Assessment objectives:

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you should be able to:

Identify the key issues in a marketing communications related case study.

Demonstrate the ability to identify and employ alternative communication initiatives.

Demonstrate an understanding of a communications brief.

Demonstrate the ability to respond to a communications brief.

Case Study: Putting the Environment on the Radar for Hardware Customers

A copy of this marketing communications related case study is on Study Desk. Please analyse the case and answer the following case study questions:

Question 1:

Problem identification: Identify what you would term the key issues/ problems in this case study.

Question 2:

What other communication initiatives would you recommend if the retail staff or the in-store brochure initiatives were to be replaced by other initiatives? Give justification for your recommendations.

Question 3:

If you were the creative director at Cat Communications, what would your response be to the creative questions posed by the hardware chain's management in the creative brief?

Format

Title page

Introduction

The introduction should provide a brief background on either hardware companies overall, or an overview of an individual hardware company that you investigates. This then should lead to the issue that the management of the company is confronted with.

This section should not be longer than one-third to one-half of a page. It should furthermore set the scene of the for your analysis.

You may end this section by saying something like: ‘This essay will be investigating the following topics, including the main issue of the case; followed by a discussion on the recommended communication initiatives or in-store brochure initiatives, and lastly the essay concludes with a response to the creative questions posted by the hardware chain's management in the creative brief.

Body

The body of the essay should address the three questions provided in the assignment. Therefore the headings could be as follows:

The identification of the main case issue

Please refer to the slides on the identification of the case issue on the study desk.

Other communication initiatives recommended (this is question 2).

It is important that you address some new initiatives here in this section. If you suggest some initiatives remember to define and reference each concept.

Then you apply it to the case. What initiatives would you recommend to management, and why (justify)? Would you for example rather reach customers with the information before they enter the store, and use ads in mass media (TV or Social media), or will you keep the advertising material inside the store by adding some promotional material (e.g. video screens in store etc.)? You have to explain why you suggest this.

Response to the creative questions posed by the hardware chain's management.

This section refers to the questions asked in the essay on p. 118 at the bottom of the page. For example, the first question indicates "Should the creative main message and visuals emphasise the financial aspects of making sound environmental choices?"

In this regard it is important that you consider the central and pheripheral paths of the ELM. How will you use peripherals to attract the attention of customers towards the information?

Here it is also important to state how the hardware companies should position their brand in order to convey the correct meaning to the customers. Note PIB: the brand is conveying the meaning or image of the brand that was identified by the positioning process (P=Positioning; I=Image; B=Brand).

Conclusion

This section should essentially summarises the main points or findings/recommendations of the assignment. It should be based on the information presented in the body. It is essential that you do not introduce any new information or ideas at this stage and the use of direct quotations should be avoided.

The conclusion should answer the question: what do the findings mean? It is also important that your conclusion is consistent with the outline of the essay. The conclusion should answer the following questions: was the puporse of the fulfilled?

Have the specified sources of information been used>? Have the areas stated been adequately tackled?

List of reference

The list of reference should be listed alphabetically. It is also wise to use at least 6 additional sources/references other than your textbook.

Length: 1500 words (+/-10%)

Attachment:- case_study.rar