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Marketing Communication Strategy(Mktg 541)  Question Paper

Marketing Communication Strategy(Mktg 541)  

Course:Business Administration

Institution: Kenya Methodist University question papers

Exam Year:2012



TIME: 3 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS
Answer question one and any other three questions.
VDL MBA – MARKETING OPTION
Vintly distillers, the brand owner of brown horse is seeking to recruit a new generation of young drinkers to the whisky market. It’s taken the new that this can achieved by repositioning its Brown Horse brand so the it shakes the old fashioned imagery currently associated with other brandys. This will improve developing a marketing strategy and advertising campaign that will change the way Brown Horse is perceived by young people.
The company intends to promote linking to appeal to mainstream, older established whisky drinkers by continuing to reflect more traditional values.
The whisky market has declined, with drinking patterns moving away from the traditional dark spirits in favor of white spirits, wine and lagers.
Each market has been attracted to the marketing and promotion of chilled, long, light drinks.
The profile of whisky drinkers has gradually become older within a base that itself is on the decline. The rate recruitment of people in their twenties and thirties has declined over the recent years.
CURRENT IMAGE OF WHISKY
VDL commissioned a research among 18-25 years old and 2530 years to try and understand the barriers to drinking whisky and therefore, how it might go about challenging these beliefs through its presentation of the Brown Horse.
The research found there were product and image barriers to whisky drinking. It is believed to be a strong and overpowering spirit, with a potent bitter smell and "rough or fiery" taste that will linger unpleasantly after drinking. Young people learn to acquire taste of spirits by use of mixers. However whisky has been describes as difficult to mix thus the unavailability of whisky in different tasting mixes.
For some, there product barriers can be seen as an initiation test, with the reward being acknowledged of being a ’real man.’
Current image is seen as outdated and largely irrelevant considered as targeted at their parents and grandparents.
THE CONSUMER
Research showed the values of young people not just with respect to whisky as follows:
Today’s young people view balance as a necessity to successful life, but focus for them is on enjoyment and escapism in their spare time over and above success in their career.
Being true to oneself, optimism was also in evidence as it the case with many young people not hardened by reality of life.
They appreciate quality, sincerity and unpretentionness. They consider originality intelligence and degree of irrelevance (or not taking oneself too seriously) less is more.
Humor is seen as a vehicle for facing up realities of life.
The values associated with youth of today are also tinged with a degree of vulnerability.
MARKETING OBJECTIVE
VDL intends to relaunch Brown Horse whisky. Its aim is to achieve a brand share of 6% in three years. It is expected that 60% of the brands consumers would be under 50 years of age by the time of the launch
THE TASK
Each syndicate must come up with an advertising strategy based on a budget level of Ksh. 3 million in the first year of advertising. For the purpose if the exercise in terms of media you are to consider only what your strategy will be (i.e. which target audience should be reached, using which type of media and when) the role fulfilled by a media planner often in conjunction with a creative agency team. You will not be asked to cost out the plan.
The advertising strategy must answer the following question:

Question One
Develop an advertising strategy for the company. Remember to include the key issues of an advertising strategy. (25 Marks)

Question Two
Change in technology has posed both challenges and opportunities in the field of advertising. Using appropriate examples discuss this statement.
(10 Marks)
Product placement has been on upward trend an alternative method of promotion. Explain the reasons for the growth of this method of promotion.
(15 Marks)

Question Three
Many firms are focusing on the use of celebrities in the advertisements. The celebrity thus becomes the source of information and the customer is the receiver in the communication process. Using examples, discuss the factors to consider when selecting the celebrity to use as a source.
(15 Marks)
Using examples discuss the various techniques used by advertises in developing their copy.
(10 Marks)

Question Four
In developing your promotions campaign, as a marketer you must take into consideration ethical issues surrounding each promotion tool. Identify and briefly describe four ethical issues to consider when developing:
Advertisements.
Sales promotions.
Public relations and publicity campaign.

Question Five
In reference to Rogers Model of diffusion of innovation; describe the communication stages a consumer is taken through to the adoption stage.
(15 Marks)
Database marketing is growing in importance partly due to the need to customize and target a specific audience. Explain the kind of information a marketer will require to have in their database so as to gain maximum benefits from database marketing.
(10 Marks)

Question Six
In reference to the Drip model explain the role of marketing as used in the telecommunication sector in Kenya today. Give relevant examples
(10 Marks)
Explain why word of mouth is a powerful communication tool.
(9 Marks)






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