Promotion Consulting Project
MP4

This stage of the project is where you put everything together into the final report which the client will see. Use feedback you received from us during the semester as well as what you have learned since the initial drafts were turned in to improve upon your original ideas. Read the instructions below and follow them closely. Ask lots of questions of us if you are not sure about how to do something. The paper should be at least 20 pages in length not counting any appendices you might include.

1. The format and section headings to use for the paper are shown below:

Introduction (This includes a description of the organization and the primary promotion problem being focused on. It also includes a SWOT analysis.)

Objective (Goal, benchmark, time frame)

Strategy (The biggest part of this section is the description of the primary target market but there is another part that discusses which promotion mix components will be emphasized in the plan and the theme that ties all of the promotion components together)

Budget (Provide a total budget figure plus a line-by-line listing of financial and human resources needed to accomplish the objective. See example at end.)

Evaluation (How accomplishment of the objective should be determined. It helps to show mathematically how the plan is supposed to solve the problem, e.g., ROI analysis. If there is a cost to doing any part of the evaluation, such as with a survey, then that should be put in the budget.)

Tactical Recommendations (Specific ideas taken from the earlier phases [see #2 below]. This is the longest section of the paper; subheadings should be used to group your suggestions about the various promotion mix variables, e.g., Personal Selling, Advertising, etc.)

Summary & Conclusions (At least have one paragraph summarizing your plan. You could also add other sections to the paper such as discussed below.)

References (Citations made within the body of the paper should be abbreviated, e.g., Bruner 2007. At the end of the paper there should be a separate reference page that has full citation information for ALL of the non-original sources you drew upon. Any professionally accepted citation method may be used as long as enough information is provided to allow another person to locate the source.)

Appendix (This can include your target market data, media rate information, or something extra such as mentioned in #4 and #5 below.)

2. Describe the Tactical Recommendations.

1. Select and discuss those few tactical ideas from MP3 that you think should be implemented given the problem, the objective, the strategy, and the available resources. YOU SHOULD NOT DISCUSS EVERY IDEA FROM MP3. For example, in MP3 you may have produced 4 different slogans and 6 alternative logos. Now, you should only pick one slogan and one logo that will be featured in all of the other promotion. Another example would be with advertising; in MP3 you may have produced 30 different ideas. Even though it is okay to use several in MP4 you probably can't use them all because they are inconsistent in their creative presentation style, or you can't afford them all, or some are better at reaching the target than others. See #5 below for more information.


2. New ideas can be added that weren't discussed in previous phases.


3. Make sure the ideas are consistent and coordinated.


4. Be sure to incorporate our comments on earlier phases into what you do.

4. You may be able to improve your score a little by providing some optional information. No extra points are given unless the work shows that you have done an impressive amount of work or shown a lot of creativity. Here are some things that you can consider doing:

1. important recommendations regarding other marketing mix variables (e.g.,product, place, and pricing)


2. a detailed analysis of the competition


3. visual aids (e.g., tables, charts, diagrams, sketches)


4. a detailed calendar of scheduled promotion events


5. description and justification of a particular message strategy for the advertising you are suggesting


6. use of some media math to justify an advertising decision (e.g.,GRP, CPM)


7. jingle (a tape/disk with the lyrics and music for one or more jingles the client could use)


8. commercials (a video with one or more "commercials" in rough form that the client could develop further)


9. trademark suggestions (click here for more information)


10. perform financial analysis to help justify plan


11. make a presentation to the class (by invitation only)


12. make a formal presentation to your client and turn in a video of it

5. Remember, in the main body of this final paper you should not recommend every idea you considered over the semester but just the ones you have decided are the most efficient and effective. For each tactical idea you should provide justification so the client and myself are persuaded that you have formulated a good plan. Justification is important for most other things in the paper too. On the other hand, it is okay for you to put other/extra ideas in the appendix as long as it is clear to the client that you are not recommending them but just showing some other ideas you considered.

6. While a lot of the information in your paper will be original there is also going to be material you refer to that you got from others. I expect you to indicate where you got the information so the reader could go check it out further if needed. You can use any method of referencing you like as long as it is consistent and provides enough information that the original source can be found.

7. This paper should be as professional as you can make it. It should be something you keep a clean copy of to go into the portfolio of work you have accomplished during your college career. Recruiters sometimes ask to see these sorts of things so you can prove you have more than just "book knowledge." It must be typed double-spaced and neatness, grammar, and spelling can affect your score.

8. The folder you turn into us should have several things in it. Since it can be confusing, a checklist (the blue sheet) will be given to you describing everthing you need to turn in.  The folder should contain:

• The MP1, MP2, and MP3 that we have already graded. 
• The nicely bound, paper version of MP4.
• The form signed by the client four times this semester (the gray sheet).   
• A disk that contains your presentation (*.ppt) as well as MP1, MP2, MP3, and MP4 in WORD format (*.doc). For MP4, the name of these files should be your client's name, e.g., Pizzaplace.ppt and Pizzaplace.doc. For the other parts of the project, it is okay to simply name them MP1.doc, MP2.doc, and MP3.doc. (BTW, MP4 can be a *.pdf rather than a WORD *.doc if you prefer.)  The disk you turn in should have a label on it with your group's name as well as contact information. That helps us know who to contact if there is a problem with the disk and we want to give you a chance to fix it before we finalize the score. 
• A paper version of your presentation (the so-called thumbnail version) just in case the disk does not work and we can't find your group's contact person. 
• The checklist itself (the blue sheet). Failure to have any of these things in your folder could lead to your group losing points!!!  Group member evaluation forms can be turned in separately.
  

9. Before you turn in MP4, be sure to make a copy for each person in your group, a copy for us to grade, and a copy for your client. Timing on this requires that MP4 be finished in enough time so that you can go see your client, give him/her a copy of the plan, have him/her sign the form, and then turn in everything to us on the assigned day.  (Be aware that clients may be called to confirm receipt of your project)

10. If you would like to see some projects that were submitted in previous semesters, look under Course Content in Blackboard.

$ 1,600
$   100
$ 4,000

$ 1,000 
$ 3,000

$ 5,000
$ 2,000

$   600 
$ 1,000