JMS 560: Advertising Research
(Fall, 2013)
Instructor: Dr. Joel Davis
Office Hours
Tuesday and Thursday from 12:50 to 1:50; 3:30 to 3:50. Other times by
appointment. Office location is PSFA 337A.
Phone: 4-­­6714
E--mail: jdavis@mail.sdsu.edu
Course Materials:
Required Text -­­ Davis, Advertising Research (2e) (ISBN 0--­13-­­212832-­­2).
Supplemental readings are available at no cost at from the text’s Prentice-Hall website at
http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_davis_advres_2/ (materials are in zip files arranged by chapter) or via
links in this syllabus.
Course Description
There are three goals for this course.
The first two goals relate to your education. First, as a result of participating in this course you will
(hopefully) have a better understanding of the role of research in the advertising business (overall) and
in the development of an advertising campaign (in particular). You will see how research is used to aid in
strategic and creative decisions. Specifically, upon successful completion of JMS 560 you will have
developed a better understanding of:
-
the “logistics" of advertising research (how to identify issues and problems; evaluate research
options; perform data analysis; interpret data).
-
the role of research in the development of marketing and advertising strategic and executional
plans.
-
the different research options that are available/appropriate for different advertising-­­related
problems or for different advertising-­­related informational needs.
Second, the material discussed in this course will provide the prerequisites necessary for success in a
course many of you will take next semester -­­ JMS 565: Advertising Campaigns.
The third and perhaps most important goal pertains to your career after you leave SDSU. Students who
are successful in this course tend to be successful in the advertising and related communications
businesses, in great part because they have learned how to "think" about advertising. As a result, the third
course goal is to help you develop your advertising-­­related strategic skills. If successful, you will move
beyond telling what data or information "is" to interpreting what the data or information "means."
Course Policies
Prerequisites
Students in the School of Journalism & Media Studies must satisfy the following:
-
Grade of C or better in JMS 200 and310; Passing grade in JMS 460; Admission into the Advertising
Major; Concurrent enrollment in JMS 462 is strongly recommended.
-
IMC majors are eligible for enrollment with proof of status as an IMC major.
All other undergraduate and graduate students may only enroll with instructor approval.
Assignments and Tests: Undergraduates
Your grade will reflect the quality of your work in three areas: exams, major assignments, and
in-class quizzes/exercises.
Exams will comprise about 45% of your grade.
-
Three large exams will take place over the course of the semester. Exams are not cumulative and
as a result will only cover material since the last exam. Each exam consists of multiple choice, true­­false, short answer, fill-in-the blank and open-­­ended questions. You may bring your class and
reading notes as well as any class handouts into the exam. NO other aids, such as the text (the
actual book or photocopies) or printouts of any Powerpoint presentations, are permitted.
Students in violation of this guideline will be given a "0" on the exam. In the absence of prior
approval, there will be no opportunity to "make--­up" a missed exam.
Four major written assignments will comprise about 45% of your grade. These assignments will
require you to apply content presented in both the readings and class. Assignments and due dates are:
Assignment 1: Data Presentation via Infographic
Assigned: September 24
Due: October 8
Assignment 2: Question Writing
Assigned: October 15
Due: October 31
Assignment 3: Quantitative Data Analysis
Assigned: October 31
Due: November 12
Assignment 4: Perceptual Mapping
Assigned: November 14
Due: December 3
NO late submissions without prior approval will be accepted.
In-class quizzes and exercises will comprise about 10% of your grade and will address required
readings. These will be unannounced and no “make-ups” will be given.
Additional Work: Graduate Students
In addition to satisfying all of the undergraduate requirements for the course, graduate students will
also need to write and submit an 12 to 15 page paper. Potential paper topics will be determined in
conference with the professor.
Grades
There is no curve. Grades are assigned on a straight percentage basis, as follows:
90% or above: A range
80% to 89%:
B range
70% to 79%:
C range
65% to 69%:
D
64% and below: F
Housekeeping
Do not leave any food products, newspapers, etc. in the classroom. Please recycle your plastic
bottles, aluminum cans and discarded paper in appropriate containers. Eating and drinking in a
classroom is a conditional privilege that requires individual responsibility and which may be
rescinded if abused.
Use of Electronic Equipment
Laptops should be ONLY be used for taking notes. You may be asked to verify that your laptop is being
used for course related purposes. Please turn off all cell phones and other electronic equipment.
Students using cell phones during class or inappropriately using a laptop are disruptive to both other
students and the professor, and may be asked to leave class.
Excuses, etc.
Most excuses and explanations for failing to meet assignments or deadlines are unacceptable.
Documented major family crises, illness and other monumental, unavoidable and/or unanticipated
events will be given due consideration.
