Deck 17: Integrated Marketing Communications

Question 1

Integrated marketing communications (IMC) represents the product of the four Ps.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

As the number of communication media has increased, the task of understanding how best to reach target customers has become easier.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Public relations is the component of IMC that has received the greatest increase in aggregate spending.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

If there is a difference between the message that is sent and the message that is received, it is probably due to noise.

Question 5

The sender of an integrated marketing communication controls the meaning individual receivers take from the message.

Question 6

Encoding means converting the sender's ideas into a message, which could be verbal, visual, or both.

Question 7

Betty is assessing the effect of her firm's marketing communications. She should remember that the ultimate goal is to drive the receiver to action.

Question 8

The cost of communicating directly with a potential customer is low compared with other forms of promotion.

Question 9

After seeing advertisements for the Toyota Prius, Joel becomes interested and does some Internet research. However, after seeing the price for a new model, he decides to purchase a Ford Fusion instead. This is an example of the lagged effect.

Question 10

Top-of-mind awareness is when consumers indicate that they know the brand when the name is presented to them.

Question 11

Though advertising experts wish it were true, there is not always a direct link between a particular marketing communication and a consumer's purchase.

Question 12

It is difficult, but not impossible, to integrate marketing communications across all platforms, including social media.

Question 13

Though a picture may be worth a thousand words, the most important facet of encoding is not what is received but what is sent.

Question 14

In the communication process of marketing communications, the marketing department often functions in the role of transmitter.

Question 15

There are ethical dilemmas associated with providing customers with personalized offers based on their browsing or purchasing habits.

Question 16

Mobile marketing involves marketing to customers through wireless handheld devices such as mobile phones.

Question 17

Even the best marketing communication can be wasted if the sender does not gain the attention of the consumer.

Question 18

If the marketing communication has piqued the interest of its target market, the goal of subsequent IMC messages should be to move the consumer from "I want it" to "I like it."

Question 19

Marketers anticipate that advertising on digital and social media will remain relatively stable in the next few years, as will integrated marketing communications.

Question 20

Twitter is a form of blogging and is increasingly used to reach current or potential customers.

Question 21

As the number of communication media has increased, the task of understanding how best to reach target customers has

A) shifted from creating a value proposition to revising a value proposition.
B) increased the use of rule-of-thumb targeting.
C) become easier.
D) focused on reducing communication noise.
E) become more complex.

Question 22

The IMC communication process includes all of the following EXCEPT

A) evaluation.
B) the sender.
C) the transmitter.
D) the communication channel.
E) the receiver.

Question 23

Especially for marketers with new products or services, IMC is needed because

A) consumers need to know all about the features of new products before making a purchase decision.
B) consumers are unlikely to buy products they are not aware of.
C) it is impossible for products to sell themselves through word of mouth communication.
D) pricing decisions cannot be made without IMC.
E) new products and services need to be integrated into the supply chain value proposition.

Question 24

___________ means converting the sender's ideas into a message, which could be verbal, visual, or both.

A) Decoding
B) Integrated marketing communications
C) Precoding
D) Encoding
E) Tracking

Question 25

Gross rating points (GRP) measure how often the audience is exposed to a communication within a specified period of time.

Question 26

Because the goals of IMC are only part of the overall promotional plan, they do not need to be explicit or measurable.

Question 27

In the IMC communication process, the __________ encodes the marketing communication message.

A) instructor
B) sender
C) transmitter
D) communication channel
E) receiver

Question 28

Integrated marketing communications include all of the following EXCEPT

A) personal selling.
B) advertising.
C) public relations.
D) supply chain management.
E) direct marketing.

Question 29

When using the rule-of-thumb method for IMC budgeting, prior sales and communication activities are used for guidance.

Question 30

In the IMC communication process, the __________ is the medium that carries the message.

A) feedback loop
B) sender
C) transmitter
D) communication channel
E) receiver

Question 31

Personal selling can only be successful through the use of print, newspapers, and radio.

Question 32

Integrated marketing communications represents the __________ P in the four Ps of a firm's marketing mix.

