Integrated Marketing Communications, Mkt. 485/5485
3 Credit Hours, Prerequisite - Mkt. 381
Spring 2014
Monday and Wednesday 12:00 – 1:15 (Self 202)
Instructor: Dr. Retha Ann Price
(office) 925-7744, (home) 898-0869, (email) raprice@mc.edu
(webpage) www.mc.edu/faculty/raprice
Office Hours: (My office is Self Hall 201C)
Monday:
11:00-12:00 and 1:15-3:45
Wednesday: 11:00-12:00 and 1:15-3:45
Friday:
11:00-2:00
I will be glad to meet with you by appoint at other times.
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Integrated Marketing Communications is an application based study of marketing
communication tools including advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing
and personal selling and their integration into a unified program. Current promotional
programs are examined throughout the semester. Students gain “hands-on” experience
through the creation of an actual IMC plan.
COURSE RATIONALE:
Every student regardless of career path or discipline should understand how to market,
communicate and sell their organization’s products, services, political candidates or charitable
causes in today’s media saturated marketplace. Integrated Marketing Communications brings
together all aspects of branding, messaging and media preparing the student for real world
communication challenges. This is a required course for Marketing majors.
COURSE MATERIALS:
Text - M: Advertising, 1st Edition, Arens, Schaefer and Weigold (McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2012).
Occasionally, I will ask you to read an article related to current advertising and promotion
issues. These articles will be posted on Moodle.
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COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
The overall goal of this course is to provide students with the fundamental skills needed to
analyze, design, construct and present a strategically sound Integrated Marketing
Communications plans. Upon completion of this course students should:
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Understand how to analyze companies and their target markets.
Know how to formulate sound marketing communications objectives.
Understand how to position and brand a product or service.
Develop a message and creative plan that achieves communications objectives.
Learn to evaluate and select appropriate media for communicating the message.
Understand terminology used in the field of advertising and promotion.
Achieve proficiency in locating, understanding, and using information sources for
marketing communications program design and execution.
 Develop abilities to communicate logically and persuasively in spoken, written, and
visual language.
 Develop an awareness of ethical pitfalls in marketing communications.
 Gain practical experience creating an actual IMC plan for an existing organization.
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:
Key concepts will be introduced using lecture, refined through group discussion and applied
through in-class activities, videos, assignments, and a team project.
The instructor will use Moodle to post PowerPoint slides, reading assignments,
announcements and other course materials on a regular basis. Check this valuable resource
each week to help you prepare for upcoming classes.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Mississippi College students are expected to be scrupulously honest. Cheating and other
academic misconduct will be regarded as a serious offense subject to severe penalties
including, but not limited to, loss of credit for the course and possible dismissal from the
university. See the 2013-2014 Mississippi College Undergraduate Bulletin or University Policy
2.19 for specific information.
Instructor’s Policy - If you submit work that was prepared by another student or other person
as your own, copy information from another student during an exam, use external reference
material during an exam without prior instructor permission, plagiarize or fail to provide
sufficient citation of the original author, the instructor will: (1) assign a “0” as your grade for the
assignment or exam, and (2) notify the Mississippi College School of Business Dean so that a
formal disciplinary procedure will be instituted.
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COURSE EVALUATION:
Exams (4 exams @ 100 points each)
IMC Plan Team Project
Class Participation
What’z Newz Presentation
UndergraduateTotal
400 points
200 points
35 points
15 points
650 points
Graduate Article Summaries
Graduate Student Totals
50 points
700 points
Undergrad.
62%
31%
5%
2%
Grad.
57%
29%
5%
2%
7%
Undergraduate (A=90%-100; B=80%-89%; C=70%-79%; D=60%-69%; F=less than 60
Graduate (A=90-100%,B+=86%-89%, B=80%-85%, C+=76%-79%, C=70%-79%, D=60%-69%, F=less than 60%)
Additional Requirement for Graduate Students: All students earning graduate credit must
read and write typed summaries of ten IMC related articles. A list of topics and summary
requirements will be provided. Summaries are worth a total of 50 points. Graduate students
have a total of 700 points possible.
