Introduction: Ace Your Marketing Communications Exam
Are you searching for the most complete guide to the MKTG640 Concepts Quiz for Chapters 12, 13, and 14? This post gives you all correct answers, detailed explanations, and examples to help you dominate your marketing communications exam or coursework. Whether you’re a student at Fayetteville State University, any other MBA program, or simply want to master marketing fundamentals, this comprehensive breakdown will help you understand essential marketing concepts like advertising effectiveness, communication models, branding strategies, direct marketing, sales force management, and integrated marketing communications.
1. What Can Diminish the Impact of Newspaper Advertising?
Correct Answer: Politicization of the news
Keywords: newspaper advertising effectiveness, advertising challenges, marketing communication problems
Expanded Explanation:
Newspaper advertising used to be one of the main marketing communication channels for reaching mass audiences. However, several factors have reduced its effectiveness in recent years. Among these, the politicization of the news is especially important. When news organizations are perceived as biased or politically driven, trust erodes. Audiences may seek alternative sources or simply disengage, leading to lower readership and reduced exposure for ads.
Additional Factors:
- Short shelf life: Newspapers are usually discarded after a day, limiting ad exposure.
- Reader weariness: Overexposure to negative or biased news can make readers tune out.
- Recycling trend: Environmentally-conscious readers may skip print in favor of digital.
- Lack of engaging visuals: With the rise of digital media, static print ads are less attractive.
Pro Tip: When planning media strategy, consider both audience trust and engagement. For digital advertising, platforms with high credibility and engaged users will typically deliver better ROI.
2. What Is the Next Step in the Workload Approach to Sizing the Sales Force?
Correct Answer: Establish desirable contact frequencies for each customer class
Keywords: sales force management, workload approach, sales contact frequency
Detailed Explanation:
The workload approach is a systematic way to decide how large a sales force should be. Here’s how it works:
- Segment customers: Group them by characteristics such as annual sales volume.
- Set contact frequency: For each customer group, decide how often sales reps should reach out (e.g., weekly for top-tier clients, quarterly for smaller ones).
- Calculate workload: Multiply the number of customers in each class by their required frequency.
- Determine number of salespeople: Divide total annual workload by how many calls a rep can handle.
Example: If you have 50 large clients who need monthly contact and 100 small clients who need quarterly contact, you’d schedule 600 calls per year (50×12 + 100×4).
3. What Element of Communication Is Impacted When a Consumer Mishears a Commercial?
Correct Answer: Decoding
Keywords: communication model, decoding, marketing message clarity
Explanation:
In the communication process (sender → encoding → message → media → decoding → receiver), decoding is when the recipient interprets the message. If a TV viewer mishears a commercial, the message was not decoded as intended. Factors such as background noise, unclear audio, or complicated language can disrupt decoding.
Tip: Use clear, simple messaging and test commercials with real audiences to minimize misunderstandings.
4. What Do Competing Ads on the Same Webpage Represent in the Communication Model?
Correct Answer: Noise
Keywords: marketing communication, advertising noise, digital advertising
Explanation:
Noise refers to anything that interferes with the clarity or reception of a marketing message. In digital advertising, this often includes competing ads, pop-ups, or even unrelated web content. High noise can reduce recall and effectiveness.
SEO Insight: Minimize noise by using premium ad placements or sponsoring content for greater visibility.
5. What Is the Practice of Receiving and Answering Customer Calls Called?
Correct Answer: Inbound telemarketing
Keywords: inbound telemarketing, call center marketing, customer service
Expanded Explanation:
Inbound telemarketing is when customers call a company to place orders, ask questions, or resolve issues. It is a reactive form of telemarketing (the opposite of outbound, where companies initiate calls). Good inbound telemarketing boosts customer satisfaction, increases customer retention, and provides valuable feedback.
Example: Amazon’s customer service centers are a model of effective inbound telemarketing, helping customers with orders and queries efficiently.
6. Which Products Need More Advertising to Establish a Unique Image?
Correct Answer: Less differentiated
Keywords: advertising strategy, product differentiation, unique selling proposition (USP)
Detailed Explanation:
When products are less differentiated—meaning they have few distinguishing features—advertising plays a crucial role in shaping consumer perceptions and creating a unique brand image. Commodities (like bottled water or basic smartphones) often fall into this category.
Real World Example: Toothpaste brands often use advertising to create perceived differences where little may exist.
7. When Is Radio Advertising Most Effective?
Correct Answer: At lunchtime
Keywords: radio advertising, optimal timing, marketing channels
Explanation:
Radio listening peaks during certain periods, including lunchtime. People are often in their cars or taking breaks, making them more attentive to ads. Advertisers use this time slot to target audiences likely to make purchases soon after hearing the ad.
8. What Kind of Integration Aligns Communications with Overall Marketing Strategy?
Correct Answer: External (Vertical) Integration
Keywords: integrated marketing communications, vertical integration, strategic marketing
Detailed Explanation:
External (vertical) integration ensures marketing communications (like advertising, PR, and sales promotions) are consistent with the higher-level goals of the organization, such as brand positioning and long-term growth. This prevents mixed messages and strengthens the overall impact.
