PROJECTS
FOR
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
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Exercises 1-10 [Exercises Book] are designed as solo efforts to be written and turned in as a single unit. Exercises 11-39 [Special Assignments] are team assignments to be written and presented to the class. |
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EXERCISES
BOOK |
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Guidelines The
Exercises Book activities, just like the Special Assignments you will be working on
with your agency team, are application-based exercises to help you achieve a
better understanding and appreciation of the world of marketing communications.
On these exercises, however, you will be working independently, with no
collaboration of any sort with another person. The Exercises Book is to be the
result of your individual effort, and yours alone. The
details and guidelines for each project are outlined on the attached pages. All
work is to be original; you may not refer to or use in any way the work from
previous semesters in Marketing Communications or the work from any other course
from the current or any previous semester. Also, on those exercises where you
have freedom to choose some element of the assignment, such as advertisements
for analysis, your selection may not be in the same product category as that of
your agency team’s promotion campaign plan. You are to work on eight
of the ten exercises, according to the following plan: you are required to work
on Exercises 1-6, with the other two
coming from your choices among Exercises
7-10. You may earn extra credit by working on one or both of the remaining
assignments. You should clearly identify the exercise(s) done for extra credit,
and make sure they are placed after the eight required exercises. Unless
the specific requirements of an exercise dictate otherwise, all work is to be
typed single-spaced and delivered on unpunched standard 8 ½ x 11 white paper,
placed unbound in the report folder provided. Please identify each exercise by
its title as indicated in the description of each assignment. Two copies of your
work are to be submitted: the original and a photocopy. Please be sure to keep
the two copies separate. Deadline: please see the syllabus. |
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Exercise 1:
Web Site Evaluation Select web sites of three competing companies or
organizations. Thoroughly explore and evaluate each web site as to its
effectiveness. The criteria you use to judge the web sites should include the
following: speed of loading, navigation speed, ease of use,
organization, graphics and design, advertising, ease of ordering,
security, ability to communicate with the organization, usefulness of
information, completeness of information and details on products or services,
prices, and availability of products, plus any other factors you consider
important to a web site’s effectiveness as an element in a firm’s promotion
program. For each of the three web sites, assign a grade to each factor, an
overall grade, and suggest the one best idea for improvement. You produce: For each web site, a one-page evaluation, plus a grade (excellent, good, fair, or poor) and your Big Idea to improve the web site. (Please be sure to identify the web site being evaluated at the top of each page.) You may use the accompanying Website Evaluation Form. If you choose to use the form, please include a one-half page single-spaced summary of your evaluation for each web site. |
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Exercise 2:
Advertising Research Select one of the following product categories: women’s
sportswear, personal computers for home use, color copiers for business use, art
museums, news magazines, cruise lines, microwave ovens, luxury hotels, or frozen
dinner entrees. You have been asked to do primary data research as part of the
preliminary investigation prior to the creation of advertising for a brand in
one of those product categories. The research is to be a combination of
exploratory and descriptive (i.e., exploration of what and why
, as well as
determination of what is ). For
example, you want to find answers to matters such as what role advertising plays
in a person’s decision to buy a personal computer, what are the important
brand selection factors used by people looking at microwave ovens, why people go
on cruises, or what are the relative proportions of light, moderate, or heavy
users of frozen vegetables. Design a complete ready-to-go questionnaire that
will provide the advertiser with information needed to create advertising that
sells. You produce: A questionnaire, complete in every way. |
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Exercise 3:
Magazine Advertis Get one of your favorite magazines and check out every
advertisement. Select what you consider to be the Best Three and the Worst Three
advertisements in the publication. In evaluating the advertisements, you should
focus on elements such as copy, illustrations, artwork, headlines, layout, gaze
motion, use of color, font, and any other aspect you consider important. Fully
explain the reasons underlying your choices. Reconstruct the advertisement you
judged to be the poorest in the entire lot. Then, in the same issue, select 10
other ads and rewrite the headlines. You produce: Photocopies of the Best Three advertisements. |
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Exercise 4: Potato Campaign A recent attitude-and-product-usage study indicated that
many consumers perceive potatoes as fattening,
non-nutritious, a poor
source of vitamins and minerals, and inconvenient
to prepare. Further, opinion leaders such as food editors, dieticians,
nutritionists, home economists, and doctors disseminate these attitudes. In
reality, potatoes have far fewer calories than most people imagine, are very
nutritious, and are a good source of some vitamins and minerals. The National
Potato Board, the official trade association for the industry, has asked you to
design a sweeping national advertising and promotion campaign to correct these
misconceptions that for
years "...have prevented the potato from earning a
place as an integral part of a nutritionally-sound diet."
