Directions for Individual IMC Analysis Assignment:
This project asks you to analyze and discuss examples/illustrations of Integrated
Marketing principles using a real-world organization as the basis. Specifically, you
will use a company, individual, or organization (client) and investigate how it uses,
or doesn’t use, Integrated Marketing Communications fundamentals in its business
model. To make this process clearer, and hopefully easier, the following questions
should be addressed in your finished product. These questions don’t need to be
addressed in this order, but should be the basis of your paper.
1. Provide a sufficient, yet succinct history of the client.
2. How has this client utilized Integrated Marketing Communications in its
business model—in other words, how has it combined the efforts of
marketing, public relations, and advertising into one, cohesive effort, or how
hasn’t it? What are the effects/evidence of this use, or non-use?
3. What are the client’s strongest attributes? What are its greatest hurdles to
overcome? Explain.
4. How has the client been able to use segmentation, selling environment,
attributes, benefits, values, etc. in its marketing platform products, e.g. its
ads, events, sponsorships, etc.? Explain.
5. What are your recommendations for the client to improve its notoriety,
profitability, and reputation using IMC principles?
To be clearer: If I were to choose Apple as my client, I would cover the following:
a. Explain the origins of the company, its “decline” in the 80s-90s, and of course,
its resurgence in the past decade up to the point of Jobs’ death and its
possible implication for the future of the company.
b. Explain and provide examples of Apple’s promotional materials, how they
illustrate a specific audience, and why I believe this with evidence.
c. Discuss the product strength of Apple. Discuss the possible problems it has—
Jobs’ death/Chinese workers’ health deterioration at Apple factories, and its
implications on Apple’s image, etc.
d. How Apple has been able to develop its “emotional” image as cutting-edge,
cool, modern, etc., and how this is evident in its total marketing and product
package—the look of the website, its products, its ads, its ability or inability
to handle criticism in the media, etc.
e. My overall interpretation of Apple’s communication strategies—how they’re
working, or not, and my recommendations for it based on IMC principles
such as Positioning Strategy, Slogan Development, Selling Environment,
Consumer Decision-Making Processes, Advertising Analyses, PR, etc.
Whichever of the many aspects covered in class you feel best fit your client.
(OVER)
Technical Requirements:
There isn’t a word count or page-number requirement—it should be as long as is
necessary to completely cover the assignment questions. Realistically, probably
between 3-5 pages is what you’ll end up with. It must include citations in the paper,
as well as a reference page at the end. It will should include examples of ads,
slogans, etc. with which you’ll base your analyses—please include these examples. It
must be typed and double-spaced, and grammar, spelling, cohesiveness, etc. all
count.