Advertising 8

MAR 3271, Advertising 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VIII Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

7. Contrast the advantages and disadvantages of using various types of media to reach a target market. 7.1 Describe how various types of media can impact an IMC program.

8. Evaluate promotional tools.

8.1 Examine the effectiveness of a set of promotional tools that have been implemented for one organization.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

7.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 15 Unit VIII PowerPoint Presentation

8.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 15 Unit VIII PowerPoint Presentation

Required Unit Resources Chapter 15: Evaluating an Integrated Marketing Program

Unit Lesson Communication is really the core of the marketing function. Communication should describe the list of the benefits associated with the product or service offered by the company. Marketers establish objectives for their marketing and communication programs. With those objectives, marketers have the opportunity to evaluate and measure the integrated marketing communication (IMC) process within the company. The important thing to remember is that marketers must compile measurable goals and objectives. To state that your objective is to increase sales does not provide a measurable outcome. On the other hand, a measurable objective is more precise by including criteria to meet (e.g., measures) as well as a timeframe in which to complete it. For instance, the following objective contains measurable components: Increase sales by 5% during the first quarter. Marketers tend to utilize three broad forms of evaluative measures, which are as follows:

 Message evaluation techniques: These types of measurements ask the evaluator to review the message and physical design of the advertisement. This can involve emotional, attitudinal, and behavioral evaluations.

 Online evaluation metrics: These types of measurements ask the evaluator to review online advertising and marketing campaigns. This type of evaluation provides additional measurement tools that are not available with traditional advertising.

 Respondent behavior evaluations: These types of evaluations measure the customers’ actual buying actions.

Analytics

One popular method of determining the effectiveness of online advertisements involves the use of analytics. Analytics is a service used to track various user (consumer) data associated with one specific online

UNIT VIII STUDY GUIDE

Evaluating and Measuring a Marketing Campaign

MAR 3271, Advertising 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE

Title

advertisement in one specific location. Probably one of the most popular analytics available is Google Analytics. The purpose of capturing and recording analytics is to quantify the exposure of an advertisement. For instance, analytics can provide the number of visitors to a Web page and even the number of clicks on the features within a Web page (including advertisements). Then, the marketing team can compare those exposure numbers to any subsequent sales numbers, consumer traffic, or any other metrics that the team decides to observe. The industry provides several different types of data for marketers to consider. The options are nearly limitless. With so much data available and so many different ways to establish metrics, the most important skill to master is how to appropriately interpret the data. The right data that is in the wrong hands can quickly turn into a tangled web of inappropriate decisions.

Evaluating Marketing Programs Advertising tracking research is a common method used by marketers in evaluating advertisements. Basically, this method measures the effectiveness of the advertisement over time, while also comparing it to the competition’s advertising effectiveness. The measurement occurs by first establishing a set of criteria. For example, the criteria can include factors such as likeability, degree of message recall, and the degree of campaign recall. After the advertisement has been presented to the target market for a designated amount of time, the marketing team will evaluate the advertisement based on the criteria and determine if it was effective. Based on the results of the evaluation, the marketing team can make a decision about how to proceed. Another area that has gained momentum over the past few years is that of cognitive neuroscience testing. This is the process of analyzing consumers’ brain waves and brain activity after the consumers have been presented with certain advertisements. The purpose of this type of testing is to identify how consumers react and respond to certain stimuli. For instance, the test can provide evidence that suggests what type of emotional response a consumer is experiencing after viewing an advertisement. Such tests can provide answers to questions, such as which colors tend to provoke happiness, which sounds tend to stimulate excitement, and which emotional response is likely to lead to buying behavior. Understanding the effectiveness of each advertisement will provide marketers with the ability to review and correct advertisements that are not effective. This ensures a good use of the scarce marketing dollars. The purpose of any advertising or marketing campaign should always be to resolve some sort of business need, problem, or goal. Earlier in the lesson, an example of a measurable objective was provided: Increase sales by 5% during the first quarter. Such an objective supports a business goal to increase sales, which supports the business “need” to generate more revenue.