9. What Is the Affordability Method for Budgeting?
Correct Answer: The affordability method
Keywords: marketing budget, affordability method, budgeting strategies
Explanation:
With the affordability method, companies allocate funds to marketing based on what’s left after all other expenses are covered. While easy to apply, this method risks underfunding marketing and failing to capitalize on growth opportunities.
Other Methods (for comparison):
- Percentage-of-sales: Spend a fixed % of sales revenue.
- Objective-and-task: Set objectives, define required tasks, estimate costs.
- Competitive-parity: Match competitor spending.
10. Main Disadvantage of Online Video Ads
Correct Answer: The smaller mobile screens on which they are often viewed
Keywords: online video advertising, mobile marketing, digital ad challenges
Explanation:
More than 50% of digital video is now watched on mobile devices. Smaller screens can reduce impact, especially for detailed visuals or small text. Marketers must design mobile-optimized ads to ensure effectiveness.
11. Long-Term Investment in Brand Equity Produces What?
Correct Answer: Customer loyalty
Keywords: brand equity, customer loyalty, long-term marketing
Expanded Explanation:
While marketing communication is often seen as an expense, it should also be considered an investment in brand equity. Loyal customers are less price-sensitive, recommend the brand, and deliver higher lifetime value.
Tip: Consistent branding and memorable campaigns build trust over time.
12. What Is Horizontal Integration in Marketing?
Correct Answer: Horizontal
Keywords: horizontal integration, integrated marketing communications, marketing mix
Explanation:
Horizontal integration means all marketing actions—pricing, packaging, promotions, and channels—work together to reinforce the message and maximize impact. This holistic approach creates synergy and avoids mixed messages.
13. What Is Paying to Appear in TV Shows and Movies Called?
Correct Answer: Product placement
Keywords: product placement, entertainment marketing, advertising in media
Detailed Explanation:
Product placement is a subtle advertising technique where companies pay for their products to be shown in entertainment content. It enhances brand recognition by associating products with popular culture and celebrities.
Example: Coca-Cola cups in “American Idol,” or Apple products in TV series.
14. What Is Direct Interaction with Prospective Buyers Called?
Correct Answer: Personal selling
Keywords: personal selling, sales presentations, direct selling
Explanation:
Personal selling involves sales reps meeting customers face-to-face, answering questions, making presentations, and closing deals. It’s especially valuable for B2B sales or high-involvement consumer goods (like cars or real estate).
15. What Is the Competitive-Parity Method?
Correct Answer: Competitive-parity method
Keywords: competitive-parity, marketing budget, benchmarking
Explanation:
The competitive-parity method involves setting your marketing budget to match (or slightly exceed) your main competitors. It’s a defensive strategy to avoid being outspent and outperformed in the marketplace.
16. Which Is Easier: Brand Recognition or Brand Recall?
Correct Answer: Brand recognition is easier to achieve than brand recall.
Keywords: brand recognition, brand recall, marketing effectiveness
Detailed Explanation:
Brand recognition is when consumers recognize your brand among options. Brand recall is when they remember your brand without prompts. Recognition is easier because it uses visual cues (logos, packaging).
Example: Seeing the Nike swoosh and knowing it’s Nike (recognition); remembering Nike when asked about sports brands (recall).
17. What Channel Does Direct Marketing Avoid?
Correct Answer: Using intermediaries
Keywords: direct marketing, intermediaries, consumer-direct channels
Explanation:
Direct marketing means selling straight to consumers, cutting out wholesalers or retailers. This allows for personalized offers and better data collection.
Examples: E-commerce websites, mail order catalogs, telemarketing.
18. Order of Stages in Classic Response Hierarchy Models
Correct Answer: Cognitive stage—affective stage—behavioral stage
Keywords: response hierarchy model, marketing funnel, consumer behavior
Detailed Explanation:
This classic model describes the buyer journey:
- Cognitive (thinking): Awareness and knowledge
- Affective (feeling): Liking, preference
- Behavioral (doing): Trial, purchase
Marketing Application: Tailor messaging to each stage (info for awareness, emotional appeal for preference, calls-to-action for purchase).
19. What Is the First Step of the Selling Process?
Correct Answer: Prospecting
Keywords: sales process, prospecting, lead generation
Explanation:
Prospecting is the process of finding potential buyers and qualifying them as leads. Good prospecting fuels the sales pipeline and improves closing rates.
Techniques: Cold calling, networking, social media, referrals.
20. What’s the Most Powerful Advertising Medium?
Correct Answer: Television
Keywords: advertising media, TV advertising, media planning
Explanation:
Despite the rise of digital, television advertising remains unmatched for reach, impact, and cost per exposure. TV combines sight, sound, and motion—making it especially effective for storytelling and branding.
Tip: Integrate TV with digital and social media for maximum reach.
