During tough economic times, many companies rely on memories of “the good old
days” to help advertise their products. Looking for a bit of a jump-start itself, PepsiCo
turned to nostalgia-heavy advertisements late in 2009, which were then carried into
2010. The company introduced “throwback” versions of a number of its soft drinks, and
created an ad campaign that included new logos and a series of commercials intended to
generate feelings of happiness from prior decades. The company had hoped that any
warm, fuzzy feelings about the past would make people feel better about the company’s
present and future.Emotional appeals in advertising are usually most effective when
time is an insignificant element in achieving an objective. Which method is most
appropriate when the goal involves creating a sense of urgency to purchase?
a. slice-of-life
b. fear appeal
c. hard-sell
d. anxiety
A creative person tends to look at the world and think about the way things
a. ought to be.
b. could be.
c. always are.
d. have to be.
Which of the following is an example of cognitive residue, as advertisers would define
it?
a. having certain flashes of thought when a brand name is presented to you
b. having a certain brand name in mind, above all others, and making a point to buy
only that brand
c. vaguely remembering a slogan and a jingle for a product
d. knowing that you want to buy a product but not being sure why
In their book, The Wisdom of Teams, Katzenbach and Smith offered a number of
insights about teams. Which of the following was NOT included in the text?
a. They operate on synergy.
b. They avoid focusing on results.
c. They promote personal growth.
d. They are accountable for performance.
A company wants to sell a window cleaning kit in a 30-minute infomercial. What does
an experienced PR specialist suggest that this company do?
a. Wait until the end to give contact information in order to build suspense.
b. Repeat the phone number and website throughout the broadcast.
c. Spend the money needed to hire a celebrity as spokesperson.
d. Avoid testimonials.
(Scenario 18-4) Scenario 18-4
In the summer of 2010, basketball star LeBron James found himself in the middle of a
PR nightmare when he decided to turn his decision regarding his future team into an
hour-long spot on ESPN, which interestingly enough was entitled, “The Decision.”
Almost immediately, fans and critics alike began to express their distaste for the way
the multi-millionaire handled the situation. Many fans’ opinions of the star were greatly
altered and James’ positive public image appeared to be shattered. Perhaps even worse
than the damage to his image, the Lebron James “brand” began to take a hit when his
jerseys were pulled from many retailers’ stores and websites, and thousands of fans
vowed they would never buy James’ line of shoes ever again. Several months later,
James began the process of repairing his public image. James, who endorses Nike
products, came out with a controversial commercial some believe was intended to
evoke sympathy. However, many others felt the commercial mocked the negative
reaction expressed over “The Decision,” and was intended to rebrand the star as a bit of
a rebel. Either way, LeBron James appears to have a long way to go before he can once
again be recognized as one of the most beloved players in the NBA.
This is an unfortunate case of negative public relations. According to the text, what is
the classic role of public relations?
a. to foster goodwill between a firm and its many constituent groups
b. to promote new forms of marketing, such as green marketing
c. to boost employee morale or attract new employees
d. to better position the firm’s products against competition, particularly foreign
competition
Which direct marketing medium currently has the highest response rate?
a. telemarketing
b. infomercial
c. direct mail
d. advertorial
The main objective of hard-sell messages is to
a. create a sense of urgency so that consumers will act quickly.
b. highlight a consumers inadequacy within the context of a social role.
c. create in the consumer a pleasant and memorable association with the brand.
d. highlight the risk of harm or negative consequences of not using the advertised
brand.
(Scenario 14-3) With social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter garnering so
much attention from consumers and businesses alike, it is hard to believe that only 20
percent of small businesses are utilizing the sites to help promote their products and
services. But that figure is precisely what was reported in a 2009 study conducted by
MerchantCircle, a social network for small businesses. Once the survey results were
released in 2010, experts were not surprised to see the percentage of social media users
increase to nearly 50 percent; according to Darren Waddell, vice president of marketing
at MerchantCircle, companies are turning to social media for advertising because it is
relevant and inexpensive way to reach targeted consumers. Rather than pouring large
sums of money into traditional marketing, business owners are starting to find more
creative ways of promoting their brand. One of the more common practices for small
business owners utilizing social media is including URLs on business cards-of all sites,
Facebook (no surprise) was the most common site to make it onto business cards.(Jon
Swartz, “More Small Businesses Use Facebook, Twitter to Promote.” USA Today, July
21, 2010.)
The owner of a new athletic-training facility decided to pay to have its ads in or near
relevant search results from Google. This can be described as
a. sponsorship.
b. paid search.
c. pop up/under ads.
d. corporate home page.
Several factors have affected sales promotion in recent years. Pressure from
stockholders to produce high quarterly revenue, marketing plans based on quick results,
and a bottom-line mentality have all contributed to a ____ in many organizations today.
a. focus on brand image
b. short-term orientation
c. sense of creative innovation
d. strong consumer bond
What went wrong with the Coca-Cola campaign when it replaced “old Coke” with
“New Coke”?
a. It believed the results of a relatively small taste test.
b. It put too much emphasis on the “Coke” name.
c. It promoted a “new” flavor, but the incremental changes made were barely
discernible.
d. It confused the results of objective taste tests with the reality of cultural meaning.
While many full-service agencies have depended on giant accounts, some have
managed to build a stable base of international clients by acquiring and grooming one
smaller or midsize account at a time.
Direct marketing is an interactive system that uses one or more forms of advertising
media to effect a measurable response and/or transaction at any location.
The two main forms of digital/interactive media used by consumers are email and the
World Wide Web.
Today’s marketers use a number of sales promotion techniques aimed at consumers,
including coupons, price-off deals, premiums, contests and sweepstakes, samples and
trial offers, phone and gift cards, rebates, and frequency programs.
When a manufacturer and dealer share the expense of ads, at times adding hidden price
concessions and moving into illegal territory, they are involved in vertical cooperative
advertising.