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MKF 5926 Assignment 2: Report 2 (INDIVIDUAL)

• Task type: One written report of your IMC plan (Pdf format only. No word) + One Excel spreadsheet
o Note. Please submit two files to Moodle. A screenshot of the spreadsheet inserted in the pdf file is
NOT acceptable.
• Editing format: Times New Roman, font size 12, 1.5 spacing. Please use this format only.
• Referencing format: Full academic referencing (APA or Chicago)
• Word limit: No more than 3,000 words (strict). Make sure you include the word count on the title page.
FAQ
Q: Is a table or figure part of the word count?
• A: No. Therefore, please use them only when you deem it necessary/beneficial to use them to
increase readability and improve the flow of your report, as opposed to as a way out to put more
content without adding words.
• Value: 35% of the final mark
• Due: Friday 24 October 2025, by 11:55 PM. Submission via Moodle only. No email submission.
• Penalties for late submission: A cumulative five (5)% penalty every 0-24 hours will be applied to the final
mark of late submissions.
• FAQ
Q: What if I need special consideration for an extension?
A. Please apply for a special consideration via the Monash Special Consideration portal if you need to request
for extra time.
• This is an INDIVIDUAL assignment: You need to build on the group assignment you worked on for Report 1
(Group), but this time you will do the assignment as an individual. You can include Report 1 (Group) as an
appendix so that you can refer to information within it, but it will not be re-marked as part of this
assignment.
FAQs
Q: Who is the anticipated audience of my report?
• A: Please think beyond the context of ‘assignment’ and assume that your report will be read by
managers and decision-makers of the product/service you choose.

• Your Task: On the basis of the research and insight delineated in your Report 1 (Group), you are going to
develop an IMC strategy and provide all the necessary details about implementing your IMC strategies to
obtain the communication objectives you set in Report 1 (Group). In particular, you must
➢ Work on the same product/service you chose for Report 1 (Group).
➢ Create Report 2 (Individual) covering the following areas in the main body of your report
o Comprehensive IMC Strategy
o Media Plan (excel spreadsheet)
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o Please note that budgeting is NOT included. Please do not discuss budget.
➢ Follow the structured outline below.
1. Assessment Declaration (= signed cover sheet): Download and fill out “assignment-cover-sheet-
fbe” under Assignment 2 section on Moodle. Attach it to the beginning of your report.
2. Title page: Include the word count and full name/student ID
3. Contents: with page numbers
4. Main Body
1) Reiterate your SMARTT communication objectives you set in Report 1 (Group)
Note. This is NOT included in the word count.
Note. If you have to revise your communication objectives upon your instructor’s
request/recommendation as stated in the feedback on Report 1 (Group), you must write both the
old communication objectives and the revised communication objectives back-to-back, and briefly
explain why you revised them. In this case, revision is your individual work. Please do not discuss
with your Assignment 1 group members.
Important: If your instructor did NOT require or recommend revision of your objectives, you are
NOT eligible to revise your objectives.
2) Suggested IMC strategy (1,700-1,900 words recommended): A high-level overview of what
your overall IMC strategy includes.
Thought process you should go through;
a) Break down your IMC objectives and think about what you are going to do for each
objective. To reach your objectives, which IMC tools/elements/functions (ex:
Advertising, Sales Promotion, Direct Marketing, Personal Selling, Social, Online/Digital,
Public Relations, Events and Sponsorship, etc.) are you choosing and why? (showing
“why” is important)
b) What do you want to achieve with each tool/element/function?
c) Make sure you justify your decisions along with strengths and weaknesses. (“justify” is
important)
d) Lastly, and most importantly, think about how these IMC tools/elements/functions can
be integrated to create synergy. Please ensure that you have a separate paragraph
following the description of your IMC tools to explain how they can be integrated to
create synergy. This “synergy” paragraph should appear for EACH IMC objective. If you
can additionally suggest how to create synergy ACROSS your IMC objectives also, that’s
even better. Remember, this is the most important part of Report 2 (Individual).
FAQs
Q: How many IMC tools/elements/functions should I discuss?
• You may want to be comprehensive enough but also strategic in choosing the IMC
tools/elements/functions. By and large, you’d end up somewhere between two (2) and five (5) IMC
tools/elements/functions for each communication objective. But you can allocate more space (i.e.,
more IMC tools/elements/functions) to more crucial communication objectives than to less crucial
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communication objectives. Also, within one objective, you can allocate more space to primary IMC
tools/elements/functions than to supplementary ones.
• The same principle also applies to Assignment 2 – Quality over quantity.