A) pricing
B) product
C) promotion
D) place
E) partnering

Question 33

In integrated marketing communications, encoding involves

A) converting consumers' ideas into value propositions.
B) differentiating noncommercial speech from commercial speech.
C) converting the decoder into the receiver.
D) interpreting click-through rates.
E) converting the sender's ideas into a message, which could be verbal, visual, or both.

Question 34

The three elements of any IMC strategy are the consumer, the channels, and

A) the receiver.
B) the product.
C) evaluation of the results.
D) the company.
E) event sponsorship.

Question 35

The basic goal of integrated marketing communications is to

A) communicate the value proposition to the target market.
B) create desire.
C) manipulate consumers.
D) outspend competitors.
E) tell the world about your company.

Question 36

Frequency describes the percentage of the target population exposed to a specific marketing communication, such as advertisement, within a specified period of time.

Question 37

The IMC communication process begins with __________, who must be clearly identified.

A) the integrator
B) the sender
C) the transmitter
D) the communication channel
E) the receiver

Question 38

Carlos owns a chain of retail electronic stores. He is evaluating how he allocates his firm's IMC budget. He receives offers from a variety of advertising media, spends money on his firm's public relations efforts, and is considering electronic media alternatives. Carl must recognize that each IMC alternative

A) will stand on its own.
B) is part of the whole.
C) is part of noncommercial free speech.
D) is less important than stealth marketing.
E) is dictated by the nature of the supply chain.

Question 39

It may take several exposures to marketing communications before consumers are moved to buy.

Question 40

Though a picture may be worth a thousand words, the most important facet of encoding is

A) who draws the picture.
B) the self-visualization process.
C) not what is received but what is sent.
D) the sponsor rather than the receiver.
E) not what is sent but what is received.

Question 41

__________ refers to the process by which the receiver interprets the sender's message.

A) Decoding
B) Feedback
C) Precoding
D) Encoding
E) Tracking

Question 42

Marketers often use focus groups to learn how consumers interpret their IMC messages. Experience has shown that

A) effective branding requires marketers to encode messages identically for each market.
B) each receiver decodes IMC messages in his or her own way.
C) action is taken before desire and interest are determined.
D) marketers can almost always use the same message for all audiences.
E) messages are decoded in the manner intended by the encoder.

Question 43

Sales data, complaints, compliments, and redemption rates for coupons and rebates are types of __________ marketers use to assess the effectiveness of their IMC efforts.

A) decoding
B) pre-testing
C) feedback
D) simulations
E) encoding

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT one of the steps in the AIDA model?

A) awareness
B) intention
C) action
D) desire
E) interest

Question 45

In the IMC communication process, the __________ is the person who reads, hears, or sees and processes the message being communicated.

A) medium
B) sender
C) transmitter
D) communication channel
E) receiver

Question 46

The right communication channel to use in IMC is

A) the traditional channel used in that particular retail sector.
B) network advertising, local newspapers, and regional radio stations.
C) the one that will connect to the desired recipients.
D) the one with the best encoding capabilities.
E) the one that maximizes decoding difficulty.

Question 47

In simple terms, the AIDA model is also known as the __________ model.

A) intention, action, interest
B) stop, look, listen
C) want, need, desire
D) inform, persuade, act
E) think, feel, do

Question 48

The sender of an IMC message hopes the receivers are

A) the people for whom the message was originally intended.
B) the people with the most buying power.
C) consumers who are capable of discerning value.
D) consumers who have purchased the firm's products in the past.
E) the market segment with the most gross rating points.

Question 49

Loretta would like to know which, if any, of her firm's IMC efforts are working. She could use all of the following EXCEPT __________ to provide feedback from her efforts.

A) sales data
B) complaints
C) compliments
D) coupon redemption rates
E) the channel

Question 50

National manufacturers and retailers often pay a service provider to monitor television ads around the country, to ensure that their ads are shown in their entirety during the time frames that were purchased. This service provider is monitoring for IMC noise problems associated with

A) competing messages.
B) lack of clarity in the message.
C) a poor choice of medium.
D) a flaw in the medium.
E) an extended feedback loop.

