Communication Objectives, Strategy and Planning

Introduction

Marketing communication converts a market offering into meaning, preference and action. Advertising, sales promotion and public relations are not isolated activities; they are coordinated methods of influencing what people know, feel and do. Effective planning therefore begins with the marketing problem and ends with measurable communication outcomes.

A communication plan answers five questions:

1. What situation or problem must be addressed?
2. Which audience should be influenced?
3. What response is required from that audience?
4. Which message, media and activities are most appropriate?
5. How will performance, cost and learning be evaluated?

Communication objectives should not simply state that an organisation will “increase awareness” or “communicate better”. They should identify a target audience, a specific response, a degree of change and a time period. This chapter develops the principal response models used to set such objectives and then applies them to situation analysis, campaign briefs, strategy, scheduling and budgeting.

Learning objectives

By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

• distinguish marketing objectives from communication objectives;
• explain the hierarchy-of-effects, AIDA, DAGMAR and response models;
• write measurable communication objectives;
• prepare a situation analysis and professional creative brief;
• select strategy, channels, timing and integration principles;
• construct a basic campaign schedule and budget; and
• evaluate communication ethically and using appropriate performance measures.

1. Marketing objectives and communication objectives

A marketing objective concerns market performance, such as increasing sales, gaining distribution, improving retention or launching a product. A communication objective concerns the audience response that communication is expected to produce. Communication may contribute to sales, but sales are also affected by price, availability, product quality, competitors and economic conditions.

For example:

• Marketing objective: increase monthly sales of a new beverage by 15% in the metropolitan market within six months.
• Communication objective: within four months, increase unaided awareness of the beverage among adults aged 18–30 from 20% to 45%, while generating trial among at least 10% of the defined target audience.

The second objective is more directly attributable to communication. A sound plan links the two without assuming that communication alone causes every market outcome.

A useful objective structure is:

Audience + response + magnitude + time + conditions.

Example: “Among first-year college students in the city, increase recognition of the brand’s low-cost data plan from 30% to 60% by the end of the semester, measured through a pre-test and post-test survey.”

Good objectives are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. They should also identify the measurement method and baseline where possible.

2. Models of audience response

Response models simplify a complex process. They are planning tools, not laws stating that every consumer moves through exactly the same sequence. People may skip stages, repeat stages, respond emotionally before cognitively, or act because of habit or social influence.

2.1 Hierarchy-of-effects model

The hierarchy-of-effects tradition presents communication as a progression:

1. Awareness – the audience has encountered the brand or message.
2. Knowledge or comprehension – the audience understands relevant features or benefits.
3. Liking – a favourable attitude develops.
4. Preference – the brand is preferred over alternatives.
5. Conviction – the audience develops confidence or intention.
6. Purchase or action – the desired behaviour occurs.

The model is useful when a campaign must move an unfamiliar audience toward adoption. It encourages planners to ask what barrier exists at each stage. If awareness is already high but preference is weak, additional reach may be less valuable than comparative information, demonstrations or testimonials.

2.2 AIDA

AIDA describes four broad stages:

• Attention: gain notice in a crowded environment;
• Interest: make the audience curious and involved;
• Desire: connect the offer with a valued benefit;
• Action: make the next step clear and easy.

AIDA is especially useful for analysing an advertisement, sales presentation, landing page or promotional event. It does not mean that every execution must contain four visibly separate sections. Rather, it is a diagnostic framework. A technically attractive advertisement may gain attention but fail to create desire or provide an actionable next step.

2.3 DAGMAR

DAGMAR—Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Results—emphasises explicit, measurable advertising objectives. Its traditional communication sequence is:

Unawareness → awareness → comprehension → conviction → action.

A DAGMAR objective should describe:

• the target audience;
• the communication task;
• the intended degree of change; and
• the time period.

For example: “Within three months, 70% of identified small-business owners in the service area will recognise the bank’s invoice-financing service, and 40% will correctly identify its principal benefit.”

