MKTG304 Data-Driven Critique of a Global Brands Integrated Communications Strategy

DATA-DRIVEN CRITIQUE Brief and Rubric[30% of Unit Mark total: 27.5%, due TW5 Friday, 5PM Perth time. Student Reflection 2.5% due TW8 Friday, 5PM Perth time]

Assessment introduction:

You are to select a global brand / organization to conduct a critical review of their integrated global
communications (IGC) and analyse data to draw valuable marketing insights

The global brand / organization can be niche or mainstream, large or small, but must market products globally (multi-nationally).

It is essential that submissions demonstrate high-level critical thinking in a clear and succinct professional manner, applying discipline knowledge through the theoretical concepts studied in the learning modules.

You can critique an artist, musician, film, or television show as a brand, but please speak to your tutor first as this will need special approval.

Only 1 student per semester can review a particular brand / organization, this cannot be the same as any exemplars.

If the brand / organization markets several product categories, you MUST select 1 specific product category that the brand offers (I.e. Nike - Footwear, Honda - Lawnmowers, etc.).

Take some time to select a brand / organization that has some interesting and engaging IGC examples to critique, do not select a brand purely because it is popular or familiar.

The brand you are reviewing must be emailed to your tutor by the end of teaching week 3 (approval to be provided by tutor). Failure to do so will result in penalties.

Submission standards:

This report is NOT AN ESSAY. Bullet points, sub-headings, images, tables, graphs, etc. may be used where appropriate. It must conform to 12-point font (no Windings), single-line spacing.

I dont need you to define everything you are discussing. I already likely know what these concepts are, save your words for application of the concepts to your brands critique.

Submissions through Turnitin (.docx or .pdf) and a date-stamped hard copy in the tutors pigeon hole (School of Marketing, Building 408, Lv. 2) as per the due date.

What is Critical Thinking?

• Critically analyse the marketing environment and think creatively to generate strategic solutions (Curtin University)
• The ability to examine new information and competing ideas dispassionately, logically, and without emotional or personal preconceptions. (The Death of expertise, Tom Nichols)

Why is it important?

• Critical to higher-level learning - develops your ability to identify and evaluate important problems and creatively solve them
• Ethical and responsible reasoning and judgment

BRAND EVALUATION: (Total: 35 marks)

When answering these questions, ensure you focus on initially stating the brand-specific WHAT (i.e. what products the brand offers. Be specific. Examples may help). Then critique the STRATEGY behind this (the HOW / WHY). Ensure you make a critical judgment of this strategy - i.e. good, bad, etc. (WHY) from a marketing perspective.

1. Critique the strategy behind the brands 4 Ps (not just what they do, but the strategy behind it i.e. why the brand / organization does this with respect to its competitive market) [5 marks - approx. 300 words

2. Critique the evolution of their branding elements (i.e. logos, colours, symbols, slogans, etc.) not just what they are, critically evaluate how and why they have evolved over time [5 marks - approx. 200 words]

3. Critique the positioning of the brand / organization: [10 marks - 1 perceptual map, approx. 200 word justification]

Evaluate the positioning strategy of the global brand / organization relative to its competitors, through 1 perceptual map with 4 direct and 4 indirect competitors using two distinct positioning variables (not Price or Quality. Ensure you visually indicate which are direct and indirect competitors)

• Justify your positioning of why consumers see the brand / organization to be positioned this way relative to their competitors based on the 4Ps not just Product.
• Good positioning variables should be adjectives, such as those you would use to describe a person (I.e. Innovative, Approachable or Youthful). High xxxx, low-technology or fast connectivity are attributes, and NOT good examples of brand positioning variables
  
  

4. Develop a customer persona for 2 of the brand / organizations Target Customer Segments.
   [15 marks - 2 customer personas]

• Think of this as like an infographic that visually communicates key characteristics of the customer segmen
• The customer personas should apply segmentation bases, values and life-cycles, goals and motivations, etc. from the learning modules, and establish a clear link between the customer segment and the brand (not just the product category).

