Promotions Project: IMC Mix Essay Assignment Instructions

Promotions Project: IMC Mix Essay Assignment Instructions
Overview
The Role of Promotion – Promotion is defined as the coordination of all seller-initiated efforts to set up channels of information and persuasion to sell goods and services or promote an idea. It should be noted that promotion is best viewed as the communication function of marketing. The discussion of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) should point to how other marketing elements such as brand name, package design, price or the physical retail space implicitly/explicitly communicates with consumers. However, most of an organization’s communications with the marketplace takes place through a carefully planned and controlled promotional program which utilizes elements of the promotional mix. The promotional mix is defined as the basic tools or elements that help the firm to sell more product; these efforts create the top line of an income statement (revenue or sales). Because marketers create top line growth; they usually make more money than other positions within the firm, ceteris paribus.

The IMC Promotional Mix includes these venues/mediums:
1. Advertising
2. Direct Marketing
3. Interactive/Internet
4. Sales Promotion
5. Publicity/Public Relations
6. Personal Selling
7. Social Media
(NOTE: The distinction should be made between publicity and public relations noting that public relations generally has a broader objective than publicity, as its purpose is to establish and maintain a positive image of the company among its various publics. Publicity is an important communications technique used in public relations; however other tools may also be used.

Instructions
In this Promotions Project: IMC Mix Essay Assignment, you must first research and understand each of the IMC Mix components listed above, after fully understanding each component; choose four of the most relevant IMC Mix components as they relate to your product/service. For each of your four components your Promotions Project: IMC Mix Essay Assignment must follow this methodology for critically thinking and writing: theory>research>analysis/discussion
You must use APA level headings throughout your Promotions Project: IMC Mix Essay Assignment; beginning with IMC Mix Essay, which is a Level One heading.:
Length of this Promotions Project: IMC Mix Essay Assignment is minimum of four pages of text excluding title page and references.
Format of Promotions Project: IMC Mix Essay Assignment is the most current APA Guidelines.
Four citations are required (this module’s Learn section may not count towards these four citations).
Acceptable sources are Scholarly Resources (regardless of the date of publication), Popular Sources, Professional Trade Sources and Books/Book Chapters

Below is a simple methodology/rubric for critically thinking and writing. Theory>Research>Analysis
Theory (Relevant Promotional/Marketing Theory Discussion)
Theory: what is the underlying theory associated with each IMC Mix component. A great place to start is our textbook, but I suggest you conduct outside search of the literature associated with the IMC Mix (there are several online Marketing and Promotions textbooks at the Jerry Falwell Library (JFL) website. This step will ensure that you better understand the theory associated with IMC Mix component and its application for your product/service. It’s my opinion that most grad students need to improve their knowledge of theory.
Research (Relevant Outside Research)
You must corroborate your theory or successful examples of the IMC mix component you are discussing. NOTE: You must conduct outside research (not your textbook, not Wikipedia, no marketing blogs/dictionaries etc.), obviously scholarly research is preferred, but not necessary. Please, don’t use the resources you find by typing in the key words in the Google search bar. This is not research; you must learn to use our online databases at the JFL, especially ABI-Inform, Business Insights and Business Source Complete. Always search for Marketing, Advertising and Promotions Journals within these databases as well. You want your research agenda to guide your writing.
Discussion/Analysis
Now you have set the stage for a relevant and academic discussion of the theory and research of each IMC Mix component as it relates to your product/service.
The analysis/discussion section is where I can see if you’re applying your promotional/marketing theory you learned about and research towards for each IMC Mix component. Tell me how you would use that component to promote your product/service, given the theory and the research you conducted. NOTE: Remember, the MBA is a practitioner’s degree, a fully developed discussion/analysis section shows me you are becoming a practitioner of Promotional theory and its application!