DAGMAR is valuable because it separates communication effects from sales effects and encourages baseline measurement. However, precise percentage targets can create false confidence when measurement is weak or when external influences are substantial.

2.4 Cognitive, affective and behavioural response models

Another widely used approach groups responses into three domains:

The sequence is not always linear. Low-involvement products may produce behaviour first and evaluation later. High-involvement services may require extensive information and trust before action. Social and digital environments also permit audiences to create, share and review messages, making response less controllable by the sender.

Figure: Communication planning is a circular process in which evaluation informs later situation analysis and objectives.

3. Situation analysis

Situation analysis provides the evidence on which planning rests. It should be selective rather than a collection of unrelated facts.

Internal analysis

Review the organisation’s objectives, product performance, brand position, resources, previous campaigns, customer data, distribution, pricing and legal constraints. Identify strengths and weaknesses that communication can realistically address.

External analysis

Examine customers, competitors, intermediaries, culture, technology, economic conditions, regulation and media behaviour. A concise PESTLE review—political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors—can reveal opportunities and risks. Competitor analysis should compare positioning, claims, media presence, promotional intensity and likely audience interpretation.

Audience analysis

Define the audience using meaningful variables: geography, demographics, psychographics, needs, usage, purchase role and media behaviour. Distinguish the user, buyer, influencer, gatekeeper and decision maker. A consumer campaign may address users directly while also reassuring parents, retailers or regulators.

SWOT and problem definition

A SWOT summary is useful only when it leads to a decision. For example, “strong product quality” is not a strategy unless it is connected to an opportunity, such as consumer concern about reliability. End the analysis with a communication problem statement:

“The target market is aware of the category but does not understand why Brand X is suitable for its needs; competitors currently own the most credible benefit.”

4. The communication brief

A brief aligns the client, agency, creative team, media planners and evaluators. A practical brief normally contains:

A creative brief should not prescribe the advertisement’s final wording before the problem is understood. It should provide direction while leaving room for creative solutions.

5. Communication strategy

Strategy is the chosen route from the current situation to the desired response. It includes positioning, message, channel roles, integration and resource allocation.

Positioning and message strategy

Positioning defines the place a brand seeks in the audience’s mental category relative to alternatives. A useful proposition is focused: one audience, one important benefit and credible support. The benefit may be functional, emotional, social or experiential.

Message appeals can be rational, emotional, moral or mixed. Rational appeals are appropriate where information and comparison matter. Emotional appeals can build identity, warmth, excitement or concern, but they should not disguise material information. Proof may come from demonstrations, data, expert evidence, user experience or independent certification.

Push, pull and profile strategies

A push strategy uses trade communication, salesforce activity and incentives to encourage intermediaries to stock or recommend a product. A pull strategy stimulates end-user demand so customers seek the product through distribution channels. A profile strategy builds organisational reputation among stakeholders such as investors, employees, communities and journalists. Most campaigns combine these approaches.

Integrated communication

Integration means that channels reinforce a coherent meaning while performing distinct roles. Advertising may create broad awareness; public relations may provide credibility; sales promotion may trigger trial; personal selling may resolve complex objections; digital content may support search and retention. Integration does not mean identical content in every channel.

6. Scheduling and campaign flow

Scheduling converts strategy into timed activity. Common patterns include:

• Continuous scheduling: activity is maintained throughout the period;
• Flighting: activity alternates between active and inactive periods;
• Pulsing: a continuous baseline is combined with heavier bursts;
• Event-based scheduling: activity is concentrated around launches, seasons or institutional events.

The choice depends on buying cycles, budget, message decay, competitive pressure, inventory, seasonality and audience availability. A schedule should show activity, channel, audience, owner, production deadline, launch date and evaluation point.

A basic schedule might be:

7. Budgeting and resource allocation

A campaign budget should include research, strategy, creative development, production, media or placement, events, promotion costs, personnel, technology, measurement and contingency. Costs should be separated into fixed and variable components where useful.

