• by Stacia Hanley , Op-Ed Contributor, August 17, 2015

The importance of upfront planning cannot be stressed enough, but this crucial topic often gets left by the wayside when media teams are bogged down with the volume of budget allocations, RFPs and attribution models required for implementing cross-channel buys.

Compounding the issue is the fact that media teams are often siloed or sidelined from the upfront brand strategy and discovery phases of planning, leaving them to translate briefs to the best of their ability on short timelines and without much help.

It is no wonder there’s often disconnect between the core brand values or insights and the actual media plan, especially when it comes to more complicated cross-channel efforts. Brand essence dissolves quickly as tactical focus increases; the overarching and desired brand behavior is neglected in the interest of following more straightforward, quantifiable campaign objectives.

Extending the brand work into and throughout an upfront communications planning process (not just transactional media planning and buying phases) is required in order for media teams to sufficiently explore the multitude of ways that a brand might be expressed within each media channel, partner and placement.

And yes, this work requires a capable “T-shaped” media team, as well as an increase in planning time and resources. But, most importantly, it requires a brand that is open to exploring and learning from those tough questions.

The good news is that even a few hours can be enough time to effectively address a few core questions and begin steering things in the right direction. This is especially true in the case of cross-channel campaigns, where the need for strong brand integration and continuity is greatest.  

The questions below may throw your team outside of the comfort zone. The point is not to use the answers literally, but to ask them as fodder for unfolding a more interesting and authentic story that can be used as a common thread throughout a more complex media plan. Your initiative, if done thoroughly and thoughtfully, will put your brand work above and beyond the market.

Why does the brand exist? The answer to this question cannot have anything to do with business objectives. Literally, if the brand were to exist with no product or service to offer, what would it be? What would it stand for?

What does the brand aspire to do? Identify some ideals. How might the brand look and behave if limits didn’t exist?  Where would it go and what would it do? This can be tied to product development, services, advertising, “doing good,” whatever.  

How big is the gap between the brand’s current state, and its ideal? How far apart are the answers to those first two questions? Is it on the right track or would significant changes need to be made?

What are the core brand behaviors? How is the brand perceived out in the world? Are those perceptions consistent? Are there certain dominant emotions, actions? What does the brand add to the user experience, emotionally, psychologically, logistically?

Is the brand making an emotional connection? Be cognizant of how behaviors might come across to an audience, and whether those behaviors are/should be consistent. A great example of expressing behavior is this piece from a few years back that assigned archetypes to every screen. Is your brand more of a joker? A lover? A best friend?

How might the brand monetize its efforts more authentically? How can monetization feel more authentic? How might you marry some of the findings from the above questions to help turn sales in a more genuine way? The answers may vary depending on the channel and effort (branding versus direct response, for instance).

How might this all be applied to the planning process? If core brand traits are identified and a clear idea exists of how the brand’s behavior should look and feel, that provides the campaign structure — a clearer lens through which to evolve and evaluate every media opportunity, both standing on its own and as a working piece of the whole.

Start by finding the channels, vehicles, partners and placements that reflect the ideal qualities identified in the brand work. Apply the same brand standards when evaluating media partnerships. If certain elements don’t seem to match up, stress test a few other variables against the opportunity before throwing it out completely. Then communicate which elements of your plan are most prominent and applicable to the brand work for your creative teams, so that messaging can align accordingly.