The 5Rs of Marketing Communications Planning

By Joe Pulizzi | Published: September 20, 2007

I was reading through the archives of the Journal of Integrated Communications and stumbled upon a Don Schultz article entitled “Marketing Communication Planning in a Converging Marketplace.” It’s amazing how many of Schultz’s comments still ring true in today’s marketing environment.

Of note is Schultz’s notion that marketing communications managers use his 5Rs of marketing communication planning instead of the infamous 4Ps of marketing (product, price, place, promotion). The underlying notion of the 5Rs is that the customers, not the organization itself, are ultimately in control, leaving the 4Ps obsolete. Most marketers, specifically electronic marketers, understand this today, but this was a novel concept in 2001. Here is a summary of the 5Rs:

Responsiveness – The traditional marketing organization is not built to be responsive and is organized to “talk, not to listen.” The ability of a marketer to quickly and successfully respond to the informational needs of the customer is paramount to making an ongoing impact on the customer’s buying behavior.
Relevance – This is the interruption vs. value issue. Interruption marketing, such as print advertising, the 30-second spot, etc., are no longer relevant to the majority of buyers. Buyers are looking for information that helps them accomplish a task, solve a problem, educate them about an issue, or entertain them. Thus, relevant and valuable content delivered to customers as they need it is paramount to the overall marketing program.
Receptivity – “The challenge of the new marketplace…is communicating when the ‘buyer wants to buy,’ not ‘when the seller wants to sell.’” Marketers are all about schedules and deliverables that are presented through a marketing production schedule. The fact is, marketing organizations must present ongoing, valuable information to solve customer issues “when they need it.” This underlines the importance of corporate blogs, corporate discussion forums, and integrated communication programs that give the customer information where and when they can best use it (most likely, when they are ready to buy).
Recognition – Brand recognition “allows customers to make decisions based on past experience or recommendation from friends.” Buyers are bombarded with more choices every day, and ultimately, a brand that consumers have an affiliation with in some way, is an asset and a differentiator. Everything, from technology to product specifications to packaging, can ultimately be copied. What is difficult or even impossible to copy is the ongoing communications that make up a brand.
Relationships – “It will be the customer who determines the length, strength and depth of the relationship the marketer is trying to create.” This underlines the importance of internal marketing (customer service that understands the vision of the company) and ongoing retention marketing (focusing less on lead generation and more on what the informational needs are from your current customers).

As a conclusion to the 5Rs, Schultz advocates a “delivery first, message second” strategy, positioning that “it makes no difference what you say if you can’t get the message to the customer or prospect.”

To Schultz’s model of “Media – Message – Consumer” I would adapt the following chart below.

A minor change, but one that I feel is important as we see marketing organizations scramble to get the attention of the target buyer (see this post on measurement and purpose).

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