Week 2: Classic and Digital Marketing Planning

Week 2 Lecture: Classic and Digital Marketing Planning

Discussion

1 Recap and Setup

⏱ 10 min

Week 1 persona review, planning problem framing, six planning questions

Content

2 Five Theory Pillars

⏱ 35 min

STP, marketing mix, hierarchy of effects, relationship marketing, ELM, worked canvas example

Practice

3 Canvas Preview

⏱ 10 min

Funnel simulator, hierarchy stage identification, positioning statement draft

Assessment

4 Attendance and Exit Check

⏱ 5 min

QR attendance, Moodle concept check

Module Arc

Weeks 1–2

Foundations and Planning

→

Weeks 3–5

Content and Media

→

Weeks 6–8

Acquisition Channels

→

Weeks 9–12

Relationships and Measurement

→

Weeks 13–15

Governance and AI

We are still in Weeks 1 and 2: Foundations and Planning. The persona you built last week is the audience input for today’s planning decisions.

Today’s Agenda

Lecture: theory and application

Marketing planning as a decision discipline
Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning (STP)
The Marketing Mix: 4Ps and 7Ps
Hierarchy of Effects
Relationship Marketing
The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
Evidence framework applied to planning
Worked example: Villa College Canvas

Tutorial preview

You will produce a complete first-draft positioning and planning canvas:

Transfer your Week 1 persona
Classify hierarchy of effects stage
Draft two positioning statements
Select the stronger statement
Complete channel, message, and metric
Conduct a short competitive audit
Peer review before upload

Learning Objectives

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

Explain segmentation, targeting, and positioning, and describe how each stage changes a campaign decision.
Apply the four-stage hierarchy of effects to set a communication objective aligned to an audience’s current awareness level.
Distinguish relationship marketing from transactional marketing and identify which digital channels serve each purpose.
Use the elaboration likelihood model to design messages for high- and low-involvement audiences.
Write a positioning statement using a template that connects target segment, frame of reference, point of difference, and evidence.
Separate evidence, inference, assumption, and recommendation in the context of positioning and planning decisions.
Produce a positioning and planning canvas that links objective, segment, positioning claim, channel, message, and metric.
Recognise the ethical implications of segmentation and targeting decisions in digital environments.

From Persona to Plan

A persona tells you who you are trying to reach. A plan tells you what you will change, claim, do, spend, and measure.

Today we build the plan.

Marketing Planning as a Decision Discipline

Marketing planning is the process of making strategic choices before committing resources.

A plan must answer six questions:

Who is the target? A named segment with specific, behavioural criteria.
What will the campaign claim? A specific, testable point of difference.
How will the claim be delivered? Channel, format, sequence, and placement.
What resources are required? Budget, time, creative, and team capacity.
What will be measured? A primary metric that matches the campaign objective.
What ethical constraints apply? Data use, targeting scope, and claim accuracy.

These six questions are not sequential steps. They are interdependent. A change in the target segment requires a change in the positioning claim. A change in the available channel requires a change in message format and the measurement approach.

Digital marketing intensified this interdependence. Because platforms provide near-real-time feedback, decisions that once required months to evaluate can now be tested in days. That speed creates pressure to act before the planning questions have been answered clearly. Teams launch campaigns with vague objectives, untested claims, and metrics that track platform activity rather than real audience behaviour.

The frameworks in this lecture are a corrective to that pressure. They slow the decision down just enough to ask: who, exactly, is this for, and what change in their behaviour or belief is the campaign trying to produce?

[Timing: 1.5 minutes]

Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning

STP is the process of narrowing from a full market to a specific claim for a specific audience in a specific context.

The STP Process

The three stages are cumulative. Each one narrows the planning problem.

Segmentation without targeting leaves you a map with every route equally valid and none chosen.
Targeting without positioning identifies the audience and leaves the campaign claim unresolved.
Positioning without targeting produces a polished message aimed equally at everyone and compelling to none.