Q. How should I justify my decisions?
• Please nicely delineate why you argue that certain IMC tools/elements/functions are effective to
attain your communication objectives, based on what you learned from the online lectures, reading
materials, tutorial materials, and real-life cases. Please make convincing claims by showing that you
thoroughly went through the strengths, weaknesses, and considerations of all the IMC
tools/elements/functions you learned, and then chose the best ones based on the specifics of your
product/service, target audiences, and communication objectives. Please avoid making a
haphazard and random selection of a couple of IMC tools/elements/functions without talking about
why you think they will work for your objectives better than others.

Q. Is there anything special I should keep in mind?
• One of the common mistakes made by my previous students is that they merely listed strengths and
weaknesses of several IMC tools/elements/functions just like a textbook. Keep reminding yourself of the
anticipated audience of this report. It’s NOT to educate the brand managers about different IMC
tools/elements/functions in general. Please avoid describing generic knowledge about IMC
tools/elements/functions.
• What you should do instead is to show;
1) How different IMC tools/elements/functions can reflect upon the specifics of your product/service,
target audiences, and communication objectives. For that, you may find it useful to avoid textbook-like
sentences—for each sentence, think about “does this sentence apply in particular to “YOUR BRAND (if
it’s Nike) - “Nike” only?” The answer should be YES.
Or, in other words, think about “would this sentence apply to any other IMC reports for other brands?”
If your answer is YES to this question, please rewrite it. All the sentences you write in this section
should reflect upon the very specifics of the product/service, target audiences, and communication
objectives.
Ex) “Since advertising is known to be a great tool for building awareness, it is expected to work
effectively for Nike”.
 This sentence won’t do any job in your report. This doesn’t talk about anything about the
specifics of your product/service, your target audiences, or your communication objectives. It
can go to any type of IMC reports for any type of brands. Please avoid wasting your space by
including this type of sentences.
2) How different IMC tools/elements/functions can be integrated for synergy. This is THE MOST essential
factor that differentiates an excellent IMC report from a mediocre one. Please achieve coherence
among your IMC tools/elements/functions. Please show that you have thoroughly thought about “how
one IMC tool/element/function can benefit/complement/reinforce another IMC tool/element/function?”
in your report. This will get you an HD.

3) Media Plan (1,100-1,300 words recommended): A detailed account of your media plans for your
IMC strategy
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Note. If you don’t know the difference between ‘Media’ and ‘IMC tools/elements/functions’ by
now, you are NOT ready to work on Report 2 (Individual). Please take the time to watch the
online lessons and read the textbook before starting on this part.
You will explain your media plans via (a) this written part (in the pdf file) and (b) a media plan
spreadsheet (there is a template of the spreadsheet available for download on Moodle).
Things to include in this part (in the pdf file);
a) What media are you going to choose for your IMC tools/elements/functions, and why (=
How do the chosen media meet your communication objectives?) How will they be
integrated for synergy? (= How can one medium benefit/complement/reinforce another
medium?)
o If TV is included, please discuss reach and frequency also.
b) Make sure you show that you understand how to integrate different IMC
tools/elements/functions and media to leverage their synergistic functions.

Things to include in the spreadsheet;
a) Media Scheduling (Continuity, Flighting, or Pulsing) for applicable media by colouring
in the monthly plans
b) Details of Media Plan: Within each medium, what publications/programs/sites are you
going to use? Please include as many details as you can to show your effort you put forth
to specify your media plans in detail (ex: black vs. white for print, what time of a day for
radio, what shows/programs for TV, which social media for online/mobile, which
area/neighbourhood for billboard, etc.)