EXAMS:
Three exams plus a non-comprehensive final will be administered during the semester. Each
exam is valued at 100 points. Exams may consist of any combination of multiple-choice, fill-inthe-blank, true-false, short answer and discussion questions.
Make-up Exams. Make up exams will only be given in cases of extreme hardship. You must
notify me prior to missing any exam in order to qualify for a make-up. If you know in
advance that you will miss a scheduled exam, a make-up exam may be administered prior to
the scheduled day of the exam. Otherwise, all make-up exams will be given on April 23rd
during the regular class time, no exceptions.
Security Measures. Extra security measures will be taken during exams. A calculator is the
only electronic device allowed during exams. No cell phone calculators or electronic
translators may be used. Hard copy print translators are acceptable. You may not wear
caps during exams. You may not leave the room during an exam prior to turning in your exam
for grading.
Graduating seniors. All students must take the final exam, including graduating seniors.
READING ASSIGNMENTS:
Chapter and article Reading Assignments will be given each week. These assignments, as
well as articles, will be posted on Moodle. Students are expected to read and be prepared to
discuss answers to posted discussion questions.
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IMC PLAN TEAM PROJECT:
The course is organized around steps involved in creating and presenting an effective
integrated marketing communication plan for a local organization. This is a semester long
team project.
During the last week of school, your team will present a marketing communication plan (along
with sample creative executions) and will turn in a final written report for your client. There are
four milestone papers. Each member will take a leadership role for one milestone paper (team
to assign), but all members will contribute and share the responsibility for high quality work.
The topics of the milestone papers are: Situation Analysis; Target Audience Analysis;
Advertising Objectives and Creative Strategy; and Media and Promotions.
Papers are due at the start of class on the due date. A letter grade will be subtracted each
day that a paper is late. Late papers are not accepted after one week. Further details
concerning project requirements will be given in class.
Teams will consist of four or five members. You may choose group members. I expect all
members to contribute equally to the team project. If you contribute less than other members,
your individual grade will be lower than the group grade. At the end of the semester, you will
have the opportunity to evaluate the performance of your team members, and I will consult
those evaluations in determining your individual grades for the group project.
PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE:
Daily participation and attendance are expected throughout the semester. The grade for
participation will be based on the successful completion of in class activities, as well as the
student’s attendance, timeliness, attentiveness to class and contribution to discussion. I will
ask each student to self- evaluate mid way through the semester. I will keep track of the
frequency and quality of your comments, which will count toward your participation grade.
WHAT’Z NEWZ PRESENTATIONS:
Every class will begin with “What’z Newz,” an opportunity to present and discuss current
issues and new innovations in marketing communication. Each of you will sign up for a class
date and will lead a 4 minute discussion on the topic of your choice, which must relate in some
way to marketing communication. The goal is to engage, educate, and entertain your
audience. In addition to presenting the issue, you will lead a short discussion, and will provide
a typed brief overview (no more than one page) and key reference(s) on the day you present.
Four minutes is not much time. Spend about 2 minutes on the issue and 2 minutes on the
discussion. Prepare a few open-ended questions that will get the discussion started. Here are
a few sites to check out if you need inspiration: Ad Age, Ad Week, Brandweek, Creativity Ad
Critic, Fast Company, iMedia Connection, Mashable, NYTimes – Monday Tech section.
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ODDS AND ENDS:
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Be on time for class. Regularly walking in late is unprofessional, disruptive, and rude.
Refrain from side conversations during lecture or student discussion.
Do not work on homework or study for another class during our class time.
Do not sleep during class. If you are tired or bored, pretend to be interested .
Turn off and put away cell phones when class begins.
If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get notes, assignments, exercises or other
materials from another student. Please do not e-mail me to ask what we covered.
