Marketing objectives
The specific results a marketing plan is meant to achieve, sitting between business objectives (revenue, profit, market share) and communication or media KPIs. Good ones name a buyer behaviour to change, such as more buyers, higher frequency or a price premium, with a number and a deadline. Many plans skip this layer and jump from 'grow sales' to 'more engagement', which makes it impossible to tell whether the campaign worked.
Where it's used
Used in marketing plans, campaign briefs and agency pitches to link what marketing does to what the business needs. Good when written as a chain: business objective, then the buyer behaviour that delivers it, then the metrics that show progress.
Example
From 'grow sales' to a number
Illustrative scenarioA regional dairy brand's brief says 'grow sales and increase awareness'. Rewritten, the business objective is +8% revenue this year, and the marketing objective is to win 60,000 new households, because current buyers already buy weekly. The campaign KPIs follow: reach among non-buyers and listings in two new chains. At year end the team can say what worked, instead of reporting likes.