Advertising Media Planning, 5th edition, by Jack Z. Sissors and Lincoln Bumba

Media Planning Workbook, 5th edition, by William B. Goodrich and Jack Z. Sissors

This course is intended to be a survey of the media planning discipline of advertising. You will learn to solve marketing problems through understanding how the media operate from the perspective of the advertiser, the agency and the medium itself.

We will discuss the planning, selection and evaluation of all major advertising media and consider the various decisions and problems that arise in those processes. Therefore, the course is designed to cover the fundamentals of media planning with an emphasis on knowing and understanding media concepts, numerical analysis, media research, and strategic media planning.

A combination of conceptual presentations and detailed process-oriented assignments will be used to facilitate understanding of the fundamental concepts. This format will help you develop a sense of judgement that will be used to create a strategic media plan that will solve a complex marketing problem.

By the end of the quarter, you will have examined a wide range of challenges and procedures involved in the process of media planning and the evaluation of media plans.

I believe my role in this course is to guide you in a sophisticated understanding of the media function, from an advertising professional's point of view. I will explain the mass media system, how it works and how advertising practitioners use it to deliver messages to potential consumers. I will also present the various sources of information which are commonly used to provide answers to important questions about who potential customers are, what media are they exposed to and how much money should be spent to deliver a message to them. I will present the most widely used planning theories and help you see how they apply to different situations.

At the end of the quarter you should have a thorough understanding of several media planning fundamentals:

1. The role of media in delivering messages to customers and potential customers.

2. The function and methods employed by advertising agency media departments.

3. The various sources of information necessary to make good media decisions.

4. The complex interrelationships among important factors of media decision-making.

5. The underlying criteria which allow us to evaluate the advantages and failures in data sources, media research, and theories of media strategy.

6. The development of a sense of judgement when evaluating media and/or other advertising options.

7. The strategic development of a media plan in response to a marketing/advertising problem.

Readings and discussion: Lectures will not necessarily cover the textbook readings, therefore you are responsible for these readings. These may include the textbook, handouts and your own work. You will be expected to participate actively in class discussion of assigned reading materials, so come to class prepared. Please note - it may be necessary to alter the schedule in order to discuss certain topics more thoroughly. Please be flexible.

Assignments: Assignments develop your understanding of various media concepts, data sources and problems involved in media decision making. Assignments are from the required workbook and due dates of specific assignments are given on the class schedule provided. Other assignments from the workbook may be done as part of a class period - therefore, bring your workbook and a calculator to each class. Assignments done in class will be graded as well.

Quizzes: Four quizzes are scheduled over the course of the quarter. Each quiz is worth 25 points. These may cover text material, lecture materials or information from assignments. Quizzes cannot be made up. If, at any time during the course of the semester I believe students are not preparing for classes, unannounced quizzes will be given in addition to those scheduled.

Strategic Media Plan: This team project is designed to help you apply the concepts learned in class. You will be required to devise a complete media plan for a real product or service. Details about the project will be provided in a separate assignment sheets. A 15-minute formal presentation of the plan is required. All presentations will be scheduled for finals week, Monday, March 13 at 10:10 a.m.

Your individual grade for this project will be adjusted based on your average peer evaluations. Example: Your average peer evaluation (95%) X the total group project score (190) = Individual score (180.5). If a group member is not performing up to group standards they must be given a written warning that they are in danger of being "fired" from the group. Written warnings must state exactly how the team member has failed to live up to the expectations of the other team members. Teams are required to give me a copy of any written warning and to make an appointment, including all members, with me within one week to discuss solutions. If fired from a team, the student must complete the media plan alone. WARNING: Your final grade can be lowered by an entire letter grade by a poor peer evaluation.

Your final grade will be based on points earned as a percentage of total points possible. Grades will be determined in the following manner.

Assignments 25%

Quizzes 25%

Media Plan 35%

Media Plan Presentation 15%

A 94-100
A- 90-93
B+ 87-89
B 84-86
B- 80-83
C+ 77-79
C 74-76
C- 70-73
D 65-69
F 64 and below

While class attendance is encouraged it is not mandatory. However, attendance will be taken in class and if at the end of the quarter you have a borderline grade, class attendance will be factored in.

Your registration in this course assumes that you agree to the course policies set forth in this syllabus as well as those established by the Scripps School of Journalism and by Ohio University.