Specifically, Potato
Board management wants you to propose a campaign slogan and to develop prototype
executions of the following: (1) for the consumer market –
a :30 television
commercial, a :60 radio commercial, a full-page magazine advertisement, a
billboard advertisement, a non-traditional media execution, a sales promotion
tool, and a sponsorship; and (2) for the opinion leader market -- a full-page
magazine advertisement, a public relations activity, a sales promotion tool, and
a direct mail piece. You have not just accepted the challenge, you have enthusiastically
embraced the opportunity to demonstrate your genius. You produce: The campaign slogan. |
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Exercise 5: Free-lance Campaign Your stellar reputation as a free-lancer in the marketing
communications field has placed your services in great demand. You currently
have six new-business opportunities, but can handle only one at the present time
due to existing commitments and the fact that each of the six requires a
widespread marketing communications effort. The six products are: Cheerios cereal
(www.cheerios.com), Budweiser beer (www.budweiser.com),
Quaker State motor oil (www.quakerstate.com),
John Deere lawn tractors (www.deere.com),
Oreo cookies (www.oreo.com), and
Mountain Dew soft drink (www.mountaindew.com).
Select one of the products and for that product create the following executions
to be part of a multi-faceted campaign: a :30 television commercial, a full-page
magazine advertisement, a consumer contest or sweepstakes, a point-of-purchase
display, another consumer promotion, another retailer promotion, an event
sponsorship, and a cause marketing effort. Regardless of the product you choose,
assume it is a national campaign with an objective to increase sales by 10
percent. You have wide freedom to select the target audience, though you should
specify two demographic variables, plus one psychographic or behavioristic
variable. Create a campaign slogan. You produce: The campaign slogan and the target audience, described on
one page. |
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Exercise 6: AAAA Speech You have accepted an invitation from the American
Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) to deliver a 15-minute keynote speech
at its forum labeled "The Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Marketing
Communications--The Real Story." Your audience will consist of AAAA-member firms (advertising agencies and
organizations involved with all aspects of marketing communications), plus many
of the nation’s top advertisers, who received special invitations because of
the importance of the forum’s subject. After a good deal of thought about your
task, you begin to write out your speech. So far, you have only a few sentences
on paper: Your task is to finish the speech. You produce: A written speech. Maximum
= four pages, plus exhibits. |
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Exercise 7: Tylenol Crisis Using the videotape Tylenol:
From Crisis to Comeback as the basis for your discussion, write a
penetrating analysis of Johnson & Johnson’s handling of the poisoned
Tylenol catastrophe. (The videotape will be shown in class on a Public Relations
day; that will be the only opportunity for you to see it.) You produce: A paper. Maximum = three pages, plus exhibits. |
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Exercise 8:
Packaging Evaluation Select two brands of a consumer product. Critically analyze
each brand’s package, using all the criteria you think important in judging a
package’s marketing worth. Though there are additional factors you will want
to include, your analysis of each package should cover the following: its shape,
size, color, design, graphics, product protection, and construction material;
its ease of opening, using, reusing, and storage; its inclusion of all relevant
information; its exclusion of unnecessary information; its emphasis on the
important attributes of the product; its ability to break through the
competitive clutter at the point- of-purchase; its ability to capture and hold
consumer attention; its distinctiveness; its persuasiveness; its ability to sell
the product; its truthfulness and lack of deceptive or misleading aspects; its
support of the product’s brand image; its ability to motivate the consumer’s
brand choice. Suggest two improvements for each package. Please: no metal or glass packages. You produce: A one-page critique of Package #1, plus exhibits. |
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Exercise 9: Agency Questionnaire You are president of the New England Ford Dealer’s
Association and have assigned yourself the job of managing the organization’s
search for a new advertising agency. After much research and review, you have
compiled a list of 12 full-service advertising agencies that seem to be good
candidates for your account, and you are sure each would compete for the
account. The incumbent agency has elected not to accept an invitation to be in
the account review. You decide the next step is to give the 12 agencies a mail
questionnaire, and you will use the responses to help narrow the list to
three-to-five finalists, who you would then ask for formal presentations. Your
immediate task is to prepare the Agency
Questionnaire that you will use as a screening device. You produce: The questionnaire in its complete and ready-to-go form. |
