The Core Assessment for MK 380 is the development of an advertising campaign for a product or service of the student's choice. The project involves research and analysis or the target market and the creation of multiple deliverables and mediums.

The Ad Campaign Project:

Each student will work as if they were in an advertising agency/company on a "live case" of their choice. The student will need to gather information to assist with the creation of an ad campaign. There are two parts to this assignment: a paper and sample ads for online presentation.

The Paper:

Consider yourself to be an advertising agency and this paper a pitch to win a new business from a prospective client. You will discuss the feasibility of the given target market, campaign objectives, and your resulting ad campaign with media plan and evaluation metrics.

You should justify your campaign as one which appeals to your target market and effectively meets the campaign objectives. You must also justify your media choices. The paper should provide much more detail about the campaign than you will be able to fit into your project presentation. Your grade will be based on your ability to communicate that you have learned the course material and can effectively apply the appropriate concepts and information to a real world situation.

. There is no page limit but use your words effectively

A Campaign Plan:

In addition to or instead of an annual plan, a firm may develop a campaign plan that is more tightly focused on solving a particular marketing communication problem in a specified time. Such a plan typically includes a variety of marketing communication (marcom) messages carried in different media and sometimes targeted to different audiences.

The following outline of the sections, and the decisions they represent, in a typical campaign plan.

Typical Campaign Plan Outline:

1. Situation Analysis

• Background research
• SWOTs: strengths , weaknesses, opportunities, threats
• Key advertising problem/s to be solved

1. Key strategic campaign decisions

• Objectives
• Target audience (or stakeholder targets in an IMC Plan)
• Brand position: Product features and competitive advantage
• Campaign Strategy: Key strategic approach or marcom tool

1. Media strategy (or Points of Contact in an IMC Plan)

• Media objectives
• Media selection
• Media planning and buying:
• Vehicle selection
• Budget allocation
• Scheduling

1. Message strategy

• Key Consumer Insight (Brand Relationship Insight in IMC)
• Message objectives
• Selling premise
• Big idea
• Message design and executions

1. Other marcom tools used in support

• Sales promotion
• Public relations
• Direct marketing
• Personal selling
• Sponsorships, merchandising, packaging, point-of-purchase
• Integration Strategy (maximize synergy)

1. Campaign Management

• Evaluation of effectiveness
• Campaign Budget

The outline is useful as a guide for the planning document but more importantly, it also identifies the key strategic decisions that guide various sections of a campaign plan. They include:

1. identifying the key problems and opportunities,
2. stating objectives,
3. targeting the audience,
4. creating or reinforcing a position,
5. identifying the key strategic approach that will deliver the objectives, and
6. using management controls to determine efficiency in budgeting and effectiveness through evaluation.

Sample Ads:

The student must deliver at least one print ad and at least two additional media options (TV, radio, cable, internet, billboard, magazine, etc.).

Previous campaigns have included travel and cruise lines, new degree programs, cell phones, and casinos.