This is the February 2009 Marketing Roundtable slides and bios. The topic was Elements of Marketing Communications.

1. 1
2009 Marketing Roundtable
Elements of Marketing
Communications:
What goes into a marketing
communications plan … and
why
Presenters
• Gerry Schorin, Moderator
• Panelists
– Ed Dorrington
– Paul Gediman
– Sean Hickey
– Kim Irwin
Marketing Plan
Components
• Situation Analysis
– Economic, demo, social, tech, cultural,
etc. trends
– Market size and trends
– Target audience data
– Product situation
– Competitive and SWOT
– Distribution situation
Plan components, 2
• Goals and Objectives
– Sales
– Marketing (sales revenue, share, etc.)
– Marketing strategy
• Marketing activity
• Marketing timetable
• Action plan
• Metrics

2. 2
Marketing plans vs.
marketing communications
plans
• Marketing is the 4Ps (or more)
• Marcom focuses on just the P of
“promotion”
• But both are necessary: marketing plan
precedes the marcom plan and reflects
“balance of power”
• The objectives of each are very different
Do I really have to develop
a plan?
• Does an airline captain have to file
a flight plan or “just kind of head
toward Singapore?”
• The marcom plan is important:
– Its details aren’t in the marketing plan
– Easiest variables to manipulate
– Key to success of marketing plan
Benefits of a marketing
communications plan
• Ensure alignment with marketing
plan and organizational objectives
• Measure progress
• Measure ultimate, relevant results
• Ability to modify strategies and
tactics as necessary
Basic elements of the plan
• What, who, how, where, when
• How will we know if it worked?

3. 3
OK, but where do I start?
• Start with the product
– Benefits vs. attributes or features
– From the consumer’s perspective
– From the competitive perspective
•All to help frame the target audience, the
message, and the media
Defining the target
audience … in detail
• Learn as much as you can beyond
demographics
• It’s often good to develop a specific
individual consumer profile
• Move beyond basic demographics to
psychographics and buyer behavior
• Use research if necessary
– Paid marketing research, online and free
research, kitchen table research
More on target audience
• Who are the decision influencers
and opinion leaders?
• Should they receive
communications as well?
– Goal not only to influence but validate,
reinforce the purchase
From target audience to
message selection
• Not just “what we want to tell them” …
but what they need to know and are
ready to hear
• Don’t forget to test the message among
target audience members (easy!)
• And understand that media choices
influence the nature of the message

4. 4
And from message
selection to media
• Use your knowledge of the customer to
select the most appropriate media
• If you’re not certain, use kitchen table
research
• Try and find media that reinforce each
other because multi-channel
communications are generally more
effective
Media mix ingredients
• Advertising: print, broadcast, online
• Personal selling
• Trade fairs and exhibits
• Sales promotion
• Merchandising, POP/POS
• Packaging
• Direct marketing
• Out of home
More ingredients
• Sponsorships
• Corporate ID
• Viral: social networking, WOM, blogs,
SEM, others
• Public relations
The media plan
• Answers the question of which media do
we use where, when, and how frequently
• The media paradox: It generally takes
multiple exposures to break through
clutter and gain awareness … but
repeating the same message with the
same frequency can lead to burnout
• Test and see what works

5. 5
Metrics: How do we know if
the plan is working?
• AIDA, but don’t stop with eyeballs
• Try for a measurable response when
possible (code, web hits)
• Compare to past quarters if you can
isolate variables
• Monitor competition and see how they
react
• Monitor blogs and solicit customer
comments
• Survey customers, longitudinally if possible
When are we done?
• Never … because the market is
dynamic, not static!
• SWOT analysis from annually to
quarterly, depending on your
business
• Retain alignment with marketing
plan
Your turn!
• Questions, observations, brickbats?

6. About the Moderator and Panelists
Gerald A. Schorin
Born in McKeesport, PA, Gerry Schorin received his Ph.D. from the University of
Pittsburgh, and also holds a Higher Diploma from Trinity College Dublin, where
he studied as a Fulbright-Hays Fellow.
His professional background includes advertising agency copywriting and
creative director roles, teaching as an Assistant and Associate Professor of
Advertising at Michigan State University, serving as Vice President of Marketing
Communications at Fireman’s Fund Mortgage Corporation, and higher education
administration roles as Director of University Marketing at the University of
Vermont, Director of Strategic Communications at Skidmore College, and
Director of Communications at the University of Michigan Law School.
His consulting portfolio has spanned:
• Marketing and executive communications for the executive management
teams of Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and others.
• Leading or participating in Ford, Jaguar, Harley-Davidson, and Sea-Ray
engagements as a Sandy Corporation Senior consultant,
• Strategic planning and marketing consuting for Phoenix Group, Moore
Corporation, Ltd., The Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation in Vermont,
www.relatomic.com, www.CollectorOnline.com, General Motors, Ford,
DuPont, B2B organizations, retailers, and non-profits.
Gerry can be reached at (734) 546-0710 or via email: gschorin@gmail.com

