360° activation: why you won't be able to do without it?

After several weeks (or even months) of deliberation, your communication campaign is finally ready! The message is powerful, but your deployment strategy has not been written. It's urgent! What should you do? Establish your 360° activation strategy to maximise the impact and audience of your campaign. 360° activation strategies are at the heart of the communication actions used by brands. But how can you activate all the levers of a 360° communication strategy? Where should you start? In this article, you will find the essential elements you need to know to successfully implement your 360° activation strategy.

360° activation: what are we talking about?

In a few words, a few lines...
360° activation refers to a marketing approach that aims to reach the same target audience but through a variety of different communication channels. In this context, these activations aim to reach one or more targets simultaneously through communication actions in the media (TV advertising, press, cinema, etc.) and outside the media. It is in the latter that the scope for action is greatest.

This includes: point-of-sale actions (trade marketing, promotions, merchandising, etc.), digital (website, social media, influencer marketing, email marketing, etc.), field activities (events, street marketing), direct marketing (postal mailings, flyers, catalogues, etc.), product communication (packaging, technical data sheets, etc.), etc.

As a result, 360° activation strategies have become essential for anyone who wants to ensure a strong and optimised audience. Indeed, as with all advertising and promotional messages, constantly bombarding your targets with messages reduces their attention and receptiveness, and consequently makes it more difficult for your communication to reach its targets. This is why, in an omnichannel strategic approach, it is beneficial to move towards the deployment of a 360° activation plan. In this regard, your actions will be more suited to the format of expression, more relevant to each of your target audiences, more redundant and therefore more noticeable...

360° activation: what are the objectives and how can it be measured?

Before launching a 360° activation strategy, you need to clearly define your objective(s) in order to structure your efforts. Using multiple channels requires you to adjust your objectives and, consequently, your budgets. You therefore need to ensure that each of your actions is productive and ‘profitable’ (ROI objective) and prioritise your resources accordingly.

Not all channels can be targeted with the same intensity, for several reasons. Firstly, even large budgets are not infinitely expandable. Secondly, each strategy has specific objectives, ranging from priority objectives to minor objectives.
As such, setting objectives using the SMART method (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound) is essential in the absence of another proven method.

Setting a goal involves answering several questions, some simple, some complex:
Who: what resources (internal/external) will be used to achieve the goal?
Why: why have you set this goal and what could be the return on investment (ROI)?
For whom: Which brand, product or service will be affected by this objective?
By when: When do you want to implement your actions, and therefore how much time do you have?
How: Which tangible and intangible resources and channels are best suited to get you up and running?

In concrete terms, this means identifying and coordinating these different objectives within your strategic vision, using both media and non-media activations and making the best possible use of your resources...

**Find answers to many of your main questions in this FAQ.