Main Content
Syllabus
MKTG 422 Advertising and Sales Promotion Management: This course is designed to introduce students to integrated marketing communications (IMC), with a focus on issues related to advertising and promotions management. It aims at relating the elements of the marketing mix to the various aspects of communications that take place between the firm and its customers. At the same time, this course lends itself to studying both “applied” and “theoretical” issues to give students both a real-world view of advertising and promotions, as well as frameworks for understanding such real-world decisions. An emphasis will also be placed on gaining consumer insights as a way to skillfully manage advertising and promotions.
Prerequisite: MKTG 330 or MKTG 342
Overview
Advertising and Sales Promotion Management looks at the various components of a promotional program to coordinate them with other marketing activities that communicate with a firm’s customers. Integrated marketing communications (IMC) perspective is a strategic process used to plan, develop, execute, and evaluate coordinated business communications with customers and other stakeholders. To effectively plan, implement, and evaluate marketing communication programs, you need to understand the overall marketing process, consumer behavior, and communication theory/practice. Therefore, this is a theory and activities-based course, which is designed to enhance your understanding of developing integrated marketing communications programs. If you are interested in consumer marketing then this course is a crucial element of your marketing toolkit. You will learn to appreciate the key communication challenges in today’s marketing environment and will receive frameworks to help you think about how to talk to your customers and build your brand as the environment evolves.
Course Objectives
The most basic objective of the course is to provide you with a broad understanding of advertising and sales promotion strategy and the importance of careful planning, development, and execution of all communication activities in a coordinated fashion. When you successfully complete this course, you will be able to do the following:
- Identify and examine all promotional tools that are used in the integrated marketing communications process.
- Identify the specific theories and methods required for creating promotional programs, including advertisements, sales promotions, personal selling programs, and publicity.
- Analyze various communication models for designing and implementing advertising and sales promotion programs.
- Develop a promotional campaign for a product, service, or idea.
- Analyze advertising campaigns to determine impact and profitability.
- Discuss the moral and ethical issues regarding practices engaged in by marketers when communicating with their customers.
- Demonstrate the mastery of business-level professionalism in the classroom/workplace.
- Develop written IMC plans.
- Effectively function in groups and teams.
Required Course Materials
Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.
Library Resources
Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
- get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
- much more.
You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service. The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.
Technical Specifications
| Operating System | Canvas, Penn State's Learning Management System (LMS), supports most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems. To determine if your operating system is supported, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
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| Browser | Canvas supports the last two versions of every major browser release. It is highly recommended that you update to the newest version of whatever browser you are using. Note: Cookies must be enabled, and pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites. |
| Additional Canvas Requirements | For a list of software, hardware, and computer settings specifically required by the Canvas LMS, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
| Additional Software | All Penn State students have access to Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. |
| Hardware | Monitor: Monitor capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
| Mobile Device (optional) | The Canvas mobile app is available for versions of iOS and Android. To determine if your device is capable of using the Canvas Mobile App, please review the Canvas Mobile App Requirements. |
Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ)
During the semester you will receive information for completing the Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ). Your participation is an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on your learning experience. Your feedback is important because it allows us to understand your experience in this course and make changes to improve the learning experiences of future students. Please monitor email and course communications for links and availability dates.
If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.
For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!
Grading
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Grade |
Point Range |
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A |
584 - 628 |
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A- |
565 - 583 |
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B+ |
546 - 564 |
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B |
521 - 545 |
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B- |
502 - 520 |
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C+ |
483 - 501 |
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C |
439 - 482 |
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D |
376 - 438 |
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F |
Below 376 |
Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.
If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.
For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.
Exams
Exams are designed to assess your understanding and ability to apply and communicate the important theoretical and practical concepts learned in the course. These exams will consist of multiple-choice and essay questions. You will be asked to pick the best answer from among the choices presented. Essay questions will assess your understanding of important concepts covered in the lessons/readings and you are expected to provide comprehensive answers to each question. These are non-proctored exams but they will be timed (90 minutes maximum). There will be multiple-choice questions which will be related to the topics covered in the lessons and the textbook. Reading articles will be posted for the essay questions in each exam. However, we expect you to complete these exams in an environment with no distractions. For the multiple choice questions, once you select your answer, you will not be able to go back and make any changes. For the essay questions, provide comprehensive answers to each question based on your understanding of the marketing principles and the ideas presented in the articles.
Case Analyses
Case analyses are useful in providing you with practical experience in dealing with integrated marketing communications problems faced in the “real world.” This type of applied experience is vital in developing a complete understanding of the development, implementation, and management of advertising and sales promotions programs. There are four case analyses selected for you for this course. Appropriate preparations are expected for ALL CASES, including an individually prepared, FIVE-PAGE minimum analysis for all four cases (See Guidelines for Case Analysis).