7. ELD Consulting
Ed Dorrington
Founding Partner ELD Consulting…Creating Profitable Growth
Consulting Services specializing in working with entrepreneurs to transition
businesses to a broader based management structure, system and team.
Ed Dorrington is an accomplished professional with significant Sales, Operations
and Executive level experience.
Having strategically managed the successful transition of two medium sized
companies from entrepreneurial to management based provides him with a keen
appreciation for the cultural, structural, financial and philosophical challenges
encompassing such an undertaking.
His experience includes:
• President, CEO Marketing Associates, Detroit, MI
• President CEO Phoenix Group Farmington Hills, MI
• Senior Vice President Sales, Operations The Polk Company, Southfield,
MI
Ed is a seasoned executive with a tenacious customer focus and an exceptional
track record of business development, revenue growth, and strong bottom-line
results. He is recognized as a visionary leader, communicator and superb
organization builder. His educational background includes a degree in Political
Science from the University of Michigan.
Contact: email-edorring@hotmail.com
Cell- (313)806-4204

8. Paul Gediman
Since July 2006, Paul Gediman has been Director of the Office of Marketing
Communications at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. His
department provides both creative services and general communications counsel
and direction to the school. His team plans and produces print, multimedia, and
web-based communications that help the school build relationships with four
primary audiences: prospective students, alumni, business leaders, and the
media.
Prior to joining the University of Michigan, Paul spent seven years in the
marketing department of Borders Group, ending up as a Senior Creative
Manager responsible for a variety of web-based communications, including those
that launched and supported the Borders Rewards loyalty program. He came to
bookselling honestly, having been a freelance journalist as well as editor of
nonfiction book reviews for Publishers Weekly, the preeminent trade publication
of the book publishing industry. Paul holds an A.B. from Brown University and an
M.F.A. from Columbia University.
Contact: pgediman@ umich.edu

9. Sean Hickey
Chief Operating Officer
PWB Marketing Communications
Over the past 20 years, Sean has built his knowledge in a wide range of
marketing and sales arenas, although his primary interest remains defining and
building successful brands through marketing communications. Through
experiences at Dow Corning Corporation, Gage Marketing, and the past dozen
years at PWB, he’s had the opportunity to work on business-to-business and
business-to-consumer marketing challenges at the local, national, and
international level. He is a graduate of Central Michigan University with both
bachelor’s and masters degrees in communications.
PWB Marketing Communications is marketing resource with tremendous
longevity – under current ownership since 1985, with roots that date to the early
1970’s. PWB was an early adopter of web-based marketing for its clients and
strongly advocates a “balanced diet” of online and traditional efforts. They feel
successful brands are built by using the power of all communication channels
effectively to ensure differentiation in the competitive marketplace. To achieve
this, they have built a team of experts who can develop and deliver breakthrough
branding at all levels. Learn more at www.pwb.com.
Client Focus
PWB Marketing Communications focuses on clients in healthcare, manufacturing
technology, professional services, and other related fields. Principal focus is on
business-to-business marketing, but PWB also works with a growing range of
business-to-consumer marketers. Key clients include UGS Corp., the Ann Arbor
Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, Michigan, Heart, Amcor, and the
University of Michigan Health Systems.
Contact Sean at (734) 995-5000 or via email: SHickey@pwb.com

10. Kim Irwin
Kim Irwin is currently President of Kim’s Consulting, LLC. Kim started her own
consulting business in August of 2008 after spending 22 years at Ford Motor
Company.
Prior to her current position, Ms. Irwin was Manager, Vehicle Personalization and
Accessories at Ford Motor Company. She ran a cross functional business unit
with full P&L responsibility of revenue close to $1 billion. Vehicle
Personalization’s mission is to support Ford, Lincoln and Mercury Brand Teams
with buzz vehicle programs and support dealers with a full line of accessories to
compete with the aftermarket.
In 2005 and 2006 Ms. Irwin was Group Brand Manager for Mercury. In this
position she launched the Mercury Milan and Mariner Hybrid. The Mariner has
the highest conquest rate of any nameplate in the Ford Lincoln Mercury portfolio
other than Mustang. She was also responsible for developing the Mercury
VOGA Feature Vehicle Strategy which produces 4 unique specialty vehicles per
model year aimed at fashion and style conscious consumers.
In 2004 and 2005 she was Field Operations Manager. In this capacity she was
responsible for the day-to-day operations, business planning and personnel
development of over 700 employees in 19 regional field offices in North America.
Irwin was named Manager of Ford’s Aftermarket Engineering and
Remanufacturing Operations (AERO) in 2003 and received a Ford Fellowship to
the Sloan Program at Stanford University in 2001.
In 2002 and 2003, Irwin was responsible for creating a $1 billion plus revenue
stream for Ford Motor Company through the collection and remanufacturing of
automotive parts. As a result, four patents were filed for developing industry
solutions for core recovery.
Irwin joined Ford in June 1986 as a Customer Service Representative in the
Memphis Region. While in Memphis, she served as a Parts & Service Zone
Manager, Aftermarket Manager and Marketing Specialist. She has worked in
Ford’s Lincoln Customer Assistance Center, Worldwide Export Operations,
Repair Product Planning, and Global Business Development.
Irwin has a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a master’s
degree in management from Stanford University.
Contact Kim at (734) 604-7654 or kimspersonal@comcast.net