| Criterion | Check |
|---|---|
| Segment definition | The target segment is defined using at least one documented signal or clearly labelled as an assumption with a testing method |
| Hierarchy stage | The hierarchy of effects stage is identified with evidence or labelled as an assumption; the campaign objective and metric match the stage |
| Positioning statement | The positioning statement uses the four-element template; the point of difference is specific and the evidence element is documented |
| Competitive audit | Two to three competitor positioning claims are documented with source URLs and access dates |
| ELM route alignment | The message format and depth are appropriate for the expected ELM processing route of the target segment |
| Channel and metric alignment | The primary channel fits the hierarchy stage; the primary metric measures the objective rather than platform activity |
| Assumption labelling | Every canvas element without documented evidence is marked [ASSUMPTION] with a proposed testing method |
| AI prompt log | At least three prompts with AI outputs, evidence links, and student decisions are documented in the prompt log |
| Reflection | The 200-word reflection identifies the highest-risk assumption and the evidence that would resolve it |
| Presentation | The PDF is readable, all canvas cells are completed, citations are present, and the file is named correctly |
Week 2 Independent Study and Submission
Self-learning Canvas Development
Investigation
1 Plan, Scope & Setup
⏱ 45 min
Confirm campaign topic, gather three to five credible planning references, and set up the canvas template.
Investigation
2 Competitive Audit
⏱ 75 min
Research two to three comparable offerings using public-facing content; document their implied positioning claim, segment, and point of difference.
Production
3 Canvas Refinement
⏱ 90 min
Strengthen the positioning evidence, resolve the weakest assumption, and test the hierarchy stage classification.
Production
4 Edit & References
⏱ 60 min
Integrate citations, check ELM route alignment, and prepare the canvas for export.
Assessment
5 Quiz & Submit
⏱ 30 min
Complete the Moodle quiz and submit the final canvas PDF by 23:59 MVT.
Your six hours of self-directed study happen outside class across the week. Use the time to deepen your competitive positioning research, refine your canvas, complete the formative checklist, and submit your final PDF. The sections below give you the submission requirements, the checklist, review questions to consolidate your learning, and the key takeaways that connect this week to the rest of the module.
Independent Study
Your six hours of independent study should transform your tutorial draft canvas into a submission that another reader can evaluate and challenge. Use the time deliberately: 45 minutes to confirm your campaign topic, gather three to five credible planning references, and set up your canvas template; 75 minutes to conduct a competitive positioning audit of two to three comparable offerings using their public-facing content; 90 minutes to refine your canvas, strengthen the positioning evidence, and resolve the weakest assumption; 60 minutes to edit, add citations, and prepare the export; and 30 minutes to complete the Moodle quiz and submit your final PDF by 23:59 MVT.
Your Week 2 submission should include:
- Campaign topic and scope, with a one-sentence explanation of why this topic is appropriate for a positioning exercise.
- Three to five credible planning references, including at least one peer-reviewed source for a theory anchor.
- Target segment description with the evidence or assumption behind the segment definition.
- Hierarchy of effects stage classification with evidence or a clearly labelled assumption and proposed testing method.
- Competitive positioning audit: two to three comparable offerings with their implied positioning claim, target segment, and point of difference.
- Two candidate positioning statements with evidence mapping.
- Selected positioning statement with a one-sentence justification for why it is stronger.
- Completed positioning and planning canvas with all twenty elements filled.
- AI prompt log with at least three prompts, AI outputs used, evidence links, and student decisions.
- A 200-word reflection identifying the one assumption in your canvas that carries the highest strategic risk and explaining what evidence would resolve it.
- A reference list in a consistent citation style.
The canvas submission should read as a consistent planning brief. A reader with no prior knowledge of the campaign should be able to understand the target, the claim, the channel, and the metric, and identify which elements are evidence-based and which require testing. A strong submission makes a defensible first-draft decision while being explicit about what remains uncertain.
Formative Checklist
Use Table 1 before submission. The checklist is designed to catch inconsistencies between the hierarchy stage, ELM route, channel, and metric, and to ensure that positioning claims are supported or appropriately labelled.
Review Questions
- What is the difference between segmentation and targeting, and why does targeting require a strategic choice rather than a technical one?
- A campaign team decides to target “everyone interested in health and wellness.” What is wrong with this segment definition, and how would you improve it?
- You are planning a campaign for a new online degree programme. Your research suggests the target audience is aware that the programme exists but has not yet formed a preference. Which stage of the hierarchy of effects does this represent, and what campaign objective and metric would you recommend?
- How does the elaboration likelihood model explain why the same audience may respond to different types of message in different platform contexts?
- A Maldivian resort has 2,000 past guests in a CRM database and wants to increase repeat bookings. Should this campaign be designed as an acquisition campaign or a retention campaign? How does that choice change the channel, message, and metric?
- What is a positioning statement, and what are the four elements it should contain? Give an example of a weak positioning statement and rewrite it using the four-element template.
- How does the evidence, inference, assumption, and recommendation framework help a campaign team evaluate a positioning claim before it is tested with an audience?
- A student uses AI to generate a positioning statement. The AI produces a statement claiming the target segment “values transparency and community.” What question should the student ask before including this claim in the canvas?
Key Takeaways
Marketing planning is the discipline of making strategic choices before resources are committed. The frameworks in this chapter, segmentation, targeting, and positioning, the marketing mix, the hierarchy of effects, relationship marketing, and information processing, are not sequential steps but interdependent lenses that must be applied together. A strong positioning statement is only as good as the evidence behind the point of difference. A well-chosen channel is only consistent if it matches the hierarchy stage and the ELM route expected for the target segment. A metric is only useful if it measures the campaign objective rather than the most easily available platform number.
The positioning and planning canvas you built this week is a first-draft strategic document, not a final plan. It should be explicit about what is known, what is inferred, and what remains an assumption. The highest value activity in planning is identifying which assumption, if wrong, would most damage the campaign, and deciding what evidence would resolve it. That discipline, applied consistently across all fifteen weeks, is what separates evidence-based digital marketing from intuition dressed in technical language.
In Week 3, you will move from planning to creative execution. The visual assets, messages, and formats your campaign will use must be designed to work within the positioning and hierarchy stage you established this week. The canvas you built here is the brief that Week 3 creative decisions must answer.