Question 51

In the IMC process, noise can occur as a result of lack of message clarity, a poor choice of medium, or

A) competing messages.
B) an extended feedback loop.
C) indirect encoding.
D) inhibited decoding.
E) excessive reach.

Question 52

If you ever watched a television commercial and at the end of the message wondered what it was promoting, you may have had trouble __________ the IMC message.

A) decoding
B) transmitting
C) precoding
D) encoding
E) tracking

Question 53

Though advertising experts wish it were true, there is not always a direct link between a particular marketing communication and

A) supply chain effectiveness.
B) enhanced decoding processes.
C) a consumer's purchase.
D) the level of noise in the IMC channel.
E) the reach / frequency ratio.

Question 54

__________ is any interference in the IMC process.

A) Translation
B) Looping
C) Excessive reach
D) Noise
E) Feedback

Question 55

Julia is driving down Interstate 95 on her way from New England to Florida and sees a billboard saying, "South of the Border Restaurant and Motel is just 100 miles away." Julia has never heard of South of the Border before. After seeing the sign, she will most likely need additional exposure to the product before deciding whether to stop at South of the Border. This is an example of

A) rejection of advertising.
B) subliminal advertising.
C) product underwhelm.
D) IMC strategy.
E) the lagged effect.

Question 56

Advertising agencies often provide the IMC function of comparing their customer's target audience with the viewer, listener, or reader profile of the communication channel being considered. The agency is most likely trying to avoid noise problems associated with

A) competing messages.
B) lack of clarity in the message.
C) a poor choice of medium.
D) an extended feedback loop.
E) a flaw in the medium.

Question 57

The sender of an integrated marketing communication

A) must work with the advertising specialists to ensure all recipients interpret the message accurately.
B) can assess the manner in which receivers interpret the message through gross rating points.
C) has little control over what meaning any individual receiver will take from the message.
D) controls the meaning all receivers take from the message.
E) should attempt to control how the message is received.

Question 58

The _____________ loop allows the receiver to communicate with the sender in the IMC process.

A) decoding
B) pre-testing
C) precoding
D) encoding
E) feedback

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT a communication channel used in the IMC process?

A) radio
B) television
C) newspaper
D) Internet
E) supply chain

Question 60

Most manufacturing and retailing marketers worry constantly about whether their IMC efforts are paying off. They assess various forms of __________ to determine what is working and what is not.

A) noise
B) pre-testing
C) precoding
D) encoding
E) feedback

Question 61

__________ refers to a potential customer's ability to recall that the brand name is a particular type of retailer, product, or service.

A) Product familiarity
B) Brand association
C) Brand awareness
D) Marketing recall
E) Cognitive association

Question 62

In the AIDA model, awareness leads to

A) intention, which hopefully leads to desire and then action.
B) integration, which hopefully leads to desire and then action.
C) interest, which hopefully leads to desire and then action.
D) intention, which hopefully leads to desire and then attention.
E) interest, which hopefully leads to determination and then action.

Question 63

When comparing the various communication channels available to marketing professionals, it becomes apparent that

A) consumers prefer advertising over other channels.
B) no single channel is better than another channel.
C) public relations is the least expensive but the most successful.
D) personal selling is the most expensive but the least successful.
E) online marketing is taking the place of advertising and public relations.

Question 64

One of the difficulties in measuring the effectiveness of IMC efforts is the __________, when consumers do not act immediately after receiving a marketing communication.

A) decoding decomposition effect
B) lagged effect
C) noncommittal effect
D) viral effect
E) click-through delay

Question 65

The proliferation of new media alternatives has led many firms to shift their promotional budgets from

A) publicity to public relations.
B) personal selling to advertising.
C) integrated marketing communications to diverse marketing communications.
D) stealth marketing to viral marketing.
E) advertising to direct marketing and website development.

