Communications objectives

Communications objectives
See also
Hierarchy of effects model Route to market Audience profile Heavy users Advertising brief AIDA model Acquisition process Product research Market positioning

Communications objectives are goals of the act of transferring the information from sender to receiver; from developing the message by one party till accurate interpretation by the other one. In marketing communications objectives are intended targets of a promotional or advertising program. If the communications objectives are set before starting the program, it can be evaluated whether these targets were reached or not. (Rossiter 2018)

Goals of communication

Communications objectives can be generally speaking divided into three main categories (De Pelsmacker 2005 s. 73):

1. Reach goal, which aims to reach a target group as efficiently and effectively as possible. This requires an accurate audience definition and media planning
2. Process goals, which ensures, that the message was processed exhaustively, so that it is properly understood by the audience
3. Effectiveness goals are the most crucial objectives and they are a result of correctly defined (and achieved) reach and process goals. Effectiveness in communication means, that when the message is developed (coded) and transmitted by the sender, it is received by another party (receiver), that can interpret (decode) the message.

Communication objectives in DAGMAR model

Russell Colley has come up with a list of the communications objectives, that are applicable to the purchase process (De Pelsmacker 2005 s. 74-76):

1. Category need means creating a category awareness, so that the brand can easily fit within the customer's desires and needs
2. Brand awareness is about building brand aimed recognition based on its' physical characteristics
3. Brand knowledge comprehension, which means that the customer is aware of the brand's strengths in comparison to similar brands
4. Brand attitude means customer's overall opinion on the product shaped by emotions and knowledge
5. Brand purchase intention refers to will to purchase brand's product at some point
6. Brand facilitation means convincing the customers to the best decisions from the brand's perspective even though the client may already have his own opinion on facilitation subject
7. Purchase is an act of buying a product
8. Satisfaction is achieved when the product meets buyer's desired expectations
9. Brand loyalty means a mental commitment of the client, who tends to buy products of the same brand instead of evaluating possible alternatives

References

• Beck A., (2004), Communication Studies: The Essential Resource, Psychology Press
• De Pelsmacker P., (2005), Foundations of Marketing Communications: A European Perspective, Pearson Education
• Lalama M., (2015), Setting clear communication objectives: a proposed frame of reference to measure the effectiveness of advertising and integrated communications campaigns
• Rossiter J., (2018), Marketing Communications: Objectives, Strategy, Tactics, SAGE
• Smith P., (2004), Marketing Communications: An Integrated Approach, Kogan Page Publishers

Author: Izabela Stań