A best practice guide for developing communication campaigns

What constitutes an effective communication strategy?

In this increasingly changing landscape where the boundaries between consumer, brands and content are shifting, this question becomes an imperative one.

57% of agencies and 64% of clients agree that it is becoming more difficult to communicate with consumers than ever before.

This guide was put together to determine what factors contribute to the formation of a good communication strategy, and to clarify which areas require more understanding to aid this development. What modes of working are best suited to achieve this?

Both the client and agency communities were questioned to get their views on this, take from the respective memberships of the IPA, ISBA, MCCA and PRCA, with the majority wanting some guidance on this important issue.

• What is the most important component of a communication strategy?
• How much should be spent on communication?
• Who is your target audience when mass coverage isn't always the answer?
• Is the idea behind your strategy an advertising idea or a communications idea?
• What should be your channel selection when exposure doesn't necessarily equal engagement?
• Is you communication strategy truly integrated?
• How are the channels you choose going to work together?

This booklet hopes to answer some of these questions, and in doing so asks who is best placed to lead this process. Is it agencies or clients? Is it both? Should the strategy be content-driven or context-driven?

In essence, a clear, well-defined communication strategy will ensure the brand message is put across. We hope that this guide provides some sort of framework to achieve this.

Download the guide to read more:
A best practice guide for developing communication campaigns (PDF)