Top Three Course Takeaways
- Strengthen critical analysis skills to define and solve a marketing problem.
- Define and deploy SMART objectives, strategies, and tactics across marketing channels.
- Build a complete IMC marketing plan for a major brand.
Course Topics - Provided Client
- Campaign Introduction, Owned, Earned and Paid Media Review Concepts and Learning about the Brand
- Defining Your Target Audience
- Marketing Goals, IMC Objectives and Strategies
- IMC Assets: Integrated Communications Strategy Statement, Media Assets and Other Tools
- Owned and Earned Strategies and Tactics
- Paid Media Strategies
- Measurement Strategies, Executive Summary and Conclusion
Course Topics - Selected Client
- Learning About Your Client – Marketing Goal(s); IMC Campaign Objectives; Target Audience; Budget
- Structuring Your IMC Plan – Justifying Your Budget; Research Concept Statements
- Brand Positioning, Integrated Communication Strategy Statement
- The Campaign Message
- Media (communication) Planning: Objectives, Strategies, Rationale
- Media (communication) Planning: Tactics, Budget
- Touch Point Creative Executions
- Evaluation, Executive Summary and Conclusion
WORKLOAD: (10-12 hours per week)
IMC Campaigns is the capstone experience for the integrated marketing communications master's degree program. Students produce a comprehensive campaign plan for a real-world client. This course must be completed in a student's final academic term. The best final campaign submissions may be featured in the program’s online IMC Student Portfolio.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Conduct comprehensive background research to guide integrated marketing communications strategic planning.
- Establish clear goals and objectives relevant to business and integrated marketing communications problems.
- Identify and apply integrated marketing strategies and tactics to meet marketing objectives.
- Develop an evaluation plan to measure and communicate campaign effectiveness.
- Design a strategic integrated marketing communications plan that includes a variety of strategies and tactics.
Final Campaign
The final campaigns require that students write a complete IMC campaign and execute the creative work required to carry out that campaign. This includes:
- Researching a client, target markets and competition (primary and secondary).
- Developing an integrated communications strategy statement.
- Designing communication objectives and tactics.
- Developing advertising, social media, public relations, internal communications and other creative pieces.
- Developing a series of evaluation methods designed to demonstrate the results of a campaign. This should also include a plan for pre-execution research.
