promote its bikes to newer golf communities. It asks two agencies to pitch for its
business and gives each a meeting in which it conveys the information above.
AlphaAgency is based in Miami and insists that its creative team is best suited to
promote Optima. Its managers tell the prospective client that this team is well versed in
advanced animation techniques and can dramatize the features of Optima’s two and
threewheeled bikes in a dynamic way. They”ll focus on how fast they can go and how
they can “transform the ride” into an adventurethis has worked in other ads, and this
will appeal to the male consumers who need to be lured away from the golf course.
Following this initial display of product prowess, they suggest a campaign that
demonstrates how the bikes can be customized to be more “comfortable and attractive
for the ladies,” including pink seat options. They finish by asking whether the brand
name can be changed to ‘something more exciting.”
BetaAgency is based in Los Angeles and promises to serve as Optima’s branding
partner. It asserts that its creative philosophy is centered on long-term brand building.
Its managers propose that they will develop the right message by applying the
research-based consumer insight that women want to use the bikes to entice their
husbands to leave the golf course once in a while. They suggest that their successful
work in building regional appreciation for brands, such as Sea-Doo water vehicles and
Ski-Doo snowmobiles, indicates their prowess in branding similar but not directly
competitive brands. They emphasize the difference that Optima offers in the
recreational-ride category, and the consumer targets that differ from other brands. They
close by complimenting this prospective client on how appropriate the brand name is,
given its customer base and likely target consumer.
As often happens in new client-agency relationships, Beta Agency and Optima Bike
Company conduct a joint brainstorming session prior to finalizing the IBP campaign
strategy. Sam Spokes, head engineer and designer for Optima, interrupts the session
frequently, refuting agency staffers’ spontaneous suggestions that women love bikes, a
bike is like a golf club, and the bike will sell itself. He also labels them as uninformed
about various technical aspects of the bicycle mechanisms. How has the behavior of
Spokes influenced the brainstorming session?
a. Positively, by winnowing out the bad campaign ideas from the good ones
b. Negatively, by diminishing its purpose in inhibiting others from offering ideas freely
c. Positively, by pointing out important aspects of product design and showing expertise
d. Neutrally, by making irrelevant and immaterial comments