1. What is Customer Decision Journey? How does CDJ help in media planning?

Consumer Decision Journey (CDJ) is a model that describes how consumers make purchase
decisions. It is therefore non-linear, meaning that the actions overlap and repeat until the final
purchase decision, rather than following successively. The CDJ highlights the importance of
Word of Mouth Marketing by incorporating factors such as customer loyalty, and the
post-purchase experience into the model.

In the traditional funnel metaphor, consumers start with a set of potential brands and
methodically reduce that number to make a purchase.

The decision-making process is now a circular journey with four phases: initial consideration;
active evaluation, or the process of researching potential purchases; closure, when consumers
buy brands; and post-purchase, when consumers experience them.
 1. Consideration:​ Consumers start with a set of an average of three to four brands or
companies if they are not already loyal customers of a company.
2. Evaluation:​ Now they evaluate the brands being considered. A significant difference to the
funnel becomes clear already. The consumer can access a variety of digital channels to get
information. Search Engines, Social Networks and Blogs serve as a source of information.
Companies can pick up their customers at these touchpoints or micro-conversions.
3. Buy:​ When the consumer considers their needs met, they will make a purchase. The barriers
should be as small as possible at this touchpoint so that the consumer can conclude a
purchase with as few clicks as possible.
4. Experience, Advocate & Bond:​ These describe what happens after the purchase. Consumers
uses the product and accumulate experience. If they are positive, they may give a rating and
recommend the product. Word-of-mouth marketing plays a central role in the CDJ, as this
feedback affects the evaluation phase. There is a loop. Negative feedback affects purchase
decisions from other consumers. But it can also be used as an improvement suggestion for
future products. If a consumer’s experience with a company has been consistently good,
they may become a more frequent and loyal customer. There are two types of loyalty. One
relates to loyalty programs​, which include special offers for example. The other type of
loyalty focuses on the management of customer relationships and the ​experiences a
consumer has with a company.​ This includes contacts with customer service or
conversations in various social networks.

The model of the consumer decision journey tries to represent the complexity of a purchase process
and extends the traditional model by a few essential points.

● In particular, the addition of touchpoints and feedback loops is to be mentioned here. Many
consumers now buy products with a mobile device and interact with brands in various ways.
● The CDJ model underlines the importance of communication that runs in both directions and
across different devices
● Touchpoints are targeted, which have a considerable influence on the purchasing decision
and thus also appear relevant from a monetary point of view.
● Recommendations and reviews play an increasingly important role in the purchasing
process.
● One of the most important findings of the CDJ model is that care for the customer
relationship should not stop after the purchase
● Customer Experience should also be positive in the phases after the purchase.
● The consumer can act as Influencer by rating a product
● They will promote the positive image of a brand or product and in the best case becomes a
brand advocate, in other words, a loyal customer who advertises a product with their
recommendations.

2. How CDJ is used in fresh perspective of marketing?

● Developing a deep knowledge of how consumers make decisions is the first step. For most
marketers, the difficult part is focusing strategies and spending on the most influential touch
points.
● The increasing complexity of the consumer decision journey will force virtually all companies
to adopt new ways of measuring consumer attitudes, brand performance, and the
effectiveness of marketing expenditures across the whole process.
● Without such a realignment of spending, marketers face two risks.
○ they could waste money– at a time when revenue growth is critical and funding
tight, advertising and other investments will be less effective because consumers
aren’t getting the right information at the right time
○ marketers could seem out of touch—for instance, by trying to push products on
customers rather than providing them with the information, support, and
experience they want to reach decisions themselves
Four kinds of activities can help marketers address the new realities of the consumer decision
journey:
a. Prioritize Objectives & Spending
● In the past, most marketers consciously chose to focus on either end of the
marketing funnel—building awareness or generating loyalty among current
customers.
● Companies could miss exciting opportunities not only to focus investments on the
most important points of the decision journey but also to target the right customers.

b. Tailor Messaging
● For some companies, new messaging is required to win in whatever part of the
consumer journey offers the greatest revenue opportunity.
● A general message cutting across all stages may have to be replaced by one
addressing weaknesses at a specific point, such as initial consideration or active
evaluation.

c. Invest in Consumer-driven Marketing

● To look beyond funnel-inspired push marketing, companies must invest in vehicles
that let marketers interact with consumers as they learn about brands.
● The epicenter of consumer-driven marketing is the Internet, crucial during the
active-evaluation phase as consumers seek information, reviews, and
recommendations.
● Strong performance at this point in the decision journey requires a mind-set shift
from buying media to developing properties that attract consumers, for example,
digital assets such as Web sites about products, word-of-mouth, and systems that
customize advertising by viewing the context and the consumer.

d. Win the in-store battle

● One consequence of the new world of marketing complexity is that more consumers
hold off their final purchase decision until they’re in a store.
● Merchandising and packaging have therefore become very important selling factors,
a point that’s not widely understood.
● Aesthetics matter to the consumer; up to 40 percent of them change their minds
because of something they see, learn, or do at this point—say, packaging,
placement, or interactions with salespeople.
3. Framework for decoding communication strategy of a brand from its creators
A messaging framework is a structured representation of the value promises your organization,
product or service is making to its audience.

