Marketing Management, 15e (Kotler)
Chapter 20 Managing Mass Communications: Advertising, Sales Promotions, Events and
Experiences, and Public Relations
1) An advertising ________ is a specific communications task and achievement level to be
accomplished with a specific audience in a specific period of time.
A) medium
B) objective
C) channel
D) budget
E) copy
2) ________ advertising aims to create brand awareness and knowledge of new products or new
features of existing products.
A) Informative
B) Corporate
C) Reinforcement
D) Persuasive
E) Reminder
3) When Lola asked what the advertising campaign should say, she was concerned with which of
the five Ms?
A) Mission
B) Money
C) Message
D) Media
E) Measurement
4) ________ advertising aims to create liking, preference, conviction, and purchase of a product
or service.
A) Corporate
B) Reminder
C) Persuasive
D) Reinforcement
E) Informational
5) Comparative advertising works best when ________.
A) it elicits cognitive and behavioral motivations simultaneously
B) the firm is trying to minimize brand dilution
C) consumers are processing advertising in a detailed, analytical mode
D) it elicits affective motivation, followed by cognitive motivation
E) the advertising message uses negative fear appeals
6) ________ advertising aims to stimulate repeat purchase of products and services.
A) Reinforcement
B) Comparative
C) Persuasive
D) Informational
E) Reminder
7) The “Got Milk” campaign was intended to boost sagging milk consumption among
Californians in the 1990s. The campaign ads highlighted the inconvenience of running out of
milk when intended to be used with certain foods, such as cookies or muffins, advising
consumers to stock up on milk to avoid such inconveniences. The “Got Milk?” campaign is an
example of ________ advertising.
A) informational
B) reminder
C) institutional
D) comparative
E) reinforcement
8) ________ advertising aims to convince current purchasers that they made the right choice.
A) Persuasive
B) Informational
C) Reinforcement
D) Reminder
E) Comparative
9) The predominant response function for advertising is often concave, but when it is S-shaped,
________.
A) sales are flat, and advertising does not generate any sales impact
B) any increase in advertising spending results in a proportionally positive increase in sales
C) any increase in advertising spending results in a proportionally negative decrease in sales
D) some positive amount of advertising is necessary to generate any sales impact, but sales
increases eventually flatten out
E) advertising is not necessary to generate any sales impact
10) Which of the following conditions necessitates that the objective of advertising should be to
stimulate more usage of a product?
A) The advertised product belongs to a nascent product category.
B) The company is not the market leader.
C) The advertised brand is superior to the market leader.
D) The product class is mature.
E) Brand usage for the product is very high.
11) Which of the following statements is true of the factors that affect an advertising budget?
A) High-market-share brands usually require proportionately high advertising expenditure as a
percentage of sales to maintain share.
B) Brands in less-differentiated or commodity-like product classes require less advertising to
establish a unique image.
C) New products typically merit large advertising budgets to build awareness and to gain
consumer trial.
D) In a market with few competitors and moderate advertising spending, a brand must advertise
more heavily to be heard.
E) Established brands usually are supported with high advertising budgets, measured as a ratio to
sales.
12) Marketers often cut the cost of advertising dramatically by using consumers as their creative
team. This strategy is known as ________.
A) disintermediation
B) public relations
C) vertical integration
D) reintermediation
E) crowdsourcing
13) An advertising objective is a specific communications task and achievement level to be
accomplished with a specific audience in a specific period of time.
14) Persuasive advertising aims to create brand awareness and knowledge of new products or
new features of existing products.
15) Reinforcement advertising aims to stimulate repeat purchase of products and services.
16) When Staples introduced a new $69.99 paper-shredding device called the MailMate in 2006
by striking a two-episode deal with NBC’s popular television program, The Office, it was using
product placement.
17) If the product class is mature, then the advertising objective is to convince the market of the
brand’s superiority.
18) Puffery refers to simple exaggerations in advertisements that are not meant to be believed
and are considered illegal.
19) Advertising elasticities were estimated to be higher for established (0.3) than for new (0.1)
products.
20) What you say (ad copy) is more important than the number of times you say it (ad
frequency).
21) Kraft utilized customers to name its new flavor of its iconic Vegemite product, and their
selection, iSnack 2.0, increased sales dramatically.
22) In developing an advertising program, marketing managers can make the five major
decisions known as the five Ms. List and explain each of these Ms.
23) Explain the classification of advertising objectives.
24) Describe how advertising objectives are set to reflect the product class.
25) Give a brief description of the various factors that affect advertising budget decisions.
26) Briefly describe the role of television as an advertising medium.
27) What is the role of print media in advertising? What are the major advantages and
disadvantages associated with print advertising media?
28) What are the legal and social issues associated with advertising?
29) What are the four types of advertising timing patterns available to marketers when launching
a new product?
30) Place advertising, or out-of-home advertising, is a broad category that includes many
creative and unexpected forms to grab consumers’ attention, including all of the following
EXCEPT ________.
