A consumer survey finds that many dog owners purchase a premium brand of dog food
because of its functional benefits. Which of the following qualifies as a functional
benefit?
a. It is promoted in an emotional commercial showing an adorable sheepdog.
b. It is allows them to feel less guilt about leaving their dog home alone all day.
c. It has more nutrients and vitamins than any other dog food on the market.
d. It makes them feel like responsible dog owners.
Buzz marketing and viral marketing have many similarities and overlaps. One way to
distinguish them is that, in general, buzz marketing involves ____ and viral marketing
involves ____.
a. participation in events or experiences; online or face-to-face talk about the events or
experiences
b. Internet marketing; mobile marketing
c. professionals providing advice and recommendations; ordinary people providing
advice and recommendations
d. promotions on corporate websites; discussions on social network websites
Scenario 17-2
AmericanProfile is an e-technology company. It allows companies to search and
navigate gigabytes of data, categorize disparate content, and gain secure access to
information regardless of where it resides”all from its Web browser. So,
AmericanProfile can share content across connected servers with partners, suppliers,
customers, and employees to form an e-business content network. And it all happens in
real time.The whole idea behind promoting AmericanProfile is to show companies that
gathering information about visitors’ households and lifestyles through its website is a
crucial step in building a
a. selection of testimonials.
b. creative selling strategy.
c. marketing database.
d. core team of functional specialists.
American Express is dissatisfied with the degree of penetration of its Gold Rewards
Plus card in the U.S. market. Marketing managers at American Express feel that the
firm needs to increase advertising to small entrepreneurial businesses to encourage
more acceptance of the card for use in purchasing office supplies and durable goods like
computers and office furniture. American Express feels that to accomplish the goal of
increased penetration in this sector, the budget should be based on communications
objectives aimed at certain target markets.
Within various sections of the ____ portion of its advertising plan, American Express
explains how and why Visa has been more successful at penetrating the small business
market because of lower fees.
a. evaluation
b. execution
c. strategy
d. situation analysis
Keds has been trying to turn around a long-term slide in its shoe business. For years, it
had depended on its image as the women’s no-frills summer shoe to keep sales moving.
But over time, competition from Sam & Libby and Easy Spirit brands have been
nipping at the heels of Keds. As part of its effort to revitalize the brand several years
ago, Keds’s advertising agency developed a campaign that focuses on the warm, close
relationships between mothers and daughters. According to an issue of Brandweek
magazine at the time, “The new ads really go for the heart.” Copy on the first ad
included the mother saying, “She was my first, I could never tell her how to dress,” with
the daughter saying, “She made me feel pretty even when I had braces.”The information
provided says that Keds was trying to “turn around a long-term slide” in its shoe
business, and that “for years, it had depended on its image as the women’s no-frills
summer shoe.” Obviously, things had changed. And what Keds needed was a change in
its once-successful strategy and identity to meet new market conditions, called
a. internal consistency.
b. self-expressive marketing.
c. repositioning.
d. business-to-business marketing
When advertisers consider running ads in American Life magazine, they have the option
of buying geographic and demographic editions as well as the national edition. For
instance, they can choose from editions targeted at professionals and managers,
homeowners, working women, and people aged 50 and older. In addition, they are
offered editions for 8 geographical regions and for the top 20 metropolitan areas.
American Life also offers multiple-page discounts for advertisers buying four or more
consecutive pages in any one edition, as well as other volume discounts.The basic rate
to reach 2,847,600 readers in its national edition with a full-page, four-color
advertisement is $91,300. The basic rate to reach the same 2,847,600 nationwide
readers with a single-column, black-and-white ad is $31,300.
Each medium under consideration in a media plan must be scrutinized for the efficiency
with which it performs. In other words, an advertiser might select American Life
because it delivers the largest target audiences at the lowest cost. What is the term to
describe this?
a. cost per rating point
b. price/cost transparency
c. cost per thousand
d. net promoter score
The concepts of need recognition, information search and alternative evaluation,
purchase, and post purchase and evaluation represent the four stages of the
a. creation of brands.
b. belief system regarding goods and services.
c. consumer decision-making process.
d. stratification of consumers.
Scenario 1-1
In 1996, University of Maryland grad Kevin Plank founded Under Armour, a
performance apparel company that now competes with some of the top apparel brands
in the industry. During its first ten years of operations, the company was known
primarily for its sweat-wicking clothing line. In late 2010, however, Under Armour
released its first line of basketball shoes since the company’s inception. Along with the
new product line, says Plank, needs to come a new brand image. “I called our marketing
team and said go through this building and find anything that says we are only an
apparel brand and throw it away.” The company has also pulled all advertisements
carrying the word “apparel,” and will begin exploring new ways to promote the brand.
The company hopes its new efforts will allow the company to be viewed as an overall
“performance” company, which will ultimately enable it to compete with footwear from
powerhouses Nike and Adidas, and will help increase its current 1.1 percent market
share.
