UFV Marketing Option: Creative Brief

Colton Goertzen

Dawson Lindhl

Mike Spencer

Mariah Johnston

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 2

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 3

Audience Profile ........................................................................................................................................................ 3

Perception .................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Competitive Positioning: ........................................................................................................................................... 4

Product Analysis .................................................................................................................................................... 4

Product Positioning ................................................................................................................................................ 4

Brand Positioning ...................................................................................................................................................... 5

Message Strategy ....................................................................................................................................................... 5

Display and Body Copy Selection ............................................................................................................................. 6

Typeface/Colour/Layout Design ................................................................................................................................ 6

Media Selection ......................................................................................................................................................... 7

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................. 7

References: ................................................................................................................................................................ 9

Appendices .............................................................................................................................................................. 10

Appendix 1: 2nd year Business students ............................................................................................................... 10

Appendix 2: Contributing Factors to Option Selection Survey Results ............................................................... 11

Appendix 3: Competitve Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 12

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) School of Business (SoB) contains 4 options students can

choose to pursue a degree in: Finances, Accounting, Human Resources, and Marketing. These four

options, specifically the Marketing option fall into the post-secondary education product category.

The major problem facing the Marketing option at UFV is a lack of students opting to choose this

degree, and that there is a lack of effective communication of what the Marketing option entails and

can provide for students. The Marketing options main segments consist of 2nd year business students. Due to the high price point and large amount of time consumption, the Marketing option can be

characterized as a high involvement thinking good (HIGt). In order to effectively align itself with

HIGt, strong emphasis needs to be placed on the unique attributes and benefits that the Marketing

option offers for 2nd year business students. However, with the aspects of creative freedom and social

interaction/teamwork, paired with these economic and social risks involved, the high involvement

emotional good (HIGe) (FCB #2) is the more suitable product type. For the Marketing option, its

main competitors are the other 3 options within the SoB. Each option offers a customized offering of

courses, benefits, and career opportunities. The Marking Option differentiates itself through its

elements of creativity, open-minded environment, promising career options, and interesting course

content.

The current advertising strategy in place at UFV for the 3 competing options is focused on a hard

sell. The ads focus on information and large body copy to inform students of the career opportunities,

various paths available within the option, and the courses involved. There is a strong base for a

calculated, logical decision to be made. Finance, Accounting and Human Resources all use the UFV

school colours, logo, typeface, and a photo at the top portraying the “lifestyle” associated with it. The

Marketing option focuses on not selling only the courses and the career opportunities, but on

promoting an enriched, creative environment where students can grow and advance. There is an

emphasis on the enjoyment of a Marketing based career, and an enjoyment of the process of pursuing

a degree. The message will further echo the interesting and unique content featured in the degree

option.

The video and the Ad copy reflect a unified message. The campaign is centred on the comparison of

the options, placing the Marketing option in a more positive, attractive light than the other options.

The ad copy features a grid layout with pictures depicting the 3 options in grayscale. The Marketing

option picture is featured in full colour, with a background meant to evoke feelings of creativity and

interest. The headline is “marketing”. The tagline is simple, “sign up for UFV Marketing option.

Classes start 2015” further urging the audience to ac. There is a call to action featured with the UFV

website (www.ufv.ca/business). The UFV logo is also featured. The ad is predominantly grayscale,

with two coloured features; Marketing background and the UFV colours along the bottom of the ad.

Both the video and the print ad comply with the Visual Identity Guidelines set out by UFV’s

MARCOM department. To communicate the message, Paid and Earned media will be used through

the use of social media, print ads featured around campus, specifically within the library, hallways,

main entrances, bathroom stall ads, and within the English and math centres around UFV.

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The target market for the UFV SoB is primarily 2nd year business students who have not yet

declared an option. To concept test our ad and video playback we used primarily social media to

conveniently receive feedback (this was due to the short amount of time available). Through our

concept testing it was found that our print ad was 90% more relatable than the Finance, Accounting

and Human Resources advertisements, additionally recall was higher by 70% in our ad. The video

playback ad we originally designed performed poorly in concept testing, due to poor video quality,

lack of interesting content, and lack of recall. Therefore, we reconfigured the ad to better suit the

target market, and upon second concept testing found that 85% would be able to relate and remember

the video. This implies that the use of the video and print ad in conjunction with one another would

generate a strong message create interest for the Marketing Option. We feel that these ads will lead

2nd year business students to see the benefits and personal success the Marketing option at UFV can

grant them.

