Promotion Assignment Professor Seyhmus Baloglu, Ph.D., CHE

Find a good or bad hospitality company ad in print or digital media (i.e., magazines, social media, newspaper). Submit 1-2 page (single-spaced, Times New Roman, 12pt font) discussing why you think it is good or bad advertising and how it can be improved. Provide a copy of the ad (picture, scan or link). Using the textbook (Chapter 13) and the instructor's material, identify each ad's design components such as target market, source (the type of magazine, newspaper, social media, etc.), purpose, message content, execution style(s), and layout design. Then, evaluate the ad's effectiveness. A "good" ad has congruity and synergy among all these components (That is, it has the right source, right content, right style, and right layout and design for its target market and purpose). Also, discuss what you would change to further improve the ad's effectiveness. Components of Promotion Assignment Please use the following outline for assignment submission. Each component will equally contribute to your total grade. Provide a copy of the ad with the write-up. Target Market: Each advertising piece is designed with a target audience in mind. Who is the target market(s) of the ad? Examples would be VALs segments, millennials, generation X, business travelers, female business travelers, meeting planners, travel agents, investors, senior travelers, families, high rollers, weekend travelers, golfers, and the general public. Be as specific as possible and include individual characteristics of the target market (demographics, benefits sought, psychographics, etc.) Source and Date of Publication: For example, Conde Nast Traveler, 09/01/2020. Discuss if the source is suitable for reaching the target market of the ad. Purpose: Each ad should have a purpose and specific objectives. The purpose of an ad would be informative, persuasive, and/or reminder. The specific objectives would be positioning, differentiation, creating an image and awareness, communicating certain benefits, obtaining immediate action (sales promotion), stealing from competitors, and so on. An ad may have more than one objective; however, a good ad should not have many objectives not to confuse the target market. Message Content: The message content of an ad may fall into one or more of the three types of appeals: rational, emotional, and moral. Message Execution Style: Message execution style is related to how the message is said. Particularly, the slogan (headline) of the ad should get the attention of the target market. There are different message execution styles a company can use to deliver the desired message, and you should be able to identify the style of the ads of your choice. For a list of message execution styles, please refer to Chapter 13 of the textbook and your instructor's PowerPoint presentation file.

Message Format (Layout and Design): This, to a great extent, will contribute to an ad's attractiveness and eye-catching design, which includes borders, pictures, icons, colors, fonts, as well as the layout of text and pictures. Your Suggestions: Once you identify and evaluate your ad's components, you can go ahead and assess its effectiveness as a whole. A 'good' ad has consistency and synergy among all these components (that is, it has the right source, right content, right style, and right layout and design for its target market and purpose). The ad's design will always start with the target market in mind, and all the components discussed above should complement each other in reaching them. There is always room for improvement! In this section, you will discuss what you would do differently to increase its effectiveness. In general, you will have more to discuss for a "bad" ad in this section.