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Exercise 10:
Co-marketing Campaign As you know, co-marketing is a general term used to
describe a wide variety of activities and programs when two or more
organizations combine resources and efforts to pursue a common marketing or
promotion objective. For example, Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart might join
forces to develop a spring cleaning promotion that features P&G cleaning
products at reduced prices in Wal-Mart stores. Now, assume you are in charge of
designing a three-month co-marketing campaign for Black & Decker and The
Home Depot, who are hooking up to promote power tools, in an attempt to leverage
the equity of both the brand and the store. Your co-marketing campaign is to
consist of five different elements: one :30 television or :60 radio commercial,
one full-page magazine or newspaper advertisement, and three promotion
activities other than media advertising. Create a campaign slogan. Further, you
should carefully explain the rationale for each of the five campaign elements
and how they will work together. You produce: The campaign slogan. |
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SPECIAL
ASSIGNMENTS |
Exercise 11: Social and Ethical Aspects of Advertising and Promotion The situation: The
question of whether advertising and other promotion activities are good
or bad for society is best examined on an issue-by-issue basis. One of
the issues concerns manipulation and exploitation, as described in the
following:
Manipulation
and Exploitation Does
advertising manipulate people into buying what they don’t need? Does
it exploit people’s fears to create artificial needs? Critics contend
that advertising is so powerful and persuasive that people have no
choice but to buy what they see advertised, regardless of their actual
need for these products. You’re being manipulated, say these critics,
by advertisers who exploit your inadequacies, anxieties, hopes, and
fears. Advertisers using psychological or emotional appeals get you to
buy their products by making you feel that these products help you gain
status, acceptance, even love. You’re driven to buy things you don’t
really need, rather than buying only products that satisfy basic needs
such as food and clothing. On
the other side of the controversy, defenders acknowledge that the whole
reason to advertise is to persuade. There’s no magic or dishonesty
about using the marketing mix to identify customer needs, to create an
appropriate product, and to advertise that product. Defenders contend
that advertising offers people the information they need to choose among
products in the marketplace. Advertising can be seen as building
consumption not by making people purchase what they don’t need but by
making the market more efficient for both consumers and producers by
offering information about the product, its availability, and so on. These
defenders believe that advertising can’t create demand for a product
no one wants. Advertising may bring people into a store to buy, but if
they can’t find the right size or color, or if the quality isn’t
acceptable, they can -- and do -- leave without buying. No amount of
advertising pressure can force people to buy something they don’t
want, and anyone who is persuaded by advertising to buy a bad product
(or a product that doesn’t meet a legitimate need) won’t make that
mistake again. Far from being helpless to resist advertising’s
persuasive power, people are able to ignore or discount advertising
messages, by zapping television commercials, turning down the radio, or
simply turning the page in a magazine or newspaper. Most consumers are
savvy about what they see advertised, and research indicates that
children as young as 8 understand and are skeptical about
advertising’s persuasive power.
Adapted
from: Bovee, Thill, Dovel, and Wood,
Advertising Excellence, McGraw-Hill, 1995, p. 60.
Your
assignment:
Comment
on the above description of the "manipulation/exploitation"
argument. Take a position and explain it. Output: |
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Exercise
12: Direct Marketing -- Direct Mail Mountain
Air Country Club, located in North Carolina, is seeking residents for
its private mountaintop community. To date, promotion efforts have
consisted of advertising in Links
magazine and a web site (www.mountainaircc.com).
See the accompanying information from the web site, as well as an
advertisement from Links.
Management has decided to begin a direct marketing campaign to
complement existing promotion efforts. The primary target audience for
Mountain Air consists of affluent families seeking a second home for
three-to-six months a year. Over 80 percent of Mountain Air homeowners
are between ages 45-55. Retirees account for about five percent of the
residents. A top-quality targeted mailing list from a reputable list
broker has been obtained. Your
assignment: Prepare
a direct mail package for Mountain Air Country Club, consisting of an
outer envelope, a letter, and a response card.
Output:
Drawing
of the outer envelope on a regular sheet of paper. (You may submit an envelope.) |
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Exercise
13: Writing Headlines There
is no specified time during the creative process that headlines have to
be written. Sometimes they are written before the copy, sometimes after.
