Week 2 Tutorial: Positioning and Planning Canvas

Tutorial Positioning + Planning Canvas 2 hours · 5 activities

Acquisition

1 Canvas Orientation

⏱ 10 min

Canvas template briefing, exemplar review, and Week 1 persona handover.

Investigation

2 Segment Review + Hierarchy

⏱ 30 min

Revisit Week 1 persona evidence; classify target audience at a hierarchy of effects stage; STP classification sprint.

Production

3 Positioning Draft + Audit

⏱ 30 min

Draft two candidate positioning statements using the four-element template; conduct a short competitive positioning audit; select the stronger statement.

Production

4 Canvas Completion

⏱ 30 min

Fill channel, message format, resource constraint, and primary metric; ELM route and acquisition or retention classification.

Assessment

5 Peer Review + Upload

⏱ 20 min

Pair review against the five-point checklist; author responds in writing; PDF exported and uploaded to Moodle.

Your tutorial session runs for two hours. You will apply the STP framework to the persona evidence you gathered in Week 1, draft a positioning statement, and build a positioning and planning canvas that links your objective, target segment, positioning claim, channel, message, and primary metric. The tutorial task and in-class activities give you the step-by-step sequence for the session itself.

AI-Assisted Planning Protocol

AI can support the Week 2 planning task in two specific ways. First, AI can help you audit a competitor’s positioning by summarising the claims made in their public-facing content and identifying the target segment those claims appear to address. Second, AI can draft alternative positioning statements from your evidence base and identify which assumptions each statement relies on.

The discipline from Week 1 applies here without exception: every AI-assisted claim must be traceable to a documented source or labelled as an assumption. The governing principle is no evidence, no claim. A positioning statement that relies on AI-invented audience facts will fail the assessment rubric at the evidence criterion.

Use the following workflow during the tutorial and self-learning:

Transfer your Week 1 persona evidence to the canvas. Confirm that the segment and hierarchy stage are supported by evidence or note them as assumptions.
Use AI to draft two candidate positioning statements from your documented evidence. Ask AI to flag claims not supported by your evidence base.
Conduct a short competitive audit: find two to three public-facing positioning claims from competitors or comparable offerings and note the target segment and point of difference implied by each.
Select the stronger positioning statement and state why it is stronger in two sentences.
Complete the canvas: channel, message format, resource constraint, and primary metric.
Use AI to review the completed canvas for internal consistency: does the message match the ELM route expected for the segment? Does the metric match the hierarchy stage?

Keep a prompt log using the template from Table 1 in the Week 1 Tutorial. At least three prompts must be logged with evidence links and student decisions.

Tutorial Task

In your two-hour tutorial, you will build a first-draft positioning and planning canvas. The canvas is a one-page strategic document that a campaign team can use to align decisions before production begins. It must be internally consistent: the segment must support the hierarchy stage, the positioning claim must be supported by evidence, the channel must fit the ELM route expected for the segment and the hierarchy stage, and the primary metric must be appropriate for the campaign objective.

Work through these steps in sequence.

Transfer your Week 1 persona evidence to the canvas. If your Week 1 topic is not suitable for Week 2 planning (for example, if it was too broad or lacked usable evidence), choose a new narrow topic and document the reason for the change.
Classify your target segment at a stage of the hierarchy of effects. State whether this classification is based on evidence or assumption.
Draft two candidate positioning statements using the four-element template: target segment, frame of reference, point of difference, and evidence. Ask AI to challenge the weaker elements of each statement.
Select the stronger statement and note the one claim that would require testing before the campaign is scaled.
Complete the canvas by selecting a channel appropriate to the hierarchy stage and ELM route, writing a two-sentence message summary, stating the primary resource constraint, and naming the primary metric.
Conduct a short competitive positioning audit: find two publicly facing claims from comparable offerings and note how your positioning statement differentiates from each.

Then complete the planning canvas in Table 1. Every cell must be completed. Cells where the entry is an assumption rather than evidence-based should be marked [ASSUMPTION] and followed by a proposed testing method.

