Truth, Lies & Advertising: The Art of Account Planning by Jon Steel

Packet of readings available at Grade A Notes

The objectives of this course are: 1) to introduce you to the world of advertising and communication research; 2) to familiarize you with the principles, methods, and techniques of advertising research; 3) to develop your capacity for critical judgment in obtaining and utilizing data in making advertising decisions; and 4) to involve you in the actual research process by giving you "hands-on" experience in using research principles, methods, and techniques. The advertising research project will include conducting and summarizing secondary research, defining the advertising and research problems, designing a study, and planning the data collection and analysis.

Because this class meets just once a week, you are expected to attend all class meetings, participate in class discussions, and prepare for class by reading assigned chapters and handouts. In addition, you will be expected to complete several formal course requirements, including both individual and group projects. Your final grade will be determined as follows:

Individual assignments 25%

Quizzes 15%

Research Proposal 35%

Research Presentation 15%

Attendance and Participation 10%

TOTAL 100%

Individual assignments: There are four individual assignments that occur early in the quarter. Individual assignment sheets will be provided with detailed descriptions and deadlines. Each assignment is worth 50 points.

Quizzes: Instead of taking major exams, a series of four quizzes are scheduled. These quizzes will take place at the beginning of the class period or perhaps in a take-home format. These quizzes will involve practical applications to the theoretical information that you most recently studied. Quizzes will cover material from both the readings and class lectures/discussions. Anything discussed or presented in class, including current advertising events, current research studies, and findings from those studies, could be potential material for a quiz. Each quiz is worth 25 points.

Research Proposal: It is very important that you learn to work as a team, therefore, this becomes a very important learning experience for you. The group project involves a research proposal for a national branded product. A list of brands will be made available the first week of class. Groups will be allowed to choose which brand they wish to work on during the quarter. Groups are required to formally present the proposal in class. Each group member is expected to be a productive, contributing member of the research project team. Peer evaluations will be done and lack of group participation will have a severe impact on your participation grade. Specifics for the research proposal will be outlined in a separate document.

Attendance and participation: Both Matter!!! This includes group projects and in-class discussions. You will receive a letter grade each class period based on attendance and participation. Obviously, if you fail to attend class - you get a zero for that day. If you miss more than 1 class periods, you loose all your attendance and participation points, regardless of how much you have participated in class.

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 as well as Ohio University.

1. You are responsible for all assigned readings. Don't fall behind. We are on a very tight schedule which makes it tough to catch up later on. Also, as part of your class participation grade, I will be calling on students during each class to answer questions related to the readings. You want to be able to answer these questions.

2. You should have an email account and access it on a regular basis. This is a very efficient way for you to reach me and for me to reach you. Furthermore, it will become a good source for communicating during the group project.

3. Arriving to class on time is essential. Promptness is expected, professional behavior; tardiness is discourteous and wasteful. Assignments, quizzes and presentations will be due at the beginning of class. If you are not in attendance when these processes begin, you will not be able to present, take the quiz, or turn in your assignment.

4. NO LATE WORK IS ACCEPTED. That's the nature of this business - a deadline is a deadline. You will be given sufficient time to finish assignments. Plan ahead - manage your time accordingly.

5. Make-up quizzes will not be given.

6. This course will require you to do work outside of class. Be prepared for that and allot plenty of time.

7. In all of your work, grammar, spelling, writing, and oral presentation skills matter. You will lose points for poorly organized presentations, poor writing and grammar, misspelled words, and poor presentation of the work.

8. All assignments for this class must be type-written and professionally formatted. One of the most important elements of this business is the presentation of written work. Any assignment that is not professionally presented will not be accepted.

9. Any incidence of academic dishonesty on an assignment will result in a grade of zero (0) for that assignment. This includes cheating and plagiarism. Furthermore, any student suspected of, or caught, cheating or plagiarizing will be dealt with in accordance with Ohio University's Academic Honesty policy.

10. 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, make an appointment. Please do not just "drop by" at your convenience. While I am always happy to meet with you and my door is often open, I do have various 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 student meetings before class.