Planning an Advertising Campaign
Congratulations! You’re now in the advertising business.
You must decide what kind of product your company will create and devise an
advertising campaign for the first year. You must also outline the target
audience, campaign theme, and media selection strategy. Answer the following
questions.
First, plan the following:
• The concept: On no more than one typed page, describe the
concept of your product— how it differs from others on the market, to whom you
hope to sell it, what it will look like (taste like, feel like and so on), and
other descriptive factors. How much will it cost to produce? How much will it
sell for?
• The need: Clearly state why your new product is necessary
or why people will buy it. (Hint: Be specific and concrete. Avoid generic
statements such as, “People will love this product.”)
• User potential: Describe with as much detail as possible
the kind of person who will buy your product—age, income level,
single/married/family people, possible professions, typical interests, other
products they buy and so on. How many people, realistically, do you expect will
buy your product in the first year? How much money, realistically, do you
expect to net the first year? How much profit?
Then you must decide:
• Advertising slogan: What will be the theme or slogan of
your campaign, the jingle or phrase that will accompany all of your
advertising? Develop a strong theme.
• Advertising potential: What would be the best medium/media
for your pitch: newspaper, TV, radio, magazines, billboards, bus stop benches,
Internet? How will you use online advertising? Will you design your own web
page? Have each group member investigate the cost of purchasing ads in one of
these media. Obtain rate sheets and be sure to ask about multiple buys (for
which there are usually discounts). Have group members propose ways they would
spend the advertising budget using different media. Remember that there may be
additional charges for ad design or TV production.
• Advertising decisions: When you’ve decided on your
advertising buys, type them up. Do a mock-up of an ad. For example, write a
30-second broadcast ad or design a sample newspaper ad. For an Internet site,
do a mock-up of the home page created especially for your product. How will you
use your site to promote your product?