Positioning Statement Template

A positioning statement structures the claim into four testable components.

“For [target segment] who [need or problem], [offering] is the [frame of reference] that [point of difference] because [evidence].”

Applied to the Villa College example:

“For mid-career marketing and communications professionals in the Greater Male area who need verifiable digital credentials to advance their careers, 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 or community campaign, evidenced by twelve weeks of structured evidence documentation reviewed by an industry-qualified instructor.”

Check each element:

Target segment: specific, named, behavioural criteria
Frame of reference: what category you compete in
Point of difference: what you do better than alternatives in that category
Evidence: what supports the claim and makes it testable

STP in the Maldives Context

In the Maldives, segmentation decisions are shaped by the structure of the digital economy.

Segment	Access pattern	Positioning implication
Domestic working adults (Greater Male)	Mobile-first, social platforms, messaging apps, local community networks	Claims about local relevance, career advancement, and Maldivian employer recognition
International tourist segment	Review platforms, OTAs, travel aggregators, long-form research sessions	Claims about logistics clarity, peer evidence, and booking confidence

These two segments require different positioning claims, different channels, and different evidence standards.

Treating them as one audience produces messages too broad to resonate with either.

This is a practical segmentation decision that students face immediately if they are working on a Maldivian campaign topic.

Mobile penetration is high, and English-language platforms reach both local and international audiences. But the two segments listed here behave completely differently in digital environments. A domestic working adult may access content primarily through WhatsApp, Facebook, and local community forums. An international tourist may rely on TripAdvisor, Booking.com, and travel blogs.

The positioning claim that works for one segment will not work for the other. A claim about “authentic local experience” may resonate with the international tourist; the same claim may feel patronising or irrelevant to the domestic professional seeking career development.

[Timing: 1 minute]

Theory Bridge: STP

What the theory states: Campaigns directed at a broadly defined audience produce weaker results because the claim must be too general to be compelling for any specific group.

What this changes in your campaign decision: The planning canvas must name a single primary segment and write a positioning statement that addresses that segment’s specific need, rather than attempting to address every possible audience.

One canvas. One primary segment. One positioning statement.

The Marketing Mix

The marketing mix is the set of controllable variables that an organisation combines to produce a response in a target market.

4Ps Overview

McCarthy introduced the 4Ps framework in 1960. Each element communicates a value signal.

P	What it controls	Digital expression
Product	What is offered: features, quality, range, warranty	App features, content library, course curriculum, digital service design
Price	Cost, payment structure, perceived value signal	Pricing page transparency, comparison tool visibility, freemium model
Place	Where the offering is accessed or delivered	Website, app, platform distribution, OTA listing, marketplace
Promotion	How the offering is communicated	Ads, content, email, social, influencer, SEO, PR

The consistency test: does every element of the mix reinforce the positioning claim? A premium promotion claim will fail if the product, price, or delivery process contradicts it.

7Ps for Services

Kotler extended the 4Ps for service contexts. Three additional elements apply directly to digital services.

P	What it controls	Campaign asset or liability
Product	Core service offering and its features	Is the service clearly described and differentiated?
Price	Cost and value signal	Does the pricing page build confidence or create confusion?
Place	Delivery channel and access point	Is the digital delivery seamless and mobile-compatible?
Promotion	Communication and persuasion	Does the creative match the positioning claim?
Process	How the service is experienced: onboarding, fulfilment, support	Is the learning journey, booking flow, or checkout experience frictionless?
Physical Evidence	Tangible quality cues in a digital context	Website design, certification logos, testimonials, sample work, data security signals
People	Staff, instructors, community managers, influencers	Does the team behind the service appear credible and accessible?

The three service extensions matter because digital audiences can now inspect all seven elements before committing to a purchase or enrolment.

Process describes how the service is delivered and experienced. For an online learning programme, this includes the platform, the pacing, the assignment system, and the support channel. A campaign for an online learning programme that ignores process will struggle to address the prospective student’s question: “What will the learning experience actually be like?”