Table 1: Positioning and planning canvas for Week 2 submission

Canvas Element	Your Entry
Campaign topic	Name the specific product, service, or cause. Be precise: ‘Certificate in Digital Marketing at Villa College’ not ‘education’.
Primary target segment	One sentence: who they are and the situation or problem they face right now. Include a need or decision, not just demographics.
Hierarchy of effects stage	One word only: Awareness, Knowledge, Liking, Preference, Conviction, or Purchase.
Evidence or assumption for stage	State your evidence source or write [ASSUMPTION] + one sentence describing how you would test it.
Frame of reference	The category the offering competes in: ‘the only [type] in [market] that…’
Point of difference	The specific, testable benefit that competitors cannot credibly claim. Avoid quality, innovative, leading.
Evidence supporting point of difference	Cite a URL, screenshot, review excerpt, search signal, or public data point. No invented evidence.
Positioning statement (full template)	Full four-element template: For [segment] who [situation], [offering] is the [frame of reference] that [point of difference] because [evidence].
ELM processing route (central or peripheral)	Write: Central or Peripheral. Not both.
Justification for ELM route	Two sentences: name the audience’s involvement level and the decision context that drives the route.
Primary campaign channel	Name one primary channel: e.g. LinkedIn sponsored content, Google Search, Instagram Reels, email list.
Rationale for channel choice	Link the channel to the hierarchy stage and ELM route in one sentence. Cite the audience behaviour that supports it.
Message summary (2 sentences)	Two sentences only. Sentence 1: what the campaign claims. Sentence 2: what action the audience is invited to take.
Message format	Name the specific format: e.g. 60-second vertical video, email with one CTA, carousel post, search landing page.
Resource constraint	State the real limit on this campaign: budget cap, time, team size, or platform access. Be specific.
Primary metric	One metric only that measures the campaign objective. Do not list platform activity metrics at Purchase stages.
Why this metric fits the hierarchy stage	One sentence connecting the metric to the hierarchy stage. E.g. time on page fits Knowledge because the audience is evaluating, not yet deciding.
Acquisition or retention campaign	Write: Acquisition or Retention. Not both.
Competitive differentiation note	Name one competitor claim you found on a public homepage or social profile and state in one sentence how your positioning differs.
One assumption requiring testing	Name the single most important assumption in your canvas and state one specific way you would test it before scaling.

If a particular tool or data source is unavailable, use an equivalent public source. Competitor positioning claims can be observed from homepages, about pages, programme descriptions, and social media profiles. These sources should be cited with a URL and date accessed.

Interactive Lab: Digital Marketing Funnel Simulator

Use this simulator to explore how funnel parameters compound across stages before completing your canvas. Set sliders to match your campaign estimates. The stage with the largest drop-off is the one your canvas must address first.

#| '!! shinylive warning !!': |
#|   shinylive does not work in self-contained HTML documents.
#|   Please set `embed-resources: false` in your metadata.
#| standalone: true
#| viewerHeight: 560
#| components: [viewer]

library(shiny)
library(bslib)

ui <- page_sidebar(
  title = NULL,
  sidebar = sidebar(
    width = 250,
    sliderInput("visitors", "Monthly reach (visitors)", 500, 50000, 5000, step = 500),
    sliderInput("ctr",      "Click-through rate (%)",   0.5, 15, 2.5, step = 0.5),
    sliderInput("cvr_lp",   "Landing page conversion (%)", 0.5, 20, 4.0, step = 0.5),
    sliderInput("cvr_l2c",  "Lead to customer rate (%)", 5, 60, 20, step = 5),
    sliderInput("aov",      "Average order value (MVR)", 100, 20000, 1500, step = 100)
  ),
  layout_columns(
    col_widths = c(6, 6),
    card(card_header("Funnel metrics"), tableOutput("kpi")),
    card(card_header("Funnel chart"),   plotOutput("funnel", height = "200px"))
  )
)

server <- function(input, output, session) {

  m <- reactive({
    clicks    <- round(input$visitors * input$ctr    / 100)
    leads     <- round(clicks         * input$cvr_lp / 100)
    customers <- round(leads          * input$cvr_l2c / 100)
    revenue   <- customers * input$aov
    list(v=input$visitors, c=clicks, l=leads, cu=customers, rev=revenue)
  })

