Study Guide for BA 323EXAM #1Spring, 2010

Chapters covered: Chapters 1, 4, 5, 6, and assigned portions of 2, 7, 9

Lectures covered: January 20 – February 15.

Date of exam: Wednesday, February 17.

Topics to Know:

Chapters 1 and 2 and Lectures on IMC and the Marketing Communication Process:

Are the decisions involving setting communication objectives, target audiences, and budgets related?

What does Integrated Marketing Communications mean? What are its key features?

What is an Integrated Marketing Communications Mindset and what are its implications?

What are the main elements or types of marketing communications?

What is a brand? What functions or strategic roles does it perform?

What is brand equity?

What are two key forms of brand knowledge? (Define and give examples)

What is brand awareness?

What variables characterize brand image associations?

What are the fundamental MarCom decisions, and what are its outcomes?

What are the five dimensions that have been used to define “brand personalities”?

What is Co-Branding and when is it most effective?

Define and give examples of the needs that brands serve.

How do consumers’ personal characteristics influence needs served by brands?

Chapter 4, 5 and Lectures on Targeting and Positioning:

How do consumers’ personal characteristics influence choice of brand-positioning strategies?

What are the four types of targeting variables? Define, give examples, and be ready to evaluate the value of each type of variable for targeting consumers.

Be prepared to characterize broadly the key demographic shifts in society relevant to targeting.

What are the different sub-segmentsunder the “children and teenagers” segment?

Broadly define the key VALS groupings. What are these groupings based on?

What are AIOs? How do they relate to lifestyles?

What is a Consumption Constellation?

What does the PRIZM system do?

Where do marketing communicators draw meaning from in their efforts to position brands?

Chapter 7 and Lectures on New Products/Diffusion:

Describe the continuum of product innovation.

What are the 3 main stages through which an individual becomes a new product adopter, and what drives these stages?

What product characteristics facilitate/hinder new product adoption? Give examples.

State and define the key adopter categories.

Why is it important to achieve brand loyal consumers?

In what ways does the desired diffusion pattern differ from the typical pattern?

How can the desired pattern of product diffusion be managed?

Describe opinion leaders and distinguish them from followers

Describe market mavens

What are the two perspectives on buzz creation? What do they tell us about creating buzz?

Chapter 6, 9 and Lectures on Advertising Management:

What functions does advertising perform?

What does usage expansion advertising mean?

What does primary and secondary demand refer to?

What are the advantages of setting advertising objectives at the outset when managing your advertising?

What does hierarchy-of-effects refer to?

What criteria should good ad objectives satisfy?

What are the four different budgeting methods commonly used by companies? What are their limits and merits?