Should you really select this customer ?

1. Can you deliver spectacular results? If not, consider letting someone else have the job. It's good to stretch yourself professionally, but taking on work that is not a good fit for your expertise is like writing a book, doing a triathlon, or acting—it's a lot harder than you think.
2. Do you really want to do the work? As you meet with a prospective client, find out whom you'd be working with and the nature of the work. Listen to your instincts. Do you want to work with the people you've met? Will the work be interesting enough to satisfy you beyond the money you'd make? Do you have a passion for helping the client reach the desired outcome? If not, consider walking away.
3. Are there big "whys" for the project? Why does the client need to do this project? And, why now? The answers will clue you in to the importance, relevance, and value of the project. If you want to grow as a consultant and make a meaningful impact, you should aim to work on clients' most pressing issues.
4. Does the proposed schedule make sense? One reality for 99% of projects is that everything will take more time and effort than you think. People are eternal optimists when they plan a project, so it's up to you to be the realist. You'll suffer throughout the project, and probably lose money, if you go along with an overly aggressive schedule. One test for schedule validity is to count the assumptions. As a rule of thumb, the more project assumptions, the less faith you should have in the planned schedule.
5. Can you tell if the project is funded? While knowing this answer is important, asking a client the question too directly can make it seem like you are interested only in the client's money. Besides, unbudgeted funds can miraculously appear when a good idea is on the table. Still, you should pay attention to the clues about the level of financial support for the project.
6. Will you be working with a decision maker? As much as we want to sell directly to decision makers, it's not always possible. But make sure you will be working with a decision maker on the project. You'll put project success and your sanity on the line if you must rely on a client team member who can't (or won't) make the essential decisions that every project demands.
7. Are you prepared to sacrifice something else to take on this work? Your final consideration should be about lost opportunity costs—personal and professional. If you use your time to work on this project, what must you abandon or delay? Be honest with yourself about what you won't be able to do and about the anxiety you may feel for not attending to other urgent matters.

How to appoint an ad agency?

1. Who will service your account day-to-day : who will be assigned to your account and in what capacity should be established before you sign on the dotted line. You may work with amazing strategists but they wont be found on your account after-sale.
2. What does the agency know about your company? Act as if you are interviewing a job candidate to see if they've done their homework - do they know how your organization is structured, what you current marketing mix is, who is on your board of directors, what your brand voice is like, and how many visitors your website gets a month. The very best should be able to tell you things about your organization that even you don't know.
3. Consider the billing structure Will they pay-for-performance structure, a monthly invoicing system, or pay-up-front model? Ask for transparency into how you are charged and how the fees are determined. You don't want any hidden costs that come back and bite you later.
4. Gain insight into their internal culture ' : An agency partner is an extension of your internal department, so you want to make sure that its company culture meshes with yours. If you are a straight-laced corporate machine looking to partner with a laid back, young, and hip agency, the partnership may not work out. Ask if you would have beer with them outside of work and enjoy it? Such soft characteristics are important, because you will be spending a lot of time together.
5. Make them prove their value : Ask, "Why should we select you over another?" Look for intelligent answers beyond the buzzwords. Good businesses are introspective and can point out their flaws while also elaborating on the real value they bring. Do they have a particular proprietary technology that no other agency has? Do they offer a service that no other agency does? Look for candid answers about their strengths and weaknesses.
6. Are they up for a challenge?  True success doesn't come in the form of sugarcoated communication. It comes by challenging another's stance. Don't be afraid to onboard an agency that is willing to provide constructive recommendations for your company. You are hiring an agency to become better, more agile, and profitable, right? So ask the question, "Name a time when you've had to challenge a client, and how did you go about doing it." The answer to the second part of the question will help you gauge their level of respect and tact, as well.
7. Is the proof in the pudding? Does the potential content marketing agency have a killer blog and website copy? Does your creative agency have a beautiful but unfriendly website? When an agency talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk, it is a red flag. Take a few hours as a team to research the agency's online presence, past work, and any other company materials so you can gauge that it actually knows what it's doing.
8. Ask about analytics not trophies : In the '90s, awards, trophies, and accolades were the sign of an agency's true value; now, it's all "in the numbers." Client results are the true measure of success. Look for agencies that are able to prove past clients' success through metrics and can understand, analyze, and garner insight via pinpointed data. Ask the agency what exact metrics they use to gauge success. Is it mutually exclusive data, broken down by your in-house activity and results versus theirs? What types of listening and reporting tools do they use?
9. Ask for references agency websites sound the same: we're experienced … we'll deliver … we're creative … we put a premium on serving our clients." Get past the buzzwords by asking for two or three references from past clients. Ask questions similar to those you would the actual agency, and compare answers.

