Happy Mother's Day: Does This Ad Work?

Does this ad work? Why or why not?

Please use Comments to explain your decision. Each student is expected to answer the questions above in 1 Comment, and then comment on the comments of a colleague in a 2nd Comment.

Deadline: 3 pm (in Kuwait) Wednesday 16 May 2012. 

Summer Swim Camp: Does This Ad Work?

Does this ad work? Why or why not?

Please use Comments to explain your decision. Each student is expected to answer the questions above in 1 Comment, and then comment on the comments of a colleague in a 2nd Comment.

Deadline: 3 pm (in Kuwait) Monday 14 May 2012. 

Office Depot: Does This Ad Work?

Does this ad work? Why or why not?

Please use Comments to explain your decision. Each student is expected to answer the questions above in 1 Comment, and then Comment on the comments of a colleague in a 2nd Comment.

Deadline: 3 pm (in Kuwait) Wednesday 9 May 2012. 

Does This Ad Work? Why or Why Not?

You can click on the ad to enlarge it.

You are required to post two different comments:

1.  Study the ad, and then use the Comments section to explain why you think it works, or doesn't work. Be specific! If you say the ad works, explain what you would do to improve the ad. If you say the ad doesn't work, explain why and explain what you would do to improve the ad.

2.  Comment on the comments of one of your classmates. Agree or disagree with their comments and explain why.

All students must use Comments. I will not grade any comments sent to me via email. If you cannot use Comments, meet with a colleague from the classroom and find out what you need to do differently. Or consult with IT.

Deadline for both of your comments is Monday at 3 p.m.   

Team Consultations: Monday 30 April

Each final assessment team (all members must be present) will meet with me individually on Monday 30 April in my office to discuss your action plan and related developments. This is an important meeting -- it shows me if you are on track to complete this critical assignment, and it provides an opportunity for you to get further directions.

If your team (all members included) is available to meet with me starting at 2:30 p.m., please take advantage of the earlier time. However, all team members must be present (so that no student can say he or she was excluded because of another obligation at that time). If you want to meet early (before your class time) kindly send me an email so I know to expect you -- if there are multiple teams asking for meeting time I will set up a schedule and inform you. Send an email only if you plan to meet before class time.

There will not be class in the classroom -- we'll meet in my office. However, the classroom will be open to you to meet with your team. In addition to meeting with me, use the available class time to meet with your team to continue working on this project. As I've pointed out, you will need to meet outside of class time to complete this project.

Come to the meeting with me prepared to ask questions and seek further direction. First thing, I will ask to see your action plan and it needs to include action steps (beginning with an active verb), date of completion, and who will complete the task. Please be sure your action plan covers all of the assignment's requirements. Do not lump tasks together under one huge heading or assignment -- you need to clearly identify what needs to be done and who will do it and when.

Team members who do not attend this meeting will be counted absent for the day. This opportunity to meet helps me assess your progress and counts toward your individual grade.

While male or female teams can meet with me starting at 2:30, from 3:30 to 5 I will meet only with Male teams; starting at 5 I will meet with female teams.

Looking forward to reviewing your plans! 

Evaluate This Ad, Including The Advertorial

Advertorial may be a new term to you. Is it effective? More effective than simply an ad? You'll decide in a moment.

An advertorial (which you see above on the left) combines elements of traditional advertising and editorial (or text). The advertorial makes use of headlines, sub-heads, photos, captions, and editorial text, while also delivering traditional advertising messages. Editorials (which cover news and features, or provide opinions) appear in a newspaper or magazine without a fee. But the advertorial is sold as advertising space, so the newspaper or magazine collects a fee.  Generally, the word "advertisement" in fine print, or "advertising feature" (as appears in the image above) will be included at the top of the editorial to tell the reader, "This is not necessarily an unbiased article . . . this information was prepared by an advertiser who wants your business."

Here are some sources that provide additional information about advertorials and their value:
Blue Acorn Blog
PharmExec.com
Fine Print

Here's what you are to do (to earn your next grade):

1.  Read both the advertorial and the advertisement. Then answer the questions.
2.  What's your opinion of advertorials? Good idea, bad idea . . . ? Why?
3.  In the example above, how does the combination of advertorial and advertisement work or not work? Be specific.
4.  One thing you would do to change the advertorial?

Answer the above questions (#2-4) online in Comments below.

Come to class on Monday 23 April with an answer sheet for the following questions. Bring your answers to class, hard copy, ready to turn it in to me when you arrive in the classroom. Name and GUST ID number must be on the hard copy.

5.  What three changes would you make to the advertisement (on the right)?
6.  Ad tracking. Was it used in the advertorial? Explain. . . . Was it used in the advertisement? Explain.
7.  Who is the target market (be specific) for this combination of advertorial and advertisement?
8.  How well (effectively) did the combination of advertorial and advertisement reach the target market?

See you Monday!

Quality of Online Comments

Please note . . . when you are asked to Comment online . . . first and foremost, you MUST comment, so you will need to make certain that you can comply with the request. You may need to register with Google to comment -- it's free, so please do it!

Then, when you comment, please note that I am looking for detailed answers (unless I say otherwise). I suggest you click down to the IQ Air ad and look specifically at Comments by Taz, Noor, Ghalya, and Hibba -- note how they structured and organized their responses and provided detailed answers. Several other students provided good comments, but the four I mentioned did the best job overall -- please follow their lead!

Check the blog frequently because I will post ads for you to critique (as well as other possible online assignments) and each counts toward your grade!