Read these articles related to a mobile marketing campaign by Old Navy:

Behind the campaign: Old Navy goes after men in new ad push (2011, June 18). Advertising Age. Retrieved from http://adage.com/article/news/navy-targets-campaign-men/228051/

Compare this mobile marketing campaign to its predecessor, which also led to the departure of Old Navy's marketing director:

Digital marketing works better for Millennials than TV (2012, January 24). Tech Journal. Retrieved from http://www.techjournalsouth.com/2012/01/digital-marketing-works-better-for-millennials-than-tv/

Elliott, S. (2011, February 17). Old Navy replaces mannequins with music. New York Times.Retrieved from http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/old-navy-replaces-mannequins-with-music/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Tansley, I. (2013). 8 reasons why men are trading in-person shopping for online retail. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/iantansley/2013/10/24/8-reasons-why-men-are-trading-in-in-person-shopping-for-online-retail/

Smith, C. (2015). The surprising facts about who shops online and on mobile. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/the-surprising-demographics-of-who-shops-online-and-on-mobile-2014-6

Kaplan, M. (2011). Behavioral differences between men and women influence shopping. Retrieved from http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3222-Behavioral-Differences-Between-Men-and-Women-Influence-Shopping

Case Assignment

Imagine you have been hired as a consultant to the VP of marketing for Old Navy, a subsidiary of Gap Inc. The VP wants to get an objective opinion from someone outside the company who is familiar with current marketing basics.

Your job is to write a short memo of 750-1500 words critically analyzing Old Navy's promotion strategy. In particular, note that the company has decided to use online video instead of television. Make sure to address the following issues:

1. Evaluate the choice of young adult males as a target for an Old Navy promotion.

2. In choosing mobile media for this campaign, what assumptions were made about the viewing habits of this target? Do you believe these assumptions are valid? What would you recommend regarding this choice?

3. What do you think of the creative strategy chosen for this campaign? With the increasing popularity of social media, what would you recommend to Old Navy regarding its online promotion strategy? Explain why.

Do not spend a lot of time digging in the company's website and do not just rehash what the company did; instead, introduce a critical perspective. Focus on the Case and Background reading as well as relevant background reading from Modules 1 and 2. There are no right answers; after all, you do not have inside information. You will be evaluated on your understanding of the background materials and your logic and reasoning. In particular, show your understanding of the way a change in target market affects the company's promotion strategy. Also, give some thought as to how this campaign meshes with other elements of Old Navy's marketing program, for example, merchandising (product management), store environment, and pricing, and where this all fits in GAP's brand portfolio.

Assignment Expectations Regarding Your References and Defense of Your Positions

Write clearly, simply, and logically. Your memo should be 750-1500 words long, excluding title pages and references, but quality of writing is more important than length. Check the following link for business memo format:http://www.fsb.muohio.edu/heitgedl/Memo%20writing%20tips%20ACC333%20SP06.pdf.

Back up your positions or opinions with references to the required reading found in the Module 1-3 Backgrounds and Ongoing Useful Resources. In using those references, demonstrate your understanding of the concepts presented. Rather than grading on how much information you find, emphasis will be on the defense of the positions you take on the issues. Also remember that:

1. The "why" is more important than the "what."

2. The defense of your positions on the issues is more important than the positions you take.

Do not repeat or quote definitions. Your use of the required reading to support your opinions (that is, contentions or positions) should demonstrate that you understand the concepts presented. Do not include definitions or summaries of the readings, or simply describe what the company did. Instead, your responses to the questions should be analytical and should demonstrate that (a) you understand the principles from the background reading and (b) you can apply them to this particular case. Vague, general answers will not earn a good grade.

Avoid redundancy and general statements such as "All organizations exist to make a profit." Make every sentence count.

Paraphrase the facts using your own words and ideas, employing quotes sparingly. Quotes, if absolutely necessary, should rarely exceed five words.

When writing an academically oriented paper, you will uncover many facts about the product. If you paraphrase the facts, cite the sources in your text and link those citations to references at the end of the paper.

Here are some guidelines on how to conduct information search and build critical thinking skills.

Emerald Group Publishing. (n.d.). Searching for Information. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/learning/study_skills/skills/searching.htm

Emerald Group Publishing. (n.d.). Developing Critical Thinking. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/learning/study_skills/skills/critical_thinking.htm

Guidelines for handling quoted and paraphrased material are found at:

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Academic Writing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Avoiding Plagiarism. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/1/

Your paper consists of arguments in favor of your opinions or positions on the issues addressed by the guidelines; therefore, avoid the following logical fallacies:

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Logic in Argumentative Writing. Retrieved from
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/03/