CMO Job Description

Marketing responsibilities 

1. Establish / Justify the company's best competitive position within a market
2. Locate and profile potential markets and key DMU participants within
3. Generates quality sales leads
4. Develop effective selling tools
5. Formally analyze and track competitor's business strategies and tactics
6. Define, prioritize and justify product / service - improvements and developments
7. Promote an explicit company product or service image
8. Facilitate  information transfer from customers to the rest of the company
9. Simplify the customer's travel on his buying journey  

CMO responsibilities 

1. New Product Rollouts: Strategy development, program incentives, timing and media coverage
2. Agency Evaluation: Selection and evaluation of outside marketing contractors
3. Customer Database Management: Software selection, training, maintenance of customer contact Information
4. Market Research: Market definition, prioritization, project management, data gathering
5. Pricing Analysis: Pricing as a marketing tool, initiate and analyze competitor's pricing practices
6. Product Audits: Establishment of a formal means to evaluate competitive offerings
7. Public Relations: Establishment, guidance and coordination of all areas of public
8. Relations Trade Shows: Definition, participation, prioritization and audit for effectiveness of all trade shows
9. Product Promotions: Strategy formulation, program composition, premium definition, all media coverage
10. Marketing Communications: All printed / electronic communication: brochures, catalogs, price lists, case histories
11. Media Selection: Assist in selection and prioritization of all media options: print, broadcast, multimedia
12. Internal Communications: Establish and maintain all inter-company corporate communication means
13. International Marketing: Establish company presence in targeted international markets, audit for effectiveness
14. Strategic Planning: Offer strategic information and alternative insights to corporate management strategies
15. Board Meeting Participation: Communicate and reinforce the company marketing priorities, strategies and tactics
16. Corporate Vision Statement: Proliferate and reinforce the corporate vision throughout the Organization Corporate Identity and Image: Create, maintain, improve and "manage" all corporate images and symbols

As customer retention has become more of a business priority in our intensifying competitive markets, the marketing function has evolved from influencing potential customers to involving them the company's business planning and advancement. Effective marketing also has blurred the distinction between product and service and continues to apply more influence on the company's sales representation priorities.

Buyer Qualification

that in both situations the buyers:

• were the decision makers,
• had the financial ability to buy,
• had a need,
• saw Janine’s company as differentiated and the preferred solution, and
• understood the business impact of buying from Janine to be substantial.

GIVING A BRIEF TO A CREATIVE AGENCY

Creative Brief

If you want good creative work without going getting exhausted through a series of misunderstandings and iterations; please be clear about the following 11 points.   

1. Make an itemized list of what all needs to be worked upon by the agency
2. Explain why do you need this material in the first place. 
3. Area and Budget considerations
4. How is this activity linked to - and dependent on - other activities.
5. What is on offer 
6. Target audience we want to influence
7. Persona of the target audience 
8. What is the monitorable objective
9. What message/s we want to convey
10. What are the do's and dont's 
11. What is the support material
12. Time Table 
13. Who is giving the brief and who will answer the queries 

An Example of a Creative Brief in Practice

• WHAT NEEDS TO BE DEVELOPED : 2 versions of 100 cc press ad and 3 hoarding designs. 
• WHY IS THIS MATERIAL NEEDED : To make people aware of the Citibank's  new “CitiClick" service and to promote trial.  
• AREA AND BUDGET : The material will be used in western region in the months of June and July only. We estimate to spend Rs 50 Lakhs on media and Rs 5 Lakhs in development costs.
• RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER ACTIVITIES : Citiclick needs to penetrate to at least 100000 households in Mumbai and Pune to establish it as a distribution vehicle for the insurance business we want to launch before Diwali.
• WHAT IS THE PRODUCT : This is a free mobile application that works on all  operating platforms - from iPhone to Android – and makes online purchases easier and more secure. If used within 10 days, they get Domino Pizza at Rs 100 discount.  
• TARGET AUDIENCE : Existing Citibank customers in Mumbai and Pune. The primary target will be males and female, 20 to 35 years old, with at least one Citibank credit card. The target will be approximately 70% married, with a combined HH incomes of  Rs 120000 per month income.
• WHAT IS THE MONITORABLE OBJECTIVE : We want 50000 downloads in the first two weeks.
• TARGET AUDIENCE PERSONA : This audience is comfortable with new technology, and quick to test new smart phone apps that leverage their time. They like to be among the first to have the latest and greatest electronics, apps and especially phones. They make multiple online purchases monthly.
• POINTS TO CONVEY : The main point is to convey that CitiClick will simplify and speed all of your online purchases, while providing increased security irrespective of the device  you have. The secondary points you have are (a) It's free, from Citibank - your trusted financial partner (b)  Get a Domino pizza at Rs 100 discount - details come with the app (c) Backed with a 100% purchase / fraud protection guarantee (d) It has earned rave reviews from real users. (See attached quotes.) (e) takes just seconds to select from multiple pre-personalized download options via your online account.
• DOS AND DONTS : The logo and web address and help line number should be there except in hoardings. The font should be the standard Citibank font only. Please use existing photographs only : no new shoot is budgeted.
• SUPPORT MATERIAL : Attached herewith are (1) consumer insights (2) Brand positioning (3) Tag lines used recently (4) Terms of the Pizza offer.
• TIME TABLE : Roughs to send by May 15^th, approval of roughs by May 25^th, artworks ready May 31^st and releases by June 7^th.
• PERSON GIVING BRIEF : Aditya Sarin,  Assistant Manager in the marketing communications department of Citibank created this brief and takes responsibility for the information and for answering all queries. 