A) billboards
B) yellow pages
C) public spaces
D) product placement
E) point of purchase
31) Which of the following is generally acknowledged as the most powerful advertising medium
and reaches a broad spectrum of consumers at low cost per exposure?
A) television
B) radio
C) newspapers
D) magazines
E) billboards
32) TV advertising is considered to be particularly advantageous because ________.
A) the low volume of nonprogramming material on television makes it difficult for consumers to
ignore or forget ads
B) it provides detailed product information and effectively communicates user and usage
imagery
C) it can vividly demonstrate product attributes and persuasively explain their corresponding
consumer benefits
D) TV channels are very targeted, ads are relatively inexpensive to produce and place, and short
closings allow for quick response
E) it lets companies achieve a balance between broad and localized market coverage
33) According to researchers, which of the following is the correct order in which content of
print advertisements matter?
A) picture-headline-copy
B) copy-picture-headline
C) headline-copy-picture
D) picture-copy-headline
E) copy-headline-picture
34) Which of the following is the main advantage of radio as an advertising medium?
A) low competition
B) more attention than television
C) longer duration of ad exposure
D) flexibility
E) standardized rate structures
35) ________ refers to simple exaggerations in advertisements that are not meant to be believed
and that are permitted by law.
A) Puffery
B) Boosterism
C) Astroturfing
D) Doublethink
E) Subliminal advertising
36) ________ is finding the most cost-effective media to deliver the desired number and type of
exposures to the target audience.
A) Media scheduling
B) Content analysis
C) Media selection
D) Communication design
E) Copy testing
37) The number of different persons or households exposed to a particular media schedule at
least once during a specified time period is known as ________.
A) range
B) impact
C) intensity
D) reach
E) frequency
38) The number of times within a specified time period that an average person or household is
exposed to an advertising message is known as ________.
A) impact
B) frequency
C) amplitude
D) reach
E) depth
39) The qualitative value of an exposure through a given medium is known as ________.
A) frequency
B) reach
C) amplitude
D) impact
E) range
40) Which of the following equations accurately describes the total number of exposures (E) of
an advertising message through a given medium?
A) E = reach × frequency
B) E = (reach × frequency) / impact
C) E = reach × frequency × impact
D) E = (reach + frequency) / impact
E) E = frequency / reach
41) The weighted number of exposures (WE) of an advertising message over a given medium is
given by ________.
A) WE = reach × frequency
B) WE = (reach × frequency) / impact
C) WE = reach × frequency × impact
D) WE = (reach + frequency) / impact
E) WE = frequency / reach
42) Under which of the following conditions is the reach of media the most important factor in
media selection?
A) when introducing frequently purchased brands
B) when going into a defined target market
C) when launching extensions of well-known brands
D) when there are strong competitors to a brand
E) when there is high consumer resistance to the product
43) Under which of the following conditions is the frequency the most important factor in media
selection?
A) when introducing flanker brands
B) when launching infrequently purchased brands
C) when going into undefined target markets
D) when there is high consumer resistance to the product
E) when there is modest competition to the brand in the market
44) What is the gross rating points (GRP) for a media schedule that reaches 60 percent of homes
with an average exposure frequency of 4 and impact of 1.5?
A) 10
B) 15
C) 160
D) 240
E) 360
45) What is the weighted number of exposures of a media schedule that reaches 80 percent of the
target audience, with an exposure frequency of 4 and impact value of 2?
A) 10
B) 160
C) 240
D) 320
E) 640
46) Which of the following is an advantage of using newspapers as an advertising medium?
A) long lifespan
B) high reproduction quality
C) huge “pass-along” audience
D) high level of targeting
E) good local market coverage
47) Which of the following is a disadvantage of using newspapers as an advertising medium?
A) lack of flexibility
B) high costs of advertisement space
C) poor reproduction quality
D) low believability
E) absence of local market coverage
48) Which of the following is an advantage of using television as an advertising medium?
A) high attention and reach
B) low absolute cost
C) absence of clutter
D) long duration of ad exposure
E) high audience selectivity
49) Which of the following is a disadvantage of using television as an advertising medium?
A) high absolute cost
B) low audience attention
C) lack of reach among audience
D) high audience selectivity
E) absence of clutter
50) Which of the following is an advantage of using radio as an advertising medium?
A) higher attention than television
B) standardized rate structures
C) long duration of ad exposure
D) high quality reproduction
E) high geographic selectivity
51) Which of the following is a disadvantage of using direct mail as an advertising medium?
A) low audience selectivity
B) lack of flexibility
C) high competition within same medium
D) relatively high cost
E) lack of personalization of advertising message
52) Which of the following is an advantage of using magazines as an advertising medium?
A) high-quality reproduction
B) short ad purchase lead time
C) high efficiency in circulation
D) no ad competition in same medium
E) low cost of advertising
53) Which of the following is a disadvantage of using magazines as an advertising medium?
A) low geographic and demographic selectivity
B) long ad purchase lead time
C) low-quality reproduction
D) small “pass-along” readership
E) lack of credibility
54) Which of the following is a disadvantage of using outdoor media for advertising?