INTRODUCTION

Within the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) School of Business (SoB) the four main options;

marketing, finance, accounting, and HR management compete in the primary educational discipline

category. There is heavy competition between the disciplines which resonates a strong need for

differentiation if the appropriate target market is to be influenced. The Marketing options targeted

market is second year post-secondary students who have yet to choose an option to focus their career

goals (refer to appendix 1). In order to attract these buyer groups to the Marketing option we will

create a message that offers strong personal resonance with the consumer through lifestyles,

emotions, and settings that are easily relatable. This will allow the Marketing option to stand out in

this highly competitive market.

Due to the price, Lengthy commitment and level of job satisfaction following university the

Marketing option at the University of the Fraser Valley School of Business is considered a high

involvement thinking good (HIGt) on the FCB grid and as result students will take a prolonged time

choosing the option that best suits their desires and needs. The main issue plaguing the SoB is that

there is very little differentiation in terms of ad campaigns between the four options, and none of

which highlights the Marketing option above the rest. As was determined from our primary research,

the main influences on a student’s choice of option are personal interest and career prospects (refer to

appendix 2). For these reasons we will focus our message on the exciting, socially fulfilling creativity

that the Marketing option offers students.

AUDIENCE PROFILE

Second year post-secondary students are at a critical point in their educational journey. Students are

supposed to declare their major in the fall semester of this year. This is the most important decision

students have to make during their post-secondary endeavor. Students in the SoB at UFV have a

particularly challenging decision to make, as there are 4 options and 3 concentrations within this

faculty. The selection of an option is critical, both in terms of University success and career

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prospects. When compared to general Bachelor of Business students, students who have chosen a

career-specific major will demonstrate the following characteristics: Exhibit greater clarity of career direction

Have a clearer reason for attending university

Find their courses more interesting

Exhibit greater engagement with the learning environment

(Willcoxson, Wynder, 2010)

This is why UFV SoB needs to emphasize the importance of choosing an option in the 2nd year of

post-secondary, and why we have emphasized choosing the Marketing option specifically. In order to effectively attract our target audience, we will support and implement the soft-sell of a

high-involvement emotional good (FCB #2), using a selling premise that highlights the benefits of

creative freedom that the Marketing option provides. We will place emphasis on the features that we

have determined to be the most significant to our target audience. Since our target market, second

year SoB students at UFV are at the climax of their career decisions, we will promote the Marketing

option as the most attractive option, both in terms of career prospects and the enjoyment and creative

freedom that only the Marketing option provides.

PERCEPTION

Our message strategy will convey an energetic, youthful yet professional and academic persona. This

will be consistent with UFV’s brand identity, and be aligned with our target buyer group. We will

develop our message to create an exciting, positive perception of the Marketing option and a dull and

negative perception of the competing options that will resonate with our target market so they will

remember the ad and the brand. This is why we will use a soft-sell ad campaign, focused on

triggering an emotional response by comparing our product to the competitors to create a visually

positive perception of the Marketing option.

COMPETITIVE POSITIONING:

PRODUCT ANALYSIS

Competition within the post-secondary education product category in the SoB at UFV consists of 4

main branches within the Business Administration discipline. The branches that directly compete

with the Marketing option are the Finance option, Accounting option and HR Management option.

See appendix 3 to review our detailed competitor analysis.

PRODUCT POSITIONING

The primary features that influence which option a student chooses are the perceived benefits

that the SoB options offer. Based on our primary research results (see Appendix 2), we conclude

that interest in subject matter and career prospects are the two primary reasons students choose

the Marketing option.

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As demonstrated in Appendix 2, the Marketing option is well positioned when comparing all the

options. While other options within the BBA Degree at UFV target students interested in

obtaining a job quickly after graduation with stable entry-level salaries, Marketing is the only

option that targets students that value a highly creative, interesting, diverse career with many

opportunities to work in the various aspects of business administration.