  output$kpi <- renderTable({
    x <- m(); fmt <- function(n) formatC(n, format="d", big.mark=",")
    data.frame(
      Stage   = c("Awareness","Knowledge","Preference","Purchase","Revenue (MVR)"),
      Metric  = c("Visitors","Clicks","Leads","Customers","Total"),
      Count   = c(fmt(x$v),fmt(x$c),fmt(x$l),fmt(x$cu),fmt(x$rev)),
      `Drop from previous` = c("–",
        paste0(round((1-x$c/max(x$v,1))*100),"% lost"),
        paste0(round((1-x$l/max(x$c,1))*100),"% lost"),
        paste0(round((1-x$cu/max(x$l,1))*100),"% lost"),"–"),
      check.names=FALSE)
  }, striped=TRUE, hover=TRUE)

  output$funnel <- renderPlot({
    x <- m()
    vals <- c(x$v, x$c, x$l, x$cu)
    labs <- c("Visitors","Clicks","Leads","Customers")
    cols <- c("#002147","#0063b2","#4a9edd","#a8c8e3")
    par(mar=c(3,6,0.5,6), bg="white", family="sans")
    bp <- barplot(vals, horiz=TRUE, names.arg=labs, col=cols,
                  border=NA, las=1, xlab="Count",
                  xlim=c(0, max(vals)*1.4))
    text(vals+max(vals)*0.01, bp,
         formatC(vals, format="d", big.mark=","), adj=0, cex=0.82)
  }, bg="white")
}

shinyApp(ui, server)

In-Class Activities

Your two-hour tutorial has an opening concept check and six activities. Work through them in order. Each activity produces an output that feeds directly into your canvas.

Opening Concept Check (5 minutes)

Your tutor will open a three-question Moodle quiz at the start of the session. Complete it individually and without notes. Keep a note of the question you found most difficult.

Moodle Concept Check: Week 2

Open the Week 2 Concept Check quiz in Moodle under the Week 2 activities panel.

Question 1. In the STP framework, which stage involves selecting the group to address from among those identified?

Segmentation
Targeting
Positioning
Planning

Question 2. An audience at the Preference stage of the hierarchy of effects is best served by which type of campaign content?

Display advertising to build brand recognition in a new audience
Comparison content, peer reviews, and case studies that differentiate the offering from alternatives
A landing page optimised for immediate purchase conversion
Email sequences designed to overcome a final objection

Question 3. The Elaboration Likelihood Model predicts that high-involvement decisions are processed through:

The peripheral route, relying on cues and surface signals
The central route, involving careful evaluation of arguments and evidence
Both routes equally, depending on the channel chosen
Neither route, because high-involvement audiences resist persuasion

Activity 1: STP Classification Sprint (20 minutes)

Format: Individual then pairs | Output: Completed classification table | Timing: Opening 20 minutes

Read the three campaign scenarios below. Working individually, complete the classification table for each one. Then compare your answers with a partner. Where your classifications differ, write one sentence identifying the unstated assumption that led to the difference. That assumption is exactly the kind of entry that belongs in Canvas Cell 20.

Scenario A. An eco-tourism resort in South Malé Atoll wants to attract international couples aged 30 to 50 who are interested in marine conservation and are willing to pay a premium for sustainable travel. The resort has strong TripAdvisor ratings and a waitlist for its coral planting programme.

Scenario B. A professional training centre in Malé is promoting a twelve-week evening Certificate in Digital Marketing. The intended audience is marketing coordinators and communications officers in the hospitality and financial services sectors who lack formal digital credentials and are actively seeking career advancement.

Scenario C. A local fintech company has launched a mobile payment app. Internal research shows that 67 per cent of users aged 18 to 28 in Malé have tried a digital payment in the past month, but only 23 per cent use a digital wallet as their primary payment method.

