Marketing Campaign
Marketing Campaign is a WBS template that breaks one integrated campaign into 24 tasks across 5 phases. Phases follow the standard sequence from planning to results reporting, with three explicit Milestones: campaign launch, campaign end, and results reported. Weight is concentrated in creative production and execution, so reported progress tracks visible deliverables and the actual flight.
When this template fits
- You run a time-boxed campaign — a product launch, a promotion, a seasonal push
- Multiple assets (copy, design, video) must converge on a single launch date
- The landing page and conversion tracking are part of campaign preparation
- You share the schedule with an agency or external production partners
When another template fits better
- For building a software product, IT New-Product MVP or In-house Development is the better fit
- For always-on channel operations rather than a campaign, recurring-work management fits better than a WBS
Phase by phase
Campaign Planning
Goals and KPIs come first, then audience and messaging strategy, closed by the budget and channel mix. Fixing KPIs up front keeps optimization and the final report on the same yardstick.
Creative Production
Copy is locked first, design and video run in parallel, and review and sign-off close the phase. Video has the longest duration and is the most common bottleneck on the launch date.
Channel Setup
Media booking and the landing page build run in parallel, tracking and conversion setup follows, and the Campaign launch Milestone closes the phase. Launch without tracking and the results are unrecoverable.
Execution & Optimization
After initial monitoring, creative and bid optimization runs through the flight, with a mid-campaign review, closed by the Campaign end Milestone. This is the longest, execution-centered phase.
Analysis & Reporting
Data aggregation and analysis, the results report, and the retrospective lead to the Results reported Milestone that closes the campaign. The next campaign only improves if reporting and the retro actually happen.
Full template structure
| WBS Code | Task Name | Type | Duration (d) | WEIGHT (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marketing Campaign | Deliverable | — | 100% |
| 1.1 | Campaign Planning | Phase | — | 20% |
| 1.1.1 | Goals & KPI definition | Work Package | 4 | 30% |
| 1.1.2 | Audience & messaging strategy | Work Package | 5 | 40% |
| 1.1.3 | Budget & channel mix | Work Package | 3 | 30% |
| 1.2 | Creative Production | Phase | — | 30% |
| 1.2.1 | Copywriting | Work Package | 5 | 25% |
| 1.2.2 | Design & banner production | Work Package | 8 | 35% |
| 1.2.3 | Video production | Work Package | 10 | 25% |
| 1.2.4 | Creative review & sign-off | Work Package | 3 | 15% |
| 1.3 | Channel Setup | Phase | — | 15% |
| 1.3.1 | Media booking & account setup | Work Package | 4 | 35% |
| 1.3.2 | Landing page build | Work Package | 6 | 40% |
| 1.3.3 | Tracking & conversion setup | Work Package | 3 | 25% |
| 1.3.4 | Campaign launchMilestone | Milestone | 0 | 0% |
| 1.4 | Execution & Optimization | Phase | — | 25% |
| 1.4.1 | Launch & initial monitoring | Work Package | 5 | 30% |
| 1.4.2 | Creative & bid optimization | Work Package | 15 | 40% |
| 1.4.3 | Mid-campaign review | Work Package | 2 | 30% |
| 1.4.4 | Campaign endMilestone | Milestone | 0 | 0% |
| 1.5 | Analysis & Reporting | Phase | — | 10% |
| 1.5.1 | Data & performance analysis | Work Package | 4 | 45% |
| 1.5.2 | Results report | Work Package | 3 | 35% |
| 1.5.3 | Retrospective & next-step recommendations | Work Package | 2 | 20% |
| 1.5.4 | Results reportedMilestone | Milestone | 0 | 0% |
Start with this template
Frequently asked questions
- Should each campaign be its own project?
- One campaign, one project. Apply this template to start, and keep the finished campaign as a record. For recurring campaigns, re-apply the template and fold in the last retrospective instead of cloning the old project.
- How are KPIs different from progress?
- Progress tracks whether the work is getting done on plan; KPIs track whether the campaign performs. Progress here covers assets, setup, and execution tasks — conversions and ROAS live in your ad platforms and analytics.
- Is a WBS overkill for a two-week campaign?
- The shorter the campaign, the more one forgotten task delays the launch. Having easy-to-miss tasks like tracking setup or legal review on the list pays for itself. For small campaigns, delete what does not apply — video production, say — and start.
- Can I use it with an agency?
- A read-only share link shows the agency the latest schedule without an account. If production scheduling goes back and forth a lot, assign owners and express dependencies as predecessor links rather than comments.
- How do I manage several campaigns at once?
- Separate projects per campaign is the default. The project list shows each campaign’s progress and schedule performance side by side, and owners and dates stay isolated per campaign.