Strategic Planning for Success: The Marketing Plan

by Jeff Walker, with Katie Dean

Do you ever catch yourself listening to a record or watching a video and asking yourself ow on earth did that guy become such a huge star? Those of us who give sellout performances every morning in the shower can take solace in the fact that sales aren't based on the ability of the artist; platinum sales are more likely attributed to the talent of another sort - the marketing department.

Every label has one. The objective is simply to orchestrate ways to sell more records and generate income. These are the people responsible for drink huggers, stuffed animals that play song snippets, talking picture frames and all the other novelty treats that labels send to press, radio, video, reviewers and the like. Although not considered by many to be the reative side of the industry, the birth of ideas listed in the above examples often take place in marketing. More importantly, though, this is the department that drafts the road map for success and implements strategies.

Once conceived, the ideas are placed on paper in a report known as a marketing plan. A marketing campaign can have a number of phases, but we'll stick to the basics in this discussion. Because this is a blueprint, a variety of components work together to bring the objective of the plan into its fruition.

The plan will open with the artist, title of the album and catalogue number of the CD and cassette, along with a list of the tracks on the record. This first page will also summarize the positioning/imaging of the product and marketing overview, which highlights previous success, and defines what it is about this particular project that will catapult sales to the desired level.

Next up is the sales background and terms of sale section, which details the in store date, list price, and whether any discounts are available. This category will also contain specific dates for orders and the proposed sales assignment, i.e. the initial number of product that will be manufactured and shipped. For instance, an initial order for Pearl Jam may be a million units, while an unknown band may be closer to 15,000.

The marketing plan should then detail specific targets and procedures for garnering exposure in the big 3: radio, video/television and media. Radio's main objective is to get airplay and chart activity, so there will probably be an intensive advertising and or giveaway campaign designed around the release date of the album or single (Read: create demand for the product).

Video/Television will encompass the release of a video to major networks like CMT and TNN, as well as regional video shows located all across the country. Oftentimes a video is released before the album is even available in hopes of (again) creating demand. As the leading supplier of country videos, we at AristoMedia will often work in conjunction with a label to design a promotion built around a video, as was the case with Alan Jackson and "Chattahoochie."

Media is another crucial component, as both label publicists and independent publicists will try to attain features and reviews in magazines, appearances on various television outlets, and other forms of media. Given the recent technological developments, exposure on the internet in terms of web sites and chat sessions are becoming viable options for performers.

Another integral part of a campaign is the abundance of materials given to record stores. These are known as point of purchase (POP) displays. These are the posters, flats, mini standups, etc. positioned in the store to make consumers aware of the new product.

In addition to POP materials, a growing number of labels are buying advertising spots on television and in both trade and consumer magazines to complement an aggressive media pitch for features and reviews to those same outlets. The brunt of these are focused right before and right after the release. Usually the objective of the label is to come in guns blazing and go gold or platinum as quickly as possible, so efforts are heaviest around the release date.

Once demand is created, selling power is sustained by putting the artist out on the road in support of the new release. It is likely that emphasis will be placed on markets where the artist has enjoyed success in order to exploit maximum potential in those areas. However, some labels take the opposite approach and focus on weaker areas to strengthen the artist's presence in those markets.

The marketing plan is rounded out by charts of pertinent information to complement the text outlined earlier. The first of these is usually an estimate of percentage of retail dollars by demographics. In English, this is a breakdown of the people who buy the artists product, by region, age, race, sex, income and a host of other factors. This information is helpful when designing an ad campaign and determining the markets in which to place those campaigns. A tour itinerary will likely follow, as well as a listing of previous chart successes, for both albums and singles.

So much for an overnight success, huh? As you can see, a successful artist relies heavily on a variety of tools to bolster album sales. The preliminary step is to define the objective. Once that is accomplished, the task of determining the steps necessary to achieve the objective is drafted. In essence, this is the marketing plan - the blueprint to success.

Jeff Walker is President of Aristo Media in Nashville, Tennessee. Aristo has participated in many major label publicity, video and record promotions projects since its formation in 1980.