Advertising 1141 – Introduction to Advertising Research (online)

Spring 2008 Instructor: Jennifer Lovrinic

Office Hours: MWF 9:30-10:30 am (or by appt)
Online course
Office located in Annenberg Hall Room 343
Email: lovrinic@temple.edu
(Responses should be expected within 24 hours on
weekdays only)
Phone: 215.204.7401

Course Description
This is an applied research course administered online. You will explore key concepts and
understand the tough decisions advertising professionals and those they advertise for
encounter every day.

The course covers the range of areas in which advertising research participates, or has primary
responsibility for, in the advertising process. Focus is on the role of research in the
advertising process and the design of research using various methodologies to accomplish
effective research.

Key topics we’ll cover:

The process of successful research plan design
Traditional and innovative ways of conducting research
Consumer, media, and advertising research methods’ differences and similarities
The evolving role of the advertising research manager and account planner
How advertising research applies to every job in an ad agency or marketing department

Objectives:
Understand the wide variety of areas in which research plays a role in advertising
Develop the ability to gather useful data for strategic, media, and creative development research
Learn to use research and findings to provide possible answers to creative problems
Identify how research helps to achieve effective communications
• Become comfortable with online learning by using web-based technologies, as well as
hone personal organization skills like self-discipline, project planning and time
management

Required Readings
We will use a course packet, with materials from several books, as the basis for our readings.
You are required to obtain the course packet within the first few days of the semester – I
recommend getting it as soon as possible. You will have the opportunity to purchase either an
electronic version (PDF) or hard copy of this course packet. Follow the instructions for either
type of course packet:

• A hard copy, photocopied “course pack” is available now for $58 in Ritter Hall Copy
Center (Room 234) and may take 24 hours to become available after purchasing. Please
request course packet RS04-08. Ritter Hall is located next to SAC on 13th and
Montgomery, and the copy center is open from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8
a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on Fridays.
• If you would like a PDF version of the course packet for $30, you must pay with a credit

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 card or Diamond Dollars. To do so, please email Anna Harris (aharris@temple.edu),
provide her with the course number, your name, and credit card/Diamond Dollars
information (name on card, type of card, card number, expiration date, and the three-
digit security code on the back of Visa or Mastercard). Anna will confirm to you that she
received your information, and let me know that you’ve paid. I will then send you the
PDF. If you don’t want to email her your credit card information, email her with your
name, the course number and phone number, and she will contact you via telephone.

Additional articles may be distributed via BlackBoard.

What You’ll Be Graded On

Percentage of
Requirement Points
final grade

Class involvement 35% 350

Weekly readings/lectures/assignments 25% 250
Online discussion 10% 100

Research Project 50% 500

Phase I – secondary research 25% 250
Phase II – primary research 25% 250

Quizzes (3) 15% 150

TOTAL 100% 1,000

• Weekly readings/lectures/assignments (25% of final grade) – this forms the basis of the
content or information within the course
o Each week, you will complete an assigned reading
o After completing this, you will go to the “Voice Lectures” section of BlackBoard
and spend 15-30 minutes “watching” my review of the week’s topic(s). The
PowerPoint or any visuals will be a foundation for what I say, but while you are
watching you should take notes as if you were in a classroom setting.
o Within the context of my lecture, I will ask 2-3 questions that you must answer for
the week’s written assignment. You should write down each question as I ask it,
and go back to your reading if necessary to answer it in your own words as
completely as possible. Each question should be answered thoughtfully and
thoroughly – I would anticipate at least one paragraph (100 words) for each
question.
o You will write out your answers in a Word document, and post it to the digital
dropbox within BlackBoard by hitting “Add File”, attaching the Word doc, and
then hitting “Send File”.
o Please save each week’s assignment Word document files with names as
follows: ADV1141_lastname_week1, ADV1141_lastname_week2, etc.
o You can do the reading/lecture/assignment at any time throughout the course of
the week, but the assignments are due in the digital dropbox (yes, it does record
when you upload it) no later than 5 p.m. on FRIDAY of that week. I do not for
any reason accept late assignments, and strongly recommend that you do
it earlier than Friday to ensure there are no glitches!

