Exam 8: Messaging and Media Strategies

Scenario 8-1 The Blanding Agency is an agency that specializes in developing advertising campaigns for smaller retailer clients. For example, Blanding was hired by Brown's Shoe Fit, a small regional chain of five shoe stores, to develop a slogan and specific ads to be used in a three month newspaper advertising campaign. Brown's marketing director, Rick Lindgren, was adamant with the Blanding account representative that the campaign must be catchy and modern to appeal to a target audience that has an active lifestyle and is between the ages of 16 and 29. More importantly, Rick wanted the slogan to be memorable and unique. Blanding developed a campaign and presented it to Rick, based upon the theme/slogan: "Do What You Do in Brown Shoe Fit Shoes." Blanding felt that this campaign would help consumers recognize the importance of having comfortable shoes but also raise awareness of the Brown Shoe Fit retail brand. Subsequently to running the ad they won an EFFIE (advertising effectiveness award) for the ad. It seemed that the surprising and appealing visuals gave the slogan unexpectedly positive social meaning. -(Scenario 8-1) Which of the following make the Account Executive role one of the most difficult of all management roles in business?

As an agency creative you will spend one-fourth of your work life with your feet up doing nothing at all.

Preparing and executing breakthrough IMC campaigns is a people intensive business; it is accomplished as a collective with each person executing a specific assignment.

The kinds of ads that win awards are usually the same kinds of ads that clients approve will little hesitation.

Which of the following is something we know about teams

Which of the following is NOT a question the creative brief must answer?

Executing a successful IMC campaign requires

Scenario 8-2 The Easy-Ride Bicycle Company manufactures three wheeled and broad tire two-wheeled bicycles primarily for the retirement market. Seniors who want to exercise regularly and live in retirement communities where there are clearly designated and safe bike paths are their primary target market. Seniors - especially Baby Boomers - like these recreational vehicles because they are easy and safe to ride. They have had some success in locales like Naples, Florida and Palm Springs, California where such communities abound. Easy-Ride now wants to expand from this initial positive consumer reception to other retirement enclaves. They have learned from two well-conducted consumer research studies that the main way male retirees buy the Easy-Ride products is through the urging of wives who want to exercise in some additional way than playing golf. Easy-Ride decides to engage an ad agency to capitalize on this consumer insight and promote their bikes to newer golf-course communities that abound in both states. They ask two agencies to pitch for their business and give each a meeting in which they convey the information above. Agency A is based in Fort Myers, Florida and insists that their creative team is best suited for promoting Easy-Ride. They tell the prospective client that this team is well versed in advanced animation techniques and can dramatize the features of Easy-Ride's two and three wheeled bikes in a dynamic way that focuses on how fast they can go and how they can "transform the ride" into an adventure - to appeal to the male consumers who need to be persuaded away from the golf course. They suggest following this initial display of product prowess to the men with a campaign that demonstrates how the bikes can be customized to be more "comfortable and attractive for the ladies," including pink seat options. They ask whether the brand name can be changed to "something more exciting." Agency B is based in Los Angeles, California and promises to serve as Easy-Ride's branding partner. They assert that their creative philosophy is centered on long term brand building and propose to apply the research based consumer insight that women want to use the bike to entice their husbands to leave the golf course once in awhile for alternative exercise to developing the right message. They suggest that their successful work building regional appreciation for brands such as Sea-Doo water vehicles and Ski-Doo snowmobiles indicates their prowess in branding similar but not directly competitive brands. They emphasize the difference Easy-Ride as a brand offers in the recreational ride category, the different consumer target than other brands, and compliment this prospective client on how appropriate the brand name is given its customer base and likely target consumer. -(Scenario 8-2) As is often common in new client-agency relationships, Agency B and Easy-Ride conduct a joint brainstorming session prior to finalizing the IMC campaign strategy. Mr. Wizard, the bicycle designer from Easy-Ride interrupts the session frequently to pooh-pooh agency personnel suggestions as uninformed about how likely these bikes are "to sell themselves." Mr. Wizard's behavior is

Clients see creativity as

Which of the following is(are) true of teamwork?

One of John Sweeney's rules for what to do if creativity is the goal is to establish a clear code of behavior.

Which of the following is NOT a suggestion for advancing your own creativity?

In brainstorming, fear of being demoted is a great incentive to come up with the most brilliant idea.

The Creative Brief is just that: brief. It plays a minor role in the creative process of making great IMC campaigns.

Scenario 8-2 The Easy-Ride Bicycle Company manufactures three wheeled and broad tire two-wheeled bicycles primarily for the retirement market. Seniors who want to exercise regularly and live in retirement communities where there are clearly designated and safe bike paths are their primary target market. Seniors - especially Baby Boomers - like these recreational vehicles because they are easy and safe to ride. They have had some success in locales like Naples, Florida and Palm Springs, California where such communities abound. Easy-Ride now wants to expand from this initial positive consumer reception to other retirement enclaves. They have learned from two well-conducted consumer research studies that the main way male retirees buy the Easy-Ride products is through the urging of wives who want to exercise in some additional way than playing golf. Easy-Ride decides to engage an ad agency to capitalize on this consumer insight and promote their bikes to newer golf-course communities that abound in both states. They ask two agencies to pitch for their business and give each a meeting in which they convey the information above. Agency A is based in Fort Myers, Florida and insists that their creative team is best suited for promoting Easy-Ride. They tell the prospective client that this team is well versed in advanced animation techniques and can dramatize the features of Easy-Ride's two and three wheeled bikes in a dynamic way that focuses on how fast they can go and how they can "transform the ride" into an adventure - to appeal to the male consumers who need to be persuaded away from the golf course. They suggest following this initial display of product prowess to the men with a campaign that demonstrates how the bikes can be customized to be more "comfortable and attractive for the ladies," including pink seat options. They ask whether the brand name can be changed to "something more exciting." Agency B is based in Los Angeles, California and promises to serve as Easy-Ride's branding partner. They assert that their creative philosophy is centered on long term brand building and propose to apply the research based consumer insight that women want to use the bike to entice their husbands to leave the golf course once in awhile for alternative exercise to developing the right message. They suggest that their successful work building regional appreciation for brands such as Sea-Doo water vehicles and Ski-Doo snowmobiles indicates their prowess in branding similar but not directly competitive brands. They emphasize the difference Easy-Ride as a brand offers in the recreational ride category, the different consumer target than other brands, and compliment this prospective client on how appropriate the brand name is given its customer base and likely target consumer. -(Scenario 8-2) Early in the process of IMC campaign development the Brand Manager, who is a very smart client, discovers that two of the creative members at Agency B have had open arguments about which creative ideas to bring forward. What does she do?

To make yourself more creative, decide now to recognize that it is impossible to be creative without adequate knowledge.

Creative thinkers appear never to have lost the ability to think like a child.

Poor creative executions are more a matter of structure than talent according to John Sweeney, a former creative director. He offered all of the following pieces of advice as strategies to ensure good creative work EXCEPT:

List several of the core characteristics of great creative minds described by Howard Gardner and discuss their upsides and downsides.

Characterize the tensions between the creatives and the account executives (AEs) in an advertising agency.