Question	Scenario A	Scenario B	Scenario C
Primary target segment (one sentence)
Hierarchy of effects stage (one word)
Evidence or assumption for the stage?
Acquisition or retention campaign?
Best-fit primary channel

Worked example: Scenario B

Question	Scenario B
Primary target segment	Marketing coordinators and communications officers aged 25–40 in hospitality and financial services in Malé who lack formal digital credentials and are seeking career advancement
Hierarchy stage	Knowledge
Evidence or assumption	[ASSUMPTION]: the scenario states they are actively seeking advancement but provides no data confirming they know this programme exists. Knowledge is assumed based on the sector context.
Acquisition or retention	Acquisition
Best-fit primary channel	LinkedIn organic content and sponsored posts targeted by job title and sector

The key assumption is that the audience is at Knowledge rather than Awareness. If a search audit showed no branded queries for the programme, Awareness would be the correct starting stage.

After comparing with your partner: For any scenario where your classifications differed, write one sentence identifying the unstated assumption that produced the disagreement.

Activity 2: Positioning Statement Critique (20 minutes)

Format: Pairs | Output: Critique table with rewrites | Timing: After the STP sprint

Read the five positioning statements below. Each has at least one structural weakness. Working in pairs, identify the weakest element in each statement and rewrite that element with a specific, testable alternative. Rewrite only the weakest element, not the full statement.

Statement 1. “For young people who want to succeed, our training centre is the best choice that delivers excellent learning because we have experienced teachers.”

Statement 2. “For marketing professionals who need to upskill, the Villa College Certificate in Digital Marketing is a professional development programme that builds career-ready skills because students complete a live analytics project.”

Statement 3. “For mid-career marketing and communications officers in Greater Malé who need verifiable digital credentials to advance in the hospitality sector, the Villa College Certificate in Digital Marketing is the only programme in the Maldives that produces a live, open-source analytics portfolio built from a real client campaign, evidenced by twelve weeks of structured evidence documentation reviewed by an industry-qualified instructor.”

Statement 4. “For international tourists visiting the Maldives who want an authentic local experience, our guesthouse is the leading accommodation option that provides genuine island hospitality because of our local staff and traditional recipes.”

Statement 5. “For small business owners in Malé who struggle with social media marketing, our digital agency is a full-service provider that offers innovative solutions and creative strategies because our team has more than ten years of combined experience.”

Statement	Weakest element	Specific problem	Your rewrite of that element
1
2
3
4
5

Worked example: Statement 1

Statement	Weakest element	Specific problem	Your rewrite of that element
1	Point of difference	“Best choice” and “excellent learning” are claims any competitor can make. No outcome or evidence is given.	“the only training centre in Malé that produces a nationally assessed live client campaign portfolio, evidenced by a published graduate skills record”

The rewrite introduces a specific, testable claim (“nationally assessed live portfolio”) and names the evidence type. It still leaves the target segment and frame of reference unchanged, as instructed.

Four common failure modes

1. Point of difference uses words any competitor can claim. “Quality”, “excellent”, “innovative”, “leading” are not points of difference. A testable point of difference reads: “the only [category] in [market] that delivers [specific outcome].”

2. Evidence proves delivery, not difference. “Because our team has ten years of experience” proves existence, not distinctiveness. Evidence should link directly to the point of difference: what outcome does that experience produce that alternatives cannot match?

3. Target segment defined by demographics alone. Age and profession are a starting point, not a segment. A segment requires a specific situation, need, or decision that the campaign addresses.

4. Frame of reference is absent. Without “the only [frame] in [market] that…”, the claim lacks a competitive category, leaving the audience unable to place the offering in context.

Activity 3: Hierarchy Stage Mapping (15 minutes)

Format: Individual | Output: Stage classification entry for Canvas Cells 3 and 4 | Timing: Part 2 of the tutorial

Use the decision checklist below to classify your target audience’s current position on the hierarchy of effects. Answer each question for your specific campaign topic. Where evidence is absent, note the entry as an assumption.

