Know-How Exchange : Research/Metrics

SMS

I support prbypr's point that attack is better than defence.

Besides, a defence based on benchmarks means what, exactly, within the context of your launch?

Better to examine the strategy for the launch, especially with regard to the differentiation aspects.

Look long and hard at how that is to be communicated to the target market, starting from a blank sheet, not your pre-existing communications plan. See if you can justify the expense from the ground up, rather than the other way around.

What anyone else has spent is irrelevant. What you need to spend to get the message out there, that's what is relevant.

Your pitch to the budget controller needs to be about the spend you make to get the sales figures they want. If they want to cut the comms budget from your "starting from a blank sheet approach" ask them which segments of the target market they don't want to sell to... Then you can delete those parts from the media plan.

Either way, the Program Managers, low-budget way or your, "ground-up" way, you are going to have to review the comms plan budget, so you might as well review it pro-actively and go in on the offensive, than get forced to cut the expense and forever be branded as someone who did not see the writing on the wall.

Good luck...