One advantage of writing the headline after the copy is that the
headline is there for the finding. Study carefully the twelve
accompanying magazine advertisements. The headlines have been blocked
out. (On some ads, there is a border where the headline appears. The
border is simply to indicate the placement of the headline and it was
inserted because the original ad had a white background at the spot of
the headline. No headline in any ad had a border.) The media vehicle in
which each ad appeared is indicated at the bottom of the ad. Your
assignment: Write a
headline for each of the advertisements. Neatly insert your headline in
the blocked out area of each ad. Output: |
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Exercise
14: Evaluating Advertising See
the accompanying advertisements for Duncan Hines and Pillsbury brownie
mixes. Your
assignment: Compare,
contrast, and thoroughly evaluate each advertisement. Your analysis
should focus on elements such as copy, artwork, illustrations, visuals,
headlines, layout, gaze motion, use of color, font, and other aspects of
each advertisement. In terms of overall impact and effectiveness, which
of the two is better? Why? Output: One-page
critique of the Duncan Hines advertisement. |
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Exercise
15: Rewriting Advertising The
accompanying advertisements for New Balance running shoes appeared in
the same issue of Runner’s World
magazine. Your
assignment: Craft
new advertisements for future placement in the same issue of Runner’s
World magazine. You may retain only the "Achieve New
Balance" slogan in your new executions, though you may change it,
too. All other pieces are to be redone. Provide an explanation as to why
your new executions are better.
Output: Two
advertisements for the same issue of Runner’s
World -- one aimed at
women, the other aimed at men. |
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Exercise
16: Creating Advertising from a Creative Brief Carefully
read the accompanying Creative Brief, which is the exact one created by
an advertising agency for The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Your
assignment: Using
the Creative Brief as a blueprint, create a full-page magazine
advertisement for publication in magazines whose circulation covers the
Boston DMA. Also, identify three specific magazines you would use to
carry your advertisement. Explain why you chose those magazines. Output: |
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Exercise
17: Evaluating Advertising See the
accompanying advertisements that appeared in the same issue of Individual
Investor magazine: The Kaufmann Fund, The Vanguard Group,
SalomonSmithBarney, and T. Rowe Price. The advertisements are exactly as
they appeared, i.e., one color ad and three black-and-white ads. Your
assignment: Evaluate
each of the four advertisements, focusing on copy, artwork,
illustrations, visuals, headlines, layout, gaze motion, use of color,
font, and other aspects of each advertisement. Rank the four ads in
terms of overall impact and effectiveness. For the advertisement you
ranked as the poorest of the four, reconstruct the ad to make it the
best of the four. Output: One-page
critique of The Kaufmann Fund advertisement, with ranking. |
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Exercise
18: Evaluating Advertising Executions You are the
Account Supervisor on the Crest toothpaste account. The accompanying
three magazine executions have just been delivered to you by the
creative team working on the account. All three ads had been tested with
a consumer panel and results were, for the most part, moderately
favorable. The creative team eagerly awaits your judgment. Your
assignment: Critically
evaluate all three Crest executions against the basic strategy of an
aggressive cavity-prevention message to adults. Each of the three
advertisements should be analyzed thoroughly, with focus on copy,
artwork, illustrations, visuals, headlines, layout, gaze motion, use of
color, font, and other aspects that affect overall impact and
effectiveness. Which, if any, of the advertisements do you accept for
sending to the client for its approval? (You may select none, one, two,
or all three of the ads.) Output: A one-page
critique of each advertisement. At the end of each critique, please |
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Exercise
19: Evaluating Business Advertising in a Trade Publication The
accompanying five advertisements appeared in the same issue of Mediaweek
magazine. The advertised publications essentially compete with each
other for the same advertising dollars, since they are all in the same
magazine category of "Business/National" and are directed to
similar audiences. Given the readership of Mediaweek
(predominantly advertising and media professionals), the main
objectives of each ad presumably are to capture the attention of the
people who make media buying decisions and to present a particular
magazine as an attractive vehicle in which to advertise. Your
assignment: Carefully
study and analyze each of the five advertisements. Evaluate each of the
five advertisements in terms of its effectiveness in presenting a
particular business magazine as a good vehicle for advertising. Make the
assumption that each is a logical alternative in which to advertise your
product or service. Is the advertising compelling and does it move you
to actively consider a particular magazine as an advertising vehicle for
your limited budget? Output: One-page
evaluation of each advertisement. |
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Exercise
20: Evaluating Business Web Sites [e-commerce] You are
general manager for one of the largest full-service landscape