Question	Your answer	Evidence source or [ASSUMPTION]
Does your target audience know the offering exists?	Yes / No / Unsure
Can they describe what the offering does?	Yes / No / Unsure
Do they have a positive feeling about it?	Yes / No / Unsure
Do they prefer it over comparable alternatives?	Yes / No / Unsure
Are they convinced to act but have not yet done so?	Yes / No / Unsure

Stage diagnosis: your hierarchy stage is determined by the first question you answered “No” or “Unsure”. If your first “No” is at question 1, target Awareness. If at question 2, target Knowledge. If at question 3, target Liking. If at question 4, target Preference. If at question 5, target Conviction. If all five are “Yes”, target Purchase (reduce friction at the conversion point).

Complete this sentence for Canvas Cells 3 and 4:

My audience is at the [STAGE] stage because [EVIDENCE OR ASSUMPTION]. The appropriate campaign objective is [OBJECTIVE]. The primary metric is [METRIC]. If this classification is wrong, the evidence that would reveal it is [WHAT TO LOOK FOR].

Worked example: Villa College Certificate in Digital Marketing

Question	Answer	Evidence or [ASSUMPTION]
Does your target audience know the offering exists?	Yes	Programme listed on VCC website; three LinkedIn posts by graduates in the past year
Can they describe what the offering does?	Unsure	Website lists modules but no learning outcome data: [ASSUMPTION] that coordinators read module descriptors
Do they have a positive feeling about it?	–	Not reached
Do they prefer it over alternatives?	–	Not reached
Are they convinced to act but have not yet done so?	–	Not reached

Stage: Knowledge (first “Unsure” at question 2).

Worked sentence: “My audience is at the Knowledge stage because evidence shows they can find the programme but the public website provides insufficient outcome detail to build confidence. The appropriate campaign objective is improving understanding of specific career outcomes. The primary metric is time on the programme description page and curriculum guide downloads. If this classification is wrong, the evidence that would reveal it is branded search queries for ‘Villa College Digital Marketing reviews’, which would indicate active evaluation at Liking or Preference.”

Activity 4: ELM Message Design (15 minutes)

Format: Individual | Output: Two-row message design table for Canvas Cells 9 and 10 | Timing: Part 3, alongside positioning drafting

The same offering requires entirely different messages depending on whether the audience is processing centrally or peripherally. Using your campaign topic, design one message for each route.

Element	Central route	Peripheral route
Audience context (where are they and what are they doing?)	Actively searching and comparing options	Scrolling a social platform at a low-attention moment
Message opening	Lead with an argument or specific evidence	Lead with a cue, social proof signal, or strong visual
Message body (one sentence)
Call to action	Specific, requires engagement	Low-commitment, easy to act on
Why this fits the ELM route

Worked example: Villa College Certificate, audience at Knowledge stage

Element	Central route	Peripheral route
Audience context	Searching “digital marketing certificate Maldives” at a desk during a career research session	Scrolling LinkedIn during lunch; not actively searching
Message opening	Lead with a specific outcome: “90% of graduates report a new role or promotion within 12 months”	Lead with a peer signal: “Join 40+ Maldivian marketers who built their portfolio here”
Message body	“The twelve-week curriculum is assessed through a live client campaign, producing a portfolio employers can review directly. Evening sessions fit working professionals.”	“Real work. Real portfolio. Real jobs.”
Call to action	“Download the curriculum guide and session schedule”	“Save this post and apply this week”
Why this fits	Career decisions are high-involvement. Candidates research credentials, outcomes, and schedules before committing. Central route serves this evaluation.	LinkedIn scroll is low-attention. A peer signal and simple message with a low-commitment CTA suits peripheral processing.

Answer to the follow-up: The same call to action would not work in both messages. The central-route CTA asks for an engaged, information-seeking action (download) that suits an audience already comparing options. The same CTA on a peripheral-route ad would feel demanding to a low-attention scroller. The peripheral CTA must require almost no effort (“save this post”) to match the processing mode.

After completing both rows: Can you use the same call to action in both messages? Write one sentence explaining why or why not. Use this answer to complete Canvas Cells 9 and 10.

