Agency Creative Campaign Plan Example
When You Would Build This
The agency, a 12-person digital marketing shop, won a product launch engagement with a direct-to-consumer skincare brand. The client was launching a new product line and needed a coordinated campaign across web, email, social, and paid channels. The SOW defined 8 deliverables with 2 revision rounds each, a 6-week timeline, and a $45,000 fixed fee. The PM had 3 other active clients during this engagement.The Example
Project Structure
The PM organized the project into 4 phases mapped to the agency's standard delivery workflow:
| Phase | Duration | Deliverables | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery and Strategy | Week 1 | Creative brief, messaging framework, campaign strategy deck | Strategist, PM |
| Creative Production | Weeks 2 to 4 | Landing page design, email templates (3), social assets (15), ad creative (8 variations) | Designer, Copywriter, Developer |
| Client Review | Week 4 to 5 | Round 1 feedback, revisions, Round 2 feedback, final approval | PM, Designer, Copywriter |
| Launch and Handoff | Week 6 | Landing page live, emails scheduled, social calendar loaded, paid campaigns launched | Developer, Media Buyer, PM |
Resource Allocation
The PM allocated hours by role across the 6-week engagement:
| Role | Allocated Hours | Billable Rate | Budget Allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Manager | 40 | $125/hr | $5,000 |
| Strategist | 24 | $150/hr | $3,600 |
| Senior Designer | 80 | $135/hr | $10,800 |
| Copywriter | 48 | $110/hr | $5,280 |
| Developer | 56 | $140/hr | $7,840 |
| Media Buyer | 32 | $125/hr | $4,000 |
| Buffer (revisions, meetings) | 36 | Blended | $4,480 |
| Total | 316 | $41,000 |
The $4,000 margin between budget allocation ($41,000) and fixed fee ($45,000) represented the agency's target 9% margin on this engagement. The PM tracked actual hours weekly against these allocations to catch overages early.
Client Review Gates
The PM set 3 formal review gates in the project plan:
Gate 1 (end of Week 1): Strategy deck approval. The client had 3 business days to review and approve the messaging framework and campaign approach. Creative production did not begin until Gate 1 was passed.
Gate 2 (end of Week 3): Creative Round 1 review. All design, copy, and ad creative presented together for consolidated feedback. The client had 3 business days. The PM required one consolidated feedback document, not individual stakeholder emails.
Gate 3 (end of Week 5): Final approval. Revised deliverables presented for sign-off. The client had 2 business days. Once approved, the team moved to launch setup with no further revisions.
What Actually Happened
The project ran 3 days over the 6-week timeline. Gate 2 took 5 business days instead of 3 because the client's CMO was traveling and delayed feedback. The PM used the SOW's timeline clause to formally note the delay and adjust the launch date by 3 days without absorbing the schedule impact internally.
The designer went 8 hours over allocation on social assets because the client requested 15 additional Instagram Story frames that were not in the SOW. The PM submitted a change order for $1,080 (8 hours at the designer's rate), which the client approved. Total project revenue: $46,080. Actual margin: 11%, above the 9% target.
What Makes This Plan Effective Phased structure with gates.
What Makes This Example Work
What Makes This Plan Effective
Phased structure with gates. Each phase has a clear output and a client approval gate before the next phase begins. This prevents the common agency problem of starting creative production before the strategy is aligned.
Budget tracking by role. Allocating hours and cost by role (not just total budget) lets the PM identify which functions are going over before the total budget is blown. The PM caught the designer overage at 8 hours because they were tracking against a 80-hour allocation, not just a $45,000 lump sum.
Built-in margin buffer. The 36-hour buffer for revisions and meetings is realistic, not optimistic. Agencies that allocate 100% of the budget to production have zero margin for the inevitable scope adjustments and meeting time that every engagement requires.
Change order discipline. When the client requested out-of-scope work (15 additional Story frames), the PM followed the SOW change order procedure instead of absorbing it. This protected margin and set a healthy precedent for the ongoing relationship.