Marketing Communication Design Process

Written by

Peter Bockenthien

Marketing Communication Design Process

Business Schools teach fundamental marketing functions and marketing channels, but they don't teach the Marketing Communication Design Process that results in an overall strategy that animates those activities. Creativity isn't restricted to communication. Here it leads to Unexpected Idea to solve a practical problem.

The Creative Collaborative Process

Step 1: Who, What, Why

Answer these questions in order. If the next question causes you to revise the answer to the previous question, revise it and continue down the list to revise as needed.

1. Who is the Target? Who is your audience? What are they like? What's their general demographics?

2. What is important to your Target? Are you Marketing something that's tangible with intangible attributes? Or an intangible that has tangible results?

3. Why will the Target want what you're marketing?

Step 2: Objective, Target, Strategy, Execution

4. Objective: what do I want my Marketing to do? This is the key factor that often causes one to revise Step 1.

5. Target: who will accomplish the Objective? Too many revisions so far? Then start here and work your way backwards.

6. Strategy: what benefit will appeal the most to the Target?

7. Execution: how do I communicate the Strategy to the Target to achieve the Objective?

Billboards epitomize Concepts because they need to make their point in 3 seconds or less, depending on where the billboard is located.

For instance, I created the following concept using the process above for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Their Instagram account cannot convey the full scope of their Danger Scale. Their website needs a concept as just reading the reports and viewing the images doesn't fully convey the dangers involved in any type of terrain.

The Concept: 6 Below/Sunny Days

Headline: In Colorado It Can Get 6 Below Quickly
Visual: A snowboard, or snowmobile buried in chunky snow.
Execution: The snowboard could read like a tombstone with stone-chiseled type. The snowmobile could be a profile line art showing an upside down snowmobile, a crumpled rider to the side face down in a slushy lake. This recently happened at Pumphouse Lake in Boulder County.

I anticipate a lot of people would be upset with this billboard, but that's a good thing because there are no second chances. Let's start the convo now.

This concept is easier to take in.

This concept hits harder.

A much harder hitting concept shows the Pumphouse Lake slush hole where the snowmobile fell in. Headline: Even in winter you can drown. I prefer this so as to not minimize the risks involved in moderate risk conditions.

Down the 1-page Creative Collaborative Strategy Process.