Physical evidence in a digital context includes website design quality, certification logos, testimonials, and sample work. These are the signals that substitute for the physical environment the customer would inspect in a face-to-face service transaction.

People describes the role of instructors and community managers. An instructor’s LinkedIn profile, their published writing, and their response behaviour on social media are all physical evidence signals for a professional learning offering.

[Timing: 1.5 minutes]

The 7Ps: Campaign Claim at the Centre

Each of the seven elements signals value. An inconsistency in any one element undermines the positioning claim at the centre.

Theory Bridge: Marketing Mix

What the theory states: Each element of the mix communicates a value signal, and those signals must be consistent for the campaign to build trust.

What this changes in your campaign decision: Before writing a headline, audit whether the product, price, delivery process, and physical evidence on the landing page support the claim. An inconsistency discovered after launch is more costly to fix than one discovered during planning.

Practical check for your canvas: Read each 7P element against your positioning statement. If any element contradicts the claim, fix it before the campaign goes live.

Hierarchy of Effects

The hierarchy of effects model describes the stages through which a consumer moves from ignorance of an offering to its purchase.

Lavidge and Steiner, 1961.

The Six Stages Ladder (Part 1 of 2)

Stage	Phase	Campaign Objective	Channel Examples
Awareness	Cognitive	Build recognition of the offering in the target segment	Display, social reach campaigns, video pre-roll, digital out-of-home
Knowledge	Cognitive	Build understanding of what the offering does and why it is relevant	Content marketing, explainer video, FAQ page, search informational
Liking	Affective	Create a positive emotional response to the offering	Social engagement, testimonials, influencer, community

A campaign aimed at a cold awareness audience should prioritise reach and recognition above conversion.

The Six Stages Ladder (Part 2 of 2)

Stage	Phase	Campaign Objective	Primary Metric
Preference	Affective	Differentiate the offering from alternatives in the audience’s mind	Review ratings, comparison tool visits, return visits
Conviction	Conative	Overcome final objections and build purchase intent	Click-to-enquiry rate, email open rate, lead quality
Purchase	Conative	Produce the target action: enquiry, registration, sale, or download	Conversion rate, cost per acquisition, revenue

The metric alignment warning: using a conversion metric for a cold awareness campaign is both ineffective and misleading, because the metric was never appropriate for the communication goal.

Hierarchy of Effects: The Complete Ladder

Theory Bridge: Hierarchy of Effects

What the theory states: Purchase intent requires awareness and knowledge as prerequisites; a campaign skipping those stages will underperform regardless of creative quality.

What this changes in your campaign decision: Before selecting a channel or writing a call to action, estimate which stage the target audience is at and select an objective and metric that matches that stage. A misaligned metric misleads the campaign team about whether the work is succeeding.

Your canvas must name the hierarchy stage and justify it with evidence or label it as an assumption.

Relationship Marketing

Relationship marketing shifts the focus from individual transactions to sustained exchange relationships.

Gronroos, 1994. Morgan and Hunt, 1994.

Acquisition vs Retention

Acquisition campaign

Goal: bring new customers into a first contact.

Channels: paid search, display, organic social, OTA listing
Message: proof, offer, clear call to action
Metric: conversion rate, cost per acquisition
Promise: a one-time benefit (discount, event, product feature)

Retention campaign

Goal: sustain and deepen relationships with existing customers.

Channels: email, CRM, loyalty programme, community
Message: value, community, exclusive access, progressive skill-building
Metric: repeat engagement, net promoter score, customer lifetime value
Promise: consistent value over time (guidance, community, expertise)

In Maldivian SME contexts, relationship marketing is often the more appropriate framework. Repeat custom and word-of-mouth recommendation drive significant revenue in markets where social trust is high and reputation travels quickly through community networks.

Relationship marketing has two practical implications for campaign planning.