contractors in New England. Your firm is involved in the design,
construction, and maintenance of landscapes and grounds. The firm does
work on athletics fields, school, college and university grounds,
municipal parks, golf courses, commercial properties, industrial
properties and, most recently, residential properties. During the winter
months, the firm has a snowplowing operation. A wide range of equipment
is used and, as the outfit’s top dog, you are responsible for making
sure your firm has state-of-the-art equipment and services. To keep
abreast of industry and product developments, you regularly read
trade journals such as Grounds
Maintenance, Landscape & Irrigation, and
Lawn & Landscape. From recent trade journal
advertisements, you have compiled a list of web sites
to explore for the latest products and services that are important
for a landscape contractor. Your list looks like this: www.encoreequipment.com
www.turfco.com
www.trimec.com Your
assignment: Go to any
five of the above web sites. Acting as the landscape contractor general
manager, thoroughly explore and evaluate each of the five web sites as
to its effectiveness. You may want to use criteria such as speed of
loading, ease of use, navigation speed, organization, graphics and
design, advertising, ease of ordering, security, opportunity to
communicate via e-mail or telephone, usefulness of information,
completeness of details on product specifications, prices, and
availability, and any other factors you consider important to a web
site’s effectiveness as an element in a firm’s promotion program. Output: |
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Exercise
21: Creating Integrated Advertising Across Media Bradford
Raceway was a successful harness racing facility on the outskirts of an
eastern city. The track was recently purchased by an aggressive,
promotion-minded individual who agreed that attendance has been good,
but believed it would be better with an effective promotion program that
employed a range of promotion tools and media. He was willing to spend
money on what he saw as a real opportunity. In the past, only a modest
amount of money went for advertising, which was done on a sporadic
basis. The
new owner wanted to attract a more diversified patronage, including
"reputable and cultured" women and men in the upper-middle
income bracket. To accomplish this, he believed it important to play up
the aesthetic aspects of the track, such as the beauty of the facility,
the luxury and decor of the restaurants and public areas, the
attractiveness of the landscaping, and the inherent beauty of the
horses. The track enjoyed a solid reputation for its convenient parking, patron-friendly betting facilities, fine quality horses, and top jockeys. Additional features included: excellent dining, easy accessibility from the city, courteous attendants and window clerks, plus a new, free bus shuttle service from the parking lot to the grandstands. In sum, Bradford Raceway was a harness racing facility designed for the patron’s total comfort and enjoyment. Promoting the track as a socially acceptable and respectable place to visit was considered important to the track’s future success.
This
scenario has been adapted from: Book and Your
assignment: Create
advertising for the following media: television, radio, magazine,
newspaper, and billboard. Also, come up with a sales promotion element
for the campaign. Output: A
campaign slogan. |
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Exercise
22: Working Back From Advertising to a Copy Platform The
Copy Platform (also called the Creative Strategy Statement or Creative
Brief) is an outline of what is to be accomplished by the advertising.
Essentially, it is a checklist providing background information needed
by the copywriter and artist to create the advertising. Though
development of the Copy Platform precedes creation of the advertising,
it is a good exercise to look at finished advertising and think about
what the Copy Platform must have looked like to result in a particular
execution. Your
assignment: Select
two magazine advertisements (one ad for an automobile, household
appliance or clothing, the other for any service). For each
advertisement, prepare what you believe might have been the Copy
Platform. Output: |
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Exercise 23:
Working
Back From Advertising to a Copy Platform
1.
Select two magazine advertisements for different brands of the
same product type. For example, an advertisement for Chevy pickup trucks
and one for Ford pickup trucks, or an advertisement for Royal Caribbean
Cruise Line and one for Norwegian Cruise Line. 2.
Prepare what you believe would have been the Copy Platform that
served as the blueprint for each advertisement. 3.
Explain. 4.
For one of the brands, create another execution, with a different
headline, layout, and copy. 5.
Lead a Question-and-Answer session.
****************************** Total class time for presentation and discussion: 20 minutes. Suggestion: a
10-minute presentation and a 10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at
start of presentation: a paper detailing your copy platforms and
explaining why you think they are a match for the selected
advertisements, plus the rationale for your new execution. Paper length:
maximum = four pages of single-spaced text, plus exhibits -- on 8½ x 11
white paper, except where exhibits necessitate otherwise. |
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Exercise 24:
Evaluating Advertising 1.
Select
four advertisements, two of which you consider GOOD ads and two you
consider POOR. All four choices must come from the same medium, and may
be from television, radio, newspaper, or magazine. 2.
Explain
the reasons for your selections. 3.