 I do not give out grades by telephone or e-mail. Check Moodle.
 Throughout the semester I will give you many handouts, activities, and examples. I
encourage you to purchase a special binder in which to collect these resources as well
as maintain your class notes. Doing so will help keep you organized, improve your
learning experience, and make life easier when you prepare for exams.
DISABILITY ACCOMODATIONS:
 In order for a student to receive disability accommodations under Section 504 of the
Americans with Disabilities Act, he or she must contact Student Counseling Services
(SCS). SCS will assist with information regarding the appropriate policy and procedure
for disability accommodations before each semester or upon immediate recognition of
the disability. Student Counseling Services is located on the 4th floor of Alumni Hall or
they may be contacted via email at mbryant@mc.edu . You may also reach them by
phone at 601-925-7790. Dr. Morgan Bryant is director of MC Student Counseling
Services.
EARLY ALERT SYSTEM:
 Mississippi College has adopted the practice of finding students early in the semester
who may be exhibiting behaviors that could ultimately have a negative impact on their
academic progress. These behaviors are often called “red flag” behaviors and include
excessive absences, poor test grades, and lack of class participation or evidence of
non-engagement. Identifying these behaviors early gives the instructor the opportunity
to raise the “red flag” on behalf of a student so that the student can take the appropriate
action to redirect his/her progress. The system alerts the student, the student’s advisor,
and the Office of Student Success.
These messages are intended to help a student recognize an area of concern and to
encourage him/her to make some choices to improve the situation. When a student
receives an Early Alert message, the student should quickly make an appointment to
talk with his/her professor about the situation. Also, students can make full use of the
Office of Student Success to set academic goals and connect to campus resources.
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TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE
Date
Topic
Chapter
1/13
1/15
Course Introduction
Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communications
Ch. 1
1/20
1/21
Martin Luther King Holiday – No Class
Overview of Marketing, Advertising and IMC Planning
Ch. 7
1/27
1/29
Overview of the IMC Plan Team Project
Ethical and Regulatory Issues in Marketing Communications
Ch. 2
2/03
2/05
Understanding the Target Audience
EXAM 1
Ch. 4
2/10, 2/12
Creative Strategy: Developing the Creative Brief
Ch. 8
2/17, 2/19
Creative Strategy: Copy and Art for Print Media
Ch. 9
2/24, 2/26
Creative Strategy: Copy and Art for Electronic and Digital Media
Ch. 9
3/03
3/05
EXAM 2
Media Strategy: Overview
Ch. 15
3/7 – 3/16
SPRING BREAK
3/17, 3/19
Media Strategy: Print Media
Ch. 11
3/24, 3/26
Media Strategy: Electronic Media
Ch. 12
3/31, 4/02
Media Strategy: Digital Interactive and Social Media
Ch. 13
4/07
4/09
EXAM 3
Media Strategy: Out of Home, Direct Mail, Specialty Advertising
Ch. 14
4/14
4/16
Sales Promotion, Events, PR
Giving an Effective Pitch
Graduate Student Article Summaries due
4/21
4/23
Easter Break
Make-up Exams / Project Work Day
4/28, 4/30
Project Presentations and Written IMC Plans Due
5/03
FINAL EXAM at 12:00
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Ch.17
PROJECT TIMELINE
Date
Task
Points
1/27
Overview of the IMC Plan Team Project
Turn in list of team members
2/03
Turn in Proposed Client Summary Paragraph
2/19
Turn in Situation Analysis (graded)
25
2/26
Turn in Target Audience Analysis (graded)
10
3/05
Turn in Advertising Objectives and Creative Strategy (graded)
15
3/7 – 3/16
SPRING BREAK
4/09
Turn in Media Strategy and Ad Executions (graded)
4/23
Complete Sales Promotion, Direct Marketing, PR Recommendations
4/25
Executive Summary and Front Matter
4/28, 4/30
Project Presentation
Written IMC Plan
30
70
50
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