Question 66

Cheryl asked Nadia to help her buy some aftershave for her boyfriend. Nadia was going through a list of different brand names when Cheryl stopped her and said, "I recognize that one." Marketers call this

A) selective recall.
B) free association.
C) aided recall.
D) recall mapping.
E) top-of-mind awareness.

Question 67

In the AIDA model, the think stage is the __________ stage.

A) awareness
B) action
C) interest
D) desire
E) intention

Question 68

Reaching the right audience with marketing communications is becoming more difficult because

A) consumers are bored.
B) government regulations are constraining free speech.
C) personal selling is becoming less expensive, making it more competitive with advertising.
D) the media environment has become more complicated.
E) the AIDA model no longer represents how marketing communication works.

Question 69

Compared to other IMC alternatives, advertising is extremely effective for

A) closing a sale.
B) efficient message decoding.
C) reducing the potential for noise.
D) creating awareness and generating interest in a product.
E) repositioning consumers in the AIDA model.

Question 70

In the movie Field of Dreams, one of the memorable phrases is, "If you build it, he will come." The AIDA model would suggest that after marketers build a product or service and create awareness among consumers, they need to

A) determine the level of desire needed to sustain action.
B) promote sufficiently to gain global attention.
C) create interest among consumers, persuading them to investigate further.
D) offer discounts to increase purchase intentions.
E) take steps to encourage immediate purchase.

Question 71

After creating awareness that the firm's products or services exist, the next goal of integrated marketing communications is to

A) generate consumer action.
B) increase the level of interest among consumers.
C) determine the level of desire needed to sustain action.
D) gain the attention of the consumer.
E) create intentions to purchase the product.

Question 72

Once the marketing communication has captured the interest of its target market, the goal of subsequent IMC messages should be to move the consumer from

A) "I want it" to "I like it."
B) action to desire.
C) "I like it" to "I want it."
D) interest to awareness.
E) feeling to thinking.

Question 73

The goal of any marketing communication is to

A) maximize personal selling.
B) increase public relations click-through rates.
C) overwhelm negative publicity with commercial speech.
D) replace cause-related marketing with non-cause-related marketing.
E) get the right message to the right audience through the right media.

Question 74

If marketing communications are effective, they will

A) result in purchases by some consumers receiving the communications.
B) offset any negative publicity the firm may have received.
C) minimize the number of communication channels used by the firm.
D) generate interest in the product in over half the consumers reached.
E) include all steps of the AIDA model with equal weighting to each step.

Question 75

The highest level of awareness occurs when customers mention a specific brand name when asked about a product or service. Marketers call this

A) the primacy effect.
B) aided recall.
C) top-of-mind awareness.
D) category dominance.
E) elevated awareness.

Question 76

Betty is assessing the effectiveness of her firm's marketing communications. She knows the ultimate goal is to

A) maximize rating points.
B) minimize marketing communication expenditures.
C) shift encoding into decoding.
D) use personal selling to augment public relations.
E) drive the receiver to action.

Question 77

In the AIDA model, the do stage is the __________ stage.

A) awareness
B) action
C) interest
D) desire
E) intentions

Question 78

From a consumer's perspective, all of the following are interactive elements of an IMC strategy EXCEPT

A) personal selling.
B) consumer contests.
C) mobile marketing.
D) public relations.
E) telemarketing.

Question 79

Several years ago, changes in advertising restrictions allowed pharmaceutical companies to begin promoting their products through traditional media. Today, it is common to see ads on television ending with, "Ask your doctor about (our medicine)." In addition to creating awareness about their drugs, the companies are hoping to

A) reduce deceptive advertising.
B) signal encoding symbols to simplify the feedback loop.
C) offer objective-and-task marketing communications.
D) stimulate interest, persuading consumers to investigate further.
E) promote public interest social responsibility communications.

Question 80

Even the best marketing communication can be wasted if the sender does not first

A) generate consumer action.
B) offer testimonials from past consumers.
C) determine the level of desire needed to sustain action.
D) gain the attention of the consumer.
E) stimulate interest among stealth marketing consumers.