Before you start writing any plan, you first need to understand the main problem or challenge that the plan is solving for. This problem should be centred on how the brand is currently performing and identify the gaps and challenges that exist and need to be addressed by the plan to drive future growth.

In this module you will be introduced to the Challenge Identification Questions you need to answer,  to understand where your brand stands now and how it is performing against expectations and market dynamics.

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Then, using the above answers, you will use the Strategic Growth Challenge tool to help you clearly define the strategic challenge or problem the brand is facing and more importantly, the likely causes of the problem.  This step is critical to provide direction and scope for a targeted situation assessment and will ensure your investigation uncovers relevant opportunities to grow

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Now the scope of the plan is set, it is time to conduct a logical situation assessment that converts facts into Actionable Insights and growth opportunities the brand could pursue, in answer the Strategic Brand Challenge. 

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You will be taught an outside-in assessment process called Connects the Dots which logically converts multiple fact and data sources into actionable insights and market-driven growth opportunities. 

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​First, we will look at the external market to find emerging growth opportunities, threats or changing market dynamics. Next, you will assess your internal capabilities and determine your strengths and weaknesses.

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Finally, we connect these external market opportunities with your internal strengths to uncover a raft of Actionable Insights, ready for prioritization. This outside-in approach will ensure your plan is grounded in market-driven growth opportunities but is actionable, realistic and commercially sound.

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Strategy is about making choices and prioritizing the growth opportunities your brand and business has the strengths, capabilities and resources to realize. 

In this step, you will use our Strategic Choices tool to prioritise your Actionable Insights based on:
 

• The external opportunities or threats that will have the biggest impact on the brand/business 

• The ease of which the brand and organisation can leverage its strengths and capabilities to pursue the opportunity.

The top-ranked priorities will then be taken forward into the planning phases of step 4 & 5 

This step will ensure your plan places focus and resources against the opportunities that will give you the biggest bang for your buck and prevent you from chasing the unattractive or unrealistic ones.

Now you have your growth priorities, your next step will be to set your goals and objectives for each priority.

Objectives are the outcome you need the plan to achieve with a specific action, metrics of success and a time target so you can measure your actual performance to these goals. 

We will use our Objective Setting tool and the data you collected in the situation assessment to calculate the specific outcomes and the key growth metrics each opportunity could deliver to the business.

You will leave this module with your goals set and ready to create the path to achieving them.

With the goals set, it is time to articulate your Strategies, which are the steps and path you need to take to achieve the Objectives.

We will use the Strategy Selection tool to assess and choose the most relevant growth strategies. These choices then inform your Tactic Ideation, where you will build an integrated tactical plan across all elements of the marketing mix and allocate specific timings, budgets & KPI's to each. 

In this step, we will show you how to take action to realise your growth opportunities and then how to wrap it all up into a logical, inspiring plan that delivers exceptional commercials results

During the planning process, you have set specific and measurable objectives and tactical KPI’s on which you can track and measure your success.

In this final step, you will be shown how to set up a Performance Tracker and relevant reporting methods to ensure you can measure and report the impact and results your plan has delivered to the brand and business.

This step is critical to building ongoing support and demonstration of success for your Brand Planning efforts to the wider business, helping build the credibility of Marketing as the strategic growth function in the organisation.