Overview

This guide explains what the Annual Learning Plan is and how to complete one.
The key messages are:

• The Annual Learning Plan helps you integrate the needs of all the brand’s functional stakeholders in one yearly plan.
• This document is an excellent aid on resource planning for brand research. It also helps negotiations with suppliers since research needs are known in advance.
• It incorporates learning needs from all processes of the Complete Brand Building Way.

In this guide, you learn:

• What is the Annual Learning Plan?
• Why is the Annual Learning Plan important?
• How to develop an Annual Learning Plan for your brand.

What is the Annual Learning Plan?

The Annual Learning Plan is a comprehensive document that identifies, prioritizes and commits to the acquisition of knowledge necessary to meet Brand Equity and LEAP.

The Annual Learning Plan sets the learning projects for the year required to meet brand objectives as stated in the Annual Plan and LEAP. It defines how the brand will get the required consumer understanding for long-term goals and short-term brand needs.

Why is the Annual Learning Plan important?

The Annual Learning Plan allows you to integrate your consumer understanding requirements with the brand equity process and the longer term learning needs of the brand. This brings more value and focus to the consumer understanding process.

Capturing all knowledge acquisition needs in one document also reduces brand expenses by avoiding repetitive research or combining research needs. It is also a negotiation tool for resource allocation internally and for bargaining externally.

The Annual Learning Plan is designed to produce insights on an ongoing basis since the Voice of the Consumer (VOC) and I Wish I Knew (IWIK) list are an input into the document.

How to develop an Annual Learning Plan

The Annual Learning Plan has four inputs:

• The VOC
• Update of basic brand research needs
• IWIKs
• Five--Year Learning Plan

The VOC

The Annual Learning Plan accommodates any information needs arising out of the VOC. Analyze the VOC for changes in behaviors and trends and any other gaps that need to be clarified with additional information. These identified needs will become an input to the Annual Learning Plan. For more on VOC, see the VOC: Guide.

Update of basic brand research needs

This includes the brand’s regular research needs, including updates and short–term, initiative-specific research needs. Periodic updates or studies designed to run at regular intervals (like advertising effectiveness tracking studies) and syndicated studies like dairy panels, Nielsen data are to be budgeted here.

The learning plan ensures there are no “sacrifices” due to budgetary constraints on important benchmarking studies (like habits and practices or usage and attitude studies) because behaviors in mature categories change slowly. Mentioning the need for such information in the Annual Learning Plan preempts the tendency to delay such studies on the grounds of the need for fresh or more valuable/ timely research.

Develop internal criteria for such studies, based on maturity of market, rate of change and competitive activity in the previous year in the category.

Example
For personal care products, it is acceptable if the U&A is repeated every 2-3 years. However, in the case of technology-driven categories, a U&A is required every year.

IWIKs

IWIKs (I wish I knews) create learning needs within the organization across functions. IWIKs capture knowledge gaps with respect to the consumer, customer, channel, or competitors. This is done in two ways:

• During the annual planning process when IWIKs are generated while analyzing information for brand planning.
• At any time during the year when anyone from any function raises an IWIK request. Relevant IWIKs are integrated into the Annual Learning Plan.

For more on IWIKs refer to IWIK: Guide.

Five-Year Learning Plan

The Five-Year Learning Plan comprises inputs derived from the brand equity planning and LEAP processes. These are directly related to the strategic needs and brand imperatives identified for meeting the brand’s long-term goals. The immediate learning needs from the Five-Year Learning Plan become an input into the Annual Learning Plan
For more on Five-Year Learning Plan needs, see the Five-Year Learning Plan: Guide.

Assembling and finalizing the Annual Learning Plan

Not all learning needs arising out of the above four input areas become part of the Annual Learning Plan. Budgetary constraints and business impact are the filters that these must pass through. You can use the following principles to decide the final elements of the Annual Learning Plan:

• Every learning need in the Annual Learning Plan must have a direct link with initiatives in the Annual Plan.
• All learning needs listed in the Five-Year Learning Plan must get priority since they are linked to LEAP imperatives.
• Learning needs that are time-bound and may be rendered meaningless if delayed should be given priority once their business impact is evaluated.
• Decision on yearly tracking studies and monitors should be based on the rate of change - Has there been a rapid change that calls for an update? Has the change been slow enough to justify a delay?
• Evaluate risk associated with taking a judgment call. Also check if the knowledge obtained will be valuable beyond the immediate issue.
• Collaborate with other brands to identify efficiencies and redundancies.
• Gain senior management approval.
• Finalize plan and communicate within organization