.
Source these objectives from

the Marketing Plan Objective
Statement Tool
Source these strategies from the

Marketing Initiative Selection
Tool
Change in Net Promoter

Score
Percentage Change in
Purchase Intent
Percentage Change in Sales
Conversions
Refer to the Metrics Selection

Bank to select the most
appropriate measures for your
initiative.
Initiatives
campaigns to leverage existing
customers as advocates to
highlight and promote our core
attributes (trust and reliability)
Source these initiatives from the

Marketing Initiative Prioritization
Tool
104
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE PLAN COMMUNICATION
How and when to use this tool: Use the tips in the box below during goal-setting and performance review conversations to ensure effective communication with your
stakeholders.
Marketing Plan Communication Tips
Craft an effective plan presentation by ensuring that:

The content is tailored to the personality-type and communication style of the audience
The presentation has a clearly-set agenda and takeaways to gain audience attention
The presentation uses a combination of texts, visual, and multimedia to communicate the key thoughts
unambiguously
During any goal-setting communication, be sure to explain the rationale behind key decisions, and encourage discussions,
especially the sharing of concerns.
For each marketing initiative, communicate expected timelines for the completion of key deliverables to different departments.
If the deliverables of different departments depend on each other, alert each department to the dependency and set up a coordination mechanism between them.
Managers must conduct frequent team-meetings to apprise the team of their progress against the marketing plan, and
communicate team-level expectations for the remainder of the plan period.
If possible, reward exceptional performers for achieving commercial objectives on an organization-wide basis. This will help
motivate the core performers to work toward achieving planned objectives.
Related Tool
Once you have articulated the key ingredients of your marketing plan, use our Marketing Plan Communication Tool to
communicate the plan highlights to individuals responsible for its execution.
105
MARKETING PLAN
IMPLEMENTATION TOOL
(Excel Format)
MARKETING BUDGET CALCULATOR TOOL
How to use this Tool: The Marketing Plan Implementation Tool helps you create a schedule for implementing your annual marketing
initiatives.
PLAN
IMPLEMENTATION
107
MARKETING PLAN
COMMUNICATION TOOL
STEP 1: SET UP A COMMUNICATIONS CASCADE

Performance Criteria Evaluation Plan
Design a communications plan
that drives execution and
facilitates achievement of key
marketing plan objectives.
Senior leaders distribute corporate objectives and own

goals to subordinates
Ensure goal-clarity by
articulating the top-level
marketing and/or corporate
objectives for the company.
To ensure goal relevance and
stickiness at the mid- and
junior-level ranks, ensure that
the goal-setting process is
consultative and consensusbased.
Link the plan communication
to performance management
to ensure compliance by
each stakeholder.

how Seagate uses their
Performance Criteria Alignment
Plan to drive effective two-way
communications within the
organization.
Chief
Chief Executive
Executive Officer
Officer (CEO)
(CEO) ::
Increase
Increase market
market share
share and
and expand
expand product
product
portfolio
portfolio in
in the
the premium
premium category
category
Chief
Chief Marketing
Marketing Officer
Officer (CMO):
(CMO):
Build
Build marketing
marketing capabilities
capabilities to
to support
support an
an expanded
expanded
product
product line
line
Benefit: Employees have total insight on corporate or

business unit-level goals.
2
Mid-level managers craft their own goals using

manager goals and own documents
Director,
Director,
Brand
Brand
Director,
Director,
Market
Market
Researc
Researc
hh
Benefit: Ownership and visibility of goal-development creates

buy-in to overall corporate objectives.
3 Mid-Level managers co-create individual
objectives with their staff, mapping them

back to corporate goals and entering
them in the performance management
system
Director,
Director,
Digital
Digital
Marketing
Marketing
Staff
Staff
Staff
Staff
Director,
Director,
Events
Events
Staff
Staff
Director,
Director,
Public
Public
Relations
Relations
Director,
Director,
Product
Product
Marketing
Marketing
Staff
Staff
Benefit: Goal consensus, visibility and linkage to

compensation compels action against desired objectives.
Source: Seagate Inc.
109
STEP 2: BUILD A TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATIONS

ROADMAP
Clarify an unambiguous, two-way
communications plan to drive
stakeholder action.
Communicate clear timelines

and roles to ensure each
stakeholder can adapt the
marketing plan to specific
tasks required for its
completion.
Goal-Setting and Performance Management Roadmap
Marketing Leader
1 Create and communicate key marketing objectives and
performance metrics for the marketing function for the year
Share own objectives, deliverable timelines, and

performance measures for each team, in one-on-one
sessions with team-leads.
3
7
Build multiple upward

communications
opportunities to ensure the
marketing plan is realistic and
the senior leadership is
aware of plan progress.
Marketing Team Leads

3
4

how Seagate roadmaps its
marketing plan communication
process. Refer to the numbering
at each step to get an idea of the
sequence of events.
Adapt firm-level Marketing objectives to team-level

objectives for the brand or product line.
Communicate team objectives and deliverable timelines.
Elicit feedback on potential roadblocks and discuss ways to
alleviate them.
Organize one-on-one sessions with subordinates to
mutually draft and approve a performance review plan.
Mid-Level Marketing Managers
Use the template on the next

slide to translate firm-level goals
to marketing-function, team, and
individual level goals.
Help leadership in setting up

realistic goals for the
marketing function
Communicate performance
against plan.
Help team-leads set realistic

goals
Communicate performance
against plan.
Create individual performance goals and evaluation criteria

based on team and marketing function objectives.
Performance Management Tips for Managers

