Chapter 10: Promotion (Integrated Marketing Communications)
10.8 Discussion Questions and Activities
Review and Reflect
- Provide an example of how an organization, such as your university, uses different media to present a consistent message using integrated marketing communications (IMC). Who is their target, what is their message, and what media should they use?
- In your opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages of advertising on the radio, in magazines, on television, through direct marketing, and on the Internet?
- Give an example of an organization’s promotional strategy and how it gets consumers to select it, pay attention to it, and retain it as intended.
- Give an example of the unique selling proposition of one of your favourite brands.
- Think about and provide examples of two different message strategies you’ve seen in commercials in the last year. Why do you think they were or were not effective?
- Can you think of any times when a commercial was entertaining, but it was difficult to remember the brand or product.
- As the manufacturer of small appliances (i.e. Soda Stream), explain how you might plan to use both a push strategy and pull strategy.
- What type of sales promotions do you feel are most effective for university students?
- Explain three different types of public relations tools that a company can use to generate interest in its products.
- What types of sponsorships are becoming more popular and why?
- What are the risks of posting information on social media?
Activities
- Identify your three favourite and least favourite commercials and explain why you like or don’t like each one. Notice whether there are similarities in your preferences. In other words, are your favourite commercials humourous? Are your least favourite commercials annoying?
- Create a message strategy for a cover letter to go with your résumé.
- Outline three message strategies that you feel would get consumers’ attention in television commercials and in print ads.
- Create a sales promotion you think will attract a lot of students to your favourite fast-food restaurant.
- You are applying for a job in an advertising agency. Write an ad about yourself that explains your unique selling proposition and why they should hire you.
- What media do you think would be most (and least) effective for university students? Why?
- Create a product review or a blog for your favourite fast-food restaurant that you would like other people to see on social media. Where would you post it?
- Identify your favourite television show and explain what product placements you think would be successful. Would you change your recommended product placements if you were making recommendations for shows that appealed more to parents or grandparents?
- You’ve been asked to create a new social media platform. What would you name it and what would you suggest to make it better than existing platforms?
