Anatomy of an Ad PlanFrom executive summary to contingency
01 / 05
Stage 01 of 05
Ground & Analysis
Before proposing where the brand goes, prove you know where it stands — this is where everything after it earns credibility.
Written last, presented first. It stands in for the whole document when the client has no time.
- The objective in one sentence, no padding.
- Budget: the total and what it covers.
- Duration: launch date and end date.
- Expected result as a number you can be held to.
OutputOne page carrying all four: objective, budget, duration, number.
Watch out“Noticeable growth” is not a result — no one can hold you to it or reward it.
This section is what makes the rest believable — without it the plan is just an opinion.
- Past account and ad performance: what was tried, at what cost, with what result.
- Competitors: who advertises, where, with what messages.
- A short SWOT — four boxes, not four pages.
OutputA documented picture: what was tried, what rivals do, where we stand.
Watch outJumping to solutions before diagnosis makes everything after it tidy guesswork.
SWOT · four boxes, not four pages
SStrengthsInternal · in our favour — what we own and a rival can't easily copy.
WWeaknessesInternal · against us — what we know about ourselves before the market finds it.
OOpportunitiesExternal · in our favour — a season, a gap, or a market shift.
TThreatsExternal · against us — a rival, a platform change, a cost rise.