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Canyon College

online Direct Marketing course at Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Direct Marketing

Course Title:
Department:
Instructor:
Fax:
 BU410 - Direct Marketing
Business
William Flood, M.A., M.Ed. - E-mail | Vitae
707-982-2852


Required Textbooks: Online Book Store

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Direct Marketing by Robert W. Bly, Penguin Putnam Publishing. ISBN: 0028642104

Course Description

Catalogs, direct mail, direct response print, television infomercials and even Internet marketing are all forms of direct marketing. With over a century behind it, and decades of proven results, direct marketing is the most results- oriented form of marketing. This course is for those who wish to learn the principles and processes of direct marketing. The course provides an overview of direct mail, direct response print and media marketing, catalog methodology, and various forms of online direct marketing. Students will be trained how to source, cost, and measure direct marketing efforts. Topics will include: Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course the student should be able to...
  1. Describe the applicability of at least 4 forms of direct marketing to a particular project
  2. Locate sources/suppliers for direct marketing media
  3. Test and track response rates for offers in various media
  4. Write direct marketing offers, including grabbing headlines and results-oriented ad copy
  5. Project potential return and revenue from various direct response campaigns
  6. Write appropriate offers for direct-marketed products and/or services to a variety of markets including consumers, non-profits, and businesses
Methods:

The course will include:
  1. Assigned readings
  2. Email correspondence with the instructor
  3. Student analysis and review of five (5) direct response advertisements
  4. Demographic/psychographic profile of a target audience for a hypothetical product
  5. Crafting of a direct response offer
Evaluation
  1. Direct response ad reviews 50%
  2. Target audience profile 10%
  3. Direct response advertisement 30%
A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = 0-59
I = Incomplete work
Course Projects:

Student Biography

Once you start the class, send me an informal (this is not graded) biography about yourself, your background, career interests, etc. Of special interest is why you took this class and are interested in online advertising. Make sure to include your contact information including phone number and email address so that I can contact you if necessary.

Direct Response Advertisement Reviews:

For the following five (5) course projects, you will examine and analyze various forms of direct marketing. In the preparation of your analysis reports, make sure to discuss the following: Review #1 – Direct Mail

Obtain a recent direct mail advertisement (should be as near as today’s mail) and discuss the advertisement following the above guidelines. Scan or fax the ad as supporting documentation

Review #2 – Direct Response Print Ad Review

Using a magazine, locate a direct response advertisement contained inside. Discuss the advertisement following the report guidelines. Scan or fax the ad as supporting documentation.

Review #3 – Direct Response Television

Watch a television infomercial (ie. Carleton Sheets’ real estate investing program, Winsor Pilates, The AbFlex, Time Life music infomercials, vitamin or personal care product, etc.). Make sure it’s a 30-minute infomercial, and not the shorter 30-second or 60-second direct response ads. Discuss the program following the guidelines listed above.

Review #4 – Catalog Review

Using a product catalog recently mailed to you or someone you know, appraise and evaluate it using the pertinent report guidelines above. Place some special emphasis on who received the catalog and whether that you or that person were properly targeted or not, the frequency of receipt, whether an order was placed – and what happened after the order was placed in terms of additional advertisements.

Review #5– Online Direct Marketing Ad Review

Select any of the following: a targeted email, banner or popup ad, website (specifically directed by a search engine on a term of your choosing), or online newsletter (e-zine) and discuss the advertisement following the report guidelines. Scan or fax a screenshot (or forward copy if appropriate) of the ad or website as supporting documentation.

Final project: Writing a Direct Response Advertisement.

For this two-part final project you must have a hypothetical product or service in mind to sell via direct marketing means. Within the first week to ten days of the course determine what that fictitious product/service will be and contact me with the information.
Part 1 - Target Audience Segmentation
For part one, take your fictitious product/service and describe it. Discuss it in terms of who it could benefit and why. Address clearly the market segmentation in terms of the demographic and psychographics make-up of the potential audience(s) for it. Then go on to note 3 or 4 media sources that would have probability of directly reach that target audience.

Part 2 - Writing a Direct Response Advertisement.
Utilizing all of the information regarding your hypothetical product/service and your target audience, you will craft a direct response print advertisement. Make sure to describe the appropriate source (ie. What magazine newspaper, etc.). Craft all of the elements of a good direct response advertisement – powerful headline, bold body copy, visuals (you can use clip art for simulation), strong offer and call to action, convenient contact points and so forth.
Submission of Assignments

Because this is a college-level course, make sure to document and reference where you obtain your information. Beyond documentation, you can submit your assignments in any attractive and readable format. Written assignments can be submitted either by email (you can send it as an MS-Word, ASCII text, or RTF attachment), or by FAX.

Course Outline

Lesson
Subject
Chapters *
Assignment
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8 		Introduction to direct marketing
Direct mail
Print and alternative media
Catalogs & Direct response radio & TV
Internet and electronic direct marketing
Production issues
Crafting offers
Lead generation, testing, and tracking 		1, 2
4
13, 11, 12
10, 14
15, 16
6, 7, 8, 9
3, 5
21, 23, 24 		Student bio

Direct mail project
Print media project
Television project
Catalog project
Internet project
Final Project


* While not required, you are encouraged to read the remaining chapters – 17, 18, 19, 20, & 22 on special situations and markets, and 25 on database marketing.

Course Related Links

Advertising and Marketing Publications
Part of the SRDS Media Resource Center. Provides a large list of links to general and specific marketing related periodicals.
http://www.srds.com

Advertising Media Glossary
Defines hundreds of advertising/marketing terms
http://www.smartbiz.com/sbs/arts/iaml3.htin

Advertising World
Presented by the University of Texas. Touted as the most extensive collection of advertising related links on the web.
http://advertising.utexas.edu/world

Catalog Age
http://www.catalogagemag.com/

Direct
http://www.directmag.com/

Direct Marketing Association
http://www.the-dma.org

Direct Marketing News Magazine
http://www.dmnews.com

Direct Response Television
A commercial website, but a very good overview to the mechanics of infomercials and DRTV
http://www.direct-response-television.com/index.html

Target Marketing Magazine
http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/