Course Title: X 463.6 Developing an Advertising Campaign Reg# W9337 Quarter: Winter 2012 Instructor: Meeting Dates: Time: Location: Office Hours: Arnold Zelonka BA, President/Creative Director Impresario Advertising+Marketing+PR. Mr. Zelonka has been the Senior Writer and Creative Director for such iconic agencies as J. Walter Thompson and N.W. Ayer, and headed up his own agency specializing in technology and consumer accounts for over 20 years; he also serves as an on-going Creative Director and Managing Partner to many B2C and B2B web-based businesses. January 12 March 22, 2012 (Thursdays) 7pm 10pm UCLA, Haines Hall A25 All week via email azelonka@ucla.edu Course Description: An in-depth study of the creation of advertising campaigns from the objectives set by marketing strategy to the solutions needed to obtain those objectives. Instruction covers defining and identifying the basis criteria needed to plan and implement an advertising campaign, as well as the role creative communications plays in motivating the target audience. Other topics include developing and executing a creative strategy; and evaluating advertising campaigns, good or bad. Students plan strategies and campaign tactics using perceived demographics and psychographic information. There s an emphasis on creative strategy and product, a de-emphasis on pie charts and overly extensive in-depth marketing plans. Each student creates a minimal plan but a much more complete advertising campaign execution as a term project. In this course, the importance is
on having fun achieving the creative process, it means and end. The class sees and assesses dozens of current media campaigns, TV and Internet, and brings in homework assignments which consist of student reviews of current ads and campaigns. The Instructor has a blueprint formula for creating these critiques which is guaranteed to enhance each student s ability to assess campaigns, success or failure, and write their own. Please note, this is not a design class and proficiency in Photoshop or Illustrator is not required; all that s required is an open mind to creating great advertising concepts, and a willingness to articulate and present your ideas. Please also note this class concentrates on what s topical and works now as advertising, not old (albeit great) campaigns from the 50s and 60s. Instructor makes extensive use of terrific, timely class text, Creative Advertising by Mario Pricken, and such sites www.adsoftheworld.com, www.moderncopywriter.com and many other as resource material. Instructor Posts Class Agendas each week prior to session, and hands them out in class. The Class Agendas reflect organic nature of class, and continue discussions and issues of previous class. See Blackboard for past agendas Goals & Objectives: To appreciate the intrinsic fundamentals of what comprises great advertising and why it both effectively and creatively positions a brand or sells a product. For individuals who want to work in an ad agency, create ads to sell their own product, or who are interested from a strictly academic standpoint, students will learn to distinguish everything from bad to indifferent, good and great advertising. This course will initially focus on print advertising since this is where most copywriters and art directors will initially start, and it is the discipline from which most campaigns begin. However, we will proceed into more current forms of Campaign Advertising including TV, Internet-based banner ads, new media marketing such as social and networking advertising, viral and Web 2.0 campaigning, search engine optimization, video and webisodes. A guest speaker is planned on these current forms of advertising, as well as search engine optimization techniques. Other forms of print, collateral subjects such as brochures, and During and upon completing this course, students should be able to: - Define the basic objectives of marketing and advertising, and how these components should work together in creating a tight, concise Campaign Strategy leading to the Advertising Campaign itself.
- Understand the basic tools of how to create an Ad Campaign including assimilating the Client s market environment and customer-base wants and needs; participating in initial Client/Agency strategy sessions; comprehending pre-conceived market perception of product and competitor s product; and having a working knowledge of the media in which the campaign will appear. - Create their own workable 3-ad print campaign (minimally) but will also be encouraged to create a campaign based on all the other great media alternatives covered during the course, including TV, alternative media and Internet-based marketing such as banner campaigns as Final Project. The Client/Product will be selected by the student. Students team with each other to recreate a Client/Agency collaborative and presentation environment. Recommended Readings: - Creative Advertising: Ideas and Techniques from the World s Best Campaigns Third Edition, (Paperback), By Mario Pricken What makes an ad memorable? This new book unravels the creative processes behind some of the most original and effective campaigns of recent years. Author Mario Pricken showcases hundreds of examples of international advertising from a wide range of media including books and magazines, billboards, television, movies and the Internet. Clearly presented and accessible, each chapter highlights different practical methods for creating original and unforgettable campaigns. Award-winning work is presented from influential names in the industry such as J. Walter Thompson (Instructor s ex-agency) and Saatchi and Saatchi, along with exciting young agencies such as London-based mother ltd. We will be covering many of the representative campaigns in this book. - Hey Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide to Creating Great Ads Second Edition (Paperback), By Luke Sullivan In this new edition of the irreverent, celebrated bestseller, master copywriter Luke Sullivan looks at the history of advertising, from the good, to the bad, to the ugly. Updated to cover online advertising, this edition gives you the best advertising guidance for traditional media and all the possibilities of new media and technologies. You ll learn why bad ads sometimes work, why great ads fail, and how you can balance creative work with the mandate to sell. Available in student store and through various on-line sources, this text gives an over-all insight into writing for advertising campaigns. This is a very useful text in that it captures the essence of what makes creating great advertising not only fun, but effective. Told from a veteran copywriter s point of view, (also