First, it distinguishes between acquisition and retention channels. These serve different communication objectives and must be measured with different metrics. A campaign that mixes acquisition and retention metrics will produce data that is impossible to interpret.

Second, it changes what a campaign promises. A transactional campaign promises a one-time benefit. A relationship campaign promises consistent value over time.

The Maldivian context at the bottom of this slide is important. A guesthouse in Male that maintains consistent, informative communication with past guests is building a relationship asset that lowers the cost of future acquisition. A digital campaign that treats every contact as a new transaction fails to use this asset.

[Timing: 1.5 minutes]

Acquisition vs Retention: Campaign Architecture

Theory Bridge: Relationship Marketing

What the theory states: The most valuable marketing outcome is often a sustained relationship that generates repeat behaviour and referral, extending well beyond the initial transaction.

What this changes in your campaign decision: The planning canvas must specify whether the campaign is designed for acquisition or retention, because the channel, message, and metric are fundamentally different for each purpose.

Ask yourself: am I trying to reach someone new, or deepen a connection with someone who already knows us?

Elaboration Likelihood Model

The ELM proposes two routes through which persuasion occurs: central (careful argument evaluation) and peripheral (cues and heuristics).

Petty and Cacioppo, 1986.

Central Route vs Peripheral Route

Central route

Condition: high motivation and ability to process the message.

What the audience does: carefully evaluates the argument, compares evidence, considers objections.

What the campaign must provide: detailed information, evidence, testimonials from credible sources, arguments that address real objections.

Outcome: durable attitude change, strong behaviour intention.

Example: a professional considering a postgraduate programme, a business evaluating software, a parent choosing a school.

Peripheral route

Condition: low motivation or low ability to process carefully.

What the audience does: relies on cues, heuristics, and surface signals rather than careful reasoning.

What the campaign must provide: strong design, positive reviews prominently displayed, familiar endorser, social proof, scarcity signal.

Outcome: weaker attitude change, more susceptible to counter-argument.

Example: choosing between two comparable products at similar price, browsing a social platform at low-attention moments.

ELM and Message Design Decisions

The same audience member can shift between routes depending on context.

Context	Likely route	Message design required
Searching “best MSc in digital marketing Maldives”	Central: high involvement, problem-solving mode	Argument, evidence, curriculum detail, instructor credentials, answers to objections
Scrolling social platform at low-attention moment	Peripheral: browsing, open to content but not deciding	Strong design, social proof, concise claim, visual clarity
Re-reading an email from a programme they are seriously considering	Central: evaluation mode	Testimonials from credible sources, specific outcomes, objection handling
Seeing a retargeted ad after visiting the programme page	Peripheral or transitioning to central	Social proof, scarcity signal, simple call to action

A high-involvement segment requires argument, evidence, and answers to objections. A low-involvement context requires salient cues. Using the wrong message design for the expected route wastes the creative investment.

ELM: Two Routes to Attitude Change

Theory Bridge: ELM

What the theory states: The persuasion route depends on the audience’s motivation and ability to process information, and central-route persuasion produces more durable attitude change.

What this changes in your campaign decision: The planning canvas must match message depth to processing route. A high-involvement segment requires argument, evidence, and answers to objections. A low-involvement context requires salient cues. Using the wrong message design for the expected route wastes the creative investment.

Canvas entry: ELM processing route (central or peripheral) with a two-sentence justification.

Evidence Framework Applied to Planning

Every element of the positioning and planning canvas should be classified using the four-category framework from Week 1.

