COMM 321-201 Special Topics: Advertising Campaigns

Spring Semester 2015

Instructor: Frank Wirth

Contact Information: FrankWirth@MSN.COM

Recommended Text: George E. Belch & Michael Belch, Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated
Marketing Communications Perspective. 8th or 9th or 10th Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin

Additional readings will be provided by the instructor in class.

Course Description:

This course is meant to be a culmination of previous advertising, marketing and research classes where
the student can apply those skills to create a comprehensive new campaign. The student will utilize
market research, strategic planning, creative development, media planning and all integrated marketing
communication disciplines. This is not a course for beginners.

Students will work in teams to prepare a complete advertising and IMC recommendation for a real
company that needs its current campaign refreshed. The emphasis will be on developing sound strategies
and rationales, solid creative and multiple media executions and professional quality work. Your
instructor will make the class as much like a real agency new business experience as possible.

Course Objectives:

1. To build on the student experience developing advertising & integrated marketing

Course Outline:

Advertising is a business. The course is designed to expose the student to a range of communication
strategies and techniques and provide hands-on experience in applying them. The course will use a
combination of lecture, readings, projects & written assignments.

Class Participation: 20%

Showing up for class on time is a given. Participation means contributing regularly to the class, via
discussion, presentation, answering and raising questions. Discussion and debate are ways of assuring
your understanding and adding valuable perspective. Besides, it is the role of the communications
professional to communicate regularly with management, the media and of course, targeted consumers.
The class gives you the chance to test your problem-solving skills and hone your skills as a
communicator.

It is important to come to class prepared, having read the assigned readings and ready to discuss them. Be
sure to speak up in class. Share your ideas, questions and point-of-view with the class. If you’ve seen or
heard a particularly interesting ad, bring it in and bring it up. Let’s have a dialog, not a lecture.
Participation accounts for 20% of your final grade. Your group members will also grade you on your
contributions to the creation of the campaign.

Tests:

There are none. Your grade will be determined by the quality of your group’s work, your contribution to
the group or to the class discussion.

Projects and written assignments: 80%

You will create one advertising plan/campaign. The plan is made up of a series of interrelated projects
(market research, creative strategy, media strategies, promotion strategies, etc.) to stimulate the plan
development process there will be a series of four or more projects, in total accounting for 40% of your
final grade. Each assignment represents an element of the plan. They include: 1) CK Client Brief &
Advertising Strategy Outlines, 2) Competitive and Consumer Research 3) Creative
Recommendation/Executions, 4) Recommendation/Agency Presentations. Taken together, the four
project phases form a comprehensive advertising campaign. Students will present their work to a group of
agency professionals who will also be responsible for assigning 40% of their grade.

You will select a client from a list of real companies, each in need of a timely new advertising campaign.
When you select a client, that company will be your focus for all project assignments in class. Details for
each project phase will be provided in class. The instructor needs to approve your client selection before
you begin.

Advertising is a team business. You will work in small groups. The groups will be determined the second
week of class. Groups have the advantage of sharing the work and developing ideas. The instructor will
meet with the groups individually and allow some time in class for groups to work in their projects.

Plan Book:

Your presentation needs to be included in a plan book (USB). The plan book is the leave-behind that ties
together your presentation with any other information you feel is important (detail on your research,
media plan, event execution details, even your resumes). It needs to be professional quality. It is the
document that demonstrates your total expertise.

Attendance:

The instructor does not recommend missing any class sessions as new client information, campaign
strategies and creative examples will be discussed in class. Class time may also be turned over to the
groups to meet and work on their project.
Grading:

Evaluation of advertising is often subjective or so it may seem in this course. But the instructor has
evaluated thousands of advertising concepts in his career and will provide guidance and feedback with
each assignment. Advertising awards and “A’s” are reserved for exceptional work. In addition, to the
letter grades (below) you will receive written comments on each major assignment.

A 93-100 B- 80-82 D+ 67-69

Deadlines:

Advertising professionals always meet deadlines. Any and all assignments are due at the beginning of
class. Late assignments should be emailed to the instructor ASAP. Late assignments will be marked down
one full letter grade for each day they are late. For example, an assignments is due Tuesday, you hand
your work in Wednesday, your work earns a “B,” but you get a “C,” losing one grade for tardiness.
Penalties for missed deadlines are more severe in the real world.

Original Work:

Originality is the hallmark of the advertising industry. Anyone caught plagiarizing in this class will
receive an “F” for the assignment. Be aware of the strong industry sanctions against plagiarism. Consult
the Student Handbook for more information on this topic.

Audibles:

Like a football game, plans in the real world require an “audible” from time to time. The instructor
reserves the right to make changes in the course schedule, assignments and materials presented to take
advantage of new opportunities or time requirements. Your regular attendance, just as in the working
world, is your best assurance of keeping up with the changes that might occur.

Writing:

Copywriters aren’t the only advertising people who write. Every advertising & marketing position
requires an ability to communicate effectively. Presentations, research findings, media plans,
recommendations, memos, all depend on the ability to communicate succinctly and persuasively.

Classroom Manners:

Turn off cell phones and keep them in your bag. Be respectful of fellow students and be in your seat when
class begins. Hold side conversations outside the classroom.

Tips for succeeding in this course:

- Attend class. If the instructor talks about it during class, it probably has significance.
 - Read the text. It’s thick but an easy read: lots of pictures, ads, sidebars, etc. it could be the first
and last reference book you will need on advertising.
- Proof & edit your work. Re-write, edit, and edit again. A typo can make a CEO look an idiot.
- Don’t try to the elephant in one bite. Keep up with the work. We’re taking it one step at a time.
- Present your ideas with conviction. Support your recommendations with facts.
- Style points counts. Boardroom quality PowerPoint is expected, and a good-looking paper or
presentation has a way of earning extra points with your audience.
- Have fun! Advertising is the “toy department” of the business world.

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is a serious form of violation of academic integrity. Plagiarism is the appropriation for gain of
ideas, language, or work of another without sufficient public acknowledgement and appropriate citation
that the material is not one’s own. It is true that the very thought probably has been influenced to some
degree by the thoughts and actions of others. Such influences can be thought of as affecting the ways we
see things and express all thoughts. Plagiarism, however, involves the deliberate taking and use of
specific words and ideas of others without proper acknowledgment of the source. Plagiarism on the part
of the student in academic work or dishonest examination behavior examination will result minimally in
the instructor the grade of “F” for the assignment or examination. All instances of academic dishonesty
must be reported to the chairperson of the department involved.