Marketing 454: Advertising Strategy (Draft)

Transcription

1 Marketing 454: Advertising Strategy (Draft) Summer 2017 Brian Sternthal The Advertising Strategy course examines how to plan and execute advertising strategy. The course is divided into three sections. The first section focuses on planning the advertising strategy. Discussion centers on targeting and brand positioning that is based on consumer insight. Potential segments are selected based on category and brand usage. Insight about consumers purchase related motivations is used to select the specific segment that will be targeted and to identify the appeal that offers the brand a competitive advantage in delivering a benefit important to consumers. Insight about how consumers make judgments and the process by which they share brand knowledge with others is also discussed. The second section examines executional elements of advertising, which include the design of media and creative strategy. Here, we analyze the broadcast and social media platforms that are likely to be most effective, and the content strategies that are likely to enhance target engagement with the brand. In the final section, the planning and executional analyses developed in the course serve as a basis for evaluating advertising campaigns. Throughout the focus is on the assessment of advertising fundamentals in a contemporary context where disruptions change how consumers are targeted, brands are positioned, and engagement is created and maintained. These issues will be addressed in contexts where brands have large budgets as well as contexts where brands have r a small if any advertising budget (e.g., startups). The analysis will examine when broadcast advertising that entails one-to-many messaging or social media advertising that is typically one-to-one are viable alone, and when broadcast and digital/social media require orchestration to reach brand targets. The classroom time will be devoted largely to the discussion of cases and other issues. To prepare for this discussion, several different types of materials are available prior to class. One is weekly video lectures slides with voiceover that cover key strategic concepts that are the basis for the analysis of the cases designed specifically for this course. In some weeks, a recent article or ad will be included in the reading. The video lectures, cases, articles, ads and weekly class handouts will be posted on Canvas. For each week, class members are expected to read posted articles, view the video lectures, analyze the cases assigned, and submit written responses to case questions via a link (Qualtrics). The course grade is determined on the basis on individual and group work. Listed below are the assignments, whether the assignment involves individual or group work, and the weight of each assignment in the overall grade. 1

2 Weekly Assignments Week Topic Assignment 1. Introduction Review video lecture 2 Targeting Cases: Häagen-Dazs, Jif, Tough Mudder. Review video lecture 3. Consumer Insight Cases: World of Warcraft, GoldieBlox, Oreo. Review video lecture. Roaring Fork written case (Individual, 10%) 4. Brand Positioning Old Spice, Light Beer. Review video lecture 5. Sustaining a Position Cases: Berol, Netshoes, GEICO. Review Dove Real Beauty videos. Review video lecture. Olay Daily Facials written case (Group, 20%) 6. Media Strategy Cases: Yellow Tail, Ingersoll. Review video lecture 7. Media & Creative Case: Dollar Shave Yoplait Yogurt written case (Group, 15%) 8. Creative Strategy Cases: Milk, Hallmark, Tide, Pepsi Refresh. Review video lecture 9. Creative Executions Under Armour, Navy Mutual, Tide, Pepsi Refresh Live written case (Group, 20%) 10. Campaigns Live case presentations Under Armour, Holt Branding in the Age of Social Media (2016) 11. Final Exam Take home final (Individual 20%); Class participation (15%) 2

3 Roaring Fork Beer Case due at class (Individual, 10%) Using as much of the case data as possible, develop a scenario that accounts for non- and ex- RFB drinkers disposition toward the RFB brand. This is your consumer insight. It is the most important facet of the analysis. Once you have developed the consumer insight, identify the one question that is most crucial to answer in supporting the scenario you developed, and describe in a sentence the research that would be recommended to address this question. Identify a targeting strategy that you would recommend to halt the decline of RFB. Describe the segment you would target, and how you would appeal to it. This appeal should be described in terms of a positioning statement. You might enhance brand demand through an advertising appeal for the current brand, or by recommending the development of a new product. Evaluate the virtues and liabilities of your strategy using the data presented in the case to support your assessment. Develop a storyboard for the target you have selected. Present four to six boxes that indicate what will be said and shown (see below). No artwork is required. Provide a brief rationale for the creative execution. This is an individual written assignment. The page limit has been set at two single-spaced pages (Times New Roman font size 12 and 1 margins). Present the storyboard and creative rationale on a third page. 1 2 video: in home office. close-up of framed family photo. voice over: You want to be there for your family. But can you really be there for them... video: military officer s image begins to fade and disappears from photo. voice over:... even after you re gone? Yes, you can. 3 4 video: camera begins to widen and dolly left as the man places photo on desk. voice over: At Navy Mutual we are here to help you every step of the way. 3 video: dolly continues. super benefits as spoken. voice over: As a non-profit life insurance company, we have competitive rates, and no commission. There are no war, aviation or terrorism restrictions.