BRAND POSITIONING

Consumers use a product’s brand to help develop subjective perceptions of the brand which aids

the consumer in making purchase decisions (Patterson, 1999). Based on this, the Marketing

option should seek to capitalize on the strongly held belief that Marketing offers ambitious

individuals the ability to grow and develop new ideas in a business environment. Consumers use

human characteristics to describe a brand with little effort; often, using terms such as outgoing,

sophisticated, and arrogant to describe brands (Biel 1993). If done effectively the SoB would

have a strong brand personality complete with human characteristics which will allow students to

effectively develop feelings and associations for said personality, thus making the Marketing

option more relatable for stakeholders. The message should convey the desired characteristics

UFV wishes to instil in the target audience and which resonate the most with that market.

Swaminathan, Stilley, and Ahluwalia (2008) Argue that a consumer does not pay equal attention

to brand personality when in the market for a product, but through attachment theory, they

identified the type of consumer that is most likely to be influenced upon by a brand’s personality.

Since the majority of UFV students are moderately close to the age of majority and the product

will be consumed in public, the Marketing option should focus its branding on a more sincere,

ideal self-concept. This should be done by focusing on lifestyle after university.

MESSAGE STRATEGY

The message strategy we used for our video advertisement is an interview-style focus group of our

target market. We asked second year business students what they thought of when they thought of

marketing, finance and accounting and recorded their answers in a first-person point of view. Our

results tied with our expectation of an increased perception of Marketing being a more creative and

imaginative option. Thus, we laid out our video to showcase that Marketing demonstrates creativity

as its main competitive advantage above those of the other options. By using this style we hope to

connect and create relatability with our target market by using their peers as the main influencing

source. This ties in with power of influencers, social acceptance and prestige among peers holds over

university students (Gabrielsen, E, 1992).

Our print ad uses a similar premise but presented in a different way. We used a soft-sell technique

and a strategic use of colour to showcase the excitement of the Marketing program as compared to

the other options. Establishing a sense of boredom in black and white, we see the other options as

pictures in a gallery but using the concept of eye-scan we put the Marketing option on the right with

an explosion of colour. The colour explosion draws the audience in and focus is shifted to the

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Marketing option, it provides the audience (2nd year business students) with a clear, concise

messages as to which of the options appeals to a more open-minded degree option. The inclusion of

the band of UFV colour at the bottom of the ad entices and pushes the primary market to take action

and visit the UFV website to learn more, but also provides an option for stakeholders in the decision

making process to explore further opportunities.

DISPLAY AND BODY COPY SELECTION

To accurately portray the message strategy the print ad primarily gives the target market precise,

direct information. The message is provided within a short time period in order to gain the reader’s

attention. We choose to limit a large body copy section. Previous ads run by the Marketing

department had featured large sections of body copy, in coherence with the ads run by the other 3

options. To implement differentiation and increase memorability we eliminated the large section of

text.

Basing our campaign around our primary research and secondary sources the play video and print ads

will place emphasis on the benefits offered to the students by choosing the Marketing option over the

other options. In print, the ad features a direct, bold headline of ‘Marketing’ featured in full

colour. This is in comparison to the captions, the UFV logo and website/colours was used to create

consistency with the universities current ad campaigns.

The body copy features 4 images in a gallery style format. Lifestyle branding technique will be used

to depict the associations with each of the four options (Keller, 2014). The ad is visually based, using

the audience’s personification of each of the four options. This is echoed in our play video through

the adjectives used to describe the options. Furthermore, the ad features design complexity rather

than feature complexity (Pieters, 2010) by having a larger variety of shapes, irregularity amongst

those shapes, use of asymmetry, and high detail of objects in the ad. These all work towards creating

“stop” for the reader and effectively engaging them, resulting in “pull.” Finally, the ad features a call

to action featuring the phrase “Sign up for UFV Marketing Program. Classes start September 2015”.

Followed by the response device directing them to visit the UFV SofB website.