A) low flexibility
B) low repeat exposure
C) limited audience selectivity
D) high costs
E) greater competition
55) Which of the following is an advantage of using Yellow Pages as an advertising medium?
A) low competition
B) high believability
C) short ad purchase lead time
D) greater scope for creativity
E) lack of clutter
56) Which of the following is a disadvantage of using Yellow Pages as an advertising medium?
A) high competition
B) poor local market coverage
C) low believability
D) lack of adequate reach
E) high total costs
57) Which of the following is a disadvantage of using the Internet as an advertising medium?
A) limited audience selectivity
B) increasing clutter
C) lack of interactive possibilities
D) relatively high costs involved
E) fleeting ad exposure time
58) Which of the following is a disadvantage of using newsletters as an advertising medium?
A) low audience selectivity
B) high chances of runaway costs
C) lack of adequate control
D) relatively high costs
E) lack of interactive possibilities
59) Pepe Homes manufactures a range of bathroom accessories and fittings that include bathtubs,
shower stalls, etc. While deciding on an effective advertising media vehicle for its planned
advertising campaign, the marketing department decides that its advertising objectives would be
best achieved if they used a medium that would portray their brand as prestigious and a symbol
of luxury. To this effect, the medium should offer marketers a high degree of audience selectivity
and high-quality reproduction. Which of the following advertising media would best serve the
advertising purposes of Pepe Homes?
A) outdoor media
B) radio
C) magazines
D) television
E) newspapers
60) Moonburst is a newly launched brand of energy drinks, one among many other recently
introduced competing brands. The advertising agency handling Moonburst’s account decides that
to better promote Moonburst, it has to zero in on an advertising medium that would offer
immunity from the clutter of other brands, flexibility to alter its advertising message, and the
ability to fit in with the modest advertising budget. Also, the medium has to provide a high
repeat exposure of the advertising message to the target audience. The advertising agency would
be happy to trade-off audience selectivity and creative possibilities if the medium satisfies the
above criteria. Which of the following would be the best option for Moonburst?
A) outdoor media
B) radio
C) magazines
D) television
E) Yellow Pages
61) Which of the following advertising practices involves advertisers paying filmmakers to have
their products make cameo appearances in movies and television shows?
A) brand extension
B) flyposting
C) co-branding
D) product placement
E) ambush marketing
62) The popular music talent show American Idol has been generally acknowledged as the most
profitable TV series in US history, in terms of advertising and merchandising revenue. Major
sponsors of the show include Coca-Cola, AT&T Wireless, and iTunes, among others. Cups
bearing the Coca-Cola logo were a prominent prop found on the show’s judges’ tables. The show
also urged viewers to vote for contestants using AT&T’s sms service. Contestants were routinely
shown rehearsing for their performances with the help of Apple iPods. Which of the following
advertising practices is apparent in this example?
A) ambush advertising
B) product placement
C) angel dusting
D) co-branding
E) subliminal advertising
63) Which of the following media timing factors expresses the rate at which new customers enter
the market?
A) buyer turnover
B) purchase frequency
C) media reach
D) weighted number of exposures
E) advertising impressions
64) ________ is the number of times the average buyer buys a product during the period.
A) Buyer turnover
B) Purchase frequency
C) Customer retention rate
D) Advertising impressions
E) Total number of exposures
65) In which of the following types of advertising timing patterns do exposures appear evenly
throughout a given period?
A) concentration
B) pulsing
C) flighting
D) continuity
E) frequency capping
66) Which of the following types of advertising timing patterns calls for spending all advertising
dollars in a single period?
A) frequency capping
B) flighting
C) concentration
D) pulsing
E) continuity
67) Dante is a media buyer with Shelvey Partners, an ad agency in San Francisco. He is currently
working on charting a media plan for the ads of a department store chain to target the upcoming
Thanksgiving weekend. Which of the following advertising timing patterns is best suited for
running these ads?
A) continuity
B) flighting
C) pulsing
D) concentration
E) frequency capping
68) Advertisements for which of the following product categories would merit a continuous
advertising timing pattern the most?
A) air conditioners
B) life insurance
C) breakfast cereal
D) automobiles
E) holiday package tours
69) ________ is an advertising timing pattern that calls for advertising during a certain period,
followed by a period with no advertising, followed by a second specific period of advertising
activity.
A) Pulsing
B) Continuity
C) Flighting
D) Concentration
E) Frequency capping
70) Flighting as an advertising timing pattern is most useful when ________.
A) purchase cycle is rather frequent
B) substantial advertising budget is available
C) items are seasonal
D) tightly defined buyer categories exist
E) there are expanding market situations
71) Advertisements for which of the following product categories would be most effective when
used with a flighting pattern?
A) breakfast cereal
B) detergents
C) beer
D) electric bulbs
E) refrigerator
72) ________ is continuous advertising at low levels, reinforced periodically by waves of
heavier activity.
A) Flighting
B) Frequency capping
C) Pulsing
D) Concentration
E) Session capping