A simple total-budget identity is:

Here, each B term is a monetary cost and all terms must use the same currency and accounting period. The identity is a planning classification, not a guarantee that every campaign needs each category.

If contingency is defined as a proportion c of identified costs, then:

where c is expressed as a decimal, such as 0.10 for 10%. For example, if identified costs are $40,000 and contingency is 10%, total planned budget is $40,000 × 1.10 = $44,000.

Media efficiency can be expressed as cost per thousand impressions:

CPM is meaningful only when impressions are defined consistently. It does not measure attention, comprehension, trust or sales. A low CPM can be poor value if the audience is irrelevant or exposure quality is weak.

Other budgeting methods include affordable amount, percentage of sales, competitive parity and objective-and-task. Objective-and-task is generally more defensible: define activities required to achieve objectives, estimate their costs and revise the plan if resources are insufficient.

8. Measurement and control

Measurement should be designed before execution. Indicators may include:

• Delivery: reach, frequency, impressions, placements and completion rates;
• Cognitive: awareness, recall, comprehension and search behaviour;
• Affective: attitude, trust, preference and perceived relevance;
• Behavioural: enquiries, visits, registrations, redemptions, purchases and referrals;
• Efficiency: cost per lead, cost per acquisition and return on promotional expenditure.

Reach is the number or proportion of the target audience exposed at least once. Frequency is the average number of exposures among reached individuals. If total exposures are divided by reached individuals, the result is average frequency:

The measure assumes that exposures and reached individuals are counted on compatible bases. It does not prove that an individual noticed or processed the message.

Use pre-tests to identify misunderstanding and post-tests to assess change. Where possible, compare exposed and unexposed groups, use geographic test markets or apply controlled experiments. Correlation between campaign activity and sales is not automatically proof of causation.

9. Ethical, legal and governance considerations

Communication planners must respect truthfulness, substantiation, privacy, intellectual property, disclosure and vulnerable audiences. Product claims should be supported by evidence appropriate to the claim. Sponsored content and influencer relationships should be clearly disclosed. Personal data should be collected lawfully, used for stated purposes, protected appropriately and retained only as justified.

Sales promotions must state material conditions, eligibility, duration and availability. Public relations material should not deceptively imitate independent journalism. Targeting children, people in financial difficulty or health-sensitive groups requires particular care. AI-generated text, images or synthetic endorsements create risks involving misinformation, bias, copyright, impersonation and undisclosed automation. Human review, approval records, source verification and escalation procedures are therefore necessary.

10. Applied case: GreenBite campus launch

This is an illustrative case. GreenBite, a small producer of affordable plant-based lunches, plans to enter a university market. Awareness of the category is moderate, but students believe plant-based meals are expensive and insufficiently filling. The business has a limited budget and only two campus outlets.

Background and problem

Competitors use price promotions, but GreenBite’s research indicates that students value convenience, taste and value more than specialist nutritional claims. The communication problem is not simply lack of awareness; it is a belief that the product will not provide a satisfying lunch at an acceptable price.

Objective

During a 10-week semester, increase aided awareness among students who purchase lunch on campus from 25% to 55%, generate 1,500 first-time trials through sampling and digital vouchers, and achieve a voucher redemption rate of at least 12% among distributed vouchers.

The objectives specify audience, response, magnitude, period and measurement. Trial and redemption are communication-linked behaviours, while repeat purchase would also depend on product experience and availability.

Approach

The proposition is: “A filling, affordable lunch that fits a busy campus day.” Short-form video demonstrates portion size and preparation, while student ambassadors provide samples during peak lunch periods. Public relations focuses on local sourcing and waste reduction, supported by evidence rather than exaggerated environmental claims. A digital voucher creates a measurable action and a modest incentive.

The schedule uses a launch burst in weeks 2–3, a continuous content presence in weeks 4–8 and a second sampling burst before examinations. The budget is allocated to sampling, content production, paid social placement, measurement and contingency. Baseline and final surveys measure awareness and perceived value; redemption data measures trial.

