The Integrated Marketing and Communications department strives to emphasize what we hope to achieve and an effective process to reach our goals. As such, we utilize a "Plan-Act-Access-Improve" approach toward our projects.

Fundamentally, the assessment process provides the opportunity to find better ways to support the University’s marketing and branding efforts and achieve its goals.

For all marketing and communications projects, this is the Plan-Act-Assess-Improve process: 

PLAN-ACT-ASSESS-IMPROVE

Plan

• Define:
• Who is the audience?
• Is there a primary and secondary audience and how are they different?
• What does the audience need and expect to find in the materials we are creating?
• What are the client’s goals?
• Are the client’s goals realistic given the parameters of the project?
• Can the goals be met creatively?
• What are the measurable outcomes, and how will they be measured?
• What are the parameters of the project? Consider budget, timeline and available resources.
• Create a plan of action for developing materials that meet that those goals.
• What is the key messaging?
• How will the messaging convey both the brand of the University while also relaying the information the audience expects and needs to find in the material?
• How can we assist the client in reaching his/her goals with the materials?
• How will the client track whether the project is meeting its goals?

Act

• Following the plan of action, execute the project.
• Throughout the project, continually check that the key messaging remains on target and that the audience’s requirements and expectations are still being met.
• Remind clients and those working on the project of the plan of action; deviation is not necessarily bad if the changes still meet the audience’s requirements and expectations.

Assess

• When approaching the project for a second time, or when creating a project that is similar, assess whether the first attempt was successful in relaying key messaging while also meeting the audience’s needs and expectations. Questions to ask:
• Did the client see the expected results from the materials?
• Were the measurable outcomes achieved?
• Did the client receive feedback from the audience on the piece?
• Was the feedback positive? What did the audience like?
• Was the feedback negative? What didn’t the audience like?
• Did questions arise that could have been answered within the project?
• Did questions arise due to a lack of clarity in messaging?
• Did the audience engage with the key messaging?
• Was the client happy with the project?
• What changes does the client think may be necessary?
• Analyze the ways in which the project did not meet its goals.

Improve

• Consider innovative solutions to problems.
• Consider modifications to the parameters of the project, including adapting the budget, scope or medium of the project.
• Create a new plan of action incorporating the findings from the assessment portion of the process.