Chapter 14

Question 1

advertising

Answer 1

A paid form of communication from an identifiable source, delivered through a communication channel, and designed to persuade the receiver to take some action, now or in the future.

Question 2

advertising schedule

Answer 2

Specifies the timing and duration of advertising.

Question 3

affordable method

Answer 3

A method of determining a communications budget based on what is left over after other operating costs have been covered.

Question 4

blog (weblog)

Answer 4

A web page that contains periodic posts; corporate blogs are a new form of marketing communications.

Question 5

cause-related marketing

Answer 5

Commercial activity in which businesses and charities form a partnership to market an image, product, or service for their mutual benefit; a type of promotional campaign.

Question 6

click-through rate (CTR)

Answer 6

The number of times a user clicks on an ad divided by the number of impressions.

Question 7

click-through tracking

Answer 7

Measures how many times users click on banner advertising on websites.

Question 8

communication channel

Answer 8

The medium—print, broadcast, the Internet—that carries the message.

Question 9

competitive parity method

Answer 9

A method of determining a communications budget in which the firm’s share of the communication expenses is in line with its market share.

Question 10

continuous advertising schedule

Answer 10

Runs steadily throughout the year and therefore is suited to products and services that are consumed continually at relatively steady rates and that require a steady level of persuasive or reminder advertising.

Question 11

decoding

Answer 11

The process by which the receiver interprets the sender’s message.

Question 12

direct mail/email

Answer 12

A targeted form of communication distributed to a prospective customer’s mailbox or inbox.

Question 13

direct marketing

Answer 13

Marketing that communicates directly with target customers to generate a response or transaction.

Question 14

direct response TV (DRTV)

Answer 14

TV commercials or infomercials with a strong call to action.

Question 15

digital media

Answer 15

Tools ranging from simple website content to far more interactive features such as corporate blogs, online games, text messaging, social media, and mobile apps.

Question 16

earned media

Answer 16

Media that results from word-of-mouth, buzz, or publicity.

Question 17

emotional appeal

Answer 17

Aims to satisfy consumers’ emotional desires rather than their utilitarian needs.

Question 18

encoding

Answer 18

The process of converting the sender’s ideas into a message, which could be verbal, visual, or both.

Question 19

event sponsorship

Answer 19

A popular PR tool; occurs when corporations support various activities (financially or otherwise), usually in the cultural or sports and entertainment sectors.

Question 20

feedback loop

Answer 20

Allows the receiver to communicate with the sender and thereby informs the sender whether the message was received and decoded properly.

Question 21

flighting advertising schedule

Answer 21

Implemented in spurts, with periods of heavy advertising followed by periods of no advertising.

Question 22

frequency - gross rating points (GRP)

Answer 22

Measure of how often the target audience is exposed to a communication within a specified period of time.

Question 23

impressions

Answer 23

The number of times an ad appears to a user.

Question 24

integrated marketing communications (IMC)

Answer 24

Represents the promotion dimension of the four Ps; encompasses a variety of communication disciplines—general advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, and digital media—in combination to provide clarity, consistency, and maximum communicative impact.

Question 25

mass media

Answer 25

Channels, such as national newspapers, magazines, radio, and television, that are ideal for reaching large numbers of anonymous audience members.

Question 26

media buy

Answer 26

The purchase of airtime or print pages.

Question 27

media mix

Answer 27

The combination of the media used and the frequency of advertising in each medium.

Question 28

media planning

Answer 28

The process of evaluating and selecting the media mix that will deliver a clear, consistent, compelling message to the intended audience.

Question 29

niche media

Answer 29

Channels that are focused and generally used to reach narrow segments, often with unique demographic characteristics or interests.

Question 30

noise

Answer 30

Any interference that stems from competing messages, a lack of clarity in the message, or a flaw in the medium; a problem for all communication channels.

Question 31

objective-and-task method

Answer 31

An IMC budgeting method that determines the cost required to undertake specific tasks to accomplish communication objectives; process entails setting objectives, choosing media, and determining costs.

Question 32

owned media

Answer 32

Media controlled by the advertiser, such as its website, Facebook fan page, or YouTube channel.

Question 33

paid media

Answer 33

Media such as TV, print, radio, or display ads used to reach mass markets.

Question 34

percentage-of-sales method

Answer 34

A method of determining a communications budget that is based on a fixed percentage of forecasted sales.

Question 35

personal selling

Answer 35

The two-way flow of communication between a buyer and a seller that is designed to influence the buyer’s purchase decision.

Question 36

post-testing

Answer 36

The evaluation of an IMC campaign’s impact after it has been implemented.

Question 37

pretesting

Answer 37

Assessments performed before an ad campaign is implemented to ensure that the various elements are working in an integrated fashion and doing what they are intended to do.

Question 38

public relations (PR)

Answer 38

The organizational function that manages the firm’s communications to achieve a variety of objectives, including building and maintaining a positive image, handling or heading off unfavourable stories or events, and maintaining positive relationships with the media.

Question 39

pulsing advertising schedule

Answer 39

Combines the continuous and flighting schedules by maintaining a base level of advertising but increasing advertising intensity during certain periods.

Question 40

rational appeal

Answer 40

Helps consumers make purchase decisions by offering factual information and strong arguments built around relevant issues that encourage consumers to evaluate the brand favourably on the basis of the key benefits it provides.

Question 41

reach

Answer 41

Measure of consumers’ exposure to marketing communications; the percentage of the target population exposed to a specific marketing communication, such as an advertisement, at least once.

Question 42

receiver

Answer 42

The person who reads, hears, or sees and processes the information contained in the message or advertisement.

Question 43

return on investment (ROI)

Answer 43

Used to measure the benefit of an investment, ROI is calculated by dividing the gain of an investment by its cost.

Question 44

sales promotions

Answer 44

Special incentives or excitement-building programs that encourage the purchase of a product or service, such as coupons, rebates, contests, free samples, and point-of-purchase displays.

Question 45

search engine marketing (SEM)

Answer 45

Uses tools such as Google AdWords to increase the visibility of websites in search engine results.

Question 46

sender

Answer 46

The firm from which an IMC message originates; the sender must be clearly identified to the intended audience.

Question 47

social media

Answer 47

Content distributed through online and mobile technologies to facilitate interpersonal interactions.

Question 48

tracking

Answer 48

Includes monitoring key indicators, such as daily or weekly sales volume, while the advertisement is running to shed light on any problems with the message or the medium.

Question 49

transmitter

Answer 49

An agent or intermediary with which the sender works to develop the marketing communications; for example, a firm’s creative department or an advertising agency.

Question 50

unique selling proposition (USP)

Answer 50

A strategy of differentiating a product by communicating its unique attributes; often becomes the common theme or slogan in the entire advertising campaign.