Role of the spreadsheet;
The main pdf document and the spreadsheet complement each other—they should not
repeat each other. You use the main pdf document to discuss why (=justification) you
chose each medium. You use the spreadsheet to provide how exactly you want to execute
each medium.
The bottom line is that the spreadsheet pictorially presents what you’re going to do with
your chosen media – focusing on how exactly they will be executed . You can be creative
with your spreadsheet presentation.
In contrast, the main pdf document conveys your thoughts behind this execution plan –
focusing on why you want to execute them in that particular way.

5. Reference List (APA or Chicago) + Reference Screenshot (please refer to “MKF 5926 Assignments
Referencing Guides” pdf file)
• Please note that there’s no requirement regarding the minimum number of references.
Nonetheless, the number of references is usually correlated with the quality of the
assignment.
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6. Appendices (optional)

FAQ
Q. How can I get an HD?
A. The same principle for Report 1 (Group) applies to Report 2 (Individual).
1) Quality, not quantity, is what you should focus on.
2) Why is what you always have to try to clearly communicate. For each argument, please try to provide a
reason or justification of your argument. Is it from your own research? Or is it just from your own
intuition? Is it from someone else’s data? Is it from a theory? Please make your arguments convincing
by providing appealing reasons.
3) Coherence, coherence, and coherence! Or, synergy, synergy, and synergy!
Please make sure you suggest an “integrated” communication plans as this unit, IMC, stands for. Your
chosen IMC tools/elements/functions should somehow benefit/complement/reinforce each other, so
that your whole IMC plan generates the very much desired synergy effect when they are put together.
They should be chosen to be implemented with other tools/elements/functions for a reason.
Same with media. You should think about this big picture ‘integration’ goal both 1) within the chosen
media and 2) between the media and IMC tools/elements/functions. How will your media
benefit/complement/reinforce each other? And how can your media ultimately best address your IMC
tools/elements/functions?
If you concentrate on this point, you’ll surely generate a very successful and informative IMC report as
an outcome! (not to mention a great mark—hopefully an HD!)


****Report 2 (Individual) marking rubric continues on the next page.









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Assignment 2 Marking Rubric
Task component % worth Criteria for an HD paper
IMC Strategy 45% The choice of IMC tools is very much compelling and very well-
justified. The reason the selected IMC tools can successfully fulfill
the IMC objectives is based on an outstanding understanding of
the characteristics (i.e., strengths and weaknesses) of those IMC
tools. How exactly the chosen IMC tools will be implemented is
delineated in great detail. IMC tools are highly integrated, tightly
connected with one another, and expected to create excellent
synergy.
Media Plan 30% How the chosen media will serve your IMC tools and eventually
fulfill your IMC objectives is very much compelling and very well-
justified. How one medium can benefit/complement/reinforce
another medium is described with great care and in great detail.
How exactly the chosen media will work towards the goals is
well-planned, providing great detail with the help of an effective
visual presentation.
Evidence and Sources 15% Arguments are well supported only by high-quality* sources as
evidence. (Quality* can be assessed using the ABDC journal
quality list (i.e., higher ranked journals used), and practical
evidence drawn from research-based opinions specific to this
situation or from highly experienced industry people/ sources.)
The sources are used very narrowly, to support specific
arguments, with them adding up to the total argument as much as
is possible. Excessively broad sources are avoided almost entirely.
A fully correct referencing style in any accepted is used.
*You will get a zero if you don’t include the reference
screenshots as advised.
Presentation clarity
and quality
10% Excellent spelling and grammar. Succinct, clear, and logical flow of
insight and/or arguments. Clear expression in delivery. Creative
and presented professionally. Engaging and relevant use of
visuals to reinforce the arguments. Excellent referencing.
Total 100%
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If you have any questions, feel free email me at bora.min@monash.edu

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