the instructor s) this book takes a student through virtually all the steps required to create advertising strategy through print, broadcast, outdoor and includes Grading: Course grades will be based on participation and completion of assignments as follows: 20% Item: Participation. Evaluation based on motivation, enthusiasm for subjects and campaigns discussed, interest, incentive and verbal contributions to a class dependent largely on student-student-instructor interaction and synergy. 20% Item: Campaign Strategy. Includes all elements of research, market environments, unique selling proposition, positioning of competition etc. and final articulation of strategy in a simple, concise format. Students will work with partners on final strategy. 60% Item: 3-ad Print Campaign, minimally, or any other new media alternatives discussed in class including Internet-based banners, viral video, webisodes, websites etc. The execution and morphing of the Campaign Strategy into the Ad Campaign. Do the ads presented answer the hypothesis set out in the Strategy? Do the ads distill and translate the strategy in a creative manner? The student/partners present ads to class/clients in sessions that emulate actual presentations. Please note that ALL COURSE GRADES ARE FINAL. Incompletes: The interim grade Incomplete may be assigned when a student's work is of passing quality, but a small portion of the course requirements is incomplete for good cause (e.g. illness or other serious problem). It is the student s responsibility to discuss with the instructor the possibility of receiving an I grade as opposed to a non-passing grade. The student is entitled to replace this grade by a passing grade and to receive unit credit provided they complete the remaining coursework satisfactorily, under the supervision of and in a time frame determined by the instructor in charge, but in no case later than the end of the next academic quarter. At that time, the Registrar will cause all remaining Incompletes to lapse to the grade "F". Note: Receiving an I does not entitle a student to retake all or any part of the course at a later date. Instructor Posts Class Agendas each week prior to session, and hands them out in class. Instructor uses Course Outline as blueprint, but The Class Agendas often reflect organic nature of class, and continue discussions and issues of previous class. See Blackboard for past agendas. COURSE OUTLINE:
Date/Topic Assignments Readings Be prepared to discuss reading assignment: Meeting 1 Introductions, instructor and students. Outline goals and objectives as set forth in syllabus. Present class Text: Creative Advertising Bring in ads from current campaigns much of subsequent classes will consist of discussion of merits of current ads and campaigns Read as much of Creative Advertising as possible, at least pages 12-69 Meeting 2 Briefly discuss elements in Chapters 1 &2 Meeting 3 Discuss choosing a product based on ads that students bring in. Students and instructor discuss merits of selections. Students choose partners, and agree to discuss products to be selected during week. Students choose to act as either copywriter or art director in partnership; both roles are interchangeable. Bring in at least 2 ads you like or dislike. Criteria: ads that you think work or don t work as creative solutions to selling or positioning product. These ads should be chosen with eye to products you want to create your own ad campaign. Meet with partner during week, either by email, phone, or in person. Review ads and products from previous session. Mutually agree on a product upon you wish to create Strategy and Ad Campaign. Bring in ads for discussion More from Creative Advertising
Meeting 4 Super Bowl Session 1. A look at past TV spots, and a discussion of this unique advertising event s significance. Preview of upcoming spots. Students present product selections. Discussions with students and instructor lead to finalized product selections. Discussions on ad strategy, and differences between marketing and advertising plans. Meeting 5 Super Bowl Session 2. Discussion of this year s spots. Assigning elements of creating ad campaign strategy as outlined in Chapters 2 and 3. Students present their first draft thinking on their Advertising Strategies. Lively discussions ensue; notes are taken on comments so that refinements can be implemented. Class acts much as focus group would. During week, via email, phone or in-person, student partners formulate beginning stages of Advertising Campaign Strategy based on Chapters 2 and 3. Student partners finalize their Advertising Strategies..
Meeting 6 Students turn in their final Advertising Campaign Strategies (20% of grade). Discussions on how to execute Campaigns based on strategies as outlined in Chapter 3, and mechanics in Chapter 4. Intro to banners and new media advertising. Student/Partners actually begin fun process of implementing Strategy into creative solutions. Meeting 7 Student/Partners show initial thinking on first ads, no matter how rough. Discuss any roadblocks or problems encountered. Instructor and students comment on progress. Possible Guest Speaker. Further progress on ad campaign. Meeting 8 Student/Partners show changes from previous week on Ad Campaign. Discuss progress and any other revisions. Ad campaigns from Creative Advertising discussed. Students meet during week to incorporate changes discussed in class. At this point, focus is on final assignment, the ad campaign.
Meeting 9 First ads are presented to Class/Clients. Discuss whether strategies creative and otherwise-- were met. Classroom will try to emulate the tension and challenges of actual presentations. Meeting these issues successfully is critical to selling campaign. Website and Internet marketing discussed. Students meet during week to incorporate changes discussed in class, and continue finalizing campaigns. Meeting 10 More ads and more discussions about success of campaign executions. Class decides whether to discuss broadcast advertising or practical applications on getting into business. Meeting 11 If there are still ads to be presented. If not, discussion of how to get into business, creating a writer s portfolio, and examples of some great ones from moderncopywriter.com