Canvas Element	Evidence (if available)	Assumption (if evidence absent)	Testing Method
Target segment	Documented search signals, platform community data, survey results	Defined by logic but not yet verified with public signals	Search trend analysis, platform audience insights, short survey
Hierarchy stage	Awareness survey, branded search volume, direct audience research	Estimated from market context rather than measured directly	Brand lift survey, keyword comparison, focus group
Positioning claim	Competitor claim audit, audience language from reviews or forums	Point of difference believed relevant but not tested	A/B message test, social listening, user interview
Channel selection	Platform reach data, audience device data, competitor channel mapping	Selected based on general knowledge rather than segment-specific evidence	Small-budget platform test before full deployment
Primary metric	Historical conversion data, industry benchmark, previous campaign results	Selected by analogy with similar campaigns, not baseline data	Historical benchmark research or pre-launch pilot

The evidence framework from Week 1 applies directly to every planning decision. Positioning claims are particularly susceptible to assumption-driven reasoning. A team may believe their target segment values innovation, sustainability, or community without any evidence that those attributes drive decision-making in that segment.

The canvas should document what evidence supports each claim. If no evidence is available, the claim should be labelled as an assumption and a testing method should be proposed.

The hierarchy stage should also be treated as an inference. If no research has been conducted to establish awareness levels, the team is assuming a stage. A wrong assumption about the awareness stage will produce a campaign with the wrong objective and the wrong metric. A campaign designed to build conviction in an audience that does not yet know the product exists will fail regardless of its creative quality.

[Timing: 1.5 minutes]

Worked Example: Villa College Canvas Preview

Case A: Certificate in Digital Marketing, Villa College (fictional campaign)

Key decisions from applying the five frameworks:

Segment identified: mid-career marketing and communications professionals in Greater Male, aged 25 to 40, with credential gaps in digital skills and professional motivation to address them. Based on Google Trends data, LinkedIn profile review, and job advertisement analysis.
Hierarchy stage: audience is at Knowledge stage (aware that certificates exist; preference still forming). Campaign objective: knowledge and preference-building, with conversion as a later-stage goal.
Positioning claim: the only Maldivian programme that produces a live, open-source analytics portfolio from a real campaign. Point of difference assumed based on competitive landscape; requires verification.
ELM route: Central. High-involvement career investment. Message must include curriculum detail, instructor credentials, and objection handling (schedule compatibility, cost justification, qualification credibility).
Channel plan: organic search and LinkedIn sponsored content for awareness and knowledge; email to permission list and retargeting for preference and conviction.
Primary metrics: time on page for programme description and curriculum page; branded search volume for institution name. These indicate whether the audience is engaging with central-route decision content.

Funnel Simulator: Use the Interactive Tool

The web book chapter includes a Digital Marketing Funnel Simulator that connects directly to the hierarchy of effects model.

How to use it in context of today’s lecture:

Open the Week 2 chapter in the web book (your module reading platform)
Scroll to the Interactive Lab section
Set the sliders to match the estimates in your canvas
Observe which stage produces the largest drop-off
Ask: is that drop-off a creative problem, a targeting problem, or a hierarchy mismatch?

A very low landing page conversion rate on a cold awareness campaign may simply mean the audience was not yet ready to convert: a hierarchy mismatch rather than a page design problem.

Each funnel stage maps to a hierarchy of effects stage. The simulator makes visible why a campaign with a well-defined objective and metric at the right stage outperforms one that optimises for the wrong conversion goal.

Key Takeaways

A plan converts the persona into decisions. The persona describes who you are targeting; the plan decides what you will claim, where, with what message, and measured by what metric.
STP narrows the problem. Segmentation without targeting produces a directionless map. Targeting without positioning leaves the claim unresolved.
The marketing mix must be internally consistent. A premium claim is undermined by a poor landing page, a confusing price, or a weak process experience.
The hierarchy stage determines the metric. A conversion metric applied to a cold awareness campaign produces misleading data about whether the work is succeeding.
Acquisition and retention campaigns require different channels, messages, and metrics. Mixing them produces uninterpretable results.
ELM route determines message depth. A high-involvement audience requires argument and evidence; peripheral cues alone will fail to persuade.

Preview of Week 3

Next week: how visual design and image choice serve the positioning claim, and why the aesthetic layer of a campaign is also a strategic decision.

For the tutorial today, bring your Week 1 persona notes.