The marketing function is one that generates a lot of interest from many people within an organization. By default, almost everyone seems to have an opinion about how things should be done or what results to get from a marketing campaign. As such, it places the burden on the brand manager to justify a proposed marketing expenditure and to provide assurances and facts to prove to the management that the investment will have a payback both in sales numbers and in key brand attributes.
It is of utmost importance for a marketer to set up the objectives of the campaign and the key performance indicators (KPIs) prior to the commencement of the campaign and to know what data is required to be captured to avoid a situation of “data dump”, this creates clarity on what is to be measured and how they will be measured. There is a saying that “what is measured gets done!”, which simply implies that setting up a measurement for an activation ensures that it is executed.
Gone are the days when a brand manager waits until the end of the campaign to check for the impact and effectiveness of his campaign; these days measuring and evaluating is a continuous exercise during the lifetime of the campaign. This ensures that the campaign is reviewed, evaluated and adjusted to suit the needs of the company and the wants of the consumer.
While a campaign is on-going, the initial indicators of its success or otherwise are the sales numbers, the consumer/customer response, the salesforce feedback, trade partners’ comments or feedback sometimes the reaction of your competitor. Aside the sales numbers that is fed directly to the company, for some of the other feedback, it may be necessary to set up customised research or dip stick studies and based on random feedback from key contacts.
It is not enough to have a campaign executed or to measure it while it was on-going, post campaign measurement and evaluation is relevant to key business decisions. After the conclusion of the campaign, brand managers are expected to check the result of the campaign against the KPIs that was set at the beginning of the campaign. This is the opportunity for them to confirm and validate initial projections (where the KPIs have been met or exceeded) or to ascertain why the projections was missed (where the campaign falls short)
As simple as this sounds, a post evaluation is not done and this marks the project as incomplete; as the end of an activation does not signal a close to the campaign. Why is it so important to do a post campaign evaluation?
· To ascertain return on investment: In any business venture, it is vital to know if an expenditure has paid back or not. Every marketing campaign contributes to the profitability of the company; and learnings from an activation can influence future investment or spending decisions.
· To adopt learnings for future campaigns: Measurement and evaluation drives a rigorous analysis of what worked well and what did not work well and to ensure this learning is considered in future activations. Without a proper evaluation, vital learnings may be lost; learnings that can save time and money and help ensure that the same mistakes are not repeated.
· It builds the credibility of the team: It is important to position the marketing function as one that understands the entire business and the implications on growing the bottom line and not as one that is focused on expending funds alone. A well-documented evaluation builds respect and credibility.
· Measurement & Evaluation enhances transparency & Ownership: A completed evaluation reports showcases the entire campaign to every key stakeholder. It builds trust across the various department in the company and enhances joint ownership of results.
Once the right data is measured and collected, an evaluation report should be able to tell the story of the campaign in a visually appealing, clear and logical way to communicate the most important points to the various stakeholders.
Bolajoko Bayo-Ajayi