Activity 5: Channel Sort: Acquisition or Retention? (10 minutes)

Format: Individual | Output: Completed classification table for Canvas Cell 18 | Timing: Part 4 of the tutorial

For each channel below, classify it as primarily an acquisition channel, primarily a retention channel, or both. Name one metric appropriate to that channel’s primary purpose. Then identify what misleading data would result if the wrong metric were applied.

Channel	Acquisition, Retention, or Both	One appropriate metric	Misleading result if metric is mismatched
Paid search (Google Ads)
Email newsletter to existing subscribers
Display retargeting to past website visitors
Loyalty points programme
Organic Instagram content
Referral programme (“recommend a friend”)

Worked example: first two rows

Channel	Acquisition, Retention, or Both	One appropriate metric	Misleading result if metric is mismatched
Paid search (Google Ads)	Acquisition	Conversion rate (enquiry or registration start)	Measuring impressions makes the campaign look active even if no one clicks through or enquires
Email newsletter to existing subscribers	Retention	Click-through rate on course updates	High open rate with low clicks may signal content mismatch, not audience disengagement; open rate alone overstates engagement

Complete the remaining four rows using the same logic: name the purpose, the metric that directly measures that purpose, and the misleading outcome if the wrong metric is applied.

Use your classification to decide the entry for Canvas Cell 18 (Acquisition or Retention campaign).

Activity 6: Peer Review and Upload (20 minutes)

Format: Pairs | Output: Completed review checklist; written author response; uploaded PDF | Timing: Final 20 minutes

Exchange your first-draft canvas with a partner. As the reviewer, complete the five-point checklist below. Write a specific, actionable comment for each check. Return the checklist. As the author, respond in writing to at least one comment before uploading.

Check	Pass or Needs Work	Your comment
1. Positioning statement structure. All four elements are present: target segment, frame of reference, point of difference, and evidence. No vague language (quality, innovative) without a specific testable claim.
2. Channel and hierarchy alignment. The primary channel fits the hierarchy stage. A conversion-optimised channel does not appear at an Awareness stage.
3. Metric and objective alignment. The primary metric measures the campaign objective, not platform activity. Reach and impressions at Awareness; engagement and sentiment at Liking; conversion rate at Purchase.
4. Evidence labelling. At least one source is cited with a URL or reference. All unsupported claims are labelled [ASSUMPTION] with a proposed testing method.
5. ELM consistency. The ELM route is named and justified in two sentences. The message format and depth match the route: long-form argument for central; design-led cue for peripheral.

Worked example: reviewer comments for a weak canvas

The canvas being reviewed states: topic: “social media for small business”; segment: “young people in Malé”; stage: Awareness; channel: TikTok; metric: follower count; positioning: “For young people who want to succeed, our agency is the best choice for social media.”

Check	Pass or Needs Work	Example comment
1. Positioning structure	Needs Work	“Point of difference uses ‘best choice’ which no competitor would disagree with. Rewrite as: ‘the only agency in Malé that guarantees a 30-day content calendar with performance data reviewed monthly’, then cite one source showing this is not standard market practice.”
2. Channel and hierarchy	Pass	“Awareness stage and TikTok fit: the platform supports broad reach and content discovery. However, the metric must change: follower count is not an Awareness metric.”
3. Metric alignment	Needs Work	“Follower count is a vanity metric. At Awareness stage the correct metric is reach (unique accounts reached) and video completion rate. Replace follower count.”
4. Evidence labelling	Needs Work	“No source is cited. ‘Young people in Malé’ must be linked to a search trend, a report, or a public signal. Mark [ASSUMPTION] and propose a testing method: e.g. Google Trends for relevant queries filtered to the Maldives.”
5. ELM consistency	Needs Work	“ELM route is not stated. TikTok supports peripheral processing: the message must lead with a strong visual hook or social proof, not a description of services. Rewrite the message format field to specify a 6-second hook followed by a single benefit claim.”

Author response (write before uploading):

Which comment identified the most significant gap in your canvas?
What specific change will you make before the final submission?

Upload format: PDF named W02_[FirstnameSurname]_Canvas.pdf, uploaded to the Week 2 Tutorial Submission folder in Moodle before leaving the session.