● It is less about who you are and what you do and more about why you are doing it.
● It should always be audience-specific
● At its core, your brand messaging framework allows you to answer the question why?

It is important to note that we currently live in an integrated world where our consumers are
receiving more than 5,000 messages a day. It can sometimes be hard to break through. When
thinking about how to craft your own integrated marketing campaign, remember the six M’s:

6 M’s of communication–

● Market:​ Whom are you addressing? Are you speaking to the right target and are you crafting
messages that are specific to them? For example, when writing an email to your target
audience, consider using personalization (i.e., You are eligible for a scholarship, Heather!),
copy that is versionized based on segmentation, and customized CTAs to be more effective.
● Mission:​ What is your objective? Don’t let your messages stray from that end goal. If your
campaign objective is to increase brand awareness, then messaging should be more along
the lines of “Learn More” rather than “Apply Now.”
● Message:​ What are the specific points you want to communicate? Don’t give your audience
more than necessary. For example, juniors will be interested in gathering insights about your
school, while seniors will want to know about deadlines, open house dates, and specific
steps for applying.
● Media:​ What communication vehicles are you using to get your message across? One
medium is never enough—but too many may pose a risk of sending mixed messages.
 ● Money:​ How much is budgeted? And how can you perfect your combination of mediums to
maximize your performance?
● Measurement:​ How will you assess the performance of your campaign? Make sure to set up
a plan to measure your results, or all this will be for waste!

4. What is the marketing strategies of the following brands? (Change according to brand)
(Bisleri, Fortune groundnut oil, Coca cola, Epigamia, FBB, Samsung, Nescafe, Raymond, Maggi, Old
spice) ​https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-strategy-of-coca-cola/

https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-coca-cola/

Creating a marketing strategy

Four key elements are crucial for creating a strategy. Below is a list of those elements with an
explanation of what they involve:

1. Segmentation

A company’s current and potential customers fall into specific segments or groups. You need
to characterize them according to their needs. You can identify these groups plus their needs
through market reports and market research. As soon as you know what they are, you need
to address those needs more effectively than your rivals. You also need to address
consumers’ expectations.

2. Targeting and positioning

You must target the market segments that represent the greatest profits for your business.
What your product or service offers must meet the needs and expectations of the target
market you have selected. Your marketing strategy must make the most of your strengths. It
also satisfy the needs and meet the expectations of your target segment.

https://marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/what-are-marketing-tactics-definition-a
nd-examples/ust

3. Competition Analysis and Benchmarking

4. Promotional tactics– 4 Ps

When you have designed your marketing strategy, you need to decide how to make sure
your target segment knows about your product or service. You must also tell them why and
how your product can meet their needs. You can do this via advertisements, public relations
campaigns, exhibitions, and Internet marketing. Internet marketing means the same as
digital marketing, i.e., online marketing.

5. Media Mix
6. Sales & Distribution Strategy
7. Monitoring, assessment, and evaluation

You must monitor and evaluate or assess your strategy. It is important. Unfortunately, many
people in business skip this part. Monitoring and evaluation help companies see how well
 their strategy is performing. It also helps them devise a future marketing strategy. In other
words, it has both short- and long-term benefits.

5. Steps in TV plan, building a digital plan.

Prerequisite for TV Plan Build Up:

Digital Plan

1. Marketing and Communication Objectives

2. Creatives: Rethinking mass media creative for Digital, Own Assets, Social Content

3. Audience: Who, Where, digital behaviour, Databases, Mobile vs Desktop

4. Decision Journey: Activities, Stages,

5. Role of Digital across CDJ - Awareness, Engagement, CTA

6. Awareness Objectives - Impressions, Frequency, Unique Reach

7. Engagement Objectives - Shares, Likes, Digital activation, Other media integration

8. Performance Objectives - Leads, Downloads, Cost efficiency

9. Paid Owned Earned media Split - Cost Split, Role across CDJ, Central Idea

10. Innovations - Based

6. Media Activity Calendar (explain a hypothetical calendar)

MEDIA CALENDAR OR MEDIA ACTIVITY CHART is a detailed Infographic.

Must Cover

1. Strategic Summary
2. Budget Summary
3. Scheduling Strategy by
a. Media
b. Creative Units
c. Markets
d. Months/Weeks
4. Media Weight – GRPs, Insertions etc are a part of this

It is an infographic. It gives the Media Activity at a Glance

Visually if one sees a nice pattern – it is a sure test that there is a good amount of thinking in the
Activity

When suddenly Client announces that the plan presentation time is reduced to 10-30 minutes for
some exigency, this Chart comes in handy
7. Day in the life of a typical male/female colleague
College student:

How does your typical day start?

My alarm goes off every morning at 6:45, and I make myself get out of bed no later than 7:00.
Between 7:00-7:45, I make breakfast, get dressed, and pack my bags for class. Depending on the day,
I may use the next hour to knock out some homework and review for exams, or I head off to class
right away.