Suggest
at least one change to make each GOOD ad better. 4.
Suggest
all the changes needed to make each POOR ad a GOOD one. 5.
Lead
a Question-and-Answer session.
****************************** Total class time for presentation and discussion:
20 minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation and a
10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at start of presentation: a paper
detailing the reasons for your selections and your suggestions for
improvement of each ad. Paper length: maximum = four pages of single-spaced
text, plus exhibits -- on 8½ x 11 white paper, except where exhibits
necessitate otherwise. |
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Exercise 25:
Deceptive and Misleading Advertising 1.
Select
three advertisements or commercials you consider to be deceptive or
misleading and, therefore, unacceptable in the context of "truth in
advertising." 2.
Explain
the reasons for your selections. 3.
Suggest
the changes you believe are needed to make each ad acceptable and not
deceptive or misleading in any way. 4.
Outline a brief plan for preventing deceptive or misleading
advertising. 5.
Lead
a Question-and-Answer session.
****************************** Total class time for presentation and discussion:
20 minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation and a
10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at start of presentation: a paper
detailing your findings, the changes you recommend, and your plan. Paper length: maximum = four pages of single-spaced
text, plus exhibits -- on 8½ x 11 white paper, except where exhibits
necessitate otherwise. |
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Exercise 26:
Response to Negative Publicity Caused by a Crisis Situation 1. Using
the information in the accompanying Boston Globe article about 2.
For
each execution, identify the target audience and the objectives of the 3.
What
other marketing communications efforts would you suggest? Why? 4.
Lead
a Question-and-Answer Session.
****************************** Total class time for presentation and discussion:
20 minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation and a
10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at start of presentation: a paper
detailing all aspects of your advertising and the additional activities
you would recommend. Paper length: maximum = four pages of single-spaced
text, plus exhibits -- on 8½ x 11 white paper, except where exhibits
necessitate otherwise. |
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Exercise 27:
Event Marketing 1.
The
computer search engine Yahoo! has asked you to design an island display
for use at a Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) event. An
island display is a free-standing unit, approachable on all four sides.
Your creation will be set up outside, in close proximity to the major
hospitality area located next to the clubhouse. With 23 of the top 25
money-winners on the LPGA tour committed to playing in the tournament,
record crowds are expected. The major charitable contribution from the
tournament proceeds will go to the several local agencies offering
services for victims of physical abuse and neglect. 2.
Present
your plan for an attention-getting, traffic-stopping, absolutely
blockbuster display. Please include a pencil-and-paper sketch of your
proposed island display. Make sure you describe in full detail the
staffing/materials/activities of the display booth. You should also
present rationale for why this display concept is appropriate for the
audience. 3.
Prepare
one full-page newspaper advertisement announcing your 4.
Prepare
a full-page advertisement for placement in the LPGA’s Official
Souvenir Program for the tournament. Explain why it will work. 5. Lead
a Question-and-Answer session.
****************************** Total class time for presentation and discussion:
20 minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation and a
10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at start of presentation: a paper
detailing your plan and its rationale, plus an explanation of each of
your advertising executions. Paper length: maximum = four pages of single-spaced
text, plus exhibits -- on 8½ x 11 white paper, except where exhibits
necessitate otherwise. Agency #1: ____________________ Agency #2: ____________________ |
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Exercise 28:
Creating Complementary Advertising 1.
Videotape
a television commercial. 2.
Prepare
two magazine advertisements, a billboard ad, and a radio commercial that
would fit nicely with the original television commercial, as part of the
same campaign. 3.
Explain
how you arrived at the four companion ads, and how you have achieved
synergy among the executions. 4.
Lead
a Question-and-Answer session.
***************************** Total class time for presentation and discussion:
20 minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation and a
10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at start of presentation: a paper
detailing the companion ads and why you think them appropriate. Paper length: maximum = four pages of single-spaced
text, plus exhibits -- on 8½ x 11 white paper, except where exhibits
necessitate otherwise. Agency #1: ____________________ Agency #2: ____________________ |
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Exercise 29:
Sponsorship Marketing Assignment: 1.
Explain the rationale for The Home Depot’s sponsorship of the
Van Gogh exhibit. Why makes it a good match? 2.
For the Boston stop, prepare the following:
3.
Explain the approach used in the advertising. 4.
Lead a Question-and-Answer session.
