CODAR Optimises Communication

CODAR® is the complete Open Planning team and individual system for planning, managing and optimising communication and media.

The CODAR® System has 8 elements that let you plan accurately, work together and evaluate better, whether you are a brand/communications manager or an agency providing client services. In brief: you decide the communications objectives and proof points for each activity in your plan in a straight-forward hierarchical structure: master strategy to detailed execution, with the same powerful framework. And its pretty simple.

1. You begin with the overall business-related goal, such as market share, brand or customer equity. You will then decide in very straight-forward terms what communication effects you have to achieve to make this happen, for example getting customers to like your brand experience, build a relationship and go out and buy.
   
2. From a brand point of view, you can then design a complete hierarchical communication planning structure: with master communication objectives and multilevel interconnected subsidiary communication activities each with prioritised objectives and evaluation criteria, and expected contribution to the plan. Normally several agencies might be involved in realising this. Of course you can also use it for a single project execution. Typically the actual process (and we have a core model for a media-neutral integrated planning process) involves several iterations and collaboration/negotiation between the brand team, agencies and research. But the great thing is that it is improved, more efficient and more effective.
   
3. You use the same framework for every activity and every level, from master plan to web banner. You just specify your communication priorities and objectives for each activity using CODAR's easy to use 5-dimensional proprietary planning framework. That means you use CODAR as the core of your brief. (For information on these 5 dimensions, click here.) Decide what the objectives are and their relative priority (on a scale of 1-7; these priorities then convert into a scoring mechanism). For example, an AA re-branding programme wanted to get UK motorists to believe that "the AA has a wide variety of relevant products besides roadside coverage". Achieving this belief had a priority of 6, or about 30% of the overall goal. Other objectives included strengthening emotional ties and getting follow-up action*. CODAR easily but powerfully forces prioritisation so you are clear about what you are trying to achieve. (Users can also customise the provided options.)
   
4. For each communication objective you also define in numeric terms what constitutes 100% successful accomplishment - the proof of performance. Obviously, you use criteria that are suitable and practical for the communication you are doing (like responses, or satisfaction and attitude surveys). Actual performance is simply converted to a score on each of the five dimensions, providing a common currency, since every activity has used the same framework. this also then rolls up through the system. More than one objective is possible, with a different elements weighted. An example of this would be: a 40% increase in number of AA products known to motorists ("awareness") and a 25% increase in number of products considered relevant to motorists ("salience"), with the second element contributing 75% of the total.
   
   
   
5. Because you have a defined relationship between lower and higher-level communication activities, and their budgets, the contribution of each communication activity to the overall plan is immediately clear and can be automatically calculated when results come in. (Whether derived from research, estimates or CRM/POS systems). For example you know what a particular ad press ad in a particular newspaper (perhaps even on a particular day) is intended to achieve. You can then see at a glance over- or under-performance versus budget and effect on plan.
   
6. CODAR is great for back of envelope planning because it is easy, yet rigorous. But as soon as you start logging every brief and job in a database and update with actual performance you have a powerful econometric tool. You can compare different methods, media, markets or countries, customer groups, products etc. Agencies can supply a benchmarking service across clients/brands that doesn't give away crown jewels (subject of course to confidentiality guidelines).
   
7. If all communication projects/briefs/cases are CODAR coded, then they can also form the basis of a knowledge management system and the CODAR signature becomes a useful access method for research by employees ("what work has been done in cosmetics that involved the CODAR signature 5-3-3-5-4?"). CODAR can also be applied retrospectively to existing cases to get a fast start and this can also serve as a useful training tool.
   
8. As data is accumulated, so does learning. Optimisation tools for channel planning can be engaged to help automate, or provide recommendations for, aspects of the planning. The best ways of doing things become better understood, as well as when it is time to change!

*Information on the AA programme derives from a case study by the Centre for Integrated Marketing. Centre papers can be accessed after registering at www.IntegratedMarketing.org.uk

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