Outcome and learning

Suppose 1,800 vouchers are distributed and 234 are redeemed. The redemption rate is:

The campaign exceeds its 12% trial indicator. A post-campaign survey records aided awareness at 52%, below the 55% target. Management should not describe the campaign as an overall failure. It achieved the behavioural indicator but fell short on awareness, suggesting that sampling and conversion were stronger than broad reach. The next plan might improve media reach while retaining the effective trial mechanism.

The case illustrates an important planning principle: objectives should be assessed separately, and results should lead to diagnosis rather than unsupported celebration or blame.

Challenges and limitations

Response models can oversimplify audience behaviour and encourage planners to assume a fixed sequence. Awareness measures may be inflated by recognition without meaningful understanding. Digital metrics can count exposures without proving attention, and attribution systems may over-credit the final click. Budget models can hide opportunity costs, while excessive dependence on historical benchmarks may reproduce ineffective practice.

Planning is also affected by uncertainty. Competitor actions, platform algorithms, public events, supply shortages and cultural change can alter performance. Scenario planning, test-and-learn activity, clear decision rules and periodic reallocation are more robust than treating the initial plan as unchangeable.

Best-practice checklist

Before approval, confirm that:

• the communication problem is distinct from the general business problem;
• objectives identify audience, response, magnitude, time and measurement;
• the chosen response model fits the involvement and decision context;
• the proposition is single-minded and supported by evidence;
• each channel has a defined role;
• the schedule reflects buying behaviour and operational capacity;
• all major costs and contingencies are included;
• evaluation methods are selected before launch; and
• legal, ethical, privacy and accessibility requirements are documented.

Chapter Summary

Communication planning connects marketing goals with measurable audience responses. Hierarchy-of-effects, AIDA, DAGMAR and cognitive–affective–behavioural models help planners identify whether the required task is awareness, understanding, attitude change, conviction, trial or another action. These models are useful frameworks rather than universal psychological laws.

A strong plan begins with evidence-based situation analysis and a clear communication problem. The brief defines the audience, insight, proposition, support, tone, channels and measurement requirements. Strategy determines how advertising, sales promotion, public relations, personal selling and digital activity work together. Scheduling selects continuous, flighted, pulsed or event-based activity, while budgeting identifies the resources required to perform the tasks. Evaluation combines delivery, cognitive, affective and behavioural measures and avoids confusing correlation with causation. Ethical claims, privacy, disclosure, accessibility and responsible use of AI are essential professional responsibilities.

Key Terms

AIDA: A response framework of attention, interest, desire and action.

Audience insight: A meaningful understanding of an audience’s motivation, tension or barrier.

Communication objective: A measurable desired change in an audience’s knowledge, attitude or behaviour.

Contingency: A planned budget allowance for uncertainty or unforeseen costs.

DAGMAR: A framework for defining advertising goals and measuring communication results.

Flighting: Scheduling activity in alternating active and inactive periods.

Hierarchy-of-effects: A model describing movement from awareness and knowledge through attitude and action.

Integrated marketing communication: Coordinated use of communication tools to provide coherent meaning and complementary channel roles.

Insight: An actionable interpretation of audience behaviour or motivation.

Marketing objective: A desired market or business outcome such as sales, distribution or retention.

Media reach: The number or proportion of the target audience exposed at least once.

Message proposition: The central benefit or promise communicated to the audience.

Objective-and-task budgeting: Budgeting by costing the activities required to achieve objectives.

Positioning: The intended distinctive place of a brand in the audience’s mental category.

Public relations: Planned relationship and reputation management involving an organisation and its stakeholders.

Push strategy: Communication directed through intermediaries to encourage stocking, recommendation or sale.

Pull strategy: Communication directed at end users to stimulate demand through distribution channels.

Sales promotion: A short-term incentive intended to stimulate trial, purchase or another response.

SWOT analysis: Review of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Unaided awareness: Brand awareness recalled without providing a list of brand names.