Set clear expectations and ensure clarity on performance review measures.
Ensure performance expectations are aligned to team (and therefore corporate) objectives.
Monitor progress and provide feedback in team wide and one-on-one sessions as frequently as possible to detect
and correct sub-optimal performance.
Source: Seagate Inc.
110
STEP 3: CLARIFY INDIVIDUAL MARKETING GOALS

How and when to use this tool: Use this tool after reading the guidance on slides 109 and 110. This tool will help you in translating firm-level goals to marketing function, team,
and individual-level goals. Use the questions in the tan boxes and the filled out first row example to populate the remainder of the table.
Marketing Goal-Translation Template

Corporate Objectives
Marketing Function Objectives
Team Objectives
Individual Objectives
Increase overall firm level sales by

10% across all insurance products.
Increase overall sales by 15% across

Health Insurance products.
Increase Purchase Intent of Health

Insurance products by 25%.
What does Marketing

need to do to support
these corporate
objectives?
Source these objectives from the firm or

marketing leaderships formal plan
announcements.
Where formal communication is absent,
take a best guess at identifying these
objectives from leadership communication
over the past 6 months.
What does our team

need to do to support
these marketing
objectives?
Derive these objectives

by consulting the
Marketing Plan
Objective Statement
Tool
Identify and engage brand

advocates with high potential to
influence peers.
Liaise with the creative team to
create content for marketing
campaigns.
Identify the top 3 touchpoints for
campaign launch.
What do I need to do
support our teams
marketing
objectives?
Derive these objectives

by consulting the
Prioritization Tool
Derive this objectives by

triaging core role
expectations with
expectations arising out
of team objectives.
111
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE PLAN COMMUNICATION
How and when to use this tool: Use the tips in the box below during goal-setting and performance review conversations to ensure effective communication with your
stakeholders.
Marketing Plan Communication Tips
Craft an effective plan presentation by ensuring that:

The content is tailored to the personality-type and communication style of the audience
The presentation has a clearly-set agenda and takeaways to gain audience attention
The presentation uses a combination of texts, visual, and multimedia to communicate the key thoughts
unambiguously
During any goal-setting communication, be sure to explain the rationale behind key decisions, and encourage discussions,
especially the sharing of concerns.
For each marketing initiative, communicate expected timelines for the completion of key deliverables to different departments.
If the deliverables of different departments depend on each other, alert each department to the dependency and set up a coordination mechanism between them.
Managers must conduct frequent team-meetings to apprise the team of their progress against the marketing plan, and
communicate team-level expectations for the remainder of the plan period.
If possible, reward exceptional performers for achieving commercial objectives on an organization-wide basis. This will help
motivate the core performers to work toward achieving planned objectives.
Related Tool
As you set up a plan communication strategy, consider creating a single-page plan-document to facilitate your
communication. Use the Marketing Plan Summarization Tool to help summarize the key ingredients of your marketing plan.
112
MARKETING PLAN DASHBOARD
MARKETING PLAN DASHBOARD BUILDER TOOL
How to use this Tool: Click on the screenshot below to redirect to our Corporate Dashboard Builder toolkit, that will help you create
a dashboard to track the performance of the planned marketing initiatives.
114

MLC Annual Marketing Plan Full Toolkit

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CEB Marketing Leadership Council

CREATE AN ANNUAL MARKETING

FRAMEWORK FOR ANNUAL MARKETING PLANNING

List the business objectives your plan

Identify stakeholders involved in plan

Create a workflow and

Prioritize and Budget for

Analyze past years marketing plan

Identify marketing initiatives with the

13 Summarize key plan objectives,

Select a limited number of key

Short-list marketing initiatives with

14 Set individual goals based on the

Conduct the selected planning

10 Identify the resources needed to

strategies, initiatives, and success

15 Create a dashboard to track the

11 Benchmark your marketing

budget breakdown against that of

12 Create a marketing budget for

executing the planned marketing

OBJECTIVE DEFINITION TOOL

OBJECTIVE STATEMENT TOOL

1. Increase overall sales by 25% across Health Insurance products

% Change in Sales for Current Year

2. Increase customer loyalty across primary target segment (working professionals

Change in Net Promoter Score

2014 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved.

MARKETING PLAN TEAM BUILDER

STRUCTURING A MARKETING PLANNING TEAM

Build a marketing plan

(Vice President, Marketing) Plan Leader

Marketing Research/ Analytics

Provide insights on company, competitor, and

Provide guidance on how to align current year

Business Unit Head, Health Insurance

Provide expertise on creating budgets and

Provide business unit objectives and current

Collective Roles and Responsibilities

2014 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved.

STAKEHOLDER INPUT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE

Role In Marketing Planning

Provide critical customer and competitor data for

1. Provide voice of customer inputs on customer

2014 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved.

Critical Inputs Required

Brand Performance data

VOC survey findings

MARKETING PLANNING TEAM BUILDER TEMPLATE

[Insert Plan Leader Designation]

[Insert the team members role, responsibilities

[Insert the team members role, responsibilities

[Insert the team members role, responsibilities

[Insert the team members role, responsibilities

Marketing Planning Team Roles and Responsibilities Charter

2014 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved.

STAKEHOLDER INPUT ASSESSMENT TEMPLATE

Role In Marketing Planning

2014 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved.

Critical Inputs Required

SUGGESTED PLANNING ACTIVITIES

SUGGESTED PLANNING ACTIVITIES