POSITIONING STRATEGY

WHAT IS STRATEGIC MARKET POSITIONING ABOUT ?

is about deciding, building and communicating your unique proposition to your target audience in everything you do. It comes useful at the time of creating your value chain as well as in making your marketing, sales and service efforts.

• How it helps your customers : Your consistency reinforces them to remember you when the trigger situation / application comes up.
• How it helps you : it helps you to think - at all stages of setting up, running and communicating - why a customer would want to do business with you, what do you offer that the other producers don't and what needs of the customer you wish to serve

THREE COMPONENTS OF A POSITIONING STATEMENT ?

You have a positioning statement when all 3 components as below are put together

1. What are your strengths and competitive advantages ?
   What significant difference does it make to your customers?
2. Who is your target customer and their needs?
   What significant difference can they make to you?
3. How are you different from your competitors ?
   What significant difference does it create that your customers will value greatly?
   In other words, what is your unique selling proposition? Your competitive advantage?

HOW ARE POSITIONING STRATEGY STATEMENTS USED ?

• Basis for all marketing plans, marketing messaging, websites, recruiting, training, sales conversations. It also helps create branding at the corporate level.
• It helps create an important asset of the business : strong relationship / referral customers which are necessary to build our reputation.  Customers who trust us to serve their needs and who defend us. For them to do that, they need to know what we stand for. They had a good experience with us, but time passes. They forget. But if they see our messages, our positioning and our actions, they remember and are pleased to do business with us, again and again.
• Positioning may appear as a sentence, paragraph, or a page but think of it as a seed – it is very small but it ultimately determines everything about the tree that will come out of it. But it succinctly defines who is the target customer, their ‘pain points’ that we need to address, the category in which the company competes, the specific competitors we must address, their differentiated benefits,  what the company must do to ‘prove’ those differentiated benefits to the customers.

Positioning is undoubtedly one of the simplest and most useful tools to marketers. After segmenting a market and then targeting a consumer, you would proceed to position a product within that market. Positioning is all about 'perception'. As perception differs from person to person, so do the results of the positioning map e.g what you perceive as quality, value for money

WITHOUT POSITIONING YOU CANNOT

1. Search for your competitive advantage
2. Have a basis for creating focused strategies
3. Have a basis for selecting or rejecting long term capital / manpower budgets 
4. Distinguish your offer from its competitors
5. Conduct internal, market & competitor analysis
6. Plot competitive strategies

POSITIONING MAP

Products or services are 'mapped' together on a 'positioning map'. This allows them to be compared and contrasted in relation to each other.

Make a 2x2 map and decide a label for each axis : they could be price (variable one) and quality (variable two), or Comfort (variable one) and price (variable two). The individual products are then mapped out next to each other Any gaps could be regarded as possible areas for new products. Trout and Ries suggest a six-step question framework for successful positioning:

1. What position do you currently own?
2. what position do you want to own?
3. Whom you have to defeat to own the position you want?
4. Do you have the resources to do it?
5. Can you persist until you get there?
6. Is your long term value chain and short term tactics support this positioning?

Brand Key

BRAND KEY tells us why we exist, what is our world view, what we should do. It is different from BRAND PRISM which sets the context for how the identity should be conveyed.

BRAND KEY

1. WHAT GIVES US THE RIGHT TO BE IN THIS BUSINESS : What made us come into this business? What makes us to continue to stay in this business? What insight do we have that others may not have ?
2. THE ROOT STRENGTHS :  The basic / original attributes / values /  benefits we want to build on and be known for
3. TARGET CUSTOMER / APPLICATION :
   The description of the customer not only in terms of demographics but also in terms of attitudes and values for whom, our offering will always be the best choice
4. HOW DO WE STACK UP AGAINST COMPETITION : What is the choice of alternatives as seen by such target customers and where do we stack against them
   from the target customer’s point of view
5. BENEFITS :
   What motivates our customers to choose us & also see us better than competitors in terms of functional, emotional, sensory and experiential benefits
6. PERSONA : what values the brand upholds and what assumptions about the world it makes and what kind of a person the brand would be if it was to come alive?
7. PRODUCT  PHILOSOPHY : What philosophy do we use to develop our range of products? On what criteria we choose our products? In terms of features, packs, prices, experience ... etc
8. REASON TO BELIEVE / PROOF : What proof we offer to substantiate the benefits and brand experience
9. DIFFERENTIATORS : The single – or a maximum of 3 - compelling reasons  for the target customer to choose us over the competition
10. PROMISES : The single – or a maximum of 3 – core expressions that distil what we offer