Each stage of a marketing plan has many levels of complexity. As with any effort, a plan is usually the simplest description of intent. Even though areas of complexity are highlighted, actually putting the plan into action is more complicated. For all the complexities a marketing campaign can bring, any successful campaign contains certain characteristics. The most important element is often the controversial issue, but these elements are always important. Each element is related and can be segmented, but the success of a marketing plan often depends on how many elements are present or absent. have a goal Success is impossible if you don't have a clear definition of what success means. Before defining anything else, you need to have a goal that defines success. This goal can be as simple as "We intend industry mailing list increase revenue by 10%" or as complex as "We intend to sell at least 1,000 Widget A, 500 Widget B, 600 Widget C, and no more than 1,500 Widget Q , with less than 10 complaints per 100 items in each category.” In both terms, success is easy to define. If the first company's revenue increases by 10%, then it's a success. If the second satisfies the goals of all categories, it is completely successful. If a company only partially achieves its goals, it is only partially successful. If the goals are not met, the company fails. Any project may have more than one goal. Each part of the process may have their own goals that define their personal success or failure.