Advertising and Marketing Communications

Assignment- Context analysis and IMC recommendation – 40% of the module mark:
Your task is to write a report addressing the scenario below. Your report should be a maximum of 2,000 words. It must be fully referenced using the Harvard method of referencing. You must justify your recommendations by providing academic support for choices and recommendations made. This is the scenario:
You have been approached by a UK manufacturer of breads and cakes. Responding to consumer interest in “free-from foods” (these are foods free of certain ingredients to cater for consumers with intolerances or those who simply believe that cutting certain ingredients out will bring health benefits), they have developed a new range of breads and cakes. The range is free from gluten and dairy products. What is more, all ingredients used are organic and so the range is certified organic by the Soil Association, the strictest organic certification in the UK. The launch of the range will be in the UK only. The manufacturer needs your help to establish who would be an appropriate target market. They have also asked you to plan the marketing communications for this new range of breads and cakes.
For this scenario, you need to:
1. Concisely outline the communications task to be achieved (communication objectives).
2. Identify the target market that you think would be most appropriate and give an account of their characteristics and their communications behaviour. These people will be your target audience for the campaign. Also, you need to recognise what type of product that you are dealing with, for instance in terms of high- or low-involvement product, stage in the product life cycle, benefits sought by the target audience, etc. This part represents the context analysis.
3. Clearly outline the communication strategies that you propose in terms of what specific IMC tools to use and what media. This part represents the IMC recommendation.
4. Explain why these strategies in terms of specific IMC tools and media are the most appropriate to be used for the communications task and the communications context, supporting your decisions with explicit references to academic theory.

Assessment criteria:
Your report will be assessed according to its ability to:
1. Concisely account for the communications task in terms of what the communications objectives are.
2. Make a clear and informed decision on an appropriate target market.
3. Identify key characteristics of the particular target market/target audience and their communications behaviour that will impact on the selection of communications strategies in terms of IMC tools and media.
4. Provide support for your IMC recommendation using academic theory of IMC.
5. Achieve appropriate report format; fully referenced according to the Harvard method, use of appropriate language and correct grammar.