One of the most important steps in any kind of marketing, regardless of whether it is Internet marketing, search engine marketing, print advertising, public relations, etc., is to create a set of written goals, objectives and strategies and put them in a position so that they can be continually evaluated, measured, and enhanced until the marketing goals are successfully achieved.

The following information details a process that was originally designed to manage the creative messages for effective advertising campaigns, but the process can be used for many different forms of communications that exists in today's cluttered world of media.

At Front Page PR, we use a comprehensive, but flexible system for advertising and public relations message development. The process consists of five discrete steps designed to create the most effective advertising and publicity possible based on an in-depth understanding of a brand in the context of the real world marketplace.

There are two main applications for this messaging development process:

• Messaging for products which require positioning or repositioning
• Messaging for products which are already well positioned

The difference between the two applications of the process determines the way in which the five step system is implemented. When the process is applied to products which need to be positioned or repositioned, all steps must be completed. For those products which are already effectively positioned, one of the steps (positioning) is defined as a "given" and does not require a re-evaluation.

I. Knowledge: A comprehensive investigation and evaluation of available market data and intelligence generated by educated experience. The analysis should be highly focused and succinct.

Knowledge provides the grounded information essential for making the leap of intelligence and imagination that lets you define the two other important elements of knowledge: 1.) Defining the Crunch 2.) Formulating the Breakthrough.

1. Defining the Crunch - The Crunch is the major roadblock or obstacle between the brand's situation and its ultimate success in the marketplace. It is focused on the most pressing business challenge facing the brand and may emerge from a variety of factors including competitive pressure, brand inadequacy, or unfavorable consumer perceptions.

2. Formulating the Breakthrough - The Breakthrough is a critical insight into the emotional and rational factors that create positive consumer attitudes and behavior in a given business category. Breakthrough is consumer focused and must deal with the values that emanate from human aspirations, emotions and needs. It takes the brand as close as possible to the customer.

The knowledge phase is complete once the Crunch has been defined and the Breakthrough formulated. The next step in the process is to Position the product.

II. Positioning: Positioning is the method in which the brand can be most advantageously presented and conveyed to the consumer in order to overcome the Crunch. The elements of Positioning are three interrelated factors about a brand in its marketing environment.

1. Competitive Frame: Who is the most fertile competition?

2. Target Market: Who is the most promising consumer market?

3. Leverage: What are the brand's advantages against the most fertile competition among the most promising target?

III. Creative Strategy: The Creative Strategy is the documented foundation of the creative development process and the roadmap for the execution of both effective advertising as well as publicity efforts. It will contain the creative approach for creating all materials, images, graphics and copy that will be used to communicate the messaging points.

The Creative Strategy will always have written guidelines on the following points:

• Key Consumer Benefit
• Target Audience Personality
• Brand Personality (also known as Identity)
• ABC Support
• Executional Considerations

IV. Execution: The development and evaluation of effective and impactful advertising guided by the Creative Strategy. Importantly, all creative and executional elements should embrace the strategy and at the same times elicit an emotional response and motivate the target audience to choose the brand.

V. Feedback: The marketplace evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of the advertising program. This phase will serve as both a "report card" of the process and its manifestations and will provide an update of the Knowledge for the Process to begin anew.