Week 1 Discussion $6.00
Discussion Topic
Top of Form
Due April 29 at 12:59 AM
Bottom of Form
Discussion
Before beginning work on this week’s discussion forum, please review the link “Doing Discussion Questions Right,” the expanded grading rubric for the forum, and any specific instructions for this week’s topic.
By the due date assigned respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.
- Respond to the assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading.
- Support your answers with examples and research and cite your research using the APA format.
- Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible.
Advertising and Promotion
Assume you work in marketing for a firm in one of the following scenarios:
- An upscale clothing line which is geared for children ages newborn to 12 years of age
- A non-profit organization which helps women who have been victims of domestic violence
- A firm which markets outdoor equipment for activities such as camping, fishing, hunting, etc.
- Pick a firm of your choice and include the link to the web site or provide description of the brand.
Create a 300-400-word response discussing the following questions:
- Identify six promotional methods you will use to reach the target market for your selected scenario. Provide your justification in terms of why this method is appropriate for your target audience.
- How should your firm utilize social media to position your brand?
- Pick two firms which compete in the product category you selected. What promotional methods do they use to market their brand? Do you agree with their approach? Why or why not?
Be sure to properly cite your sources using APA; include your references and in-text citations. Comment on the postings of your classmates. Do you agree with their position? Why or why not?
Cite any sources you use in APA format.
Week 1 Project $15.00
Assignment
Top of Form
Due May 3 at 12:59 AM
Bottom of Form
Targeting and Positioning
This course has major project assignments due in Week 3 and Week 5. It will take more than a week’s effort to adequately complete them. Plan time to start the research and work on those assignments earlier than the week in which they are due.
Consider a product which you have recently purchased and answer the following questions:
- Assess how advertising influenced your recent purchase. How did it make you aware of the product? (include the advertisement or link to the brand’s web site)
- Based on your knowledge of the brand, who is the target market? In your analysis, consider the four sets of consumer characteristics which influence what people consume and how they respond to marketing communications.
- Evaluate how the brand is positioned in the marketplace. What benefits and attributes are associated with the brand?
- How can three different brands be positioned relative to each other in a target market? For example, as a part of the fast-food industry, compare McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King. What variables do you feel are the most important for positioning and differentiating these fast-food restaurants in the market? Why do you feel these variables are so important?
Submission Details:
- Submit your plan in a 3- to 4-page Microsoft Word document, using APA style.
Week 2 Discussion $6.00
Discussion Topic
Top of Form
Due May 6 at 12:59 AM
Bottom of Form
Discussion
By the due date assigned, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.
- Respond to the assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading.
- Support your answers with examples and research and cite your research using the APA format.
- Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible
AIDA Model
AIDA is the most common model used for designing advertisements. Select a full-page advertisement from a recent national magazine edition and analyze the design using the AIDA model. Include a scanned copy of the advertisement or a link to the advertising campaign for discussion purposes.
Create a 300-400-word response discussing the following questions:
- Which elements of the advertisement work well? What could you do differently? How do the different elements relate to each other?
- Provide an example of how marketers are integrating social media tools such as Twitter, blogs, and Facebook into an advertisement. Discuss how successful these efforts have been. What could be the learning for marketers from these efforts in applying social media to marcom?
Be sure to properly cite your sources using APA; include your references and in-text citations.
Comment on the postings of your classmates. Do you agree with their position? Why or why not?
Week 2 Project $15.00
Assignment
Top of Form
Due May 10 at 12:59 AM
Bottom of Form
Measuring Advertising Message Effectiveness
Measuring the effectiveness of advertising campaigns has always been a challenge. Conduct online research to find five Super Bowl advertisements to analyze and answer the following questions (include links to the advertisements):
- Summarize the television advertisements selected and analyze the target audience and the objective(s) of the advertisements.
- Based on your research and assigned weekly readings, propose methods a marketer can use to evaluate the effectiveness of the advertising message for the advertisements you selected.
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of the various methods?
- What are the situations or circumstances where a method would be most effective?
Be sure to conclude your paper with a summary of the key points of learning from your work.
Include a minimum of three peer reviewed articles for your paper.
Submission Details:
- Submit your analysis in a 4- to 5-page Microsoft Word document.
Week 3 Discussion $6.00
Discussion Topic
Due May 13 at 12:59 AM
Discussion
Before beginning work on this week’s discussion forum, please review the link “Doing Discussion Questions Right,” the expanded grading rubric for the forum, and any specific instructions for this week’s topic.
By the due date assigned, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.
- Respond to the assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading.
- Support your answers with examples and research and cite your research using the APA format.
- Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible.
Online Advertising
Traditional advertising such as print and television has decreased, while online or Internet advertising has continued to increase. This week you have learned that online advertising can take place in many different formats.
Create a 300 – 400-word response discussing the following questions:
- Pick three types of online advertising formats and describe each in detail. Include an example for each. (Select from: blogs, podcasts, social networks, e-zines, email, video advertisements, banner advertisements, and pop-ups)
- You know from your reading that search engine advertising is one of the fastest forms of online advertising. Assume that you sell cowboy boots and want to advertise your retail firm through Google. Describe how search engine advertising works. What are some major concerns with search engine advertising?
- What is behavioral marketing and why may a marketer be interested in this approach?
Be sure to properly cite your sources using APA; include your references and in-text citations.
Comment on the postings of your classmates. Do you agree with their position? Why or why not?
Week 3 Project $35.00
Assignment
Due May 17 at 12:59 AM
Course Project Part 1
This course has major project assignments due in Week 3 and Week 5. It will take more than a week’s effort to adequately complete them. Plan time to start the research and work on those assignments earlier than the week in which they are due.