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION: (Total: 55 marks)

To ensure you are working towards achieving Curtins Graduate Capabilities (including Globally Engaged and Responsive and Innovative, Creative, and Entrepreneurial) whilst enhancing your critical thinking skills, you are to evaluate your brand / organizations capacity to contribute to improving the world and society.

PLEASE NOTE: What is a critique?

In the context of this assessment, a critique requires a visualization of results, an overview of the important results the reader is presented with from your visualization, and some sort of discussion of why the results may have occurred / what the results mean to the global and marketing context.

Country Allocation

You are allocated THREE (3) countries (see Table below) to evaluate for your global brand / organization. For these countries, you are to analyse data from the datasets stated below and critique the results within the global and marketing context.

For example, if your Student No is 13345054, you are allocated the countries: Switzerland, Mexico, and Haiti.

Note: If there are any missing data associated with these countries in any of the datasets that prevents you from answering a Q, it is your responsibility to contact your tutor ASAP to be allocated another country.

Datasets

For this assessment, you are required to analyse data to support your insights. For some Qs, you are required to synthesize data from multiple datasets.

The datasets you will need to download and analyse are as follows (please ensure you download the MOST RECENT version of the dataset. As these are real datasets they are updated consistently - if any of the variables you are required to analyse are no longer present in the dataset, please contact your unit coordinator):

• Human Development Index (HDI) Dataset - http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-index-hdi
  (Scroll 2/3rds down the page to a grey box stating Downloads and documentation and click on the SEE DOWNLOADS AND DOCUMENTATION option. Select the 2020 Human Development Data: All Tables and Dashboards in the Data Links section. It may help to then re-name this .xlsx file to HDI Dataset_V1)
• World Happiness Report Dataset - https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2021/#appendices-and-data
  (Dataset available under Data Panel in the Appendices & Data section at the bottom. Overview of what each variable represents at Statistical Appendix 1 for Chapter 2)
• Number of Internet Users (and potentially others) from the Our World In Data Dataset(s) - https://ourworldindata.org/
  (Select the Articles by Topic dropdown menu from top banner -> Education and Knowledge -> Internet -> All our interactive charts on Internet -> Number of internet users. A graph will appear, to the bottom right of this, select Download, then the link to the Full Data(CSV)

Questions to Answer

Please take note of the following in the subsequent questions

• Green italic text = source of data from the aforementioned datasets
• Black, bold, italic text = variables in the datasets you are to analyse
• Blue bold text = type of visualization of results you are required to produce and interpret

1) UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Evaluation (10 marks

Your brand / organization is looking to undertake a cause-driven social marketing campaign.

Visit the UN Sustainable Development goals website (https://sdgs.un.org/ scroll down) and select a goal (of the 17) that your brand can contribute towards achieving.

By hovering over the goal and selecting More info, you will be taken to a page where you can access specific details of the Target (scroll down to banner indicated in image below).

1. Discuss what SDG you have selected, and why it is suitable for your brand / organization to contribute to. Aligning with their target markets will help. (approx. 200 words

2) Human Development Index Analysis (15 marks)

For the THREE (3) countries you have been allocated, analyse the HDI Data and critique the following:

1. Demographics: (see Table 1, Table 3, and Table 7 of HDI Dataset) [Table] (approx. 100 words)
   
   
   • Urban Population proportion (%)
   
   
   • Mean Years of Schooling
   
   
   • A variable selected by you from Table 3 of HDI Dataset (does not need to strictly be a Demographic)
   
   
   
2. Ages (Ranges: under 5, 5-14 15-64, 65+) (see Table 7 of HDI Dataset) [Vertical 100% Stacked Column] (approx. 100 words)
3. Estimated Gross National Income per capita and Life Expectancy at Birth for each Gender (see Table 4 of HDI Dataset) [Bar Graph - Vertical] (approx. 100 words)
4. Evaluate which ONE (1) of the THREE (3) countries would be the most suited target country as the beneficiary of the S.D.G. selected (not just which country is the best for your brand to sell products to).