4 Olay Daily Facial Case due at class (Group, 20%) The case analysis takes place at a point four months after the ODF launch when Dove enters the market. The following issues should be addressed in the case analysis. Who should be the target for the ODF brand? Consider point of entry, older women, and all women in developing your targeting recommendation. Provide a brief evaluation of the virtues and limitations of each target considered. Present a detailed customer insight for the target(s) selected. This entails developing a description of the targets activities, interests, and opinions that are relevant to the category and brand. Your insight should include a discussion of what motivates category use, what is symbolized by using the category, and what prompts the target to purchase the ODF brand. What should the brand s position be? Specify a frame of reference and a point of difference. Evaluate whether the frame of reference should be personal cleansing, facial cleansing, or some other frame. In selecting the frame, assess the strengths and weaknesses of the alternative frames. In addition, establish a point of difference for the ODF brand. This might entail selecting from the benefit list presented in Table 4, as well as a more general consideration of Olay s equity, the frame of reference and competitors positions. Justify this choice. Identify media choices. Here, the task is to select two media vehicles that expose the target to ODF messaging at a moment when the category and brand might be relevant. Evaluate in detail all of the creative executions for ODF presented in the case. Use insights emerging from this analysis to develop a story board that reflects your positioning of the brand. Provide a brief rationale for your storyboard. Present the evaluation of prior creative, the storyboard, and its rationale in an appendix. A limit of five double-spaced pages with one-inch margins and font size 12 has been set for this case, exclusive of appendices. A word document is appropriate for this assignment. Yoplait Yogurt ed to the instructor (Group, 15%) This case assignment involves the completion of three tasks. One is the development of the creative brief shown in figure 3 (consumer insight, positioning, and support). The second is the creation of a storyboard for Yoplait Original Style Yogurt that executes the brief by developing a 30-second TV commercial and provides a brief rationale for the storyboard. The third task is the description of one social media execution to complement the TV commercial (e.g., using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, or blogs). The deliverable is a Powerpoint presentation that includes the brief, storyboard plus rationale, and social media recommendation. 4

5 Live Case ed to the instructor (Group, 20%) The live case assignment involves evaluating an advertising issue or campaign of your choosing. The advertising evaluated can be print, radio, Internet, TV, signage, or from any other medium. The context for the live case can be consumer or business-to-business, profit or nonprofit, and products or services. Where appropriate, representative ads should be included (actual ads or URLs). The live case should include relevant background information about the firm, its competitors, and consumers. A creative brief outlining the target, consumer insight, the position, as well as directives about the executional elements of the advertising should be included in your report. The analysis should also include an assessment of the creative strategy. This entails examining the content of the advertising as well as the manner in which it is presented. Depending on the complexity of the creative, you might select a single ad or a campaign composed of multiple ads and multiple media. In addition, where appropriate, you should consider competitors advertising to help you assess the uniqueness and impact of the focal brand s campaign. The report has two elements. One is to describe the campaign. The other is to analyze it. The analysis should go beyond describing what the firm has done, and the logic for that strategy. Your assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the strategies and executions is the most important element of your analysis. How do you find a brand to study? Select one that you have worked on as a member of the brand team or in some other way familiar with. Alternatively, conduct an online search for the brand and examine what has been written about it. Then check whether advertising for the brand is available on YouTube or elsewhere. This is a group assignment. Ten double-spaced pages is the target length for this report. Additional pages can be devoted to appendices. Several groups will be asked to make a short presentation (15 minutes) of their report and answer questions during the last week of class. The goal is to share the group s learning from the analysis with others in the class. A PowerPoint presentation should be included in the live case submission that describes the problem addressed, presents the advertising for the brand, and outlines the evaluation. Sample cases are posted on Canvas. Final Exam (Individual, 20%) The final exam is a take home exam that includes four or five short cases that test course concepts targeting, positioning, insight, media strategy, and creative strategy. The exam will be posted on Canvas at the end of week 9. It is to be submitted on Wednesday of exam week. Sample questions are posted on Canvas. 5

6 Class Participation (Individual, 15%) Half of the class participation score is based on the submission and quality of the written responses to the weekly case questions. These assignments are reviewed by the instructor and are used as a basis for class discussion. No written feedback is provided for these weekly responses to case questions. They are assigned to help students organize their case analysis and to enable the instructor to organize class discussion of the cases so that alternative perspectives are represented. The remainder of the class participation score is determined by class attendance missing more than two classes will also result in a reduction in the participation score, whereas attending all classes will enhance this score, class participation, and peer evaluations on group cases. 6