1. You are responsible for all assigned readings. These will not necessarily be covered in class. Lectures are intended to reinforce the readings. Have the readings done by class and be prepared to participate in the discussion.

2. Arriving to class on time is essential. Promptness is expected, professional behavior; tardiness is discourteous and wasteful. Assignments will be due and at the beginning of each class period. If you are not in attendance when the assignment discussions begin, your assignment for that period will not be accepted.

3. NO LATE WORK IS ACCEPTED. Your work is due when it is due. In this business a missed deadline could cost the client thousands of dollars, and cost you your job. You will be given sufficient time to finish assignments, please manage your time accordingly. DO NOT wait until the last minute to work on your assignments. All the information you need to complete them are contained in the workbook. Plan ahead.

4. All assignments for this class must be neatly presented in the formats provided. You must show all computations and write legibly. Assignments are individuals efforts, not group projects. Staple assignments that are more than one page in length. Loose papers will not be accepted. Assignments are due at the beginning of each class. We will briefly discuss each assignment at that time. Therefore, make and keep a copy of your work for that discussion. There will be many assignments and handouts during the course of the quarter. To keep your work organized, I recommend you purchase a three-ring binder, a hole punch, and dividers.

5. One of the key principles of advertising is ethical behavior, which relates to a complete commitment to truthfulness. You are expected to perform accordingly. I will not tolerate any form of plagiarism, cheating, forgery, or dishonesty. Plagiarism is defined as 10 or more consecutive words taken from another's written work and presented as one's own without citation of the original work or attribution to the original author. Any incidence of academic dishonesty on a written assignment will result in a grade of zero (0) for that assignment. Any evidence of academic dishonest in relationship to the final media plan can result in an F for the entire course. Furthermore, all instances of cheating or plagiarism will be reported and will become part of the student's record as per the University policy on Academic Honesty.

6. I am available to help you anyway I can. I do not always know if you need help, so don't hesitate to ask. Scheduled office hours will be held each week. If you are unable to make these hours, please, out of courtesy, call or e-mail me to make an appointment. Please do not just "drop by" at your convenience. While I am often in my office with the door open, that does not mean I'm simply sitting there waiting for you to stop by. I do have various other university commitments and teach other courses. I want to make certain I have allotted the time to devote my full attention to your situation. Please note, I am not available for meetings prior to class.

7. If you have a disability that hinders you in the classroom, it is your responsibility to register with the Office of Institutional Equity. It is also your responsibility to inform me of this disability so that I may make arrangements to accommodate you. Do not wait - do this immediately.

There are several things that you can do to best take advantage of the learning opportunities in this course. These include the following:

1. Attend class regularly. Class attendance is to your benefit. Much material will be covered during each class period, most of which is not covered in the text. Therefore, when you miss a class, you miss information. Furthermore, any assignments given or due when you are absent from class cannot be made up.

2. Be on time to class. Class will start promptly. If you miss something, I will not go back to catch you up. Assignments will be discussed at the beginning of class and if you are not in attendance as that discussion begins, you are not allowed to turn in your assignment.

3. Do the assigned readings before class and then review them after class. Make notes from the readings - this will help you when you need the information later in the planning stages.

4. Do all the assignments and learn from them. Each assignment provides a skill that is necessary for the media plan. Each assignment provides an excellent orientation to the skill. Give yourself plenty of time to do each assignment. This is information that you will need for the media plan.

5. Be an active and courteous student (i.e. participate in discussion, listen actively, refrain from distracting the class)

6. Become a critical thinker. This doesn’t mean that you need to be critical – it means that you need information in order to develop problem-solving solutions as well as strong, supportable recommendations.

7. Keep an open mind. You are going to be exposed to many new concepts, philosophies and skills in this course. Don't come to the class thinking you "know it all". Trust me - you don't. Come to the class willing to experience new knowledge and new challenges.

8. Realize that you are not the consumer and people are not like you. You must begin to think and analyze things from another perspective – another point of view – the consumer’s point of view. Your point of view isn't important - the consumer's is.

9. While many of you may not want to be involved in the media as a career, realize that much of what you will do in this class is learning how to solve problems. Skills such as research, writing, analysis, using numbers, being aware, thinking about others, being courteous, being on time, being attentive, being enthusiastic about learning – are attractive to any prospective employers.

10. Be an advocate of your client and of the process. Advertising is difficult work. If you aren't willing to do whatever it takes to make it successful, don't go into advertising. If you aren't willing to do what I require for this class, don't take it.