TYPEFACE/COLOUR/LAYOUT DESIGN

Typeface selection is all sans-serif and captions in all capitals. The typeface is meant to

compliment the images and not distract from them, but still provide the information needed.

Colouring of the print contains grayscale with a multicolour burst of colour behind the Marketing

picture. UFV brand colours for the call to action, response device and logo were utilized and fall

within the UFV Visual Identity Guidelines, featuring PMS 349 and PMS 376. The video play

features full colour shots, and any typeface used is white featured on a black background.

Layout design uses a panel or grid style orientation for the images and the captions. This type of

layout uses a number of visuals of matched and/or of proportional sizes. The ad contains pictures

of nearly identical sizes to form a uniformed, symmetrical message, and then breaks the

symmetry with the asymmetrical feature of the Marketing visual. The ad applies the concept of

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consumer eye patterns/eye scan going from left to right, top to bottom, leaving the final image

the consumer sees being the response device and the UFV logo on the bottom right corner

(Rayner, K. 2001)

MEDIA SELECTION

When communicating the SoB message to 2nd year of post-secondary students within the

student body of UFV, choosing an effective media for contact points which resonate with the

target market will be the most important part of this advertising campaign. This should be done

by utilizing paid media which in turn will generate earned media within the market.

When conducting advertising a study by Rosenfeld and O’Connor-Petruso (2014) found that

American students prefer contact via cell phones (77%) to be their medium of choice for local

communication followed by texting (59%) and e-mail (35%). As a result to meet our target

audience cell phone advertising should contribute heavily when selecting media within the UFV

local area. We recommend that the SoB advertise the Marketing option via email using its

database of student e-mail addresses while in conjunction with texting the mobile phones of

students within the different databases UFV has access to. The result of this mass media will

have a shotgun like effect within the target market. Another media we would recommend is

print. The SoB should produce our ad as a large billboard in building C on the Abbotsford

campus or the newly constructed SUS building. Variations of the ad should also be placed in

print ads featured around campus, within the library, hallways, main entrances, bathroom stall

ads, and within the English and math centres around the UFV campuses. The initial cost to print

the ads and put up in the halls would be the only cost involved and would be significantly less

expensive than purchasing time on the digital billboards located on Sumas way and Highway 1.

They would also be more effective in reaching the targeted market.

We would also recommend that the video advertisement be distributed through social media

channels: UFV website, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter. This would be free and

would not require any initial investment other than time, yet would have the ability to reach the

targeted audience immediately and allows them the ability to respond immediately (Tomse, Snoj,

2014). The result being greater personal resonance with the target audience.

The aim with this media activity is to generate brand advocates who in turn will with help

generate earned media on their own (Fuggetta, 2012). For the Marketing option at UFV this

would mean primarily word of mouth advertising for the SoB and testimonials through social

media channels. This will improve brand awareness within the target market and as a result

solidify the brand position in the product category for the Marketing option and UFV.

CONCLUSION

Based on the analysis conducted for UFV’s School of Business Marketing option, UFV students have

a difficult time differentiating the different options available for them to choose. Many choose based

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on their pre-existing dispositions about each option and as results are less likely to choose the

Marketing option over the other four disciplines. Due to this issue we have constructed both a print

and video ad for the SoB, which will not only attract new applicants, but also generate advocates for

the Marketing option. This will be achieved by showcasing the lifestyle, setting, and emotional

fulfillment to each of the buyer groups the Marketing option wishes to attract and shows a glimpse

into the creative freedom a career in Marketing has to offer.

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REFERENCES:

Biel, Alexander L. (1993), “Converting Image into Equity,” in Brand Equity and Advertising:

Advertising's Role in Building Strong Brands, D. Aaker and A. Biel, eds., Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence

Erlbaum Associates, 67-82.

Fuggetta, R. (2012). Brand Advocates : Turning Enthusiastic Customers into a Powerful

MarketingForce. Somerset, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com

Gabrielsen, E., & And.O (1992) The role of Self Monitoring, Conformity and Social Intelligence in

Selection of a College Major

Kevin, K. (2014, October). Six Scholarly Insights On Branding. Journal of Marketing. Retrieved

from https://www.ama.org/publications/E-publications/Pages/ama-journal-reader-october-14-

branding.aspx

Patterson, Maurice (1999), “Re-appraising the Concept of Brand Image,” The Journal of Brand

Management: An International Journal, 6, 409-426.

