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MCOM440 Public Relations Campaigns is Being Held Jointly with MCOM460 Ad Campaigns onT-H This Term From 9:30-11:50 a.m. in Stark Auditorium
Professor: John N. Weis · Office: Phelps 113-D
PLEASE NOTE: It is expected that this course be taken during your final term in the Mass Comm program to apply past concepts and principles to this real-world simulation. Do not take this course if you are going to be enrolled during spring term NEXT year or if you have not completed prerequisite courses. You will be asked to leave the course. You must present transcripts to demonstrate concurrence at the SECOND class session.
The "real world" involves a 9 to 5 job, right? Nothing could be further from the truth. The PR Campaigns course provides a taste of the work environment you will get to enjoy for the next half century or longer of your life after graduation. PR Campaigns is an intensive simulation of a real integrated marketing communications (PR/Advertising) campaign. The pace will prove to be hectic, the course will entail long hours up against seemingly impossible deadlines and, ultimately, it will prove to be the most rewarding experience of your college career. As I'm sure you are aware, PR Campaigns joins immediately with Advertising Campaigns class for the term. Six agencies will be formed composed of as close to equal numbers of PR/Ad students as we can get. But as soon as the groups are combined they become integrated marketing communications agencies dealing with all of the Promotion considerations of the 4-Ps of the marketing mix (Product/Service, Price, Place/Distribution and Promotion). It would be a BIG mistake to think that PR students will do PR and Advertising students will do the ads. The agencies that are teams of various talents do the best, experience has shown. Everyone should pitch in to meet any challenges based on their skills and capabilities. "Campaigns," as the course has come to be known, is the closest thing to the real business world you will experience during your college years. This year Prof. Weis continues to take the "real world" concept another step forward by again using real management staff from the real business world who will be provide specific challenges for your activities this term. Last year our client was Mayo Clinic and involved a joint venture between Mayo and Microsoft. This year our client company will be Best Buy corporate office, Minneapolis. For many years, we worked in conjunction with the Marketing Department students and faculty to simulate marketing communications promotion of retail businesses. Five years ago we began working with real companies from the Winona area and real communication staff members from those firms. The first year we had three clients; the next year we had two. Three years ago our six agencies worked on behalf of a single client company--Target Stores Corporate Headquarters, Minneapolis. This year the six integrated marketing communications agencies will develop promotional strategies and materials for Best Buy. Staff members from that organization will be on hand to provide the three, annual challenges you will face and help with rankings and evaluations. Text: There is no text for this course. There is also no text for real life. Check out the link on this site on the 4-Ps, also known as the marketing mix; it should come in handy during this course. Make sure you access the Desire to Learn (D2L) virtual classroom for this course throughout the term; that's where important information and presentation rankings can be found. Just how the course will function will be outlined in the initial course sessions. Supplies: Your agency will require additional supplies and materials throughout the quarter. You must also have an e-mail account/address for communication purposes through D2L. You must also have ongoing access to the D2L site on the web to post an interim report required of students during the course of the term. As the capstone course in Public Relations, this course is the ultimate in group work...something you are very familiar with from Prof. Weis' previous courses ("Oh, so that's why he has us do so much group work!"). Your grades will, in very large part, be based on the "success" of your agency in three one-year business promotional campaigns. You will apply marketing communications promotional concepts, principles and theories to realistic exercises as your agency works to maximize promotional effectiveness on behalf of the Best Buy. The course work can be broken down into a series of activities as follows: Your agency will be involved in a "Trade Show" at which your agency will demonstrate its capabilities and the experience of your agency members. You will have booth space at a designated location for that purpose in close proximity to your competitor agencies. Faculty and representatives from the client company will rank your performance based on which agencies we think did the best job in "selling" themselves as they would in the real world to get hired to represent the client. You will be involved in the development of promotional materials and programs in support of the client company as part of your agency's operation. All of the agencies will be preparing promotional materials for a specific goal set for each of three years on behalf of Best Buy. The first presentation will involve the first year's promotional campaign, second presentation, the second year, etc. So your agency will be involved in three formal presentations before your peers, faculty and business representative evaluators and visitors to present these promotional materials. Yes, you actually produce three years' worth of materials, one year's worth for each presentation. Things you say you will do on behalf of Best Buy in each of the three one-year presentations, you will actually produce. Agencies will be ranked 1 through 6 in the Trade Show and in each of the presentations and those rankings will determine final standings--and grades. No, sixth place does not mean you fail. As an "agency" member involved in a simulation of the business environment, conduct yourself as a professional, as a consultant to the client company. As such, attendance is absolutely imperative. Unexcused absence will affect your grade and the effectiveness of your agency. Unlike group work in previous PR courses, this time your agency will have the ability to fire you for "just cause" as defined by the faculty. If you're not carrying your share of the workload, they can dump you...and you can try again to successfully complete the course NEXT spring. Most of your work will be conducted within your agency and in conjunction with your client company outside the classroom. Some "housekeeping" time will be set aside periodically to deal with issues specific to this Public Relations course, however, and faculty will always be available to provide VERY general direction as needed. Most of the time the response from us to questions you have will be "What do you think?" All those semesters that I gave you so much latitude to figure things out for yourself culminate in this class. Again, that's why I did things the way I did. Your grade ** for the course ** will be determined solely by Prof. Weis with input from your peers based on your:
Specific operational details involved in participating in this course will be outlined during the first session and in the subsequent combined group meetings. A great deal of scheduled “class sessions” will involve group work in your agencies and not in the classroom. The faculty will present detailed information regarding how the course will operate, deadlines and general expectations, and timeframes ongoing throughout the term.
Additional Note: This syllabus is intended to be an outline of the tentative work schedule and assignments. It may be changed to meet the specific needs of this particular class and its members.
Planned Schedule for Spring 2010 Campaigns Class
Tuesday, Jan. 12—Classes Begin
Tuesday, Jan. 19—Briefing for Client/Best Buy project the six newly formed integrated marketing communication agencies are to undertake for the first year of the campaign. This is the day Best Buy marketing information is presented to agencies and the details of the challenge for Year No. 1 are presented. The overviews for objectives in Years 2 and 3 will be given after presentations No. 1 and 2 respectively.
Thursday, Jan. 28—Trade Show. Agencies prepare displays and materials designed to convince the client company that they could best represent Best Buy in its promotional activities. Faculty and Best Buy rep(s) participate in ranking the agencies on best displays/pitches and rank 1 through 6.
Tuesday, Feb. 23—Presentation No. 1. Each agency presents its promotional materials for the first year of the Best Buy campaign. Faculty and Best Buy rep(s) evaluate and rank agencies, one through six. Best Buy rep(s) outline the project for the next year.
Tuesday, Thursday, March 2 and 4—No Class; Spring Break Days
Thursday, March 25—Presentation No. 2. Each agency again presents that year’s campaign materials. Faculty and Best Buy rep(s) evaluate agencies on promotional materials for second year of the Best Buy campaign. Best Buy rep(s) outline the project for the final year.
Thursday, April 22—Presentation No. 3. Agencies present campaign materials for the third year of the Best Buy campaign. Faculty and client rep(s) evaluate campaigns ranking agencies one through six for their work on behalf of the client in the third year.
Feedback is provided to agencies individually at the class session after each presentation. At the last feedback session, students will privately rank each of their fellow agency members using an evaluation form designed for this purpose. Final grades are based on all of these factors.
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