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 • Biweekly discussion board topics (10% of final grade) – this is a forum for you to think
critically about various topics, and communicate ideas to one another
o Every other week, I will create a discussion forum, with an article, scenario, etc.
for you to respond to
o By a specific date and time that I will specify, you must post your (educated)
opinion on the topic, using support from what you learned in the readings/
lectures/ assignments
o After the due date (and everyone has posted their opinions), you have one week
to respond to another posting – agreeing or disagreeing, expanding upon, or
replying in some other way
o In order to get full credit, these postings must be well-written in your own words,
thoughtful, respectful, and using information learned in the class
• Quizzes (15% of final grade) – three online quizzes throughout the semester will test
your accumulated knowledge of the material
o I will administer these quizzes through Blackboard, and they will be a mixture of
T/F and multiple choice questions
o Obviously, since you are taking these on your own, you will have access to your
notes (hopefully you took them when you listened to the lectures!) and the
readings
o That being said, the quizzes are timed and will not allow for much digging on
your part – my strong suggestion is to study for them as you would any other quiz
or test, and keep a short “crib sheet” available for reference of key topics
• Research project (50% of final grade) – pulling together the theoretical concepts of the
course into an applied project for a real brand
o I will provide much more information about this project as we begin the course
o Phase I (25% of final grade) – This will be secondary research project analyzing
a brand, its customers and competitors, as well as consumer and industry trends
(written report approximately 8 pages, completed individually)
o Phase II (25% of final grade) – This is a primary research project further
exploring the target market of your chosen brand through qualitative and
quantitative research (written report, may be done individually or as a small
group)

Class and University Policies

1. General class information

Because this is an online course, all formal communication will take place through the computer.
I want try to make it as simple and straightforward as possible. That being said, this course may
not be “easy” – it requires a lot of research (of course), writing, and above all, self-discipline.

Remember, the benefit of online learning is that you have the flexibility of working at your own
pace as long as you complete all requirements by their due dates. That being said, some of the
pitfalls students have encountered with online learning (and research courses in general)
include waiting until the last minute and underestimating the amount of time necessary to
dedicate to the course.

I encourage you to write to me about any difficulty that you might be facing during the semester
and not wait until the last moment. Since we don’t meet face to face on a regular basis, the only
way I can know about your problems is when you let me know about it. It is a fun course and
you will get to learn a lot about understanding consumers in order to create effective advertising
communications.

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Guidelines:

• For this class, you can expect approximately 10 hours of preparation (reading, reflecting,
preparing assignments, reviewing lectures, preparing for tests, project work, etc.) per
week.

• You should have one computer from which you conduct the majority of this online class.
This computer should have a fast online connection (cable or DSL), as well as audio
capacity. If you share close quarters, I recommend purchasing or using earphones to
listen to any audio for the class.

• Blackboard is the online platform where most course activities will take place. I will post
course information (including all announcements, assignments, project details, and
lecture notes) here. Please review the platform (http://blackboard.temple.edu) to
become familiar with it if you aren’t already. If you feel you need extra help navigating
BlackBoard, contact Computer Services (help@temple.edu or 215-204-8000). You will
be required to check Blackboard and your email on a daily basis for this course.

• I will use various voice tools on Blackboard (including one called Wimba LiveClassroom)
to provide some verbal lectures, assignments, directions and feedback – please make
sure you have access to a computer with audio capabilities.

• I do not accept late assignments or projects – anything assigned must be posted

prior to its due date (unless otherwise instructed). As we all know, there are sometimes
difficulties with computers and/or internet connections, so I strongly recommend
planning to post assignments in advance of the due date; this way, if anything occurs,
you still have time to try again later or use another computer to complete the
assignments on time. For this reason, faulty internet connections will not be a valid
excuse for late assignments. You have lot of flexibility of time and place to do your work
during the course of a week, so try to take advantage of that.

• When writing anything for this class, I strongly urge you to write and save it first in a
program like Microsoft Word. Technology does funny things, and I would hate to see you
spend a lot of time, for example, writing your opinion on the discussion board, only to
have the computer crash. We’ve all been through this before! So write things and save
them to your computer or flash drive, and then copy/paste it for the class. This will also
ensure that you have a running tab of all you contributed to the course.

• In this class and often in life (especially in advertising!), you are judged by how you write.
While I am available and appreciate verbal communication with you (in person, via voice
emails if possible, or over the phone), as you can tell, this class is based on back-and-
forth written communication. That being said, please do your best to take the time to
write properly, professionally, and clearly for each and every aspect of this class –
assignments, discussion, projects, emails, etc. Use proper grammar and punctuation,
even in emails. Make sure your name is on everything. REREAD everything before
sending, posting, etc. Spelling and grammatical errors will reflect negatively on your
work as a whole.

• When sending emails to me, please always write in the subject line, as follows: ADV-
1141 online – your name, topic of email. This helps me a great deal when opening and

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 filing the many emails I receive.

