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dvertising tells people about products through a variety of media types, e.g. TV, _____, billboards etc. An _____ may use more than one media type, with TV ads supported by a print advertisement in a magazine, for example. Most campaigns are designed and managed by _____, or more specifically by anaccount executive. The cost of using an advertising agency comes out of the company’s _____. Agencies are often asked to design a global advertisement that can be used in various countries. They will often tailor advertisements, or adapt them to a market’s particular needs. Agencies need to take care when designing an _____ that it meets each country’s _____.

CASE STUDY

A. Introduction to the problem.

Frank Perdue entered his father’s business (egg farm) at the age of ten. At first he did not want to go into family business, but two years after college he changed his mind. In 1948 when Frank took leadership of the company, Perdue Farms had forty employees and was one of the largest chicken growers in the state of Maryland (USA). As a result of special research and breeding program Perdue developed high-quality bird. Large meat and poultry companies bought Perdue chickens and sold them under their own brand names. Some years later Perdue decided he could market chicken under Perdue Farms label.

Task: What kind of promotion of the product would you do for the Perdue Farms?

B. Scanning for information

Read the article to gather information on the advertising campaign of the Perdue Farms including information to answer these questions:

• How did the ad agency develop an advertising approach for Perdue Farms chicken?

• What did the successful TV ads for Perdue chicken look like?

Designing an Advertising Campaign Putting the Problem in Perspective: Applying Business Concepts

Before Frank Perdue began to advertise, he and his products were unknown outside of one small area in the United States. Perdue himself decided to start by running ads about his brand-name chicken in New York, a challenging designated marketing area (DMA) in which to sell any brand. His clever ad people decided to feature Frank Perdue as the spokesperson for his own products. Not only did he look and sound somewhat like a chicken, but he was able to bolster claims for the quality of his poultry with convincing personal stories. In a series of commercials, Perdue was seen in such situations as mixing grain, giving water to the chickens, and personally supervising workers. Sometimes the camera focused on his face, in close-ups. At other times it focused on the chickens or equipment, and his voice was heard narrating in a voiceover. When Perdue uttered his most famous slogan, "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken," he conveyed a strong message about quality and personal dedication to the consumer. The ad campaign gave the company a face and a personality, and profits skyrocketed.

So successful was the Perdue campaign that it transformed the poultry industry. The thirty-second spots inspired a great deal of brand-name loyalty among chicken consumers. People who used to think of fresh chicken as being all the same began to ask for chicken by name. This brand-name awareness forced Perdue competitors to advertise their poultry products to consumers.

Perdue Farms made advertising history. In the first sixteen years with the agency, its advertising budget for radio and television increased from $250,000 to $18 million. Perdue himself became a national celebrity. It was a surprise to the agency when Frank Perdue refused to become the spokesperson for Perdue Chicken Franks. Nevertheless, the ad people found a way to keep him as the keystone of the campaign without having him appear on TV. Once again, the company's investment in advertising paid off handsomely in increased sales.

C. Interpreting information

Answer the questions based on what you have learned. Use the italicized expressions in your answers.

a. Why is New York an efficient designated marketing area (DMA) for Perdue Farms? What is the most efficient DMA in your area?

2. Test your brand-name awareness: Can you name two leading brands of coffee, tea, or juice? Do you have brand-name loyalty for any of these, or do you buy for other reasons?

c. Some chief executive officers (CEOs) have tried to imitate the Perdue advertising campaign by becoming spokespersons for their products, but the strategy to feature the CEO does not often work. Why not? Do you know of any senior executives who have appeared as spokespeople for their products? Was the strategy successful?

2. Think about a TV advertising campaign that is running now. What is the main message of the campaign? What slogan is used to advertise the product? What is the keystone, or central feature, of the campaign? Do the spots use voiceovers, close-ups, or other special techniques? How effective is the ad campaign?

D. Discussion

1. Comment on the quality of the business decisions.

2. Advertising can be an enormously powerful business tool. It is also very costly. In the case of Perdue Farms, advertising was used not only to create a company image but also to transform an industry.

3. The investment in advertising paid for itself many times over.