Based on research conducted on the South University online library or via the Internet, identify a brand which is struggling in the marketplace. In this project, you will assume the role of the brand manager who has been hired reposition the brand in the marketplace and increase sales through an integrated marketing communications (IMC) plan.
Complete the following activities:
- Summarize the brand you selected. Why is the brand struggling and how will you revitalize the brand?
- Conduct a market segmentation analysis. Who is your target market and why? Be sure to consider the four sets of consumer characteristics which influence what people consume and how they respond to marketing communications.
- Determine how your brand is positioned in the marketplace. Who are your competitors? What benefits and attributes are associated with the brand?
- Determine the objective of your advertising campaign and provide justification.
- Create your marcom budget. Determine if you will utilize the percentage of sales method, the task method, or the competitive method.
- Create the advertising message for your campaign. How will you create effective advertising and get the message to stick in the minds of your target audience? What message strategy will you use?
- Propose how you will measure the effectiveness of your advertising message.
Submission Details:
- Submit your answers in a 6- to 9-page Microsoft Word document, using APA style.
Week 4 Discussion $6.00
Discussion Topic
Due May 20 at 12:59 AM
Discussion
Before beginning work on this week’s discussion forum, please review the link “Doing Discussion Questions Right,” the expanded grading rubric for the forum, and any specific instructions for this week’s topic.
By the due date assigned respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.
- Respond to the assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading.
- Support your answers with examples and research and cite your research using the APA format.
- Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible.
Consumer Sales Promotion
We know from our lecture that the function of consumer sales promotions is to increase the sales of the firm’s products. This is accomplished by increasing the product’s exposure to the public. The desirability of the product to consumers is also increased by sales promotions, with the goal being an increase in demand for the product.
Conduct research and find examples of each of the following consumer sales promotions and answer the following questions in 300-400-word response:
- Coupons are a common tool of integrated marketing communication (IMC). How have coupons influenced your purchase of a product or service? What are the features of the coupon that were most influential in your purchase decision?
- Many firms use contests or sweepstakes to promote their product. How does a contest or a sweepstake impact or influence your decision to purchase? Did you win any of the prizes as a result? Did this influence your view of the product? Why or why not?
- Samples are often given out at supermarkets or can be sent through the mail. Has tasting a sample resulted in your buying the product? If so, did you become brand loyal to the product? If not, why not? What is your opinion on the sample’s effectiveness as a promotional tool?
Be sure to properly cite your sources using APA; include your references and in-text citations.
Comment on the postings of your classmates. Do you agree with their position? Why or why not?
Week 4 Project $15.00
Assignment
Due May 24 at 12:59 AM
Project: Trade Allowances
This course has a major project assignment due in Week 5. It will take more than a week’s effort to adequately complete it. Plan time to start the research and work on the assignment earlier than the week in which it is due.
Trade Allowances
Trade allowances are a common promotional practice. The most common are slotting allowances at supermarkets. Slotting allowances are fees that supermarkets charge brands to place their products on the supermarket’s shelves. Discuss and evaluate the practice of slotting at supermarkets.
- What are the criticisms of the practice of slotting at supermarkets?
- What are the advantages of the practice of slotting?
- Assess some efforts that some retailers, including P&G, have taken to rectify trade allowance problems. Have they been successful?
- Evaluate the pros and cons of pay-for-performance programs.
Submission Details:
- Submit your answers in a 3- to 4-page Microsoft Word document, using APA style.
Week 5 Discussion $6.00
Discussion Topic
Due May 27 at 12:59 AM
Discussion
Before beginning work on this week’s discussion forum, please review the link “Doing Discussion Questions Right,” the expanded grading rubric for the forum, and any specific instructions for this week’s topic.
By the due date assigned, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.
- Respond to the assigned questions using the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading.
- Support your answers with examples and research and cite your research using the APA format.
- Start reviewing and responding to the postings of your classmates as early in the week as possible.
Ethics Advertising
Advertising is a key element of IMC, but also, it is the element most likely to create ethical issues. Create a 300-400-word response answering the following:
- Describe a recent advertisement you have seen that you considered to be unethical. What were the elements that made it unethical? Was it also illegal? Why? Discuss the difference between an illegal and an unethical advertisement. Also, discuss why a company should avoid running an unethical advertisement even if it is legal.
- The fast-food industry invests heavily in the promotion of its products aimed at children. Select one of the major fast-food chains and describe how they market to children. Is it ethical to target kids using toys to promote fast food? Why or why not?
Be sure to properly cite your sources using APA; include your references and in-text citations.
Comment on the postings of your classmates. Do you agree with their position? Why or why not?
Week 5 Project $40.00
Assignment
Due May 31 at 12:59 AM
Course Project Part 2
This course has a major project assignment due in Week 5. It will take more than a week’s effort to adequately complete it. Plan time to start the research and work on the assignment earlier than the week in which it is due.
This week, you will finalize your integrated marketing communications plan for your selected brand. Incorporate your instructor’s feedback from Week 3 into this final submission.
Complete the following activities:
- Summarize your integrated marketing communication plan for your selected brand.
- Prepare a proposal which includes your advertising media plan. Include both traditional and non-traditional forms of advertising, including online. Be sure to include your social media strategy in your proposal.
- Evaluated how the media selected is matched to the media habits of the target market.
- Explain how consumer promotions should be integrated into your integrated marketing communications strategy.
- Many brands use cause marketing to promote interest in their products. Analyze how your brand can utilize cause marketing to promote brand loyalty.
- Develop a public relations plan for your brand. Discuss the key elements of the public relations strategy and provide justification.
Submission Details:
- Submit your case study analysis in a 7- to 10-page Microsoft Word document, using APA style.