Assignment 2: Integrated marketing communication plan

• Length: 2500 words (+/-10%)

• Marks out of: 100

• Weighting: 40% of the course (MKT2001)

• This assignment should be submitted individually. It is not a team assignment. ?Assessment objectives ?Upon successful completion of this assignment, you should be able to:

? Demonstrate the ability to develop an integrated marketing communication plan (IMC plan).

? Demonstrate an understanding of the role of marketing communication tools (i.e. promotional mix tools) within the overall IMC plan.

? Prepare a formal report on an IMC program using the correct report writing format.

? Correctly reference sources of information using the Harvard AGPS referencing style. ?Assignment task: ?You need to develop an integrated marketing communication plan for a brand of your choice.

The brand should be chosen from any one of the two product groups, cellular phones or motor vehicles.

Example, Samsung (cellular phones) or Toyota (motor vehicles), or any other brand. You should base your IMC plan on a specific variant of the brand (for instance, if motor vehicles are chosen, the

Variant could be Toyota Corolla; or you could even focus on a specific variant of the Corolla etc. The focus of the IMC plan should be determined by you.

The IMC plan needs to be developed for a minimum of 3 months or a maximum of 12 months. You are required to use the combination of which-ever IMC mix tools you feel are relevant to the target audience.

You do not necessarily have to use all of the IMC tools. The IMC plan should follow the correct report format. Please refer to the course reading on ‘Report Writing'. This can be located in ‘Course Readings Direct'.

The contents of the IMC Plan should cover:
Title page

Executive summary

Table of contents

Introduction and brief background of the company and brand/product.

Marketing communication objectives:

- These need to be adapted to the response hierarchy and they should be SMART objectives i.e. specific regarding what you want to achieve, measurable (quantified), achievable, and time- framed. They should also make reference to the target audience.

Target audience:?- Concise description. This description must be relevant for creative and media planning.

Brand/product positioning:

Creative /message strategy:

- Unique selling proposition or consumer promise (what's in it for me).

- Appeal: What type of appeal will be used? Provide a rationale (an explanation of why you ?have chosen this appeal).

- Execution style: What type of style will be used? Provide a rationale.

- Integration strategy: How will synergy/ a consistent theme be achieved.

IMC mix (IMC tools):

- Which elements of the IMC mix will be used? Justify your decisions and provide a clear rationale for each type being used (deal with each one at a time).

- How will each contribute to achieving the communication objective(s)? Identify which of the IMC objective(s) the promotion mix elements will help achieve and describe how.

- The appropriate combination of IMC elements. IMC elements should be selected from the following list: Advertising; sales promotion; digital marketing; direct marketing; personal selling; public relations; sponsorship marketing. ?Mock-ups / illustrations:

- Here you need to create mock-ups of the marketing communication materials; for example, for television - a storyboard; a script for radio; for sales promotion, an illustration or drawing of point-of-sale(s) material; competition entry forms; illustration or mock-up of a billboard etc. Put these in the report in the section where you are discussing them in the text. You  Should only make use of a maximum of two mock-ups. For instance, if your IMC plan has

Made use of five IMC mix elements, you should only do mock-ups for two of them.?- Production requirements: List what you will require for production; this would include items

Such as creative development, still photography, models, actors, artwork, voice over, music, filming etc.

Media strategy:

- How and where you will reach your target audience. Vehicle selection - Actual television station(s) and or program(s), radio station(s) and or program(s), magazine(s), newspaper(s), social media/ Internet site(s), outdoor, etc., plus a rationale (why you have selected this particular media vehicle, demonstrate the fit with the target audience, describe the ratings, readership etc.) for each.

Media budget:

- Actual media costing (you can use costing from similar media vehicles) for each used. This is best presented in a table with a total cost calculated.

Media scheduling:?- Type of schedule for each media vehicle.

Evaluation:?- How the campaign will be monitored and measured, quantitative and/or qualitative.

Conclusion:?- This pulls it all together. It is a strong finishing statement.

List of references:

- Use Harvard AGPS referencing style. Referencing will show evidence of research and the use of relevant sources of information in addition to the prescribed textbook (set text).

Appendices - (if required).?- If used, these should be made reference to in the IMC Plan.

Notes on Assignment 2 (IMC Plan)

? You can access information on the products via the Internet or any other sources. You should NOT contact the company except to request publicly available information such as annual reports, brochures etc. Please note that the objective of the assignment is to test your knowledge of the theory and your ability to apply the theory. If a piece of information is not readily available from public materials (observation, the Internet, company annual reports, brochures etc.), then you should feel free to make realistic assumptions. If you make an assumption, please state in brackets (assumed) after the assumption has been made.

? You must demonstrate your knowledge of relevant theory from textbooks and other recommended readings. You should use at least one other textbook (in addition to the prescribed text) as well as relevant articles and any other sources to support your arguments.

? You are encouraged to use tables and figures wisely to present your material in a concise and readable manner. Tables and figures are not included in the word count but must be accompanied by a short discussion of the key issues presented in the table or figure. Tables and figures must be numbered and labelled and included in a list at the end of the table of contents.

? The word limit 2500 words (+/- 10%) does not include title page, executive summary, table of contents, tables, figures, references and appendices. Also note that mock-ups are actually figures.

? In the process of preparing your assignment submission, you need to refer to the marking criteria. The marking criteria is on Study Desk.

? The assessment objectives of this assignment are specifics within the broader context of the four learning objectives stated in the course specification (learning objectives 1, 2, 3 & 4).

? This assignment assesses all modules 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.