Faculty of Business: Marketing
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Undergraduate

Result Type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 24210 Advertising and Promotions Management AND 24309 Introductory Marketing Research
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are also course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Handbook description

This subject provides students with an opportunity to explore an advertising issue in depth using online and offline, academic and non-academic information sources. It introduces students to research methods and techniques for developing, testing and evaluating advertising campaigns, and in particular, basic experimental designs. Students must attend the first class in order to qualify for a place in a research syndicate.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. Conduct and interpret secondary research on an advertising issue or topic;
2. Demonstrate an understanding of salient primary advertising research methods and techniques used to develop, test and evaluate advertising campaigns; and
3. Relate various advertising research methods and/or issues to advertising campaign decisions about message and media.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject is one of eight subjects in the Advertising and Promotions Management Major and one of four subjects that comprise the Introductory Advertising and Advanced Advertising sub-majors. It provides students with the opportunity for in-depth study of a particular advertising issue by analysing academic and non-academic literature. It prepares students for conducting primary research in the subject Project in Advertising, a capstone subject in the Advertising and Promotions Management major and the Advanced Advertising sub-major.

Teaching and learning strategies

Students will learn 'by doing'. They will form syndicates to conduct secondary research on an advertising topic or issue that has been studied using an experimental design. Additionally, they will use the Internet as a research tool to investigate an internet-related advertising issue. Students must attend the first class in order to qualify for a place in a research syndicate.

After the first lecture, students in a research syndicate will meet with the Lecturer to discuss issues on a weekly basis or a more frequent basis, as warranted. Apart from discussion of issues, students will be provided with readings from various sources including academic journals and trade magazines during their meetings with the Lecturer.

Content

• The nature, process and ethics of advertising research
• Secondary Research - academic and non-academic advertising sources
• Primary Research - Experimentation (quantitative), Focus groups/Interviews (qualitative)
• Advertising Evaluation - Concept and Benefit Testing, Copy Testing
• Audience Measurement.

Assessment

Project Report (Group)	30%
This addresses objectives 1 and 2.
Project Report (Individual)	20%
This addresses objectives 1 and 2.
Final Examination (Individual)	50%
This addresses objectives 1-3.

The group and individual project reports will be secured by varying topics across semesters and/or retaining past reports to detect plagiarism and/or using plagiarism detection software. Additionally, there will be exam questions on the group and individual projects. For the group and individual reports, students will provide regular evidence of their work-in-progress and draft versions of their report prior to submitting the final version. For the group report, peer assessment of contribution to a report as well as submission of weekly contact reports of group meetings held outside the class, will minimise free-riding concerns, if any. The final examination will be conducted under University examination conditions, and hence thoroughly address concerns regarding secure assessment.

Recommended text(s)

There is no set text. Readings will be provided in class.

Indicative references

Davis, J. (1997). Advertising Research - Theory and Practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Business Publishing.