Marketing 310-Public Relations & Marketing
Term Paper Outline-Fall 2004
Topic due date: Monday, October 4, 2004
Paper due date: Monday, November 29, 2004
Each student must apply the topics from this course book, which are introduced and
explored in this class, to an organization selected by the student. This application project
forms 10% of the final grade and takes the form of a paper, which must be word
processed and no longer than 12pages. Students will select a business or other entity
(non-profit, special interest group, government, politician, celebrity-either real or fiction)
and discuss and evaluate the marketing communications strategies and tactics employed
by that person.
Outline: (Study IMC planning model in Chapter One to gain insight as to what will be
involved in developing the IMC planning model).
1. Analyze the marketing situation analysis for the product or service you have chosen.
Important areas to address include the marketing strategy and plan for the
product/service, the relevant competition and the marketing programs that will be used in
terms of various marketing mix, variables; and an analysis of the of the environmental
factors and how they will impact the marketing and promotion of your brand. (Chap. 2)
2. Determine how you will organize your company for advertising and promotion. You
must develop an internal organization chart and specify whether you are going to use a
centralized or decentralized system and whether you will use an in-house agency or hire
an outside agency. If you decide to use an outside agency you should specify what type
of criteria you will use for selecting an agency and what type of agency compensation
system you will use and why. How will you evaluate the performance of the agency?
Attention should also be given as to whether you will be using any specialized marketing
communication services such as direct-response agencies, sales promotion agencies and
public relations firms. Would you prefer to use a large agency that has all of these
integrated services capabilities? (Chap. 3)
3. Analyze the consumer decision-making process for your product or service. Explain
what factors would motivate this purchase, the search process, what attributes might be
important at the alternative evaluation stage, the degree of problem solving, etc. What
external factors might influence consumers’ decision-making process for this product or
service such as culture, subculture, social class and reference group? What are the
implications of your consumer behavior analysis for the development of your IMC plan?
(Chap. 4)
4. Specify the various stages in the responses process through which consumers will have
to pass before purchasing your product or service. Discuss the implications of the
response process model you feel is applicable for the development of the IMC plan for
your product or service. (Chap. 5)
5. Discuss some of the options you are considering for the three major communications
variables of source, message, and channel or medium. Who will be the source or
communicator for you advertising campaign and what is the rationale for this choice?
What type of message are you considering using for your campaign? Will any of the
message structures or types of appeals discussed be relevant to your campaign? Analyze
the various channels that might be used to communicate with your target audience. You
should analyze the various source, message and channels factors with respect to how they
will impact the stages of the response hierarchy. (Chap. 6).
6. Specify the specific advertising and promotional objectives for your IMC program.
Describe how your objectives have evolved from the marketing and promotional situation
analysis you conducted for your product or service. Explain whether you are using sales
or communication objectives and the rationale for your choice. Do your objectives
satisfy the criteria specified by the DAGMAR model. What promotional mix element
will be used as the source of the “big idea” around which your IMC program will be
developed? Why have you chosen to lead with this marketing communication tool? How
will other promotional mix tools be used to help you achieve your IMC objectives?
Establish an IMC budget. Explain the basis for this budget amount. Start thinking about
allocation decisions to follow. (Chap. 7)
7. Develop the copy platform that contains the basic creative strategy for your advertising
campaign. What is the advertising theme chosen for your product or service? Are any
unique approaches being used such as unique selling property or service? Are any unique
approaches being used such as unique selling proposition, brand image, inherent drama or
positioning as the basis for the major selling idea?
8. Specify the advertising appeal and execution style that will be used to implement the
ad campaign. What is the advertising theme chosen for your product or service? Are any
unique approaches being used such as unique selling property or service? Are any unique
approaches being used such as unique selling proposition, brand image, inherent drama or
positioning as the basis for the major selling idea? (Chap. 9)
9. Present specific media objectives. Include a profile of the target audience(s). Develop
a broad media schedule. Explain what creative aspects and mood must be taken into
consideration. (Chap. 10).
10. Analyze the role of television and radio in the media plan for the product or service.
Your analysis should focus on how TV and/or radio can be used to reach the target
audience and help achieve your media objectives. What are the advantages of using TV
and/or radio? What percentage of your media plan will be devoted to broadcast media?
What specific programs are used in the media schedule and why? (Chap. 11)
11. Analyze the role of magazines and newspapers in the media plan for you product or
service. Your analysis should focus on how magazines and newspapers can be used to
reach the target audience and help achieve your media objectives. What percentage of
the media budget will be devoted to magazines and newspapers? (Chap. 12)
12. Are a variety of support media included in the media plan? The absolute and relative
costs should be shown and a rationale for their inclusion should be provided. (Chap. 14)
13. Can the product or service be marketed through direct response media? If not, explain
why not. If so, include in the plan the direct media to be used, the cost, budget allocation
for their inclusion should be provided. Could this product be effectively marketed
through the Internet? If so, develop web strategies. (Chap. 14).
14. Discuss if sales promotion is used as part of the IMC plan for your product or service.
Discuss how sales promotion will be coordinated with your advertising campaign giving
attention to areas such as budgeting ad and promotional theme coordination and media
support and timing. (Chap 15).
15. Develop the public relations plan as part of the overall program. Describe what the
objectives of this program are, how the program will be implemented and how it will be
evaluated for effectiveness. (Chap. 16).
16. Describe the role that personal selling will play in the IMC plan. Explain which of
the other elements of the promotional mix will be used to support salespersons’ efforts.
(Chap. 17).
17. Explain which measures of effectiveness of promotional tools employed will be used.
Is the pretest or posttest phase used, and will lab or field methodologies be used. (Chap.
18).
18. Analyze the potential for your product or service in international markets giving
attention to the various forces in the international environment and how they would
apply. If you feel that the product or service can be marketed internationally, develop a
plan for doing so. Will you use a global advertising campaign or a localized approach?
You should address the various decision areas for international advertising including
organization, agency selection, creative strategy and media selection. How might other
promotional mix elements such as sales promotion, personal selling and public relations
be used in marketing your product or service in foreign markets? (Chap. 20).
19. Evaluate the IMC plan developed for your product or service from a legal and
regulatory perspective. Could any of the claims made for your product or service be
challenged by a competitor or government agency? How will any problems be addressed?
(Chap. 21).
20. The final part of the project requires you to evaluate your IMC plan from a social and
ethical perspective. Can the advertising and promotional plan be defended from a social
and ethical perspective? Could any particular group find your advertising offensive?
(Chap. 22).