IMCO 341 ADVERTISING PRINCIPLES FALL 2021

ADVERTISING PROJECT PART 1: BRAND ANALYSIS

This project requires your team to function as an ad agency, developing an advertising campaign for a specific
brand. The project deliverables will be submitted in phases, and you will make a final end of semester
presentation of your campaign. We will work on creating an advertising campaign for wearable technology
devices – smartwatches, smart jewelry, fitness trackers, smart clothing etc. These can be used as accessories
and can monitor physical activity, health, etc. There are multiple brands that produce and sell wearable
technology.

As a team, select ONE branded wearable tech product for your semester long project. Your ‘client’ will the
company that makes the brand.

As the first step, develop a brand analysis after reading the information and outline given below. Page limit is
8-10 pages double spaced. Plagiarism note: Make sure you properly cite all sources in text and attach a
separate reference list.

Each area of the Brand Analysis will be discussed during class.

Why brand analysis?

To create advertising that works, knowing your brand is extremely important. You can have product brands,
corporate brands, and place brands. Our category this semester falls under place branding. So many cities and
countries like to promote themselves for both tourist travel as well as to recruit businesses as that helps
stimulate the economic wellbeing of the region. Thus, chambers of commerce as well as tourist promotion
bureaus often run campaigns to help achieve related objectives.

First and foremost, you must know the brand’s features, benefits and value. You also need to understand its
consumers, competitors, and the general market trends in which it operates. This preliminary research will
help you develop and define a specific strategy for marketing and advertising your brand with success.

As you advance through the advertising process, you will begin to add further layers of information to help
develop original advertising concepts. You will begin to look deeper into brand personality and image as well
as the psychology and lifestyle of the brand’s consumers. The following outline guides you through the process
of sifting through research to focus on the key information inputs needed in the creation of an advertising
campaign.

The Industry/Environment
Industry overview to understand the environment in which your brand operates. What are the current
trends and state of the industry? Provide facts and evaluations using appropriate and recognized sources.

The Brand
Uncover as much relevant information about your selected brand as you can, with a specific focus on what
would be particularly interesting for the target audience you select. Questions you could use to conduct
research:
 What is your brand’s current share of the market?
 What is the current image of this brand?
  Any other meanings or emotions associated with the brand?
 What are some key selling points/benefits about the brand that are important to note?
 What are some areas of concern?
 What is the current positioning of this brand i.e. what does the brand stand for? (hint: check out its
slogan or mission statement).

Unique Brand Benefit/Proposition

What one aspect (tangible or perceived), above all others, can help the brand feel unique or stand out
from others? In what distinctive way can it solve consumers’ problems or meet their needs? How does it
differ from competition---i.e. what does it provide that competitors cannot or do not?

Advertising
Comment on your brand’s past and current advertising and communication based on information you find
online or by emailing the brand’s public relations contact. Focus on whether the appeal is mostly rational
or emotional, the quality and content of its advertising, the media in which it is generally advertised,
whether the current advertising strengthens the brand’s positioning and image. Discuss whether (in your
opinion) the brand is advertised successfully or not and why.

The Competition/Other Players in the Market

Who are your brand’s immediate competitors, if any? How do they impact your brand? How are they
different/similar to your brand?

Target audience/s
Who are the different American target market segments that could potentially form the primary audience
for your campaign? What are their demographic (age, gender, income, education, race), psychographic,
and lifestyle characteristics? You may use the MRI (Mediamark) research data in Dacus library. You will
need help from a librarian at first. Plan to spend some time doing this part of the analysis. If information is
not available for your specific brand, you may consult other resources as well. Just ask me or the librarian
on duty. Make sure you first talk about ALL potential target audiences and then describe in more detail
one specific target segment from among them you want to select for your campaign.

Project Recommendation
Using the above information, what kind of target audience would you pick for your campaign and what
advertising focus would you recommend for your brand? State some specific objectives that an ad
campaign can address successfully. What media channels would be most appropriate for your message?

Note: Attach a separate references page, citing all sources used in your research paper. Proper citation style
(APA) is required.