Many, many companies rely on celebrity endorsers as communications sources to persuade. Especially when they target younger people, these spokespeople often are "cool" musicians, athletes, or movie stars. In your opinion, who would be the most effective celebrity endorser today, and why? Who would be the least effective? Why?

A flog is a fake blog a company posts to build buzz around its brand. Is this ethical?

The Coca-Cola Company pulled a U.K. Internet promotion campaign after parents accused it of targeting children by using references to a notorious pornographic movie. As part of its efforts to reach young social media users for its Dr. Pepper brand, the company took over consenting users' Facebook status boxes. Then, the company would post mildly embarrassing questions such as "Lost my special blankie. How will I go sleepies?" and "What's wrong with peeing in the shower?" But, when a parent discovered that her 14-year-old daughter's profile had been updated with a message that directly referred to a hardcore porn film, the plan backfired and Coke had to pull the promotion. What does it take to get the attention of jaded young people, who get exposed to all kinds of messages in cyberspace? What guidelines (if any) should marketers follow when they try to talk to young people on social media platforms?

Google updated its terms of service to allow shared endorsements though it's likely most users don't read these terms too carefully. Not everyone is thrilled about finding out his or her comments appear in an ad without giving explicit permission. Users who claimed the company had not adequately notified them about how it was using endorsements sued Facebook. What should be the platform's obligation to ask permission? Are we as consumers responsible for whatever it does so long as we agree to the site's terms of service (and read the fine print)?

An antismoking ad sponsored by the New York City Department of Health crossed the line for many viewers. The spot showed a young boy who cries hysterically as a crowd of adults walk by him. The voiceover says, "This is how your child feels after losing you for a minute. Just imagine if they lost you for life." The ad aroused a lot of controversy because it wasn't clear if the child was merely acting or if the spot's producers provoked his tears for the camera. Is this genre of "scared straight" advertising an effective way to convince people to curb unhealthy behaviors like smoking?

List the three hierarchies of attitudes, and describe the major differences among them.

As more of us rely on our smartphones, advertisers are following us onto this platform. The first iAds now appear on iPhones and iPods, and the early evidence is that they work well. In one study (funded by Apple), people who were exposed to an iAd for Campbell's were more than twice as likely to recall it than those who had seen a TV ad. Recipients were also four times more likely to say they would buy the advertised product. As a consumer, is this good news or bad news? How do you feel about getting ads on your smartphone? How do you think the marketplace will react to this new advertising medium as it becomes more commonplace?

A____of a discussion keeps the group on track.

Many universities use commercial companies to run campus Web sites and email services. These agreements provide Web services to colleges at little or no cost. But these actions arouse controversy because major companies pay to place advertising on the sites. That gives marketers the opportunity to influence the attitudes of thousands of students who are involuntarily exposed to product messages. University administrators argue that they could not provide the services by themselves; students expect to be able to fill out financial aid forms and register for classes online. Colleges that do not offer such services may lose their ability to attract students. How do you feel about this situation? Should companies be able to buy access to your eyeballs from the school you pay to attend if it means you get access to enhanced online services in return?

The Federal Trade Commission recently sponsored a conference on "Blurred Lines: Advertising or Content?" that reflects the agency's concerns about the resemblance between native ads and "real" articles. The chapter discusses the problem of sock puppeting where executives masquerade as everyday consumers and post negative reviews about their competitors. Numerous cases have come to light of hotels, restaurants, and other businesses that pay customers to write positive evaluations on review sites. Wikipedia can be edited by anyone. Do we care about source credibility anymore? What does the future look like for source effects in an age when anyone can post content, and pretend it came from a credible source?

Describe the Elaboration Likelihood Model, and summarize how it relates to the relative importance of what is said versus how it's said.

What is the difference between a lecture and a drama?

Why do marketers use metaphors to craft persuasive messages? Give two examples of this technique.

Do humorous ads work? If so, under what conditions?