The following HBR Cases are selected for this course:
- CASE #1: Lowe's Companies, Inc.—Optimizing the Marketing Communications Mix
- CASE #2: Phillips Foods, Inc.—Introducing King Crab to the Trade
- CASE #3: Creative Advertising—Sunday Communications Limited
- CASE #4: Giant Consumer Products—The Sales Promotion Resource Allocation Decision
Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Project
Each student will participate in a project as a member of a three- or four-person team. Teams will be formed by your instructor in the beginning of the semester. The purpose of the IMC Project is to develop a new integrated marketing communications strategy for a real brand/business/non-profit or government organization agreed upon by all team members. Your organization/issue must be submitted to your instructor for approval. You will be required to collect some data in developing your analysis, so please take location and accessibility into account when choosing your brand for the project. Also, note that you will develop a new IMC strategy, which must be sufficiently different from and hopefully better than the brand’s current strategy. The IMC Project is a comprehensive written project that is evaluated based on content and quality of the information.
Your IMC plan should include various the components explained below. Your team should first set the promotional objectives for your product/brand. Then, think through these points:
- Current brand value—What does the brand currently “mean” to target consumers (and possibly other people) functionally, emotionally, and intangibly? What are the brand’s core benefits? What is the brand’s current positioning strategy (cf. competitors’ strategies)? How can/should the meanings and positioning of the brand be altered, improved or built upon? Engage in observations to figure this out.
- Target audience—Which target audience(s) should you pursue, and which should you give up, in your new marketing strategy? Weigh up different options, and make an informed decision based on concrete data.
- Consumer behavior—How do consumers make decisions about your brand and category? How do they learn information to make these decisions? What sociocultural influences affect your consumers? Find novel ways to apply the theories from class lectures. You should also collect observational data to bolster your claims.
- Positioning statement—Bring your strategy together into a formal statement, as discussed in class. Your positioning statement should represent a strong culmination of the previous points listed above. The positioning statement will form the basis for the next several points.
- The “big idea” & brand capsule—Bring the positioning statement to life for the consumer. What type of “big idea” will your creative strategy center upon? Consider your brand’s essence and develop a brand capsule/slogan in line with your “big idea” approach.
- Advertising strategy (advertising appeals/executions/symbolism/media)—Draw from creative strategy and develop your “big idea” into a set of usable ad executions. Demonstrate what your actual executions would look like. Take into account symbolism and media placement.
- Promotions strategy (sales promotion, direct marketing, PR/publicity, Internet/interactive marketing, plus alternative media and atmospherics)—Which elements of the promotional mix are most important in your IMC campaign? What will your actual promotions look like, creatively?
Presentation
Teams will be required to present their IMC to the class using Collaborate. Your goal is to explain your integrated communications plan in-depth and impress the audience. Your team should selectively and strategically address all the points mentioned above, as needed. Keep in mind the importance of both the content of your strategy as well as the form (i.e., how clearly and persuasively you communicate your ideas).
This presentation should also include a display/exhibit of all marketing communications “product” and promote its unique ideas to classmates, the instructor, and possibly others. This presentation MUST include at least 3 different methods for promotion (Print, broadcast, internet, etc.) and one of which MUST be a video.
- For a TV commercial or video, you will need to provide a link to the video file.
- For a radio campaign, you will need to write a detailed script and make a recording
- For a magazine campaign, you will need to produce color copies of the ad.
- For PR, submit the actual news releases.
- For a promotional event, you will need to describe it in detail.
- For the Internet, keep in mind that you will need more than just a home page.
Your recorded video (commercial) should ideally be between 30 to 60 seconds or lengthier if it is a public relations video. Other materials such as a print ad campaign, public relations materials, direct marketing materials, or sales promotion concepts could also be part of the overall communication strategy. You could also use public relations role -playing, an alternative media demo, or an interactive marketing live demo.
Contribution and Peer Evaluation
Because success in business and marketing relies on working well within a team, individual accountability plays an important part in that process. Your team hopefully worked well to produce your IMC plan presentation. This assignment involves evaluating your peers on their individual contributions to that presentation based on the IMC Plan Presentation Peer Evaluation Rubric, which will ask each team member to score his/her peers on a scale from one to five along four dimensions:
- Cooperation
- Dependability and Commitment
- Participation
- Quality of Work
Participation in Online Discussions
Students are expected to participate in online activities and discussions. Because of the importance of discussion toward meeting the objectives of the course, students also will be evaluated on the frequency and quality of their participation. This evaluation will be based on the level of preparation for class discussion and student analysis and integration of the assigned materials. Students are expected to communicate their ideas clearly and persuasively. To earn the maximum points, regular logons, prompt response, timely contributions to class message boards/threaded discussion, and in-depth understanding of course materials and/or stimulation of additional relevant discussion are needed.