• Where to get help:

o General course questions – me! (lovrinic@temple.edu)
o General online learning questions – Distance Learning Center at Temple
(http://oll.temple.edu/students/student.htm)
o Wimba LiveClassroom setup or help – Wimba 24/7 tech support is (866) 350-
4978, or go to http://oll.temple.edu/students/wimbainstructions.htm
o Secondary research questions – me or Adam Shambaugh, Business Librarian
(adams@temple.edu)
o BlackBoard, computer, or Internet questions – Computer Services Help Desk
(http://www.temple.edu/cs/helpdesk/default.asp or
http://www.temple.edu/cs/students/index.htm or help@temple.edu)
o Questions about writing – in general, for assignments, reports, etc. – Writing
Center (http://www.temple.edu/writingctr/)

• Suggestions for successful online learning:

o Build this course into your schedule as you would any other – study at a regularly
scheduled time and place (if possible) and budget time for all assignments and
projects. Build out a timeline for yourself to complete projects.
o Read thoroughly, and then reread, all information before embarking on tasks.
o Before posting or emailing, take a moment to consider, “Have I done what is
asked? Have I said all I should say? Am I representing myself and my thoughts
correctly and fully?”
o Motivate yourself to acquire good study habits. Remember that this course
benefits you in many ways, and the more effort you make in the course, the more
benefit you will get.
o Learn from what other schools and faculty have to say:
http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/resources/tutorials/pedagogy/Studentprofile.asp

2. Students with Disabilities

This course is open to all students who meet the academic requirements for participation. Any
student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact
me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. Contact Disability Resources
and Services at 215-204-1280 in 100 Ritter Annex to coordinate reasonable accommodations
for students with documented disabilities. For more information, go to www.temple.edu/disability
or email drs@temple.edu.

Please inform me for any additional assistance you will need. I will be happy to meet outside of
class to further discuss any issues.

Plagiarism

In this class, we will abide by all rules and regulations defined by Temple University concerning
academic honesty. You are expected to do all your own work. At Temple and in the world of
advertising, not only will you not learn anything by plagiarizing, it also carries significant penalty.

Cheating and plagiarism on any examination or assignment will result in automatic failure of the
course and recommendation to the University Disciplinary Committee for further disciplinary
action.

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Plagiarism includes:
• Copying others’ work as your own
• Copying others’ work without proper author recognition
• Made-up quotes and sources

Plagiarism is a serious offense, which carries serious repercussions and will not be tolerated in
this course.

More tips on how to avoid plagiarism in this research course follow. We will discuss this more as
we detail the research projects in class. In addition, please access the following link from
Temple University’s Writing Center for FAQ’s on research and plagiarism:
http://www.temple.edu/writingctr/student_resources/plagiarism.htm.

No work done for another class may be turned in for this class. No exceptions.

4. Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities

Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The
University has a policy on Student and Faculty and Academic Rights and Responsibilities
(Policy #03.70.02) which can be accessed through the following link:
http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02.

Course Topic Schedule (tentative, subject to change)

Weeks 1-2: Introduction to Advertising Research

What purpose does it serve?
Why do I have to study it?
How research fits into the overall advertising/marketing realm
Types of advertising research
The process of research

Week 3: Consumer Segmentation

Demographics
Psychographics

Week 4: Secondary Research

Resources
Retrieving relevant information
Writing reports

Weeks 5-7: Primary Research – Qualitative

Focus groups and interviews
Ethnography and observing human behavior
Analysis

Week 8: Research Ethics

Weeks 9-10: Primary Research – Quantitative

Survey techniques
Sampling
Questionnaire design

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 Analysis

Week 11: Media Research

Print: Simmons, MRI
Broadcast: Nielson, Arbitron
New methods, new media

Weeks 12-13: Applying Research to Creative

Creative development research
Concept/benefit and copy testing
Ad tracking

Week 14: Account Planning

How it fits in to the ad agency realm
The role of the account planner

Course agreement

I have read the syllabus for this course, and I agree to abide by all of the policies listed therein.
I understand that if I fail to abide by the course policies detailed in the syllabus, the instructor
reserves the right to request my withdrawal from the course.

If at any point in the semester I believe that I will have difficulty fulfilling my class-related
obligations, I will contact the instructor immediately to ask for her assistance.

By emailing this agreement back to the instructor, I pledge to approach my work for this class in
a professional manner: punctually, responsibly, and with integrity.

(Please copy and paste this agreement into the body of an email and send it back to the
instructor by 1/25/08 – Lovrinic@temple.edu)

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