ABSTRACT
A strategic message planner (SMP) helps create the one, clear strategic message that is the heart of a successful advertisement or advertising campaign. An SMP helps strategic writer summarize and study their previous research in order to discover an idea that will motivate the advertisement’s target audience to take the desired action. SMPs generally range in length from four to 10 single-spaced pages. Before completing an SMP, a strategic writer should conduct extensive research in several areas: client, product, target audience, marketplace and competition. Many SMPs begin with a concise summary of the target audience specified by the client—and then use bullet points to add information that provides even deeper insights to that basic group. To define and understand a target audience, strategic writer should seek: demographic information, psychographic information, and behavioral information. Demographic information is “nonattitudinal” information—things such as age, gender, race, income and education level. A benefit is a product feature that appeals to an ad’s target audience.