Review Questions

Short Answer Questions

1. Distinguish a marketing objective from a communication objective.
2. What are the four stages of AIDA?
3. State the four main components of a DAGMAR objective.
4. Explain the difference between reach and frequency.
5. Why should communication objectives include a baseline where possible?

Long Answer Questions

1. Compare the hierarchy-of-effects model, AIDA and DAGMAR. Explain one strength and one limitation of each.
2. Describe the contents of a professional communication brief and explain how each element supports campaign quality.
3. Explain how advertising, sales promotion and public relations can be integrated without giving every channel the same role.
4. Discuss the objective-and-task approach to budgeting and compare it with percentage-of-sales budgeting.
5. Explain how ethical, legal and privacy considerations influence contemporary communication planning.

Analytical / Application Questions

1. A technical service has high awareness but low trust and few enquiries. Using a response model, identify the likely communication barrier and propose two measurable objectives.
2. Design a 12-week schedule for a new campus product using advertising, sampling, public relations and digital content. Justify the timing and role of each activity.
3. A campaign reaches 40,000 target consumers and delivers 120,000 exposures. Calculate average frequency and explain why this figure alone cannot establish campaign effectiveness.

Multiple Choice Questions with Answers

Question 1

Which statement is the best example of a communication objective?

A. Increase company revenue by 20% this year.

B. Open three new retail outlets before December.

C. Increase aided brand awareness among target students from 30% to 60% in one semester.

D. Reduce production costs by 8%.

Correct Answer: C. Increase aided brand awareness among target students from 30% to 60% in one semester.

Question 2

In AIDA, which stage connects the offer with a valued benefit and motivates wanting it?

A. Attention

B. Interest

C. Desire

D. Action

Correct Answer: C. Desire

Question 3

Which sequence is most closely associated with DAGMAR?

A. Attention, interest, desire, action

B. Unawareness, awareness, comprehension, conviction, action

C. Trial, loyalty, advocacy, retention

D. Reach, frequency, impressions, conversion

Correct Answer: B. Unawareness, awareness, comprehension, conviction, action

Question 4

What is the main purpose of a communication brief?

A. To replace all campaign research

B. To align stakeholders around the problem, audience, proposition and requirements

C. To guarantee a particular level of sales

D. To provide a final advertisement before strategy is developed

Correct Answer: B. To align stakeholders around the problem, audience, proposition and requirements

Question 5

A pull strategy primarily aims to:

A. Stimulate end-user demand so customers seek the product

B. Reduce the organisation’s production costs

C. Train journalists to write promotional stories

D. Replace all intermediary distribution

Correct Answer: A. Stimulate end-user demand so customers seek the product

Question 6

A campaign has 80,000 total exposures and reaches 20,000 people. What is its average frequency?

A. 0.25 exposures

B. 2 exposures

C. 4 exposures

D. 16 exposures

Correct Answer: C. 4 exposures

Question 7

Which budgeting method costs the activities needed to achieve stated objectives?

A. Objective-and-task budgeting

B. Random allocation budgeting

C. Historical publicity budgeting

D. Equal-share budgeting

Correct Answer: A. Objective-and-task budgeting

Question 8

Which measure is primarily behavioural?

A. Unaided recall

B. Brand liking

C. Perceived credibility

D. Voucher redemption

Correct Answer: D. Voucher redemption

Question 9

Why is a low CPM not sufficient evidence of campaign success?

A. CPM cannot be calculated using monetary costs

B. CPM measures only cost relative to impressions, not relevance, attention or action

C. CPM always includes sales revenue

D. CPM applies only to public relations

Correct Answer: B. CPM measures only cost relative to impressions, not relevance, attention or action

Question 10

Which practice is most appropriate when using AI-generated promotional content?

A. Publish it without review because automation removes bias

B. Hide sponsorship and synthetic elements from audiences

C. Use human review, verify claims and address privacy, copyright and disclosure risks

D. Use personal data for any purpose once it has been collected

Correct Answer: C. Use human review, verify claims and address privacy, copyright and disclosure risks