One of Under Armour’s new retail outlets in the U.S. sends a direct mail piece to 500
households within a one mile radius of the new store. In the flyer, the store announces
the introduction of its new line of basketball shoes and offers several incentives to any
customers that may come in to purchase a pair of shoes from the new line. This direct
mail piece
a. is paid for, mass mediated, and an attempt to persuade; therefore, it should be
considered advertising.
b. is paid for and an attempt to persuade; however, it is only distributed locally and
therefore cannot be considered advertising.
c. is not received by a large enough number of people to be considered advertising.
d. is not part of a campaign, and thus is not considered advertising.
One method of understanding how well the advertising message is being heard in the
real world is the “consumer insights” approach, which operates on the premise that
a. meanings are more important than attitudes.
b. community defines quality.
c. social class determines consumer behavior.
d. culture underlies the art of advertising.
A fragrance manufacturer wants its target customers to demonstrate top-of-the-mind
awareness regarding its long-standing perfume, Bouquet. This means that when they are
asked to think of perfumes, they would
a. include the name Bouquet somewhere on their list.
b. realize that they want to purchase Bouquet.
c. think of Bouquet first.
d. only be able to think of Bouquet.
In late 2010, renowned actress Rachel Leigh Cook spoke out against the entertainment
industry and the way it portrays celebrities in advertising. Cook, who starred in the
popular 90s hit She’s All That, claimed that the airbrushing of celebrities that often takes
place before an advertisement is published is a clear case of false advertising. Cook told
FoxNews.com, “It breaks my heart to be part of an industry and part of a machine that
really pushes out these images and propagates these really terrible standards that are
false.” Cook went so far in her criticism to question how falsely editorializing is not
considered a crime, and stating that so many young women struggle with identity issues
in today’s society because they are striving to be something that does not exist.(John
Dorian, “Rachel Leigh Cook Against Air Brushing, Calls it False Advertising.”
International Business Times, October 25, 2010.)While some argue that advertising
promotes materialism, others argue that advertising addresses a number of basic human
needs. An advertisement for a high-end clothing company would likely be appealing to
which of these needs?
a. physiological needs
b. safety needs
c. self-actualization needs
d. esteem needs
A hospital is attempting to change its image. In the past, the hospital has been perceived
as having a high degree of expertise across all medical services, but also as having a
cold and unfeeling atmosphere. This has resulted in the hospital losing business in
situations where patients feel that a procedure is simple enough that any hospital can
perform it equally well. The decision is made to hire a local advertising agency. The
agency’s creative director meets with the hospital marketing director to develop a
creative brief. It focuses on print ads for local newspapers and regional magazines, and
states that the advertising for the hospital must create feelings of caring and warmth,
without explicitly stating that the hospital “cares”-a tactic that has been used again and
again by other medical institutions.
The art director thinks about the layout and reminds herself of a widely held belief in
the world of art production-that a larger size in an ad illustration typically means
a. greater reader attention.
b. higher brand sales.
c. less brand importance.
d. weaker copy.
Influencer marketing involves individuals or groups who
a. represent the larger public in their opinions on products or brands.
b. support social causes or issues promoted by an organization.
c. spread positive word-of-mouth to a broad population.
d. are unusually impacted by branded marketing programs.
To protect vulnerable consumers from widespread exposure to a “controversial product”
area, in 2006 the federal government took the step to ban all ____ in the United States.
a. online gambling
b. child pornography
c. Internet pharmaceutical sales
d. abortion pills
Yearly spending on all forms of integrated brand promotion, including advertising, now
exceeds
a. $25 billion.
b. $50 billion.
c. $200 billion.
d. $1 trillion.
It is tempting for both clients and agencies to rely on their own cultural attitudes and
values as a subconscious guide in considering what other people want and need.
Another name for this subconscious guide is bias.
When pet food manufacturers provide product samples and informational brochures to
veterinarians, who then recommend them to visiting pet owners, they are conducting
influencer marketing.
To find accurate measures of radio audiences, media planners and clients often consult
two published sources-Arbitron Ratings/Radio and Radio Usage and Network Radio
Audiences.
Describe some of the forms of sales promotion techniques used in consumer markets,
and give some of the reasons why they are used. Then imagine yourself as a
manufacturer, producer, or small business owner. Invent a brand-a product or
service-and explain how you would use at least three of these techniques to target a
particular consumer market.
It is almost impossible to legislate against emotional appeals in ads, since even if they
seem exaggerated or inaccurate, they are unquantifiable so there is no way to prove this.
The classic view of public relations involves a company’s efforts to foster goodwill
between itself and its many constituent groups.
Consumer generated content (CGC) is produced when the creative team is given lists of
suggestions and ideas for promoting the product that have been submitted by the public
through emails, letters, or focus group transcripts.
What are the four major classes or broad types of traditional media? Select two of these
classes and describe both the advantages and disadvantages for creative advertising
work associated with each.
It is possible to make a reasonable argument that the massive consumption that
advertising upholds and glorifies is actually quite good for American society, and for
other cultures around the world.