Midterm Exam

Question 1

Strategic Writing has 4 elements

Answer 1

Goal oriented writing
Advance organizational or business goals
Help organizations achieve values driven, mission related goals
Focus on clear messages

Question 2

Brand Voice

Answer 2

a consistent way of conveying a brands message to an audience

Question 3

Why does Brand Voice Matter?

Answer 3

Words are an important part of brand identity and when used effectively, they can shape the way a brand is perceived

Question 4

Understand why you are writing. What is the organization’s goal?

Answer 4

To share the company’s core business and effectively communicate the strategic messages

Question 5

The 9-step writing process

Answer 5

Research
Brainstorming
Organizing/Outlining
Writing
Revision
Editing
Seeking Approval
Distribution
Evaluation

Question 6

In the 9 step writing process, editing asks what questions?

Answer 6

Who, What, When and Why

Question 7

What does good writing start with?

Answer 7

Good research

Question 8

Target Audience

Answer 8

a smaller group of people with shared characteristics who are a part of the market (The smaller circle inside the circle)

Question 9

Potential Target Audiences

Answer 9

Generations, income, education, location, sports fans, pet lovers, gamers, concertgoers, etc

Question 10

Logos

Answer 10

logic; using logic to induce reasoning

Question 11

Techniques to build Logos

Answer 11

statistics, cognitive dissonance , contextual relevance

Question 12

Pathos

Answer 12

emotional reasoning

Question 13

Techniques to build pathos

Answer 13

human interest (insert humanity into a story), common ground, appeal to self interest

Question 14

Ethos

Answer 14

appeal to ethics/morals; build credibility

Question 15

Techniques to build ethos

Answer 15

Testimonials, endorsements, halo effect

Question 16

What does IMC stand for?

Answer 16

Integrated Marketing Communication

Question 17

How does IMC connect to strategic writing?

Answer 17

As a writer, think about message integration
Target audience receives many messages
Messages should be aligned and coordinated

Question 18

The 4 P’s for marketers

Answer 18

Product (name, design, packaging)
Price
Place
Promotion

Question 19

The PESO Model

Answer 19

an integrated approach to communications that blends paid, earned, shared and owned media to establish thought leadership, credibility, trust and authority that fuel a brand reputation

Question 20

Owned Media

Answer 20

Controlled, diverse, brand-focused, content a business/organization owns
Things that consumers can’t mess with, any communication consumers can alter

Question 21

Earned Media

Answer 21

uncontrolled, credible, outlet-driven
PR Pros pitch journalists, blogs, social media influencers to “earn” media coverage. No $$ is exchanged

Question 22

Shared Media

Answer 22

uncontrolled, co-created, audience-centric
Brand ‘owns’ the content on its socials, but social media platforms control how their own platform works

Question 23

Paid Media

Answer 23

Controlled, paid, multi-channel
Paying for content to be seen by whom, where and when a brand seeks to place its message

Question 24

Dual Processing

Answer 24

there’s heart and theres mind; we decide with emotions first and rationalize it later

Question 25

Dual persuading

Answer 25

Persuade through emotions then support with facts

Question 26

Creative Brief

Answer 26

document that summarizes research in order to identify a clear, effective strategic message to be delivered to a well-defined target audience

Question 27

Why do we use creative briefs?

Answer 27

Thinking through who the target is and what the message is important to them Making sure the message addresses [advertising, PR, communications messages, etc] objectives Considering alternative directions and debating them with the other members of the team

Question 28

How are creative briefs structured?

Answer 28

Short answers to a series of questions

Question 29

Creative brief in summary

Answer 29

Who do we want to talk to? What do we want them to do? What can we tell them about the brand so they do it?

Question 30

Insight

Answer 30

An accurate and deep intuitive understanding of a person or thing

Question 31

Elements of News value

Answer 31

Timeline: new information Impact: effects media readers/viewers/listeners Uniqueness: different from other stories Conflict: involves a clash of people or forces Proximity: events geographically close to readers/viewers/listeners Celebrity: involves famous person/people

Question 32

News Release

Answer 32

A written document or statement that provides information about a significant event to members of the news media

Question 33

What do news media expect from good news releases?

Answer 33

A written document or statement that provides information about a significant event to members of the news media

Question 34

What do news media expect from good news releases?

Answer 34

Each component of news value is present

Question 35

How are news releases structured?

Answer 35

1. Email subject line 2. Organization name, date and contact information 3. Headline and subhead 4. The lead paragraph 5. Second paragraph 6. Background information 7. The boilerplate

Question 36

News release headlines contain

Answer 36

Start the headline with the company name + what they're doing EX: “Blenders eyewear unveils winning eyewear collaboration with Dein Sanders”

Question 37

A news release lead paragraph contains

Answer 37

Repeats the information from the headline and subhead, Most important facts in the lead, Grab attention of journalist fast

Question 38

Why do PR pros pitch media?

Answer 38

Grab attention of a reporter, editor To ultimately cover whatever story you are suggesting

Question 39

What is a media pitch?

Answer 39

Short email, quickly communicating its value Personalized to each specific media outlet/person Highlights specific interest to gatekeeper's audience Exchange relationship

Question 40

How do PR pros pitch media?

Answer 40

Email - common and preferred Phone - nearly never the first contract; only in breaking news situations and for TV news mostly Mailed - good for new products Tweeted or X’d - DM - good all-around approach

Question 41

What makes a good media pitch?

Answer 41

Ends with a question Descriptive elements Not repetitive and straight to the point

Question 42

Core aspects of advertising

Answer 42

Persuasive messages Identified sponsor Controlled media (paid placements, how often you send it and where/when it appears)

Question 43

5 rules of writing digital ads

Answer 43

1. Must be concise 2. Must attract attention without being annoying 3. Must persuade the viewer to click or tap through the website etc 4. Optimized based on platform 5. Rapidly changing area

Question 44

5 Rules of writing print ads

Answer 44

1. Stay on message: be creative but not at the expense of strategy 2. Be conversational 3. Don’t repeat yourself 4. Edit 5. Study other ads

Question 45

8 Rules of Broadcast Writing

Answer 45

1. Stick to short sentences 2. One major idea per sentence 3. Make it personal 4. Use simple subject-verb-object sentence structure 5. Use active voice 6. Use present tense 7. Write it as you would say it 8. Words and pictures work in unison

Question 46

What is the AIDA copywriting formula?

Answer 46

Attention Interest Desire Action

Question 47

What makes a good audio ad?

Answer 47

Simple message Clear call to action Maximizes voice, music and sound effects

Question 48

What is a concept?

Answer 48

With the brief in hand, the creative team will brainstorm fun concepts for ad campaigns The concept should both sell the product,service and be entertaining, engaging or arresting What does a “concept” look like? A concept is a thematic thread a brand uses to sell a product via many different channels These are called integrated campaigns meaning they integrate all forms of media Presenting Concepts Sketches, stock images - a rough mock up