Blurred
images don't inspire much loyalty among consumers. You all
know about the lack of brand loyalty in the detergent field.
It was found here in Chicago that less than two percent
of housewives stick to the same brand of detergent for as
long as one year. By coincidence, the researchers tell us
that there is only one brand of detergent which has any
well-defined image in the consumer mind. All the others
are wishy-washy neuters.
David
Ogilvy, 1955
Everything
changes, including this syllabus and this profession: advertising
is about online, about entertainment, about branding, about culture, and
about measurement. This course will attempt to introduce
you to all of these areas, with the understanding that learning
is not a two-hour-a-day, 16-week phenomenon. You will succeed
in this only if you are committed to put the time, your
time, into learning outside of class and outside of this
semester.This
course is an immersion into the craft of writing—specifically,
advertising writing within the online (mainly) and offline
environments. It is the first writing course in the School
of Journalism and Mass Communication's advertising sequence.
We will do a lot of writing in this class, some online,
some in print.In
the course, you will learn that ad writing starts with clarity.
Then, by knowing the audience, product, market, competition,
and brand, the writer can communicate. At its best, the writing
in an ad communicates the brand attributes and motivates positioned (targeted)
buyers. At its worse, this writing is predictable, stale or
disconnected from the product . . . the most offensive of
these being the last. A funny ad that does not communicate
anything but something funny is, well, funny, but in the
end worse than worthless -- it can damage the brand equity.
We
will do a lot of writing in this class, covering a spectrum
of advertising media, from traditional print ads, to direct
mail, to radio (audio) and television (video). This is a
challenging course: you will start building a portfolio
that will follow you through your time in the school.
Diversity in Advertising
We
support Standard 3 of the Accrediting Committee for Education
in Journalism and Mass Communication that urges recognition
of the contributions, roles and involvement of women and
minorities in mass communication. Students in this class
are encouraged to a) identify contributions of women and
minorities, b) suggest ways the class might reach a better
understanding and c) identify speakers, articles, books
and events that will enhance understanding.
Honor Code
Kansas State University has an Honor System based on personal integrity, which is presumed to be sufficient assurance that, in academic matters, one's work is performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance. Undergraduate and graduate students, by registration, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Honor System. The policies and procedures of the Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses on-campus, off-campus, and via distance learning. The honor system website can be reach via the following URL: www.ksu.edu/honor . A component vital to the Honor System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by students. The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work." A grade of XF can result from a breach of academic honesty. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation. The honor system web site can
be reach via the following URL: www.ksu.edu/honor
Statements for Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Any student with a disability who needs an accommodation or other assistance in this course should make an appointment to speak with me as soon as possible.
Statement Defining Expectations for Classroom Conduct
All student activities in the University, including this course, are governed by the Student Judicial Conduct Code as outlined in the Student Government Association By Laws, Article VI, Section 3, number 2. Students that engage in behavior that disrupts the learning environment may be asked to leave the class.
Statement for Copyright Notification
Copyright 2009 (Thomas Gould) refers to this syllabus and all lectures. During this course students are prohibited from selling notes to or being paid for taking notes by any person or commercial firm without the express written permission of me.
Campus Safety Statement
Kansas State University is committed to providing a safe teaching and learning environment for student and faculty members. In order to enhance your safety in the unlikely case of a campus emergency make sure that you know where and how to quickly exit your classroom and how to follow any emergency directives. To view additional campus emergency information go to the University's main page and click on the Emergency Information button.
Materials
to help you learn to learn
We have no textbook for this course. Instead, I will provide links to readings that will help you understand the lectures and assignments. If you do not have a laptop with Internet access, you can access the readings via the school library computers, or those in the Hale Library Second Floor common room.
Plase refer to the SCHEDULE for readings.
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How
you will demonstrate what you have learned
One,
I expect students to take active participation in class
discussions and in-class ad work. I also urge you to come to
class with questions and opinions about assigned readings
and any advertising you encounter that you like or are curious
about. Consequently, you should pay increased attention
to advertising and relate it to what we are talking about
in class. I will ask individuals in class to talk about
the assigned reading. We will create ads almost everyday; so, missing a day is missing a grade. Stay healthy!
Two,
you will be able to demonstrate your ability in class to
apply the principles you learn in this course to an advertising
problem by working in a cooperative and competitive learning
experience to develop ads for a product or service located on campus. This semester we will be working with a service on campus of your choice that you now know little about. The Hale Library is a good place to start. But I leave it up to you to expand your choices, if you wish. The exact potential areas will be a topic for us the third class or so: start now thinking about it and doing some exploration.
We
will work with the components of SWOT
It
basically includes
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
From
the this comes the Need/Problem. Let
me say right here that all advertising starts with identifying
the SWOT, then the Need/Problem. Miss these steps and
you have boring, generic stuff.
Once
the Need/Problem is identified, you'll generate the . .
.
Brand
Statement: a simple sentence that boils
down everything you've learned.
Creative
Concept (X-Factor): The creative device you will
use to accomplish the Brand Statement.
All
written work will be graded based on this rubric. Please note, as little subjectivity will be involved as possible in grading. That is, if you lose points, it will be because of writing errors (grammar, syntax, etc.). Of course, incredibility bad creative that doesn't connect with the brand statement would be hard to miss and even harder to reward. We'll talk about how to avoid this.
Common errors I've
seen the past 10 years are: comma splices, run on sentences,
syntax errors, wrong words, and run-on, repetitive paragraphs. If you are unfamiliar with the definition of any of these errors, check them out on Wikipedia.
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Class
attendance and participation
I believe
learning is enhanced by active involvement in class discussion
and activities. That's why I will ask questions to elicit
your opinions and knowledge of the reading material. It
is impossible to participate in class without attending
class (as proved by Einstein). I
would add only that attendance and final grades have been
found to be highly correlated. I ask
for your cooperation in being seated when class begins.
If you are late (defined as arriving AFTER I do), you can
be certain you will be one of those asked to respond to the readings. Do not
be late.
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Determinants
of your course grade
Here's
what will be expected by the end of the course:
One: Client Work
- Team based (40%)
- SWOT (10%)
- Brand Statement (5%)
- Creative Concept (5%)
- Creative (20%) - 5 TV (one shot)
and 3 print ad ideas
Two: In
class work: 15% 15
ads/commercials/concepts
Three: Homework: 15% 15 ads/commercials/concepts
Three: Responses: 20 %
Ten of these to statements posted on KSOL -- ad writing site's message board. I'll grade these a few days after they are due. The importance here is to think and then post.
Four: Midterm: 10%
- generally multiple
choice and short answer with essay option.
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Some
important policies
If
you cannot take the mid-term at the scheduled time on the
scheduled date, you must talk to me in advance. If you have
a legitimate (medical) excuse, and if you talk to me
(or e-mail me) in advance, I will
allow you to take the exam on another date. You have one
week to make up the mid-term. It is your responsibility
to arrange the make up exam. The final cannot be moved from
its appointed day or time. If you make flight arrangements
prior to the final, I will assume you want to skip the final
and receive a zero.
I do
not need a physician excuses for your missing a class. However, no makeup ads assignments will be offered, so stay well.
Page last updated
November 12, 2009
