Cases in Integrated Brand Promotion Management

Cases in Integrated Brand Promotion Management is designed for college and university faculty teaching a course that uses the case method to provide their undergraduate or graduate students with experience in developing solutions to the opportunities and problems that face marketing communication management. The case book is organized into 13 chapters. The first two chapters are intended to set the stage for lively case analyses discussions in which competing teams of students present their recommended course of action in Integrated Brand Promotion (IBP) management decision-making situations. Chapters three through nine focus on specific areas of management decision-making. The two concluding chapters pose client/agency relationships and ethical issues often facing IBP management. A Teacher's Manual that provides suggestions for teaching the course, an example syllabus and handouts, plus suggestions for using each of the 49 cases is available to adopters by contacting Dr. Murphy. The first chapter focuses on the case method of learning and posits a framework for analysis. The framework involves following a seven-step process: (1) identifying the problem or opportunity; (2) identifying important factors that bear on a solution to the problem/opportunity; (3) ranking these factors in order of importance; (4) framing alternative courses of action to respond to the problem or opportunity; (5) evaluating the alternatives using the critical factors in a pro and con analysis of each alternative; (6) identifying the recommended course of action accompanied with a concise rationale; and, (7) adding additional observations or suggestions that are relevant to IBP management. The second chapter presents suggestions for developing persuasive presentations. These recommendations are relevant to student classroom presentations. However, the principles of effective, persuasive communication suggested in this chapter are relevant to any setting. Chapters three through eleven basically track along with the development of an IBP campaign. These chapters are: • The marketing context of IBP decisions. • Developing research insights. • Establishing objectives and an appropriation/budgeting. • Developing creative strategies. • Developing sales promotion strategies. • Developing public relations strategies. • Developing guerrilla and direct marketing strategies. • Developing event marketing strategies. Finally, chapters 12 and 13 present management dilemmas in terms of client/agency relations and ethical issues. These two areas are often of critical concern in implementing the most appropriate and effective IBP efforts. Note that the cases are presented under specific areas (chapters) of IBP management, indicating that the case is primarily designed to pose a problem or opportunity in that area. Some of the cases describe multiple management concerns. Here the teacher may want to identify which issue the class should address. The teacher may also elect to leave the decision of what to address open to his or her students. Also note that the cases can be used in other areas of management decision-making beyond the chapter heading in which the case is presented. To shift the emphasis of a case, the teacher needs to provide the class with specific instructions on the shift and what their students should focus their attention in analyzing the case.