Anatomy of an SMP

Com 353 Writing for ISC

Spring 2016

 The strategic message planner is also

called a copy platform, a creative work
plan and a strategy statement.

What is an
SMP?

An SMP is a series of steps that help

you create your ads one clear
message the strategic message
that is at the heart of a successful ad.

Why are
you doing
an SMP?

You must complete an SMP before you

begin to consider the more creative
aspects of an ad.
If you begin to create the ad before
you develop the ads strategic
message, your creative ideas may
bias your idea of what the strategic
message truly should be.

Steps

A strategic writer should conduct

extensive research in several areas:
client, product, target audience and
competition.
Completing an SMP involves
summarizing your research or drawing
conclusions in 10 areas:

 1. Advertising Goal
2. Client: Key Facts

Steps For
Creating an
SMP

3. Product: Key
Features
4. Target Audience:
Demographics &
Psychographics
5. Product Benefits
6. Direct Competitors
& Brand Images

7. Indirect
Competitors & Brand
Images
8. Product Brand
Image (current &
desired image)
9. Strategic Message:
The Promise
10. Supporting
Evidence: The Proof

 Ask your client what specific goal s/he

wants from your ad
Normally, ads try to:

1.
Advertising
Goal

Establish or increase brand awareness,

Change the brand image,
Launch a new product or service,
Inform consumers about the features & benefits
of product or service,
Remind consumers of a product or service,
Increase sales
Differentiate product or service from those offered
by competitors.

2. Client:
Key Facts

Given your advertising goal, what

aspects of your client might help you
create a successful ad?
How old is your client?
Has it won awards?
Is it a socially responsible
organization?
What facts distinguish your client from
its competitors?

3: Product:
Key
Features

Use your advertising goal to help you

identify which product features might be
useful in the creation of a successful
message.
Try answering most of the following
questions:
What is the product/service?
To what product category does this product/service
belong?
What are its features?

What is the purpose of the product/service?

Why did the organization make the product or
provide the service (other than making money of
course)

 What is the product made of? What does the

service consist of?

3: Product:
Key
Featurescont.

What are the materials, or ingredients, of the

product
For services, are there intangible ingredients (e.g.,
a workout routine @ the gym)

Who and what made the product/service?

Which individuals created the product? Are there
features in their bios that distinguish them from
other creators?
What vendors supplied materials for the product or
helped in creating the service? Is there anything
special worth mentioning about them? (e.g., The
Body Shop)
Where is the product sold?

 Ask your client to specify the target

audience for the product/service.

4. Target
Audience

Try to understand the members of this

audience as human beings.
Dont try to create an ad that will
appeal to all the different groups that
might use your product (e.g., milk
ads).

4. Target
Audience

To understand your target audience you

should seek both demographic and
psychographic information.
Demographic information includes gender,
age, place of residence, ethnic group,
income and education level.
Psychographic information includes lifestyle,
general attitudes & values, needs, fears, etc.
Be sure to include demographic information
regarding your target audiences
experiences with your product.
RFM data from consumers is important.
Recency, Frequency, Money.

 Benefits, not features, produce a good

strategic message.
Whats in it for me?

5. Product
Benefits

In general, consumers seek solutions to

three main needs:
The need for control

Save time
Save money
Simplify a task
Eliminate unpleasant tasks (e.g., escape pain)
Alleviate guilt/fear
Do you wish to add another point?

 The need for companionship

5. Product
Benefitscont.

Improve appearance
Increase acceptance & belonging
Be fashionable
Improve family relationships
Do you wish to add another point?

The need for confidence

Improve skills & knowledge

Lead to personal advancement
Improve personal dependability
Improve status and protect reputation
Give pride of ownership
Give special privileges & recognition
Do you wish to add another point?

Direct
Competitors
& Brand
Images

To identify direct competitors, name the

leading products in that category (e.g., if
your client is Burger King, then McDonalds is
a direct competitor since both businesses
produce burger-oriented fast food)
For each direct competitor you identify,
include a concise description of that product
& its brand image
One important goal of the SMP is to design a
brand image that will distinguish your
product/service from its direct competitors.

Indirect
Competitors
& Brand
Images

If Burger King is your client, other producers

of fast food (e.g., Pizza Hut or KFC) are
indirect competitors of your client because
they compete in the food sector.
Another example: Dubai Taxi may have other
taxi companies as its direct competitors but
Dubai Metro could be an indirect competitor.

 Current brand image

Product
Brand
Image

Your target audiences impression of, and

relationship with, your product/service.
For example, what do you think of when you hear
the name Etisalat, H&M, Pepsi, Dubai Airports
Marhaba Service, etc.?

 It is important that your description of current

brand image be based on research, not your
personal impression or experience.

Desired brand image

Product
Brand
Image

Your clients desire of what it wants the target

audience to think when your product/service is
mentioned

Brand image challenge

This section should briefly describe the main
challenge or obstacle between current and
desired brand image:
Perhaps they dont know it,
Perhaps they tried it and didnt like it,
Perhaps negative publicity has damaged its
reputation,

 Jim Albright says that one of the best ways

to concisely state the strategic message is to
finish the following sentence:

9. Strategic
Message:
The Promise

Target audience, you should buy this

product/service because
__________________________________________________
______.
The words that follow because are the ads
strategic message.
Or you could follow Ogilvys approach and
complete the following sentence: Target
audience, we promise you that this product will
__________________________________________________
______.

Strategic
Message:
The
Promisecont.

To guarantee the strength of your strategic

message, you should test it against the
previous eight sections by asking the
following questions (look in your readings, p.
128).

10.
Supporting
Evidence

List the facts (or selling points), often

presented as benefits, that support the truth
of your strategic message.
Only one selling point, usually the strongest,
may be used per ad. For example: This
product tastes great, and it leads to weight
loss

 Always complete an SMP before you begin

an ad. The strategy should drive the creative
elements, not the other way around.

Tips

Specify just one well-defined target audience

for your ad. Dont try to create an ad that
will appeal to university students &
professionals

 Create a unique strategic message. The

strategic message should make a claim for
your product that no competing could make.

Tips-cont.

Realize that when you advertise the same

product to a different target audience, the
strategic message will change. Why?
Because different target audiences seek
different benefits.

SMP
Example

Look at the SMP example in your readings

for Slim Whims.

Your
Assignment

Following up on our class discussion last

Sunday, here are the requirements for
choosing a product or service for your SMP:
1. The product or service must be new,
preferably released in 2016.
2. If you choose a product, you will need to
have access to it (own it or see it in a shop).
If you choose a service, you need to be able
to experience it yourself.
3. Since part of planning an SMP involves
research, choose a product or service where
you can get information about it through first
hand or second hand research.

Now, tell us what is the selected

product or service for your SMP &
why you have selected it?