DOCUMENT RESUME 1'0 ED 218.630 . CS 207 0.14, AUTHOR BOwers, Thomas A. TITLE An Approach to Teaching the Retail Advertising Course. , . PUB DATE '' ,Jul 82 .. NOTE 17p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Educatiod in Journalism (65th, Athens, OH, July 25-28, 1982). Best copy -aviilable. _ EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01.Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Advertising;. Course_Descriptions; *Distribuitive 'Education; Higher Education; Layout-(Publications); Marketing; *Merchandising; *Retailing; Salesdianshipv, Teaching Methods ABSUACT Oneapproach to teaching a college-levek 'retail advertising. course epphasizes the'use of newspapers and shopping guides. The course objectives are (1) to acquaint students with' practices and problems of retailing; with particular emphasis on promotion and advertising; (2) tocquaint them with ways local advertising media meet promotional and advertising needs of retaileri; and (3) to instruct.them °in procedures and techniques of advertising services of local print tedia.,The-course.schedule includes a'field trip to a local newspaper, assignments that involve students in:market research and promold.on, student involvemedt in telephbne,surveys for d#ta collection, media guest-speakert, and four or five,aseignmentOhat include layout and illustrations. Jhe doursework culminans in a 20-Minute sales pres5niati9n by each student. InAthe presentation, students try to get the instructor (who is acting in the role of project retailer) to/sigd an advertising . contract with their publication. The student'v*presentation book intludes market promotion data (initially deyeloped.for an earlier assignment), information about the °Specific publication, rates and schedules, and speculative-advertiiemepts. (Appendixes include a syllabus, course schedUle,Jdetailed topic outline, topic reading list, and guidelines for guest speakers.) (HOD) -, . ***************************.**********i****.**************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * .* * s . from-the original document. .. ************************************************* ********************* ( US. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OFEDUCATION '''*` EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER IEFIICI I This document has beenreproduced as received horn, the person ororganization originating it CI..Minor changes have befn made toimprove reproduction quality Points of view or opinionsstatedin this docu ment do not necessarily represent official position or policy . .ANAPPROACH TO TEACHING THE RETAILADVERTISING COURSE - Thomas A. DOwers University of North Carolina atChapel Hill . O .0 , s 2 lERMISSIONTO REPRODUCE THIS' MATERIAL HAS BEENGRANTED BY Thomas A.Bowers 4. TO THE EDUCAT1bNAL15I.ESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC).- the Association for,, A,paper'presented to theA4vettPsinPtivision-of Education in Journalism at its annualmeeting in Athens, OhioJuly 1982. R v 0 6 , AN APPROACH TO TEACHING THERETAIL ADVERTISING COURSE This paper is an explanation ofhow the author teaches a retail` 1 , The advertising course that emphasizes newspapersand .shopping guides. ---' six years of teaching outlines and ideas discussedhefe have developed froth . Thebpaaings,andThificussions that follow refer.to,items onthe tbe'cOtirse. , w, . topic reading list, and syllSbus, catreestbeduledetailedtopicoutline, - ._ FIELD TRIP' the,cOurse have little or I have discovered that.moitstudents who take o field trip to a no understanding of how a newspaperis produced, so an'early . ... of the course local publisher is essential.Having,the trip at the beginning later class sessiolqs. permits me to make frecilientreferences to the trip in representative to show- When I arrange a field trip,I ask the newspaper's to the circulation- the class the path of a newspaperadvertisement from aboilt production department. I alsamake/sure that theclass learns something limitations(e4.0. how the use of coldrCan. reduce press 'professes. d their the latest make-up-and production ,capacity). Local newspapers have' some of that,is important for students to see,too.' -MARKEVRESEARaliANDI,PRO ASSUNKENS The purpose of thiS assignmentis threefold.'First, students get first-hand experience and exposure to relevant secondary research sources such as the Census Bureau Orthe.Surveyoe'BuyinkPower.. °Second, they learn about the local market. 4. 