Understanding Planner
Welcome to Planner, a centralised Sesimi marketing tool designed to streamline the coordination of national and dealership marketing campaigns. Planner enables you to:
View and organise campaign timelines for better visibility.
Track budgets and maintain transparency at all planning levels.
Collaborate with stakeholders through built-in approval workflows.
Understanding Planner’s Structure
Planner operates on two main levels:
1. National Marketing Plans
The Head Office develops a National Marketing Plan that outlines key upcoming marketing activities.
This plan guides dealership teams but does not require full alignment.
The National Plan does not have subcategories but consists of broad marketing initiatives.
Once finalised the plan is published, triggering a notification to teams at the dealership level.
2. Dealership Marketing Plans
Dealerships Create their own marketing activities and Complete their own marketing plans, using the National Marketing Plan as a guide.
Dealership plans must include subcategories (e.g. media types, local promotions etc)
Plans go through a two-step approval process. Activities are created, and after the plan is completed:
The dealership marketing manager reviews the plan before submitting to Head Office.
The plan is then submitted to Head Office for final approval.
💡Pro Tip: Dealerships can revise and modify their plans before submission but cannot make changes after approval from Head Office.
User Roles and Permissions
Dealership Users: Can create, edit, and complete marketing plans.
Dealership Approvers: Can review and either modify or submit dealership plans to Head Office.
Head Office Users: Manage National Plans and approve dealership submission.
Order of Operations: How Planner Works
Step 1: National Plan Created and Published
Head Office creates a high-level National Marketing Plan for a defined period of time.
The plan is initially in Draft status while it’s under construction.
Once complete, it is set to Published, making it visible to all dealerships.
Step 2: Dealerships Create Their Plans
Dealership users log in and begin planning activities based on the national timelines and priorities.
The Dealership Plan appears under the National Plan in Planner.
As activities are added, the plan remains in Draft and all elements are editable at this stage.
Step 3: Dealership Plan Marked Complete
Once completed, the dealership user clicks Complete in the settings menu.
This notifies the Dealer Approver, triggering internal dealership review.
Step 4: Internal Dealership Review and Submission
The Dealer Approver either:
Submits the plan to Head Office.
Or Modifies it and reverts the plan to Draft for updates.
Upon submission, the plan status changes to Submitted.
Step 5: Head Office Review and Approval
Head Office reviews the Submitted Plan.
If changes are needed, feedback is provided via the Feedback section.
If approved, the plan is locked and its status updates to Approved.
The Planner Interface
Planner’s interface includes:
Marketing Plan Timeline: A 12-month forward facing view of campaigns.
Campaign Categories: National plans have broad categories, while dealership plans require detailed subcategories.
Plan Status:
Draft: All aspects of your plan can be edited in this status.
Complete: A Dealership User will mark the plan as Complete when finished. It will then be reviewed by the Dealership Approver.
Submitted: Following Dealership Approval, a plan’s status will show as Submitted. This confirms it is awaiting Head Office review.
Approved: Head Office has approved the plan. No changes can be made once it reaches this status.
Tracking Budget and Performance
Planner includes budget tracking to help dealerships manage their marketing spend:
Marketing Spend: Total allocated budget.
Total Spend: Budget already assigned.
Remaining Spend: Balance remaining unassigned in budget.
Overspend Alert: If budget is exceeded, an alert will appear.
💡Pro Tip: Use the Spend Breakdown View to see how budgets are allocated across campaigns.
Versioning and Plan Updates
Once a plan has been Approved, it cannot be edited.
For subsequent planning cycles (e.g., half-yearly or quarterly reviews), use the Duplicate function.
This function is available under the Settings menu (grey cog-wheel).
Duplicating creates a new version (e.g., Version 2) of the plan.
The new version starts in Draft status.
It carries over all content from the previously approved plan.
You may then edit, complete, and resubmit this version through the same approval process.
You can also download a PDF version of any plan at any time via the Settings button.
FAQ
Can I edit a plan once it’s been submitted or approved?
Can I edit a plan once it’s been submitted or approved?
You can edit a plan when it has been completed or submitted, but not when it as been approved by Head Office.
Published National Plans can be edited by first changing the status to Unpublished.
Completed Dealership Plans can be edited by selecting Modify.
Submitted Dealership Plans can be edited by selecting Revise.
Approved Dealership Plans cannot be edited. To make changes, use the Duplicate function to create a new version that can be updated and resubmitted.
How do I download a PDF of my marketing plan?
How do I download a PDF of my marketing plan?
You can download a PDF of your marketing plan by clicking the Settings button and selecting Download PDF.
Why am I not seeing all marketing plans?
Why am I not seeing all marketing plans?
If you not seeing all your marketing plans:
Ensure the plan has been submitted and approved.
Check filters to confirm you are viewing the correct year or team.