****************************** Total class time for presentation and discussion:
20 minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation and a
10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at start of presentation: a paper
detailing why The Home Depot and Van Gogh is a good match and the
rationale for the approach used in the advertising. Paper length: maximum = four pages of single-spaced
text, plus exhibits -- on 8½ x 11 white paper, except where exhibits
necessitate otherwise. |
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Exercise
30: Evaluating Trade Advertising 1.
Study the six advertisements attached. All six appeared in PROMO,
the major trade publication 2.
Critique
each advertisement on factors such as target audience, headline, 3.
Rate each of the advertisements on a "scale of
effectiveness," assigning a 1 4.
Explain
your rankings. 5.
Lead a Question-and-Answer session.
****************************** Total class time for presentation and discussion:
20 minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation and a
10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at start of presentation: a paper,
detailing your critique of the advertisements. Paper length: maximum = four pages of single-spaced
text, plus exhibits -- on 8½ x 11 white paper, except where exhibits
necessitate otherwise. Agency #1: ____________________ Agency #2: ____________________ |
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Exercise 31:
Exploring the Agency-Client Relationship 1. Make a presentation on THE AGENCY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP, consisting of two parts:
A.
WHAT A CLIENT SHOULD EXPECT OF ITS AGENCY 2.
Lead
a Question-and-Answer session.
******************************* Total class time for presentation and discussion:
20 minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation and a
10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at start of presentation: a paper
detailing your arguments. Paper length: maximum = four pages of single-spaced
text, plus exhibits -- on 8½ x 11 white paper, except where exhibits
necessitate otherwise. |
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Exercise 32:
Response to Negative Publicity Caused by Service Disruption 1.
You
have been asked to prepare a direct-mail piece and a newspaper
advertisement for a CATV provider in the following situation: The cable company, which had no competition in the towns in which it operated, had experienced repeated breakdowns in service throughout its coverage area, which consisted of seven local communities. In the past three months, service had been interrupted four times: twice during severe weather conditions and twice during a period when the company was making technological upgrades (which had been heavily promoted via advertising and direct mail to the subscribers as a move to improve service). Three of the disruptions in service lasted for more than 12 heavy-viewing hours. On the fourth occasion, the cable system was out of service for 36 hours on a weekend when a major snowstorm hit the area. At no time during any of the disruptions had electric power or telephone service been lost in any of the communities. All seven towns in the coverage area had experienced disruption of service during this three-month period. Surrounding communities served by another cable operator had no difficulties during this time frame. The same storms affected those communities and the cable operator also was doing upgrades. Each service interruption had resulted in an increased number of complaints to the company, with the most recent interruption prompting a group of local citizens, organized as Action for Better Cable Delivery (ABCD), to sponsor an advertisement in each local community’s newspaper, asking people to formally register their displeasure with their local town’s office that issues cable television licenses and the state agency that oversees all cable television operators. The ad also urged citizens to request town officials to invite other cable operators to consider offering a competitive service. 2.
Prepare a special mailing to all subscribers to the cable
operator’s service. Also, prepare a full-page newspaper advertisement
that will appear in each town’s local weekly. The overall purpose of
the direct mail and the advertising is to counteract the negative events
of the past three months. 3.
Explain your copy approach. 4.
Lead a Question-and-Answer session. Total class time for presentation/discussion: 20
minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation and a 10-minute Q/A
session. Deliverable at start of presentation, to instructor
only: a paper detailing your recommendations (max = three pages of text,
plus exhibits). |
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Exercise 33:
Comparison Advertising Assignment: 1.
Agency
#1 will deliver a 10-minute presentation entitled:
THE CASE FOR COMPARISON ADVERTISING 3.
There
will be a 10-minute Question-and-Answer session. Note: it is suggested that each team use examples
of comparison advertising to bolster its case. Total class time for presentations/discussion: 30
minutes. Deliverable for each team at start of session, to
instructor only: a paper detailing your position (max = three pages of
text, plus exhibits). Agency #1: ____________________
Agency #3: ____________________ |
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Exercise 34:
Direct Marketing for the Trade 1.
Study
the LOFTS SEED advertisement that accompanies these instructions. 2.
Create
a direct mail package for Lofts Seed Company’s line of Sports 3.
Specifically
identify the target audience for your direct mail effort. 4.
Explain
the approach you have used. 5.
Lead
a Question-and-Answer session. Total class time for presentation/discussion: 20
minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation and a 10-minute Q/A
session. Deliverable at start of presentation, to instructor
only: a paper, detailing the approach you have used in your direct mail
package (max = three pages of text, plus exhibits). |
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Exercise 35:
Event/Cause Marketing 1. Prepare
a magazine advertisement and a radio commercial (:30) announcing 2.
