How Considerate are Marketers of data in designing Marketing Calendar?

The role of data in designing a marketing calendar is unparalleled. An amazing valuable set of information. With it, a reliable evaluation of marketing functionality happens. The challenge is to be able to understand what the data speak. 

Decoding the data to create a campaign, understanding the set of values leads to a data enabled marketing campaign.

Marketing managers must consider how are they able to put the available data in funnels which gets translated into campaigns. It needs a data focussed approach, the analytical mindset to see the product lifecycle. Fortunately, data is a mining house of tremendous opportunity to solve the composite problems. It gives a deeper understanding of your target audience, customers. Plays a key role in identifying the needs, behaviour during the sales process, anticipate the buying behaviour. It also helps in identifying trends, insights, and above all, build strategies to scale up the returns.

Before you start considering the set of data available to develop campaigns. One needs to have a marketing calendar in place. Brands need to think about it for the short term as well as long term. The seasonality of the product’s demand. For Example, the sales of Air Conditioner will peak in Summer, for washing machines during the rainy months. In India, around 75- 80% of the consumer durables are being sold during the Diwali festive in October, November. Understanding of brand’s seasonality aids in planning the campaign. Moreover, It’s scheduled roll-out.  

DATA IN MARKETING CALENDAR 2021 PLANNING

As you start thinking about the target audience for the product or brand. Embarking on the planning work to create a large or massive promotion does requires time. Identifying the target audience, their demographic details based on campaign objective. The data reveals a lot about their needs and interests. For example, when I was with brand Videocon d2h. I used to work on the annual marketing calendar. ICC Cricket 50 Over World Cup was in Australia, in March 2015. To plan the campaign for the same, I studied the viewership data of past India – Australia series as well as other Cricket World Cups available to understand the audience viewing pattern.  

Matches were conveniently scheduled in such a way that it is day viewing in India. It means that there will be a lot of excitement about the games especially the India Matches. Three games of India, telecasted in 4K. It was by the official broadcaster Star Sports. When we heard about it, our eyes twinkled. Videocon d2h has launched 4K Ultra HD Set Top Box a few weeks before. We also had India’s only 4K UHD Channel, which was our service channel. The objective was to use these India cricket games to promote our 4K UHD services. The goal was to promote it to both the potential customers as well as to the existing subscribers.

Print media was used. To promote the offerings. Advertisements are scheduled on the day of Match. On the match day as well as on the following day. The product was promoted on the front page of the newspapers as a photo branding exercise.

IDENTIFY TRENDS – EMERGING INSIGHTS

The coverage of match was reported on the following day in newspapers. Newspapers were requested to publish the photograph of the match. It was carried on front page. Underneath the photograph, the branding of 4K UHD advt. On the match day, we used to publish a vertical advertisement on the front page.

Disclaimer: The copyright of the print advertisements is with the respective copyright holders. I have used these advertisement images only for academic purpose.

For the Internal subscribers, we sent an emailer to those subscribers who are having a LED TV with HD channels subscription Package. The 4K UHD is a premium segment, so the goal was to target only these high segment subscribers. For this campaign, the data was used to upsell the product 4K UHD Set-top Box. The default channel was also used to communicate our new product. For the Standard definition users, it was an imagery exercise. For HD users, it was aimed to upsell.

IDENTIFY TRENDS – EMERGING INSIGHTS 

When the data is closely studied. It throws up an emerging pattern on consumption. For Example, the Kids channels were being unsubscribed from January to March/ April. Suggesting that this is the time when the parents are keen that their kid’s study for the exams. They stop subscription of kid’s channels. In the summer holidays, the subscription of kid’s channels, as well as the active service channels of Pay-TV service providers, see an upswing.

While analysing data of Kids channel subscribers, it was found that most of the infants, toddlers also watch the kids’ channels primarily targeted at aged 4+. It was an insight for all of us. With this insight, Videocon d2h launched a new service channel – d2h rhymes targeted at toddlers, infants. So, the role of data in designing a marketing calendar cannot be negated.

IDENTIFYING BOTTLENECKS

It is very important to understand the human need behind the data. The target kids’ market is large. It is segmented as a group toddlers, kids. This insight has given more understanding of the segment which proves that infants are the most exciting segment in the kids’ category. As per the report published in the Social Blade report on You Tube dated 21st Jan 2021, Cocomelon- Nursery Rhymes has 103 Million subscribers with 90,705,263,676 views.

IDENTIFYING BOTTLENECKS

A few months back during the lockdown, I was having a harmless discussion with a close friend of mine. In our course of the discussion, he mentioned that during the lockdown period, e recharges were happening at a good rate. The volume as well as the value of recharge was good. He also mentioned that many are exiting just before the payment page. Further adding that the volume of drops outs is not so significant but still he wanted to address that. He sought my help in auditing the process. As I was analysing the data, many users exited the page as before the payment details needs to be entered. There is a security check of entering captcha code. Many customers were facing errors in getting this captcha code page loaded, prompting them to leave mid-way.

I studied the report and collaborated it with the audit. It was the error in captcha code loading. As a follow-up measure, the telemarketing team called the subscribers who abandoned the process mid-way. It was to understand why they didn’t complete the process. The feedback collaborated on what I found in an audit.

The analysis of data gave us the bottleneck. Data helped in streamlining the process. Moreover, it aided in the success of the recharge campaign during the lockdown.

WHAT IS A DIGITAL MARKETING CALENDAR

TESTING THE MESSAGE

The most important step in any advertising campaign planned in a marketing calendar is to test the message. The use of this data on how the audience interacts with the content. How they receive it. Which part of the message are they able to resonate with? The data on these can help in improving the message’s quality as well as its reception.

In one of the mass media campaigns aimed at establishing the supremacy of Videocon d2h’s content offerings in the Southern States. The Television campaign titled “Go for Highera” had a sequence where the protagonist throws water on his friend, neighbour. Whoever he sees subscribing to a DTH service provider not offering the highest number of channels and services. But with his supervisor he just sprinkles water When this advertising was tested across all the southern states, people reacted. They enjoyed the sequence. Although, many felt that no subordinate will dare to do such acts fearing a backlash. The sequence was toned down to just sprinkling of water rather than throwing water.

The role of data in this campaign was to enhance the quality of the message as well as to communicate it effectively. It helped in creating a customer focussed communication. Spelling out what customer values are while he is engaging with the brand. It allowed engagement to a precise target audience while communicating the product and features. 

ASSESS THE GOAL WITH BUDGET IN MARKETING CALENDAR TEMPLATE

ASSESS THE GOAL WITH BUDGET

Many marketers believe in outcome-based marketing. In outcome-based marketing. A marketing calendar with budgets allocated, to achieve the goals. Be it imagery, incremental market share, or increase in brand’s valuation. For this, marketing research plays an important role along with data analytics. Today, marketers are sitting on the pile of data not understanding what to do with it. It is mainly due to a lack of resources or budgets to put the data into good use.

One needs to understand what impact the campaigns have created. What needs to be done? Either to sustain or to reverse the adverse trends. An Analysis is done to understand the shortcomings.

CONCLUSION:

Many may wonder what is a Marketing Calendar. Marketing Calendar is an outline of marketing campaign activities that you want to carry out in a particular period. These activities keep the product, services, and brand continue to resonate with potential customers. Usually, it is for a year.Data should always be a top priority while designing the annual marketing calendar. The data funnels aid in extracting information for the benefit of brands to increase their awareness, value. It is a skilled exercise to anticipate the campaigns in the marketing calendar, based on data. It will allow us to take advantage of the weakness of competitors to increase market share as well as increase value of the brand.

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