3 ) 2- Third, students get started on the"presentation book" that they will have; to prepare for their sales presentation atthe end of the course. For the assiinment,students are told'to find appropriate statistics to' convince retailers ofithe marvelousopportunities for advertisinginthelocal only pertinent data, and that the market. They are told that they must use 3 data are.to be presented in ameaningful manner. k., . -' TELEPHONE SURVEY * ., ,... This assignment hasthree,dhjectfves.One, ittacquaints:students-with " = . primary research techniques, usually Atelephone sirvey. S'econd?.ic gathers - students' sales, presentations. Third, it provides useful in- useful_data- for foimatiot td,the project retailer-who is-the subject of student presentations. draw a random I deyelop"the questionnaire Andhave a research assistant instructions sample from the telephone directory. Students. are given wriften The research and an oral explanation and aretold to complete 10interviews. relkilts to the assistant codes and analyzes thedata and I give copies of the students and to the projectretailer. e. MEDIA GUEST SPEAKERS , , talk to the clas servesthree functions.. Having prOfessional salespeople 4,... -- ..e ... 4 , lOcal,advertising.publications (a dailynewspaper' First, students learn abbut . , the and a weekly shopping guide). this is very important, because students act pliblicationa when they give .theirAlespresentations: role of salespeople,from'those . s .4 atheir:Approaches to. Second, students become familiarwith brCadt* media and ,. , . i, expose students to a variety of retail clients. Third, thg media presentations ,..., in preparing their own real or simulatedsales presentations that can guide them presentations:.. s , ° , I make prelf6intry contact by telephone and followthat with lettere to the media salespeople. The letter includes a copy of the guidelines that arereproduced at the end of this paper. COPY AMDLAYOUT ASSIGNMENTS c I take these assignments from two workbookspublished by larry otman 111 (P.O, Box,62, Hutchinson, MN 55350). Students purchase the workbooks, which include layout paper and' illustrations. Each assig7ent usually includes four 'oteive-advertistmenta, And-the assignments get_ progressively more complicated. O INDIVIDUAL SALES PRESENTATIONS 1 The courseworkculininat:sin a 20-Minute sales presentation by each student. Studats act thtrole of a salesperson forloCal advertising publications. (I assign studentsto the two publications on a random basis.) I act the role of the project retailer, students make appointments and cone to myoffice td make the presentations. , . sometimes observe from the . No one else is present, although project retailers background. Students are required 'to leavea'presentation book with me at the- end of the session, and, they are encouraged to, usethe book as a "prop" during the presentation. The book includes market promotion data(initially 4veloped ,for an tallier assignment), information abutthe specific publication, rates and schedules, and speculativeWertisements. In the prestntation,,,st4ents A 1 are trying to get'me to sigmanadvertisihg contract-with their publication:- evaldate students for their delivery and for, theirpresentation book. A % t . r ., - ,....,, POJECT RETAILER _ .... retail_stOre in the localmarket, .usually : il.1 The project retailer is an actual . o t 0 . $ 0 .' : . , * . , Atlecte with the assistance of professional mediasalespeople.. This gives students. '4 relations between the experience with a real burlinessand helps maintain good Since I started this cours,there (6chool of Journalism and thelocal Community. ou-graduates hired for mediasalsa has been a dramatic increasein the numbet of Ra I work with positions in out market, andmany,havebeen Aired by organizations most closely in the courset AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS -Some.excellent audiovisual materials areavailable for this.kind of course, and most can be obtained for no cost. membership that includes Audit Bureau OfCirculations. ABC has an educational "Dateline Today," most,of,their publications and reports ona per requestbasis. Write.to ABC, available on film or videotape,explains the ABC auditprocess. 123 North Wacker Drive,Chicago, IL 60606. EActitIves. The INANE International NewspaperAdvertising,and Marketing teaching -aids available at no expense. FAndition has made several excellent describes winners in a $50,000 Concepts '79" is a slide-'and -tape presentation that Bureau(NAB)fo'aptimulate contest sponsored;by,INAME andthe Newspaper Advertising advertisers,. "Ten Creative ' creative use oeneWspaperadvertising by national principlea° 'Opporrunities",is a slide-and-cape showthat illustrates creative years. The "Copy and LayoutWorkshop"' used incutstandingnewspaper ads in recent presentations produce8 byINANE arid NAB. They is a series of six slide- and -tape staffs. ,WritA toINAMg.koundation,,S.,Q, were ciesigned tobe used by newspaper Box 147, Danville, .11,61832. v . k O 14 1.* Jqurnalism 178 . RETAIL-ADVERTISING, I The objectives ,of this c9erse are: , . :10' tto acquaint, you with practices and problems' of retailing- -with' .. , . particular emphasis on,promotion and advertising;'