How many classes do you have per week?

Monday/Wednesday/Friday I only have two classes. Since I have a part-time job I go to my first class,
then go to work for about two hours, back to campus for my second class, and then back to work
until 5:00. On Tuesday/Thursday, I have three classes, one right after the other. On those days, I
head for campus at 7:45 and go to class from 8:00-12:15, with a 15-minute break in between each
class. When those classes are finished, I head back to my apartment to eat lunch and get ready for
work. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I work from 1:00-5:00.

How do you spend time between classes?

On M/W/F, I work between classes, but on T/Th I have a 15-minute break between classes. That
gives me time to get to the next classroom building. Once I’m at my destination, I do homework
before the next class begins. However, if a friend sits by me I prefer talking to them!

Where and when do you study?

In the evenings, I typically study in my apartment or at the library. On the weekends, I go home to
work on the family ranch so I study there when all of my work is done for the day.

What do you do for exercise and for fun?

Ranching requires a lot of physical labor, but when I’m at college I work out on a stair stepper. I have
a pretty tight schedule between school, work, and ranching, so when I’m not doing one of those
things I like to hang out with my friends for fun.

Do you like having a roommate and what’s it like eating in the cafeteria?

Since I’m a junior, I live in an off-campus apartment with a good friend and we get along really well.
We don’t have many arguments and if there is one, we get over it rather quickly! You really have to
realize what’s most important and let the little things go or you could end up driving each other
crazy!
Because I chose apartment living, I have to cook for myself now – which can be great if you have the
time and energy. When I lived on campus, I ate in the cafeteria because it was convenient and the
food was pretty decent. It may not be the home cooking you’re used to, but there is a big selection
so you can typically find something that you like to eat. It’s also a busy place and rather loud so I
found that kind of annoying, but it’s also a great place to gather and catch up with friends!

How does your day typically end?

I relax a bit when I get home from work, make supper, and eat around 6:00. From 6:30-8:00 I make it
a habit to work on my studies, but some nights it might take a bit longer than that. When the
homework is done I shower, get ready for bed, and then watch some television. Usually, I go to my
room around 9:30 each night, read a devotional, say my prayers, and go to bed.

Coworker

06:45

Wake up after hitting snooze repeatedly to start my day. Have breakfast while watching the (sport)
news before heading to work.

07:30

Commence short commute to work with 15 minute walk/run to South Ealing station to catch the
wonderful free Sky bus. On the 10 minute bus journey, I’ll check the news and sports articles on my
phone whilst listening to music. Check work mobile for any important emails.

08:15

Grab a coffee on my way into the office. At my desk, I bid everyone a good morning and briefly check
the intranet site, before looking through any unread emails and checking my diary.

09:00

Plan the day’s to-do list and prioritise items with my manager, covering off (e.g. closing the loop on)
any notable meetings or tasks.

10:30
When not in meetings, I tend to use the morning to get on with any ‘meaty’ project work I have. This
can include: analysing data, working on the product user interface, and building presentations. Early
mornings are also used to email anyone I need anything from.

11:30

We’ll regularly have multiple pieces of research live at any one time and so I will often be meeting
with our agency to run through their research findings. Depending on the stage of the research, we
will usually go through the key summary points and link it back to the research project’s original
objectives.

12:30

Lunch typically consists of an old fashioned packed lunch, complete with average sandwich and
something containing sugar. Alternatively, I might head over to the canteen before heading back to
my desk to catch up on the news and Aston Villa’s latest rumoured signing.

14:00

Two o’clock marks the time the latest download data comes in. I’ll use this time to update my
reports, occasionally sending out a note to my team with any significant results.

15:00

Tea o’clock!

15:30

I have a brief conference call with the project management team to discuss the status of a project
looking at improving one of Sky’s products. I identify any challenges or issues and find out what the
next steps are for each stakeholder to help progress the project.

16:00
Attend a meeting with the product development team to learn about the latest product update to go
onto our ‘roadmap.’ It is usually at these meetings that I’ll first hear about a very exciting new
product feature that’s going into development, only to find out it’ll be ready by 2016!

17:00

The last hour or so of the day will be spent working out what I still need to finish off, what can wait
until tomorrow and start to plan for the next day. I’ll also use this time to catch up on emails and
organise my diary.

18:00

If I’m lucky and it’s Monday, I’ll head over to 5-a-side football to chase a ball around like a dog for an
hour. Otherwise I’ll go to the gym or, during term-time, spend an hour on my university assignment.

19:30

I’ll usually get back to my palace in South Ealing at around half seven. Once back I’ll stick my dinner
on, grab a quick shower and vegetate in front of the TV for an hour. After finishing any chores I have,
I’ll head to bed to watch an episode of something funny or read.

23:30

Just before bed I’ll check my phone for any vital emails and to see if I have any early morning
meetings. Then lights out.
8. Situational analysis
9. TV competitive review