Marketing communication: principles and practice

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Figure 16.2 shows the basic dynamic process of marketing communication
planning.
Implementation is that part of the planning process that turns the marketing
plan into a programme of actions and ensures that the actions are executed
in a manner that can accomplish the plan’s stated objectives. Thus, evaluation
is part of implementation (but is often omitted or underemphasized in
practice). 
REMEMBER INTERNAL MARKETING?
The effective implementation of marketing plans is often hampered by
insufficient and/or inappropriate interaction among those responsible for
formulating plans and those competent and responsible for implementing
them. When customers and marketing relationships are placed at the centre
of corporate decision-making in order to accomplish corporate and marketing
objectives, resentment and hostility can arise from functional managers who
see marketing as usurping their authority and power. This can be avoided or
abated by interaction that leads to cooperation.
All too often, plans are formulated without participation of the people
within the marketing system who can most affect its performance. Commit-
ment to the accomplishment of marketing objectives requires motivation,
leadership, and conflict resolution within the value-creation system.
Traditional notions of departmental division of responsibility and work can
be unhelpful in this respect. Customers simply do not see their interactions
in this fashion. Such specializations are convenient for the managers who
organize provider resources, but may fragment contact points with customers,
thus causing frustration for customers and the value providers themselves
(and often for the managers too!).
Successful planning requires a plan for planning, and managers must
communicate widely on why a planning system is necessary. They must also