Boost marketing productivity 30-40% with situation adaptive planning (SAP)

The 4-Step SAP framework developed by Exverus transforms reactive marketing to proactive advantages

Exverus by Brainlabs developed this 4-step framework for situation adaptive planning (SAP) in marketing and media strategy

What is SAP (situation adaptive planning)? 

The constantly shapeshifting nature of the media planning business demands that we have proactive, strategic contingency plans on hand for unpredictable situations that may arise.

Even with well thought-out, insight-driven media plans in place, things change from month to month – platforms rise or disappear, trends swerve, and consumer behavior reacts to economic fluctuations.

Agility is crucial!

So, the media planners at Exverus have developed a framework for SAP, or situation adaptive planning.

4-step framework of situation adaptive planning:

1. Media playbook:

Initial direction on how we adjust or pivot media strategies and tactics for unexpected challenges or opportunities.

Informed by: 

• Past media learnings

• Industry best practices

• Keen media mix modeling (MMM) tools

2. Collaborative monitoring 

• sales declines

• emerging media

• competitive spend spikes or strategy shifts

• key retailer distribution changes, etc.

3. A tailored approach

When a situation is identified, we tailor the media playbook guidelines to align with a specific goal, key performance indicator (KPI), and parameters. 

4. Optimization & Learnings.

Implement real-time media spend optimizations (usually re-allocating budgets between channels) and gather learnings or implications to inform future situations.

Take a look at the example of an adaptive flowchart below:

Proactively adopting this adaptive media planning flowchart can inoculate marketing teams against unexpected threats.

The key characteristics of SAP are proactive and collaborative. 

Proactive media planning

What's the difference between marketing optimization and situation adaptive planning? Proactivity.

We’re thinking ahead to anticipate potential detours from the original plan before they happen and building if/then scenarios for easy course-correction later. It’s not necessary to imagine every possible thing that could change along the way – the idea is to be flexible enough to handle the unexpected. 

A nimble team really comes in handy here. When folks from multiple aspects of a media plan (or any project) can work together easily and fluidly, they can re-steer the ship much more easily than if they were walled off in bureaucratic siloes. 

Collaborative scenario prep

"The biggest challenge in SAP is effective collaboration between all involved parties: intel from the brand client, planning from the media perspective, and cooperation from creative agencies, PR departments, or other external teams." - Melissa Andraos, Exverus SVP of Strategy

Proper SAP requires that brand the provide the media team with adequate intel, like:

• Sales patterns & projections

• Supply chain issues, actual or potential

• Distribution changes

• Known fluctuations around seasonality

Scenario preparation gets easier over time, as historical data is collected and patterns are analyzed, making SAP more timely and effective.

Examples of adaptive marketing plans

Nike exemplified situation adaptive planning by pivoting to digital sales during the COVID pandemic.

Nike pivots around pandemic

Nike responded to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic by leveraging its digital resources to connect athletes with customers, strengthening its digital ecosystem and boosting online sales.

Additionally, Nike launched active maternity wear in 2020 to cater to a unique clientele, showing how they identified and responded to emerging market opportunities during the pandemic period.

As a result, Nike's digital sales grew 75% during Q4 of 2020, with the company utilizing mobile apps such as the NTC app, Run Club app, and its retail app.

For the fiscal year 2020, Nike’s digital sales increased by 47% to $5.5 billion from $3.8 billion in fiscal year 2019. (Source: ICRM India)

This demonstrates excellent situation adaptive planning because Nike:

• Recognized the situational change - The pandemic created a shift from physical retail to digital channels

• Rapidly adapted their marketing approach - They pivoted from traditional retail partnerships to direct-to-consumer digital strategies

• Leveraged existing digital assets - They maximized their existing app ecosystem rather than creating entirely new solutions

• Measured and responded to results - The 75% growth in digital sales validated their adaptive approach. 

Kargo curbs creative fatigue

Our friends at KARGO used situation adaptive planning to avert a mid-campaign crisis.

"In one campaign, we noticed performance decline from creative fatigue and recommended a refresh--pivoting from the original plan to run an A/B test," says Kargo account executive Kyle Miranda.

"While the adjustment required additional operational effort due to complex targeting breakouts, the creative update ultimately boosted performance. By adapting our strategy to the situation, we achieved a stronger overall outcome."

At Exverus, we believe the best defense is a good offense. We developed SAP because we got tired of watching great brands scramble when platforms shifted or consumer behavior changed overnight.

Nike's 75% digital sales growth during COVID wasn't luck—it was smart, adaptive planning in action. SAP gives you that offense by turning industry chaos into your competitive edge. The brands that thrive tomorrow are the ones planning ahead today.

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