Syllabus Modification
Dates, content order, assignments, etc. may be changed in response to class needs.
Academic Integrity
1
Academic integrity is a critical component of your education. Note that violations of
academic integrity carry serious consequences. You may fail the assignment, fail the
course, and/or be suspended. The most common violations of academic integrity are
described below.
Cheating
Cheating is the use of impermissible and/or unacknowledged materials, information, or study aids
in any academic activity. Using books, notes, calculators, conversations with others, etc. when their
use is restricted or forbidden, constitutes cheating. Similarly, students may not request others
(including commercial term paper companies) to conduct research or prepare any work for them.
Students may not submit identical work, or portions thereof, for credit more than once without prior
approval of the instructor to whom the work is being submitted for the second or subsequent time.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own in any academic
work. To avoid plagiarism, every direct quotation must be identified by quotation marks, or by
appropriate indentation, and must be cited properly according to the accepted format for the
particular discipline. Acknowledgment is also required when material from any source is
paraphrased or summarized in whole or in part in one's own words. To acknowledge a paraphrase
properly, one might state: to paraphrase Plato's comment... and conclude with a footnote or
appropriate citation to identify the exact reference. A footnote acknowledging only a directly
quoted statement does not suffice to notify the reader of any preceding or succeeding
paraphrased material. Information that is common knowledge, such as names of leaders of
prominent nations, basic scientific laws, etc, need not be cited; however, the sources of all facts or
information obtained in reading or research that are not common knowledge among students in the
course must be acknowledged. In addition to materials specifically cited in the text, other materials
that contribute to one's general understanding of the subject may be acknowledged in the
bibliography. Sometimes, plagiarism can be a subtle issue. Students are encouraged to discuss any
questions about what constitutes plagiarism with the faculty member teaching the course.
Denying others access to information or material
It is a violation of academic integrity to deny others access to scholarly resources or to
deliberately impede the progress of another student or scholar. Examples of violations of this
type include giving other students false or misleading information; making library material
unavailable to others by stealing or defacing books or journals; deliberately misplacing or
destroying reserve materials; and altering someone else’s computer files.
Facilitating Violations of Academic Integrity
It is a violation of academic integrity for a student to aid others in violating academic
integrity. A student who knowingly or negligently facilitates a violation of academic integrity
is as culpable as the student who receives the impermissible aid, even if the former student
does not benefit from the violation.
1 Source
for this section: http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/integrity.shtml
Students with Disabilities
Students who need accommodation of their disabilities should contact me privately by the second
class period to discuss specific accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you
have a disability, but have not yet contacted Student Disability Services, please do so before coming
to see me. Student Disability Services is located in room 3101 of the Calpulli Center on Hardy Ave.
(near Cox Arena), and their phone number is 619-­­594-­­6473. More information is available at
http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/dss/dss_home.html.
Class Schedule and Readings
August 27
Orientation, introduction to role of research
Advertising Research, Chapter 1
August 29
Research Ethics
Advertising Research, Chapter 2
Download and print PDF of the AAPOR Code of Ethics.
September 3 - 10
Qualitative Research and Focus Groups
Advertising Research, Chapter 5 (9/3)
Advertising Research, Chapter 6 (9/5)
Download Chapter 6 zip file from the text’s Prentice-Hall website. Print and bring to class
the first 10 pages.
Advertising Research, Chapter 7 (9/10)
September 12 - 17
Human and Automated Observation Research
Advertising Research, Chapter 8
September 19
Biometric Observation Research
Advertising Research, Chapter 9
Download Chapter 9 zip file from the text’s Prentice-Hall website. After reading the
chapter: (1) Review the Mindsign document and then watch the video at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-05cOTWWQkg, and (2) Review Tobii cases 1 and 3.
September 24 - 26
Reporting Research: Traditional and Infographic
Advertising Research, Chapter 21
Review for Exam #1 (9/26)
October 1
Exam #1
October 3
Sampling
Advertising Research, Chapter 4
October 8
Survey Research
Advertising Research, Chapter 10
October 10 - 22
Measurement, Asking Questions and Questionnaire Design
Advertising Research, Chapters 11 - 13
October 24 - 31
Data Analysis
Advertising Research, Chapter 15
Review for Exam #2 (10/31)
November 5
Exam #2
November 7 - 14
Advertising Optimization and Experiments
Advertising Research, Chapter 14
Advertising Research, Chapter
November 16 - 23
Brand Mapping
Advertising Research, Chapter 18
November 26, December 3 - 5
Segmentation
Advertising Research, Chapter 17
After reading about VALS take the VALS survey (click on “Take The Survey,” print out your
results and bring to class)
November 28
Vacation
December 10
Content TBD
Review for Exam #3
December 17: 1:00 PM
Exam #3