Course Schedule
Lesson 1: Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communications
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Lesson 2: Role of Advertising Industry
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Lesson 3: Consumer Insights
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Lesson 4: Communication Process
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Lesson 5: Promotional Objectives and Budgeting
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Lesson 6: Creative Strategy I
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Lesson 7: Creative Strategy II
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Lesson 8: Midterm exam
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Lesson 9: Media Planning and Evaluation I
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Lesson 10: Media Planning and Evaluation II
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Lesson 11: Promotions Mix I
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Lesson 12: Promotions Mix II
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Lesson 13: Advertising Regulation, Ethics and Society
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Lesson 14: IMC Plan Presentation
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Lesson 15: Final Exam
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NOTE: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please see "Graduation" on the World Campus Student Policies website.
Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.
References
The following sources are referenced throughout this course.
Drucker, P. (1982). The practice of management. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.
Dutka, S., Colley, R., & Association of National Advertisers. (1995). DAGMAR, defining advertising goals for measured advertising results. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Business Books.
Koekemoer, L. (2004). In L. Koekemoer (Ed.), Marketing communications. Cape Town, South Africa: Juta.
Lavidge, R., & Steiner, G. (1961). A model for predictive measurement of advertising effectiveness. The Journal of Marketing, 25, 59-62.
Lumpkin, J., & Darden, W. (1982). Relating television preference viewing to shopping orientations, life styles, and demographics: The examination of perceptual and preference dimensions of television programming. Journal of Advertising, 11(4), 3-29.
Moore, C. (2004). Ethics in advertising. Retrieved on March 27, 2012 from http://www.aef.com/on_campus/classroom/speaker_pres/data/3001/:pf_printable
Mumford, M., & Gustafson, S. (1988). Creativity syndrome: Integration, application,
and innovation. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 27-43.
Neff, J. (2011). Ad industry's new ethics code takes on brand integration, social-media disclosure. Retrieved on March 27, 2012 from http://adage.com/article/news/advertisers-agencies-ethics-code-review/149464/
Petty, R., & Cacioppio, J. (1986). The elaboration likelihood of model of persuasion. San Diego, CA: The Academic Press, Inc.
Public Citizen’s Commercial Art. (2012). Our mission. Retrieved on March 27, 2012 from http://www.commercialalert.org/
Shimp, T. (1976). Methods of commercial presentation employed by national television
advertisers. Journal of Advertising, 5, 30-36.
Shultz, D., & Shultz, H. (2004). IMC: The next generation: Five steps for delivering value and measuring returns using marketing communication. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Company.
Steven Jobs on Apple’s resurgence: “Not a one-man show.” (1998). Business Week. Retrieved on April 23, 2012 from http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/may1998/nf80512d.htm
Vakratsas, D., & Ambler, T. (1999). How advertising works: What do we really know? The Journal of Marketing, 63(1), 26-43.
Wallas, G. (1926). The art of thought. New York, NY: Harcourt Brace and World.
Course Policies
Assignment Policies
You will complete three multimedia assignments for each unit. These activities will ask you to go to a Web site, complete an interactive exercise, and then answer brief essay questions about the experience. You will submit these to your instructor electronically. We recommend that you prepare your answers in a word processing program first, then cut and paste them into the form provided. Please keep a copy of all your work. We cannot assume responsibility for lost items.
Late Policy
The course schedule is strictly adhered to. Late assignments/discussion participation and exams will be accepted ONLY if the instructor is notified prior to the due date of a special circumstance that cannot be avoided. Students will receive a zero for late work without an acceptable reason.
Academic Integrity
According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity , an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work.
Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity ). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic outcomes, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes which may include ineligibility for Dean’s List, pass/fail elections, and grade forgiveness. Students may also face consequences from their home/major program and/or The Schreyer Honors College.
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
World Campus students are expected to act with civility and
personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and
property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all
can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment
of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and
others, as well as a civil community.
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, the Policy on Academic Integrity indicates that procedure requires an instructor to inform the student of the allegation. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If that committee recommends an administrative sanction (Formal Warning, Conduct Probation, Suspension, Expulsion), the claim will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us by going to the Contacts & Help page .
Accommodating Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. Every Penn State campus has resources for students with disabilities. The Student Disability Resources (SDR) website provides contacts for disability services at every Penn State campus. For further information, please visit the SDR website.
In order to apply for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability resources office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation based on the documentation guidelines. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability resources office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Additional Course Policies
For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.
If you have a crisis or safety concern, mental health services are available to you as a Penn State student. Crisis and emergency contacts are available, no matter where you are located:
- Anywhere in the United States: Call the Penn State Crisis Line at 1-877-229-6400 or text LIONS to 741741. You can also contact your local crisis services or hospital for emergencies.
- Outside the United States: Please contact emergency services in your current location. You can also use the International Crisis and Emergency Services listings.
- At University Park: Assistance is available at Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) locations on campus.
- At a Penn State branch campus: You can search for counseling information at your campus.
Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or dependents with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.