strategy elements

1. A creative strategy consists of four elements: the target audience, the product concept, the
communications media, and the message. The agency and client must understand and agree
on these elements in order for the IMC strategy to move forward and be successful. Outline
the target audience, product concept, communications media, and message as it pertains to
the Harley-Davidson video you’ve just watched.
1. Thoroughly describe the target audience for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Who is
the primary target audience? Is there a secondary target market?
2. What is the product concept? How is it exemplified in Harley-Davidson’s branded
communication with the target audience?
3. The video and description above outlined some of the communications media that
Harley-Davidson utilized. Were these appropriate? Why or why not? Are there any
other communications media you would recommend they use?
4. What was Harley-Davidson’s IMC message? What did the company want to say and
how did it choose to say it?
1. Advertising appeals can be broadly broken into informational/rational appeals and
emotional appeals. Sometimes advertisers favor one over the other in their messaging and
sometimes they combine the two in their creative approach. Which type of appeal do you
think Aldi was attempting to utilize – information/rational, emotional, or a combination of
the two? Provide some rationale for your choice.
2. Upon implementation of creative tactics in a creative ad campaign, advertising and brand
managers often rely on qualitative measures to evaluate the creative approach. Consider
the following questions that brand managers and advertising managers must contemplate
after creative has been developed. As much as you can without extensive knowledge of
the campaign and its objectives, work to answer these questions for the Aldi brand,
keeping in mind that the main objective was communicating about Aldi’s uniform pricing
model:
 Is the creative approach consistent with the brand’s marketing and advertising
objectives?
 Is the creative approach consistent with the creative strategy and objectives? Does
it communicate what it is supposed to?
 Is the creative approach appropriate for the target audience?
 Is the creative approach appropriate for the media environment in which it is
likely to be seen? (i.e. were outdoor ads an appropriate choice?)
 Is the ad truthful and tasteful?

2. 3. An advertising message can be communicated in a number of different ways including:
 Straight-sell or factual message
 Scientific/technical evidence
 Demonstration
 Comparison
 Testimonial
 Slice of life
 Animation
 Personality Symbol
 Imagery
 Dramatization
 Humor
 Combinations
Review the definitions of each of these then answer: how was Aldi’s message
communicated?