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Foundations of Advertising

“Building a Brand Story: A Real-Life Advertising Project for a Local Business” “Expressing Gratitude: A Thank You Card for My Course Project Interviewee”

Detailed Client Project with provided information. 
Real life application of our course material, building the brand story and purpose for a client.
The learning outcome, is to simulate the role of an advertising professional and interview the client. Then, create the brand story an ancillary supporting materials to build an advertising campaign.
Developed and designed 
1) (PROVIDED) Identify a local business in your area. This project will work best if there is one owner/founder who started the business. Do not use family members or family friends for this project. Achieve optimum value, reach out to someone you don’t know. Simulate the agency/client experience.
2) (PROVIDED) Identify your client now. Reach out and connect. Begin the research process. Interviews week of April 8-12. One hour should be sufficient. Interview to be conducted in person. Having the “client” respond to prompt questions via email/social media messaging is not acceptable. 
3) (PROVIDED) Start the meeting by introducing yourself. Give a short overview of COM 2700. Your work as students, introduction to advertising. You might want to give examples, chapters covered in Novicov and some of the course assignments.
4) (PROVIDED) To conduct the interview, you will need to reorder the suggested questions, paraphrase in your own words, then add prompt questions to capture the client’s brand story. Refer to chapter 6 in our text. Prompt questions to address:
– When you were a child, what did you dream of doing?
– If you had $1 billion in your bank account, what would you want to achieve?
– What change would you like to promote, within our modern society?
– What inspires you?
– Who inspires you?
– Tell me one personal story…that changed you as a person.
– How did you gain the skills necessary to run this business?
– Can you remember the day you made the decision to start the business? What were your thoughts on that day?
– What motivates you to serve your customers?
– Do you have a role in serving your community? 
– What do you believe are the most important attributes in a human?
– What personal beliefs most directly relate to how you run your business?
– What is the biggest obstacle you had to overcome?
– Are you satisfied in your life as owner of this business?
– Do you have a mission or vision statement?
– How does your product (or service) help customers achieve their goals?
– What do you see in the future? For you? For your business?
5) (REQUIRED) After the interview is complete, develop a creative brief (see example template). Build this in infographic form.
6) Become a proficient storyteller. Write the narrative that frames the client’s brand story, in the best possible light. Where did their passion/purpose originate? Is the business a benefit to the community? Does it contribute to the social good? Write the brand story to be “customer facing.” That is, write in third person, to the customer. 1500 word minimum.
7) (PROVIDED) Create a slogan for the client, one that supports and captures the essence of the brand story.
8) (REQUIRED) See chapter 11 for content marketing. Create two (2) social media posts, leveraging the brand story and passion/purpose for your client. One must be affective content; one must be cognitive content. 
8) (REQUIRED) Incorporate a “unique selling proposition” and “call to action” in each of the social media posts. Make each USP and CTA, unique.  HINT: CTA is one of the best opportunities to build measurable ROI into the message.
9) (REQUIRED) Consider how the application of your brand story through social media, will provide ROI for the client. Read the article on brand ROI by Novicov. What are specific measures, you can use to demonstrate “success” through the dissemination of your brand story messaging?
10) (REQUIRED) Write a final reflection piece, your experience with the course and conducting this final project. 1000 words minimum.
11) (WRITE PROMPT) Buy a thank you card. Write a handwritten note to your “client” (see pages 144-145 in our text). In the card, let them know about your key learning outcome, based on the time they invested in your course project interview. Address and mail to their place of business. Take a photo of your card, crop and include in your final project submission.
SUBMIT ALL COMPONENTS IN ONE MASTER PDF FILE
YOU MUST USE THE COURSE TEMPLATE FOR YOUR PROJECT.