Please read this assessment brief in its entirety before starting work on the Assessment Task.
Resit instructions read with care
**If you received a G – YOU MUST COMPLETE AS2 USING THE SICKKIDS CASE STUDY**
If you received an F+, F, F- – you may continue working on the current case, using the feedback given.
You MUST use the tables for each of the questions to present data/information from the case study. Speak to the tutor team on the use of tables.
The Assessment Task
Demonstrate an understanding of relevant IMC theories by deconstructing an IPA 2020 Award-Winning Case Study stated within the brief. You are required to Identify and discuss how the engagement of the identified target audiences is effectively achieved. You are writing an individual analysis of the message(s), appeals and media by a brand stated below, recognising how IMC is achieved through the development of a campaign(s) over time.
You need to analyse the effectiveness of the application of IMC theories for one IPA 2020 Award-Winning case study listed below. (You MUST choose only 1 in completion of AS2).
1. SickKids foundation: SickKids VS. Conventional Fundraising
2. Tesco: From running shops to serving customers: The Tesco turnaround story
3. Guinness: Guinness Made of More 2012-2019: Consistency x creativity
Full case studies found on NILE.
For your chosen case study, you must complete BOTH tasks 1 & 2:
Task 1: The role of a context analysis (700 words)
1. Discuss with reference to Fill’s initial stage of the Marketing Communication Planning Framework the context analysis, and how an outside-in approach to understanding the communication context is used in your chosen IPA case study to inform the development of IMC campaign over time.
Consider what information the award-winning brand gained about their target audiences, this can include the communication needs, perceptions, motivations, attitudes, decision-making characteristics, and cultural context.
To support your answer, you must present your findings/facts from your chosen case study in a table (ensuring you do not go over the wordcount), added guidance on the use of tables below**.
Task 2: IMC campaign analysis (1250 words)
1. Explore the communication objectives within the different stages of the campaign as identified in the case study.
Present findings/objectives from the case in a table, to enable you to then focus your analysis, use the DRIP framework to analyse objectives.
2. Provide an analysis of IMC facets:
2.1 Audience strategies: the balance between push, pull and profile
2.2 Positioning strategies: the brand positioning and differentiation achieved
2.3 The message content and use of semiotics and how it resonates with the target audiences, you should comment on cultural appropriateness.
You must use visuals to support your semiotic analysis. Provide an image and annotate the image
2.4 Analyse the tools and media used to achieve the objectives by identifying the Paid, Owned, Earned and Converged Media. You are required to present an applied Venn diagram, see below example. A blank version is
provided for you to use
**Further guidance and use of tables
• Content within tables is not analysis, instead will support your analysis
• Content within table do not count to the word count, your paragraph(s) after the table is your analysis and are the words that are counted
• Cite the table(s) correctly to the IPA case study i.e. all your content is from the IPA case study.
• Content included in tables should not be paragraphs of writing, avoid extensive descriptions within tables
• Content in tables should be bullet points
• The information in a table or diagram tells its own story, it’s your job to point out its significance to your argument to demonstrate IMC facets
• Must use visual examples (and they MUST be annotated) from the case study to support your semiotic analysis
• Apply your own Paid, Owned, Earned and Converged media diagram as show above.
• Each case study is unique and requires a different approach to answering the brief. Each case study contains different content.
• Top marks are given to students who show excellent understanding of IMC theories throughout task 1 and 2 when deconstructing a campaign.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:
LO C. Apply appropriate models and frameworks in the analysis and evaluation of integrated marketing communications campaigns.
LO D. Critically analyse an advertisement in terms of message, use of appeals, semiotic content, and effectiveness in engaging an identified target audience.
LO E. Identify and critique real-world application of integrated marketing communications theory in the context of an outside-in approach.
LO F. Accurately, clearly and appropriately communicate, argue and counter-argue information, attitudes and ideas.
Your grade will depend on the extent to which you meet these learning outcomes in the way relevant for this assessment. Please see the grading rubric on NILE for further details of the criteria against which you will be assessed.
Assessment Support
Specific support sessions for this assessment will be provided by the module team and notified through NILE. You can also access individual support and guidance for your assessments from Library and Learning Services. Visit the Skills Hub to access this support and to discover the online support also available for assessments and academic skills.
Academic Integrity and Misconduct
Unless this is a group assessment, the work you produce must be your own, with work taken from any other source properly referenced and attributed. For the avoidance of doubt this means that it is an infringement of academic integrity and, therefore, academic misconduct to ask someone else to carry out all or some of the work for you, whether paid or unpaid, or to use the work of another student whether current or previously submitted.
For further guidance on what constitutes plagiarism, contract cheating or collusion, or any other infringement of academic integrity, please read the University’s Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy. Also useful resources to help with understanding academic integrity are available from UNPAC – the University of Northampton’s Plagiarism Avoidance Course.
N.B. The penalties for academic misconduct are severe and include failing the assessment, failing the module and even expulsion from the university.
Assessment Submission
To submit your work, please go to the ‘Submit your work’ area on the NILE site and use the relevant submission point to upload your report. The deadline for this is 11.59pm (UK local time) on the date of submission. Please note that essays and text-based reports should be submitted as word documents and not PDFs or Mac files.
Written work submitted to TURNITIN will be subject to anti-plagiarism detection software.
Turnitin checks student work for possible textual matches against internet available resources and its own proprietary database.
When you upload your work correctly to TURNITIN you will receive a receipt which is your record and proof of submission. If your assessment is not submitted to TURNITIN, rather than a receipt, you will see a green banner at the top of the screen that denotes successful submission.
N.B Work emailed directly to your tutor will not be marked.
Late submission of work
For first sits, if an item of assessment is submitted late and an extension has not been granted, the following will apply:
• Within one week of the original deadline – work will be marked and returned with full feedback, and awarded a maximum bare pass grade.
• More than one week from original deadline – grade achievable LG (L indicating late).
For resits there are no allowances for work submitted late and it will be treated as a non-submission.
Please see the Assessment and Feedback Policy for full information on the processes related to assessment, grading and feedback, including anonymous grading. You will also find the generic grading criteria for achievement at University Grading Criteria. Also explained there are the meanings of the various G grades at the bottom of the grading scale including LG mentioned above.
Extensions
The University of Northampton’s general policy with regard to extensions is to be supportive of students who have genuine difficulties, but not against pressures of work that could have reasonably been anticipated.
For full details please refer to the Extensions Policy. Extensions are only available for first sits – they are not available for resits.
Mitigating Circumstances
For guidance on Mitigating circumstances please go to Mitigating Circumstances where you will find detailed guidance on the policy as well as guidance and the form for making an application.
Please note, however, that an application to defer an assessment on the grounds of mitigating circumstances should normally be made in advance of the submission deadline or examination date.
Feedback and Grades
These can be accessed through clicking on the Feedback and Grades tab on NILE. Feedback will be provided by a rubric with summary comments.
