Media Advertising Fundamentals for Professionals

Essay Assignment

Here are your instructions:
For this lesson, we are discussing ethics and whether or not ethical practices have a place in our current digital era. I now want you to review a current commercial that can be viewed online or on television. Your assignment is to choose a commercial and analyze it based on:
(1) Truthfulness
(2) Fairness
(3) Privacy
(4) Responsibility.
Regardless of whether you are viewing an online or television commercial, please be sure you identify the: company, product or service being offered, and the length of the commercial: such as :30, :45, etc.
You can either defend the commercial in that it upholds all for of these elements or goes against all of these elements.
For instance, you may choose to review a commercial and say that it goes against “Truthfulness” and “Fairness” by the actions within the commercial. Directly related to “Fairness,” you might say that a commercial is unfair in the way it is presented based on its use of language or representation of a particular age group . You may also take this assignment the other way and defend the commercial and say why it did not offend anyone based on the above listed elements.
I am anxious to hear your thoughts. Please be sure your essay response is at least 400 words in length.
Online Workbook Readings

This week, we will be examining the concept of ethics in advertising and the advertising industry. Remember, while ads are meant to be targeted at a certain demographic, people of all ages may be able to catch a glimpse of an ad not intended for them. This can often lead to problems associated with how or how not to advertise a product or service. In terms of history, ethics has been a part of advertising for many years. Many products and services try to convey a sense of security, comfort, and trust to the consumer. Overall, many would argue that ethics is fundamental in building a strong advertising message or overall campaign.

Can Advertising be Ethical?
http://www.ethicalmarkets.com/2008/10/17/can-advertising-be-ethical/

Ad Industry’s New Ethics Code Takes on Brand Integration, Social-Media Disclosure
http://adage.com/article/news/advertisers-agencies-ethics-code-review/149464/

Media Advertising Fundamentals for Professionals

Course Description
The world of advertising is a complicated environment. Advertising agencies and account executives want your advertising dollar to be kept within their companies. A business owner must decide how to properly allocate their funds and must often seek out advice through account executives and agencies in order to secure their image or brand in the public eye
Traditional forms of advertising via television, radio and print are still a popular form of reaching a target market. However, online advertising via websites, Youtube, and other social media sites are quickly attracting attention as advertisers reach a mass consumer marketplace like never before in modern history. This is an exciting time to stop and analyze just how advertising is changing and how businesses are adjusting to this new era in technology and advertising.
This course seeks to identify current trends in advertising and to familiarize business owners with tactics and persuasion used by agencies and account executives. Students in this course will gain a better understanding of how to interact with agencies seeking their advertising dollar and learn what questions to ask to ensure they are treated fairly. For instance, if a television account executive refers to Nielsen ratings, how do you react? How can you be sure your business or service is best suited for this particular form of advertising?
Each weekly lesson will be taught with an emphasis on the basic fundamentals of media advertising. Prior experience from the advertising industry is not necessary for taking and completing this course. I ask that you enter this online course with an open mind and be receptive to new information regarding the current state of the advertising industry.

Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, the student will be a wiser and more adept viewer of media and advertising tactics. Whether you are actively involved in purchasing advertising for your business or are simply a passive viewer of advertising media, you will recognize the many forms of advertising and the numerous trends currently seen in the advertising industry.

Learning Outcomes
1) Recognize different types of advertising and how each type reaches a different consumer demographic
2) Learn how advertisers are turning to online methods in order to support their clients in the current mass media environment
3) Compare and contrast the mediums being used to send an advertising message to a consumer
Weekly Essay Assignment
Students will log into Sakai to post a single essay response regarding the week’s topic. Your essay response must be a minimum of 400 words in length. Proper grammar and punctuation are expected as this is an academic assignment. The goal of the essay is for you to view an article, advertisement, or web video and analyze the content based on what you have learned in the Online PowerPoint Lecture and Online Workbook Page. For instance, you may be asked to view an online advertisement and explain who the target market is or why you believe the advertiser used this method to reach a particular consumer. The essay will fulfill learning outcomes: 1, 2, and 3.