Explain
why the firm and the event or cause is a good match. 3.
Explain
the approach used in the advertising. 4.
Lead
a Question-and-Answer session. Total class time for presentation/discussion: 20
minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minutes presentation and a 10-minute Q/A
session. Deliverable at start of presentation, to instructor
only: a paper detailing why the firm/event or cause is a good match and
the rationale for the approach(es) used in the advertising (max = three
pages of text, plus exhibits). Agency #1: ___________________ Agency #2: ____________________ |
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Exercise 36:
Agency-Client Relationship Assignment: 1.
Agency
#1 will deliver a 10-minute presentation entitled:
WHAT
A CLIENT SHOULD EXPECT OF ITS AGENCY 2.
Agency
#2 will deliver a 10-minute presentation entitled:
WHAT
AN AGENCY SHOULD EXPECT OF ITS CLIENT 3.
There
will be a 10-minute Question-and-Answer session. Total class time for presentation/discussion: 30
minutes. Deliverable for each team at start of session, to
instructor only: a paper detailing your position (max = three pages of
text, plus exhibits). Agency #1: ____________________
Agency #3: ____________________ Agency #3 will work on
"What a Client Should
Expect of Its Agency" and |
|
Exercise 37:
Comparison Advertising 1.
Make a presentation on COMPARISON ADVERTISING, consisting of two
A.
THE CASE FOR COMPARISON ADVERTISING
In closing the formal part of your presentation, you should take
a position 2. Lead
a Question-and-Answer session. Total class time for presentation/discussion: 20
minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation covering both sides of the
issue and a 10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at start of presentation, to instructor
only: a paper detailing your arguments and your position on the subject
(max = three pages of text, plus exhibits). |
|
Exercise 38:
Internet Advertising 1.
As Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) spokespersons at a major
conference of advertisers, agencies, and media firms, you are to deliver
a presentation entitled:
WHY
THE WEB? THE CASE FOR
INTERNET ADVERTISING 2.
Lead a Question-and-Answer session. Total class time for presentation/discussion: 20
minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation covering both sides of the
issue and a 10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at start of presentation, to instructor
only: a paper detailing your arguments (max = three pages of text, plus
exhibits). Agency #1: ____________________ Agency #2: ____________________ |
|
Exercise
39: Evaluating Advertising 1.
Study
the five advertisements attached. All five appeared in the same issue 2. Critique
each advertisement on factors such as target audience, headline, 3.
Rate
each of the advertisements on a "scale of effectiveness," assigning
a 4.
Explain
your rankings. 5.
Lead
a Question-and-Answer session.
****************************** Total class time for presentation and discussion:
20 minutes. Suggestion: a 10-minute presentation and a
10-minute Q/A session. Deliverable at start of presentation: a paper,
detailing your critique of the advertisements. Paper length: maximum = four pages of single-spaced
text, plus exhibits -- on 8½ x 11 white paper, except where exhibits
necessitate otherwise. |
|
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS Special Assignment Assignment: See the accompanying five advertisements that ran in the same issue of Runner’s World magazine. Your Job: Compare, contrast, and thoroughly evaluate each
advertisement. Your analysis should focus on elements such as copy,
artwork, illustrations, visuals, headlines, layout, gaze motion, use of
color, font, and any other aspects of each advertisement you consider
important. You Submit: A paper—four-page limit, single-space. One-half page for each advertisement + a separate page on which you describe your suggestion for improvement. |
Exercise 40: Evaluating Advertising
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MCE-MARKETING (A1, A2, A3) Magazine Advertising Critique
Assignment: Select three full-page advertisements from a magazine of your choice. Closely examine and evaluate the quality (i.e., “effectiveness”) of each advertisement. You are free to use whatever criteria you choose. You may want to focus on elements such as the headline, copy, layout, use of color, artwork, illustrations, visual appeal, gaze motion (the way the eyes travel through the advertisement), font, placement within the magazine, and any other aspect you consider relevant to the ad’s overall impact. Further, you may want to answer questions such as: What’s the target audience for the message? What are the objectives of the message? Is the benefit(s) clear? Is there amply support for the benefit(s)? What’s the tone or atmosphere of the advertisement? THESE ARE SUGGESTIONS. It is your evaluation.
Eight pages (stapled): A cover sheet
November 16, 2009 at 8:00am |