Pieters, R. Wedel, M, & Batra, R. (2010) The Stopping Power of Advertising: Measure and Effects

of Visual Complexity, Journal of Marketing, 745(5), 48-60. Doi: 10.1509/jmkg.74.5.48

Rayner, Keith; Rotello, Caren M.; Stewart, Andrew J.; Keir, Jessica; Duffy, Susan A.(2001)

Integrating text and pictorial information: Eye movements when looking at print advertisements,

Journal of Experimental Psychology, Vol 7(3), , 219-226. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1076-

898X.7.3.219

Rosenfeld, B., & O'Connor-Petruso, S. A. (2014). EAST VS. WEST: A COMPARISON OF

MOBILE PHONE USE BY CHINESE AND AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS [Electronic

version]. College Student Journal, 48(2), 5. Swaminathan, V., Stilley, K. M., & Ahluwalia, R. (2009, March 6). When Brand Personality Matters:

The Moderating Role of Attachment Styles [Electronic version]. Journal of Consumer Research,

35(6), 1-18.

Tomse, D., & Snoj, B. (2014, June). Marketing Communication on Social Networks - Solution in the

Times of Crisis. Marketing(0354-3471), 45(2). Retrieved from Discovery Service for University of

the Fraser Valley

Facts and Figures (2011) University of the Fraser Valley-Facts and Figures. Retrieved from:

https://www.ufv.ca/media/assets/institutional-research/Facts+and+Figures.pdf

Willcoxson, L., & Wynder, M. (2010). The relationship between choice of major and

career, experience of university and attrition. Australian Journal Of Education,54(2), 175-189 .

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APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: 2ND YEAR BUSINESS STUDENTS

Business Diploma

Male and Female

Single

Age 18 - 25

Possesses a full-time job

Earning $25,000 - $50,000 per year

Located in the Fraser Valley

Business Degree

Male and Female

Single

Age 18 - 25

Possesses a part-time job

Earning less than $25,000 per year

Located in the Fraser Valley

Other Diploma Enrolled Student

Male and Female

Unmarried

Possesses a part-time job

Earning less then $25,000 per year

Age 18 - 30

Located in the Fraser Valley

International Students

Male

Single

Age 18 - 25

No job

Asian

Located in the Fraser Valley

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APPENDIX 2: CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO OPTION SELECTION SURVEY RESULTS

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APPENDIX 3: COMPETITVE ANALYSIS

Advertisement Message style Display and Body

Copy

Layout/Design/

Colour/Typeface

Eye Scan Issues

Finance Option Hard Sell:

Focuses largely

on facts Straightforward:

States what jobs

will be available

with a degree in

finance.

Information focus with

large amount of copy. Display copy includes

overline, headline, body

copy, and response device.

Panel Design Typeface: Sans serif, all

caps in underline. Colours —Full colour

image with blue banner to

grab attention.

Dominant image – Picture Begin with image then move to

heading followed by

body copy then the logo. Excessive use of

green and copy is

repetitive which

detracts from pull.

HR Option Hard Sell:

Focuses largely

on facts Straightforward:

States steps in

becoming

certified in HR

management

Information focus with

large amount of copy. Display copy includes

overline, headline, body

copy, and response device

Panel Design Typeface: Sans serif, all

caps in underline. Colours —Full colour

image with splash of purple

to grab attention.

Dominant image Picture Begin with image then move to

heading followed by

body copy then logo. Amount of brand

colours detracts

from stopping

power.

Accounting

Option

Hard Sell:

Focuses largely

on facts Straightforward:

States what paths

will be available

with a degree in

accounting.

Information focus with

large amount of copy. Display copy includes

overline, headline, body

copy, and response device

Panel Design Typeface: Sans serif, all

caps in underline. Colours —Full colour

image with orange bar to

grab attention.

Dominant image – Picture Begin with heading then move to image

followed by body

copy then logo. Excessive use of

green which

detracts from

stopping power.

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