Support your targeting with a synthesized overview of key results from your analysis to questions 2a-d. (approx. 200 words)

3) World Happiness Report Analysis (15 marks

For the THREE (3) countries you have been allocated and ONE (1) other relevant country you select, analyse the World Happiness Report Data and critique the following:

1. Trend of Life Ladder across the most recent 10 years [Line Graph] (approx. 100 words)
2. Mean Social Support, Freedom to Make Life Choices, and Generosity scores from the last 10 years (with interpretation of Standard Deviation Bars) [Bar Graph - Horizontal] (approx. 100 words)
3. Develop a concept for a cause-related marketing campaign to address the specific S.D.G. you have selected for the country targeted in Question 2.

Support the success of your concept with a synthesized overview of key results from your analysis to questions 3a-b. (approx. 200 words)

4) Our World In Data Analysis (15 marks)

For the THREE (3) countries allocated, and the THREE (3) countries next above and below each in the H.D.I. ranking with present data (totalling 21 countries):

1. Plot Negative Affect (World Happiness Report Dataset) relative to the % growth in Number of Internet Users over their most recent 10 years of data (From Our World in Data Dataset) [Scatter Plot] (approx. 100 words)
2. Evaluate a ratio of International Inbound Tourists (D.I. Dataset - Table 13) relative to Employment in Services (H.D.I. Dataset - Table 11), and ONE (1) other relevant variable (this does not need to be included as a ratio) you choose from the databases provided (May include data from other Our World in Data Databases if adequate data exists) [Your choice of method of analysis and Visualization] (approx. 100 words)
3. Critique which IGC tools (specific Paid, Owned, and Earned Media tools) should be used in executing the aforementioned cause-related marketing campaign.

You dont necessarily need to come up with new ideas of how to execute. Rather, tell me which tools (e.g. content marketing, bus shelter advertising, events, etc.). Give specifics.

Support the critique with a synthesized overview of key results from your analysis to questions 4a-b, and key insights of the brand / organizations Customer Personas and Positioning of the Brand (developed in the Brand Evaluation section of the Assessment), and (approx. 200 words)

VISUAL AND VERBAL COMMUNICATION (10 marks)

The presentation of the report, both visually and verbally, should be of a professional standard.

• Cover page, contents page, and lists of tables of figures should be provided.
• Paragraphs should be concise, and consistently formatted (font size, spacing, alignment, etc.) with new sections started on new pages. Word counts adhered to emphasising critical thinking!
• Aesthetically-pleasing visualizations (graphs and tables) should be created using Excel (or other visualization software, not SPSS) with all the required data and labelling. Key results should be emphasized.
• The raw output and any additional or supplementary analyses / examples from your data analysis should be included in the Appendices
• All external or supporting content should be referenced appropriately (Chicago, APA, or Harvard).

RUBRIC DATA-DRIVEN CRITIQUE (100 marks, 27.5% of semester final mark, due TW5 Friday, 5PM)

Name: Student Number:

STUDENT REFLECTION (100 marks) 2.5% of semester, Individual, due TW8 Friday, 5PM

Name: Student Number:

Once you have received your marked submission (2 weeks after due date), you are to closely review the feedback and reflect on your assessment, addressing the following in this template, and submit through Turnitin:

1. What key LEARNING CHALLENGES did you face for this assessment, why were they a challenge, and how did you overcome them? [Be explicit, specific, and concise in your reflections; max. 200 words]

2. What critical FEEDBACK did you receive in your marked submission? What does this reflect about your work? How could you improve your submission to address this shortcoming? [Be explicit, specific, and concise in your reflections; max. 200 words]

3. What NEW SKILLS have you learnt upon completion of this assessment? What do they enable you to do? How could they be applied in a professional context? [Be explicit, specific, and concise in your reflections; max. 200 words]

RUBRIC STUDENT REFLECTION: Data-Driven Critique

(100 marks, 2.5% of semester final mark)

Name: Student Number: