Scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2011, Nintendo’s portable 3DS gaming
system will likely revolutionize the video game industry. The 3DS is the newest in a
long line of portable gaming systems made by Nintendo, but will now boast a number
of new features-including 3-dimensional technology that does not require the use of any
special viewing goggles or glasses. The new system will also allow consumers to play
classic games from older generations of Nintendo products, watch 3-D movies, and
create fictional “Mii” characters that were made famous by Nintendo’s Wii. Nintendo
hopes its new gaming system will once again put Nintendo at the top of the video game
industry, having lost some of its market share to Sony and Microsoft in recent
years.Before the 3DS was released, Nintendo created a series of television commercials
and print ads to promote the product. The ads are shown to a group of study
participants, and then the participants are asked to express how they felt about the
advertisement. This is an example of a
a. survey.
b. recall test.
c. communication test.
d. thought listing.
Though advertisers cannot predict the future, what is one key element that may
influence their decisions in years to come concerning the demographic group called
“woopies”?
a. They are identified by free spirits in their 20s and 30s who have yet to commit to
long-term careers, relationships, lifestyles, or even geographic locations.
b. They represent the youngest demographic segment in the U.S., based on babies born
in the past five years.
c. They will make up one-third of the U.S. population by 2025, those age 50 and older.
d. They consist of pre-teens and early adolescents, who will have great buying power
within a few years.
Which of the following sales promotion tactics runs the greatest risk of eroding a brand
image or value?
a. a frequency program
b. a price incentive
c. a training program
d. a contest
After filing for bankruptcy in 2009 and requiring nearly $58 billion in governmental
funding simply to stay afloat, General Motors realized it had to undergo major changes
in order to compete with more successful automakers. The company began designing
questionnaires and focus groups in order to gain a better understanding of what its cars
had been lacking, and perhaps probe for specific improvements consumers may have
been looking for. The company recorded its research findings and began to apply them
to its product line. A little over a year later, Consumer Reports stated that 83 percent of
Chevrolets, GM’s top brand, had an average or better score in terms of predicted
reliability, an increase from 50 percent the year before. Apparently, the company’s
efforts have helped turn the company in the right direction.(“Consumer Reports: GM
Reliability Makes Great Strides.” MSNBC.com, October 26, 2010.)In its research, GM
hoped to find why consumers liked certain features in their cars and disliked others.
GM inquired about consumer wants and needs, and then looked to apply its findings to
product development. This process is called
a. developmental advertising.
b. design thinking.
c. concept testing.
d. audience profiling.
On a cost-per-thousand (CPM) basis, the process of running Web ads
a. is virtually nonexistent because there is no charge for most ads.
b. is much less expensive than ads placed in traditional media.
c. compares favorably with ads placed in traditional media.
d. becomes a great deal more expensive than ads placed in traditional media.
(Scenario 5-1) Many consumers expressed very strong feelings against Gap changing
its original logo, which has been around for over 20 years. These passionate consumers
likely hold some level of
a. brand loyalty.
b. habitual spending.
c. positive attitudes.
d. cognitive consistency.
Which of the following statements would be made by someone most likely
experiencing cognitive dissonance?
a. “I sure need a new lawn mower, but I’m too lazy to find out what’s out there.”
b. “I’d like to buy one of those new Toro lawn mowers, but they’re kind of expensive.”
c. “I hear the new Toro lawn mowers are the best, but my neighbor says his is hard to
start.”
d. “I just bought a new Toro lawn mower, but now I realize the new John Deere might
have been a better choice.”
As one of the world’s largest computer and technology developers, Dell, Inc. has never
been a stranger to advertising. However, due to a consistent decline in market share, the
Texas-based company is looking to overhaul its advertising efforts for the first time in
years. In the past, Dell found success promoting its products as some of the top
“inexpensive” computer products on the market. However, the company’s new ad
campaign, which will be targeted towards more high-end users, will make no mention
of product price. The company is looking to reinvent its image, and believes the first
step in doing so is to revamp its outdated advertising campaign.Dell realizes that
changing its company image will be a difficult task. To help the process along, the
company realizes it will need to begin reaching out to consumers more, and will also
need to improve its relationships with the media and various competitors. The type of
agency that will be responsible for improving these relationships will most likely be a
a. public relations firm.
b. digital/interactive agency.
c. creative boutique.
d. database agency.
Scenario 15-2
The Sounds Good recording company is getting ready to release the first compact disc
from its newest band, Planet Moon. Sounds Good’s last three releases have been dismal
failures, and the struggling company needs a quick influx of cash. The owners decide to
use sales promotions to move the Planet Moon disc through record stores and into
customers’ hands.
MusicMixers, a manufacturer of recording equipment, speakers, and microphones
based in Baltimore, is a supplier for Sounds Good. The owners of Sounds Good have
purchased most of their studio equipment from MusicMixers. Now MusicMixers is
apparently running a promotion of its own. When the sales rep visits, he drops off two
expensive-looking leather jackets with a small MusicMixers logo on one sleeve. The
jackets are considered ____ and are part of a ____ sales promotion.
a. advertising specialties; consumer-market
b. business gifts; business-market
c. premiums; trade-market
d. merchandise allowances; retail-market
Which company, while providing measurement and evaluation services for
digital/interactive media, also calculates the top 1 million most-visited websites, all for
free?
a. ForresterResearch
b. Nielsen/NetRatings
c. eMarketer
d. Ranking.com
The “brave new world” of IBP refers to the
a. new tools and practices now used in the marketing of brands.
b. risks taken by today’s marketers in reaching cynical and alienated consumers.
c. lack of monetary restrictions on the latest advertising methods.
d. decline of advertising in favor of sponsored events.
Who is the liaison between the two main parties involved in promotion-the client and
the agency?
a. the agency owner
b. the account services manager
c. the creative director
d. the account executive
What is the “Chaos Scenario” predicted by Bob Garfield of Advertising Age?
a. a lack of direction or cohesiveness in today’s marketing plans
b. a massive exodus from traditional broadcast media
c. a meltdown of television as a popular medium
d. a growing confusion among consumers due to too many brand messages
The widely used recognition tests for print ads, with the Starch firm as the main
supplier, have another name. What is it?
a. copy tests
b. cognitive residue measurements
c. readership tests
d. cognitive response analysis
A small Midwest agency agrees to a fixed fee, or contract, with a new client. What is
the downside for an agency like this when it uses the fixed-fee system?
a. Most clients do not want to pay a flat 15 percent rate for all ads placed.
b. Standard percentage rates to be charged keep dropping.
c. Client and agency rarely agree on a fee without hard feelings or conflicts.
d. More work may be needed than is originally predicted.
In essence, the goal of corporate advertising is to
a. see the company become a global brand.
b. create a favorable overall image for a company.
c. promote a company’s full range of products.
d. counteract claims of a company’s competitors.
What is the most pressing regulatory issue facing both direct marketing and
e-commerce today?
a. the growing flood of unsolicited advertising messages
b. the unethical aspects of contests and sweepstakes
c. the increase in identity theft and fraud
d. the privacy concerns stemming from database development
The attempt to develop brand awareness and preference over time, as well as emphasize
the benefits of using that brand is called
a. delayed response advertising.
b. selective demand stimulation.
c. corporate advertising.
d. primary demand stimulation.
Consider the various types of advertising and the ways that advertising messages can be
categorized. Then explain in a few words how the following marketing concepts help to
categorize advertising into various types: primary demand stimulation versus selective
demand stimulation, direct response advertising versus delayed response advertising,
and corporate advertising versus brand advertising.
Selective attention is essentially the greatest challenge to advertisers, because
consumers commonly rely on this powerful perceptual defense to simply ignore ads that
don’t interest them.
The marketing mix involves four areas of responsibility-conceiving, pricing, promoting,
and distributing-involved in the promotion of goods, services, or even ideas.
The idea of audience is very different in digital and interactive media, because people
often seek out these ads rather than the other way around, and are more active, more
engaged, and more direct in their response.
Years spent in marketing or advertising often turn an individual’s cultural values into a
type of inner comfort zone that zeros in on cultural nuances, thinks globally, and fights
ethnocentrism.
A producer of educational materials wants to deliver an advertising message to a
professional audience of teachers, principals, and school administrators. In this case, a
trade journal would not be an appropriate medium to use.
In a testing situation, people are shown drawings depicting pairs of shoppers walking
through grocery stores with empty dialogue balloons above them, and they are asked to
fill in what the shoppers may be saying. This is an example of a concept test.